I can hear lots of arguing and I'm waking up slowly, albeit a bit groggy. Did Cloud and I hit solid ground? If we did, how am I alive? A fall from the height we fell at should have killed me.
"Then explain to me how were alive!"
Turning my head slightly from lying face down, I see Cloud standing before a man with bright white hair, dressed in purple.
"You're only alive because I want you to be. Step out of line and you will regret making me angry." Says the man, stepping closer to Cloud, getting right up in his face. "No, leave him alone!" I cry, too weak to get up, but reach my arm out slightly and then I feel a pain in my spine, a foot digging in. I let out a scream out of pain and Cloud's faces turns very pale.
"No! Leave her alone, please!" Cloud begs, getting down on his knees instantly, hands clasped together. Tears are streaming down his face.
"If that's what you want." A female voice taunts and I feel the foot on my back removed, but then someone quickly takes a hold of me, turning me over and throwing me onto my back, then presses on a nerve, giving me limited mobility. I see a girl a few years older than me with red and purple toned ombre hair up in a bun, tied of with a black ribbon, but her face is covered by a mask.
One that serial killers wear in horror movies, but hers is fake and it has fake blood on it too, but the blood is almost black rather than red.
"W-who are you?" I choke out. She thinks for a second, then looks me dead in the eyes.
"Just call me, Sherbet, Valerie."
"O-okay, S-Sherbet." I stammer. "C-can you let go of me?"
"Sebastian?" She says out loud and I see the man who was challenging Cloud turn to face us and he signals her. She lets go and stands up straight and now I see it, a shovel strapped to her back.
I weakly manage to clamber my feet, but collapse instantly back on to my stomach.
"Pathetic." Sherbet taunts. "What's wrong with you?" Another voice asks and I see the other young woman from before who pushed us. She has her headscarf now, but her two plaits are visible at the bottom of the scarf, the ends peeking out.
"Why did you push us?!" I snap. "I had no choice." She responds. "I hate you!" I tell her.
She looks sad and nods her head. "I don't blame you..." She whispers, turning to walk away like a dog with it's tail between it's leg and then I see a young man with dark brown skin and normal raven hair walk up and he places his hand on her shoulder.
"Get some rest, Harriet. You've been up all night. We'll take it from here."
"Thank you, Owen..." She whispers, then leaving and I see another woman who's pale with long white hair with green and blue streaks that's pushed over to hang down one side of her face that's almost as long as my hair. "Who do we have, hubby?" She speaks up. Owen looks panic stricken and slides a few cm away from this woman. "Three minors, two girls, one boy and an adult male." The man near Cloud answers.
"Oh, that won't do at all. Especially not for not challenges, experiments and work." The woman says, huffing a strand of loose hair out of her face.
"Wait, what?" Cloud gasps. "Cloud, who are these people?!" I beg. "Be nice to my parents." Sherbet hisses. "Parents?!" I respond.
"Something like that, yes. Shelby here, I and Harriet owe our lives here to Sebastian and Rain... I'm Owen." The man near Rain who's just introduced himself.
"Oh, thanks for ruining the suspense & mystery." Sherbet growls, pulling the mask off her face and stomping away.
Owen looks worried. "Oh, she'll be fine." Rain says to him. "Where are our friends?!" I cry, looking to Cloud.
"I don't know! These psychos took them away. They have a security team here. I refused to leave you as you were unconscious. You brought me time!" Cloud tells me.
"Where do you take Louis and Kelsey?!" I cry, glaring daggers at Sebastian, Rain and Owen. "They're in lock-up at the moment. Would you like to see them?" Sebastian answers.
"Valerie, do not trust them!" Cloud begs and I see Sebastian very quickly hit him across the back of the head with a blunt object, knocking him out. "Cloud!" I cry, struggling to move.
"What is wrong with you?" Rain snaps. "I have anorexia!" I shout. "We've been stuck in a gateway between gateways the past three days!"
"Alright, we can work with that." Sebastian says. "What?" I ask and Rain approaches me, gripping my chin to look her in the eyes. Her hands are ice cold. "But just so you know, Valerie... This is our world you've stumbled into. While your here, you will obey all orders otherwise we'll see you what were really capable of." She hisses.
"Capable of?" I wonder and I see her eyes turn from a blue to a cherry red colour and so does Sebastian, but from brown to purple when his was caramel brown a moment ago.
I look to Owen who shrugs, hands in the pocket of a green sweater. "Do as they wish, Valerie." He says. "What, why?!" I cry out.
"Harriet, Shelby and I are human unlike them." And then he shuffles away quickly.
"You're like us?" I ask, face still in Rain's hand. "We already knew based on your clothing. They're Solayo's uniforms." She retorts.
"You know him?!"
"More, know of him. We don't bother with him, Valerie. His James and Julius's problem, not ours. We prefer humans as they're far less complicated and more straight forward, but no one said sophistication wasn't any fun."
"What? And who's James & Julius-" I begin, but then she lets go of my chin and snatches the collar of my shirt and begins to drag me across the ground forcefully behind her that I gag and choke a bit.
I see Sebastian claps his hands together and the terrain around us turns from a bright, grassy green to all out, white snow and ice, dark colours clouds beginning to roll in, within a matter of seconds and I see him lift Cloud up in his arms, following Rain.
---
Am I alive? Am I dead? Looking around me, I see nothing, can smell nothing.163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrc4TKix1iv
Where am I? And then I feel like I'm being sucked up a straw as if I'm liquid. It's a weird feeling and I quickly squeeze my eyes shut. When I open them, I see the dim blueness of a room and and I'm lying on a bed, the mattress stripped bare of sheets and a pillow.
There is an IV pole nearby and it's empty. Climbing off the bed slowly, feeling my body ache like I've never felt before, I walk around to the end of the bed and see a space for where a chart would be, but it's missing and I see a curtain next to me. Slowly, pulling the curtain back, I see another bed that has sheets and a pillow, but it's also terribly messy and lying on the tile floor is a small pile of crisp white, but clearly used bandages. Why would they be laying here?
And then I hear the clock on the wall behind me start ticking. Turning around, I see the hands are set to 1:01 a.m.
What happened here? And then I feel a stabbing pain in my chest, collapse and the feeling of being sucked up a straw comes back and I squeeze my eyes shut again.163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡunpT278lwh
"Valerie, Valerie! Wake up, please!"
My eyes open suddenly and I feel myself thrown forward, gasping for air. I'm sitting on another bed, but it looks more like a doctors examination bed and I'm drenched in sweat, my clothes not my school uniform.
"Do you think it was a nightmare, Luis?"
Turning my head because I feel delicate hands on my shoulders, it's Luis and he looks... Different? No, older. I look beside him and there is Kelsey, but she looks different too.
"Louis, Kelsey?" I whisper, seeing they're wearing the same light grey pants, t-shirt and socks as me. "Yes, it's us!" Kelsey beams, jumping excitedly.
"What happened?" I ask. "Where are we?"
"You were screaming in your sleep. Nightmare?" Luis probes. I wipe sweat from my forehead, then answer him. "I don't know." I tell him.
"Now tell me what happened." I beg, hopping down off the bed, but stagger and Luis and Kelsey both take hold of either side of me to steady me.
"Valerie... We don't know much more than you. We woke up on similar beds." Kelsey points out. "And we look older like we've aged... I don't know how or why, but we are." Louis says and we all inch towards a large, tall mirror attached to the wall.
They're right. We look as if we're around 18-20 old at-least. I don't know, some number in our 20's. We stare at our reflections for the longest time and slowly, Kelsey's hand grips my shoulder and Louis places a hand on my back.
"Guys?"
We all flinch when we hear a voice and turn our heads to see the door of the room is open and Owen from before is standing there. He enters the room and our jaws drop, seeing Sebastian follow him in.
"What did you do us?" Louis snarls. "What do you want from us?"
And he slides an arm around me and Kelsey, holding us close to his body.
Sebastian chuckles and shakes his head. "Humans are simper than magical beings. Magic is sophisticated and while power is fun and great, I don't like great difficulties.
We rarely have new people come along and because of that, I have a lack of people to test on or play with or put to work for me.
You guys and your adult friend will be staying here and till I decide what purpose you will fulfil or role, try to make yourselves useful. Too many people naturally means a lack of resources."
And then he turns to leave, but looks over his shoulder, smirking. "And by the way? I aged you guys up to adults."
And then he leaves. Owen looks at, seemingly nervous, then quickly hurries away, following Sebastian.
A man and woman we haven't met before, turn the corner. "Um, hey? I'm... Ricky and this is Paige. Were this community's guards. Well, two of them anyway. We've been tasked with giving you guys lodging, but all that's left is a shared boarding house.
Hope you don't mind and please follow us." Ricky asks. We begin to follow tentatively.
"R-Ricky?" Luis stammers. "What?" He snaps. "Will we be seeing our mentor again?" Louis worries.
"Soon, folks. His waiting for you." Paige responds.
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