Lotus Lab

Chapter 7

Cotton didn't sleep well in past days. He was thinking, and thinking, and thinking about everything that happened. He couldn't forget that gaze Yellow gave him that day. From the first day they all joined the crew Cotton felt nervous. He thought that since he's a sheep too, they must be interested in him, but in which way? Should he be concerned?

He already was.

When after three days he couldn't figure out a way to stop overthinking, he did what he usually did in situations like this - Cotton went to see Georgia. She could always make him feel better.

Georgia smiled as he walked in. She was watering her crops. Their partner Noah was downstairs, having lunch.

"Hey, sunshine!"

"Georgia, when will you stop calling me that?" Cotton rolled his eyes. He liked it but didn't want to show.

"Never. I know you like it".

"I really don't".

Cotton sat at her bed. Georgia noticed that he looked concerned, so she looked at him with the most thoughtful and sweet eyes one could ever imagine. Cotton hated it. He didn't want her to worry.

"You haven't been in a good mood for last couple of days. Even when you went to play with Noah and Maddie, I saw you coming back with a worried face. Are you okay?"

"Yeah... I mean... I guess I'm just overthinking. As usual".

"Woah. That's not "as usual", Maddie does it all the time, but not you. You're a very... confident guy, aren't you?"

Cotton didn't answer. He looked at the ceiling. The state of mind that's been chasing him since the cafeteria incident hasn't gone anywhere. He didn't know how to talk about the problem he had. It was hard to express something you don't fully understand.

"Why are you looking at the ceiling?" Georgia seemed a bit worried.

"What if... what if they want to kill me?"

He couldn't hold this thought in. It spoke itself without consent, just slipped, broke out.

Georgia dropped her instruments. She inhaled and then exhaled, took off her gloves and sat next to Cotton, who was afraid to look at her. He was about to cry.

"Nobody wants to kill you, sunshine, what are you talking about? If anyone dares to hurt my sweet cotton candy-"

"I'll go to my room. I want some time alone, Georgie. Okay? I'll just... I'll just go".

Nothing hurt Cotton more than making Georgia worried. They were like a big sister to him. It felt terribly wrong to say things just like that. He couldn't believe himself. He wanted to go back in time and stop himself from going to them. He wanted to suffer alone.

Cotton came back to his room. He still couldn't sleep. He was pretty sure that Georgia noticed how tired he was but didn't ask him about it. "She is such a nice sister," he thought to himself.

Instead of going to sleep, even though it was pretty late, he took a piece of paper and folded it. He could only make one thing – a ship. Georgia taught him that a long time ago when he was little. He never thought about leaving the lab properly. He did want to explore the world and see all the kinds of flowers and trees and meet other animals, but the thought of escaping, breaking out, just in order to feel free has never crossed his mind before.

Cotton suddenly thought, "What if I never get out of here?"

It was a serious question. He's never seen anyone leave the lab. No expeditions, no vacations. Even Stephen found out about the meteor just because it was a loud noise and a pretty strong earthquake. And the sheep delivered the samples when they were moving in. No one has really left Lotus Lab before. Cotton was terrified. In that moment, he wanted to scream on top of his lungs, he wanted to break free from this mess, get the weight off his shoulders. But how?

He fell asleep. Thinking and thinking about all that's happened. He couldn't believe the fact he'd lived happily for years in one singular building, dreaming about the moment he gets to explore the world. Will it ever happen? Can he even do it? He's only a little sheep.

Cotton dreamed about the ship he'd folded. There was nothing else in the dream – black space and the ship, roaming around and moving so smoothly that it seemed like it was dancing. Can a ship dance? It looks like it.

Suddenly, the ship spoke.

"Are you tired?" the voice was deep, it was coming from... everywhere. Or nowhere?

"Yes," followed another voice, not that deep but very beautiful and fragile, like a string.

"Then why don't you stop talking?"

"What?"

"Shut up".

"..."

"That's better".

"..."

"Why aren't you talking?"

"You told me to shut up".

"I wasn't talking to you".

"What? Who were you talking to?"

"Him".

The ship stopped dancing. It then honked, turned towards Cotton and went forward. It was loud. It was very loud. It was so loud that Cotton woke up, just as the ship almost approached him. His breath was taken from him, he couldn't scream, he couldn't close his eyes. When he finally calmed down a little bit, he noticed the quietness that hung in the air. Everyone in the lab was asleep.

Cotton quickly but quietly got up from his bed. He scoured his room for the ship. He felt the urge to destroy it, to crumple it and throw it away like it's nothing.

He couldn't find it. The ship was gone without a trace. Instead, Cotton saw an old toy – a teddy bear,covered in mud. Its eyes were buttons, and instead of looking at Cotton, they seemed to be looking away, even though they didn't have pupils. The toy was sitting on the desk, peacefully. Cotton didn't know where it came from, but he knew it was evil.

HEY! Jupiter here :) creepy-creepy chapter!! And who was the other voice in the dream? Woahhhh, interesting :0 Where is the ship? What's up with the teddy bear? No idea :0