Rise, and Come

Chapter One

She woke in utter darkness. She blinked, but her eyes didn't adjust. Or maybe there was nothing to adjust to. She lifted her shoulders to get up, but something cool pressed against her forehead, and she felt rather than heard the command, lie back, rest. And there was something heavy, like the lead cover she'd had to wear when getting x-rays, over her. She blinked again, and put her head back. The pillow was soft, and she was terribly weary ...

The next time she woke, there was light. The heavy cover turned out to be a light blanket, and she pushed it off and swung her legs over the side of the bed. The sudden move made her dizzy, and she put her hand to her head, only to jerk it back with a gasp. Her head had been shaved. Did I get drunk? she wondered. But her mind was a curious blank. She didn't remember last night ... in fact she didn't remember ANY nights. Or days. She frowned, and concentrated. What is my name? Who am I? And how did I get here?

Well, there was one important thing that had to be attended to immediately. Her head had stopped spinning, and she gingerly stood. Swaying slightly, she took stock of the small room. There was the bed, and she stood on some sort of laminate flooring. It was not cold, but cool. Her bare toes cautiously explored it. The room was nearly featureless, smooth gray walls. The ceiling was high above her head. and she craned her neck up to see. Nothing. But there was a small red light high in one of the corners. She stared at it a moment and then shrugged. 

In one corner was a screen, and she peered behind it. Ah, there it was! A small covered pot, with a stack of soft paper squares beside it. She might have no memory, but a toilet was universal. Protruding from the wall next to it was a small spigot with a shallow tray beneath. After she was done, she tested it, and was pleased to find it squirted water if she put her hands under it. The tray absorbed the water.

Across from the toilet was another spigot, and she stared at it a moment before the word came to her. Shower. But she felt as though she had recently been cleaned, and moreover, was still puzzling out the room. So she left that for the moment. 

Back outside the screen, she took stock of the small room. There was the bed she had slept in. It was plain, but as she looked at it a memory popped up. It was wider than her bed at home. She blinked, and tried to remember more, but that was it. Just that flash. 

She walked back to it and tugged the blanket into place. I always made my bed first thing, she thought. But who am I? She looked down, and tugged on her clothes. She wore a large t-shirt, and nothing else, not even underneath. The hem hit about her knees; it was plain, a light gray, with no decoration. 

Oh, but see. There was a small table there she had not noticed before. On it were two tiny mirrors, and a small flat device. She picked up one of the mirrors, and looked. Wide green eyes stared back at her. Brown eyebrows and lashes.She ran a hand ruefully over her shorn scalp. What was that for? Her hand paused, there was something small embedded in the base of her skull! Using the other mirror, she looked. Yes, and a small tattoo over it. Like a celtic knot. I never had tattoos, I'm sure, she mused. But there it was. More troubling was whatever made the tiny bump under the skin. She frowned again, and noticed, she did have one piece of adornment. Tiny emerald studs in her earlobes. They felt freshly pierced, and she gingerly fingered them.

She sat on the bed rather heavily, and picked up the device. It was dead and black, but perhaps she could turn it on and find out what was going on. Another flash of memory, this time of reading and writing on the device. A tablet! She strained, but nothing else came to mind. Her fingers skittered over its surface, ah! there was a small depression, some sort of button perhaps. The screen lit up, and she smiled.

"Welcome, Talia." scrolled across it.

She blinked. Was that her name? She tried it out loud. It seemed to fit. "Talia. I like it."

She looked at the device. "Hmm. But how did I get here?" 

More words scrolled, "Information unavailable." 

"Why am I here?"

"Unavailable."

She scowled. "Will I be told later?"

"Eventually."

"Can I leave? Who am I? What is going on!"

There was a short pause, and then new words scrolled. "One question at a time, please. You cannot leave. You have been brought here for a reason that will be explained later. Your name is Talia. You are 29, and in good health. You will be monitored and a daily report will be given to you if you request. You will be fed and tended. More information with be provided as necessary."

The screen went black. Talia shook it, pressed the button, even pounded it against the bed, to no avail. It stayed dark. With a shriek she flung it across the room. She curled up in the bed and then shook as memory returned, in disjointed flashes.  

Walking down a road, heading home from work. Parents. She lived ... over the garage. Had gone back to  college. The major eluded her, but it seemed familiar enough. A bicycle. The shore. She liked to swim. Sitting in a tree with a book? Yes, that felt right, too.

But it all seemed far away, as though it had happened to someone else. Her parents had loved her, and she had loved them, but the memories felt distant. She frowned again. 

There was a click and a beep, and she bolted upright. The tablet was glowing! She flew across the small room and scooped it up. It showed a picture, a head shot really, of a strange figure. Pale blue tinted skin. Eyes stared straight ahead. Black horns curved out and up, then down.

Beneath it said merely, "Your match."

She stared at the picture a long time. What match? She hadn't signed up for anything. And yet ... There was a curious twist in her gut. The image was cold, unfeeling, and yet, and yet ... She had a feeling that if he were to walk in the room, she would run to him. Climb up and grip those horns and drag him down. Push him into the bed and - or better yet have him push her into it. And go, go, go until her brain melted. She picked up the tablet and sat on the edge of the bed. 

"Can I have the picture?" 

The screen went blank, and then the words scrolled again. "Tonight. It will be delivered with your meal."

The picture returned, with a new caption, "He will lead you out. But he will need something first."

She lay back, and thought. Lead her out of the cell? She certainly hoped so. Oddly enough, she felt tired again, and soon dozed off.

Image credit:

http://orig10.deviantart.net/8117/f/2015/050/3/f/anime_girl_by_shigokuboy-d8iph80.png