weird angle that will no doubt hurt my neck later. A sudden blast of pain winds through me, my neck straining before the sharp pain floats away into the fog like everything else.
Daisy!
I can see her now, my new angle allowing me to stare into her cell which is diagonally across from mine. I see the top of her blonde head and her tiny, frail body. She’s turned on her side, curled into a ball like always.
My head feels cloudy again, and exhaustion oozes into my body from the effort that took. I can almost feel myself sliding away, back into that nagging haze.
No, I can’t. That would be bad…wouldn’t it? Fuck, I don’t know. I can’t remember anymore. I’m so tired…so very tired.
Time passes strangely. One second, I’m staring at Daisy, wishing more than anything I could reach out and touch her, calculating how much energy that would require, then the next, three hooded, robed figures are blocking my view. It felt like I only just blinked, but I can tell time has passed because my body is aching again, my head rushing with blood from the angle.
What is happening to me?
I push away my fear as I watch the tall, hooded shapes lean into each other, their wide backs facing me as they stare into Daisy’s cell. They’re large, bigger than us girls or even the boys back home, easily towering over Gren, our old guard.
Aliens? What are they going to do to her? A new terror fills me, terror for my sister. But they just stand there, the sound of their chatter incapable of penetrating the fog in my brain.
I try to fight the haze and the urge to close my eyes, knowing if I do, I won’t wake up again. One of the hooded figures turns as if they can feel my stare, and I see a flash of gold beyond the hood as a curling tail peeks from the bottom of the robe before they quickly turn and, with more buzzed words, disappear down the corridor.
My tears flow harder now, tears filled with fear. I want to stay awake, I want to see what they are going to do to me, to my sisters, but I can’t fight it any longer. The fog is too strong, wrapping around me and yanking me back into its embrace.
No!
I struggle mentally, pouring the rest of my will, my energy, into staying awake, but even still, my eyes slide shut, and I plunge into darkness. My last thoughts are of my sisters, of what is going to happen now…
And then nothing.
Two
Harlow
A pained groan escapes my lips as muffled noises filter to my ears. I feel groggy, light-headed, and I’m wondering if I’ve been drugged again.
“Who’s there?” I rasp, my heavy lids still not wanting to open.
I’m not met with an answer exactly. Instead, as my hearing returns, I’m greeted with the sound of a boisterous crowd cheering loudly. In the fog of my mind, I wonder for a moment if perhaps someone has turned on the TV in my room and some old sports rerun is playing. But as I grit my teeth and force my eyelids apart, one thing’s for sure…
We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.
The sights and sounds are overwhelming, and I want to shut my eyes and bury myself in the bliss of ignorance.
But I can’t.
Instead, I become frantic, whipping my head all around, trying to figure out where I am. My surroundings don’t make sense, and I take a moment to let it all settle into my brain, the fog finally receding along with my panic. I’m standing at the top of a huge mountain, larger than anything I’ve ever seen before. Several hundred feet below me is some type of massive alien arena, but it’s not a square or a circle. It’s cut in at some places, with sections jutting in and out like a serrated knife, while other parts are round and smooth. Stalking around the perimeter of the unusually shaped encasement are aliens.
Lots and lots of aliens.
Klans of all shapes, colours, and sizes paw at the ground, growling and snarling loud enough to reach my ears all the way up here. I can’t help but compare them to animals, the sights and sounds more feral than the men of Earth. Wait…why are they in an arena? Why the hell am I up here on a mountain overlooking the gathering?
A cold wind blows, causing goosebumps to erupt along my skin as I glance