Today was a long, weird day for Anya Forger.
Sure, there never really seemed to be a dull moment with her two adopted parents (one being a spy and the other being a trained assassin), but today was different. Today the weirdness began at school and it made her skin crawl. Apparently, the teachers at Eden Academy were buzzing about the new addition to the art room, it apparently was something so elegant and pristine that they had to put it on display as soon as it was shipped from an anonymous donor. The teachers all seemed to think that the new addition would even help them drive the price of enrollment up for the next few years, which meant they could get a bonus. It was only the teachers that were in a somewhat cheery mood, however, as most of the students were all thinking about how the new exhibit was definitely haunted. Each student had their own idea as to what the exhibit was and what sort of terrible backstory was associated with it. Well, that wasn't the only thing that was bothering Anya. A new voice had joined the cacophony of voices swimming in her head. It was deeper and much more sinister, saying things like
"Come to me,"
"Destroy!"
"Feed..."
Anya involuntarily shivered, clenching her fists as she attempted to focus on whatever the teacher was saying. Becky put her hand on Anya's shoulder and looked at her concern. Even such a small gesture made Anya feel much better. At least she wasn't alone. Sure, she was probably the only one here who could hear these troubling thoughts, but she did have at least one person here who would help her out if this voice became more of a concern. When the class ended, she hopped down from her seat and headed out to the hallway when her friend pulled her back and placed her hand on Anya's forehead.
"What are you–?" Anya began.
"This is what my mom does when she thinks I'm sick. I think you're sick," Becky said and cupped Anya's face in both hands. For a moment, they just stared into each other's eyes.
"How does she know if you're sick, milady?" Anya whispered.
"I don't know," Becky admitted with a sigh, finally releasing her grip from Anya's face. Instead, she took Anya by the wrist and started leading her down the hallway. "I'm taking you to the nurse's office."
Anya decided to just follow her friend and then noticed that a few other children were also wandering down the hall, also thinking about getting the nurse to send them home. Whatever this was, it was definitely affecting more than just her. Maybe Papa will be able to get rid of this evil soon! It would definitely be a part of his mission to save the world and she would be able to help.
As Anya was coming up with an excuse to get her Papa here, they passed the Art Gallery. Anya was hit with such a feeling of rage and evil that it made her stumble to her knees. Her wrist slipped from her friend's grip and the palms of her hands slapped against the cold floor. As she stared down at the glossy floor, her mind became flooded with disgusting images of carnage and destruction. Her stomach turned and she worried briefly if she would get kicked out of school if she threw up on these nice floors. What would her Papa think? Would he get a replacement child?
"I know you can hear me, Anya," the voice boomed.
The world spun for a moment before going black.
~ ~
"This has never happened before, no. I will take her home right away,"
"Why are so many children getting so sick suddenly? Is there a virus going around?"
"Did she say anything before she fainted?"
"If someone hurt her, I don't know if I can keep their death discreet,"
