Creature (CENTURIES series: Book #7)

2

• Yeah, I did it again. I used Sims to illustrate. It's been a really dull weekend. •

The drive home was unlike anything I had ever been part of.

First of all, Charlie had to go through so many safety precautions, it was a wonder he wasn't fatigued by the time we arrived. Secondly, He got cuffed in thick, burly handcuffs that I was positive weren't normal cuffs. Not knowing yet what powers Charlie possessed, I had to assume that special grade cuffs were necessary. Finally, both me and Charlie had been submerged into a dark, windowless van that were to take us home to my place and at the same time shield Charlie from the public, but also shield the wild world outside from him.

Throughout all this, Charlie had seemed calm. Only momentary flashes of anxiousness had stained his face, like when he was moved into the vehicle he had never seen before, or when we started driving and couldn't see out through the windows. I could imagine it had to be like sitting on a rollercoaster for the first time, only you were blindfolded.

But we made it to my place without a hitch. I think they were expecting him to try and make a run for it, but Charlie sat still, simply just staring at the metallic floor of the van with a burly guard on each shoulder.

Finally, he was actually blindfolded and then the van came to a halt. We stepped out – a guard very helpfully helping me – and then Charlie was guided blindly up my driveway to my front door. Despite the disadvantage of not being able to see, he seemed stable on his feet though, as if he didn't need eyes to see. That was a little terrifying.

We then walked in through my front door and then the sweep began. They had done the same thing yesterday, but C.E.N.T.U.R.I.E.S had to make sure there was nothing inside my house that could harm him or anything he could potentially harm me with. Safety was everything, despite the fact that Charlie had shown no hostile behavior so far.

So far.

After what seemed like forever, Charlie's blindfolds were then finally removed, as were his cuffs. His glowing magenta eyes expanded to lightbulbs and blinked around in shock as he took in my Victorian living room, all the new impressions.

"Creature 6402-C is in place, operation is about to commense," One of the guards spoke into a small mic. "Ms Bloom?"

I immediately shifted my eyes from Charlie to him. "Yes?"

"Are you all set? We'll be leaving in a second, and after that, Creature 6402-C will be in your custody."

I swallowed, but nodded; I could do this. "I'm ready."

The guard (whom I didn't have a name on) spoke a few words into his mic again before he gestured to his men that they were leaving. "Good luck, Ms. You have the emergency dial on your phone if you need us. Our response time is two minutes. A van will be parked right down the street, monitoring the both of you the first week."

I nodded again. "I'll be fine." I turned my eyes to Charlie who looked much like 'Jake' did in Avatar when he walked around on Pandora for the first time; Stricken with shock, yet amazed at the same time. Most of all, he just seemed curious about his surroundings.

The C.E.N.T.U.R.I.E.S team finally exited my home and left me and Charlie alone in my living room. An awkward silence stretched. It was up to me to break it. "So, Charlie. Welcome to your new home for the next three months. How are you feeling? Can you describe to me what you're thinking?"

He opened his mouth, but not a sound came out. He just stood there, looking around, searching for comfort – something he was familiar with. His eyes finally settled on my flatscreen. "TV." He hesitantly said.