The Unusuals

1 - Divide

A loud bell rings, and annoyed groans rise from the silver bunks lined along the walls of the room, eight in total. They only three hold people now, so the groans merely echo.

"Sleep in, they say. No bell, they say," a male voice mutters, voice low with annoyance. "Been good."

"Shut up Wick. It's assessment day."

"Yes Vessel, and that makes everything better!" The room is still dark, but the three had been going through their normal routine. The creaking of draws, the slight rustles of clothes, and the quiet patter of bare feet on the tiled floor. There is a small noise, a quiet flutter, and Vessel smiles in the dark.

"Chirp, lights up!" Vessel calls, and the sound of wings accompanies the flick of a switch. The lights turn on, and the three shield their eyes as the fluorescent lights glare off the white walls. The two females are dressed in military fatigues, and on the older one's face was an expression of impatience. The only male in the room is halfway pulling a top over his head. As he succeeds, he shakes out his hair, dark complexion marred by the frustration that seems to rest perpetually on his features.

"Chirp! You know to wait for confirmation from me!" He scowls at her, but his eyes show affection, removing any sting the words might've had.
"Oops," the young blonde girl giggles, skipping back to Vessel. Vessel laughs as she finished twirling her black, wavy hair into a bun. She puts her hand on Chirp's shoulder, careful to avoid the translucent wings that are folded on her back.

"Humph." Wicks turns, shaking his head in amusement. He reaches for the camo patterned beanie that is hooked over the end of his bunk.

"It might be The Dragon. Don't risk it." Vessel warns, seeing what he is doing. Her tone is cautious, almost foreboding. Wick grumbles, but retracts his arm, air around him seeming to heat up a little. Vessel shook her head.

"Just relax, we need to go." After a pause and a rough sigh, Wick leads the way out of the room, Chirp bouncing after him with childish excitement. Vessel follows, a small smile on her face. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad.

-

The three stroll down the sterilised halls, strangely void of the scientists that normally watched their every move. It's a nice relief, Vessel thinks, to have a private moment with her siblings. They aren't actually related, looking as different as they do, but they may as well be from the closeness that would be chalked up to a family.

Wick, the rebellious teenager he is, let his feet scuff against the floor. He hides a smile at Chirp's skipping, knowing she would have to enjoy it while she could. He listens to the others, something he did when he couldn't look. He hears Vessel's strong steps, proud and in control, like she always seemed to be. Chirp's every step is followed by a small flutter, almost inaudible. The small wings on her ankles help to keep the girl in the air. Wick smiles at the ground, thinking of how different the three are. Before he can get lost in thought, a set of the echoing footsteps abruptly stop, and he turns quickly, worried.

"Vessel!" The girl is frozen, eyes cloudy as she stands stock still. Wick scowls, rushing over to her in slight fear. Despite the fact that he knows what is happening, he wants to make sure she is okay.

Vessel is frozen mid step. The toes of one foot are on the ground, the other flat on the floor. Wick stands next to her, one hand on her back, the other waving in front of her face. With no response, he lets it drop, chewing on his lip worriedly, Chirp stopped too, her nervousness making her float a couple of centimetres off the floor. Suddenly, Vessel's mouth opens, but her eyes are still cloudy.

"Base Room 16, two minutes," the teen girl croaks in a voice much deeper than her own. Her eyes unglazed, and she falls back into Wick's waiting arms. She is shivering slightly, her now clear eyes wide with fear.

"Hey, hey, you're alright now," Wick says in a soft, soothing voice, propping her up. Concern was written all over his face. "You okay?"

He receives no answer, just another question in return.

"W-where do we have to go?" Vessel asks, standing up on her own, and removing Wick's hands from her back. He sighs softly, answering her question with resignation, but he knows he'll get nothing out of her in this state.

"Base Room 16, in two minutes." Vessel curses lowly, beginning to sprint along the white washed hall.

"Two minutes per floor!" she calls, running away. Chirp begins running after the older girl, bat-like wings fluttering as she springs into the air, flying forward with some direction from the small wings on her ankles. Wick smiles bitterly at the comical look of a gothic looking girl running, with a blonde haired and winged girl flying after her. He hates it when Vessel does this, but, obliges, and runs after the two.

Chirp glances back at Wick, no emotion evident on her face. She's careful to stay close to the floor, letting her distorted reflection stare back as she looks down. Chirp knows what happened to Vessel. It was something Vessel hated, and feared, more than anything. The smallest of the three pinched her lips together, a habit learned from observation of the scientists, and began picking up speed. She ducks left into a stairwell, diving down the stairs with a smile on her face, and whooshing past Vessel. Chirp hears the other two thundering down the stairs behind her, and smiles. This is the part of her life she enjoys, the freedom of any responsibility, just air and her. Chirp couldn't hear anything, the wind whistling in her ears as she dives down the stairs. It was comforting, somehow, always has been.

The three soon arrive at Base Room 16, a place where many things are directed. They dash inside, a few seconds to spare. Chirp is first, landing neatly on her feet, something she'd recently perfected. Vessel is next, turning herself so she could skid to a stop next to Chirp, the rubber soles of her combat boots squeaking on the floor. Wick made his way in next, slowing from a sprint to a stop next to Vessel. Three true humans in lab coats stand next to an intimidating man in a pinstripe suit, who has a scowl on his face. 

"Just," he grunts, gesturing at the scientist holding a stopwatch. Vessel straightens, saluting silently, and the other two follow suit, Wick's hand trailing smoke. They stand in that position for the count of two, then drop their hands in synchronisation. It's fluid, more of a reflexive pattern than a conscious thought, after doing it everyday for most of their lives. 

"As a more accurate assessment of your abilities, you'll each be training individually," The man in the pinstripe suit tells them, his voice low and rough, like a growl.  The nickname of 'The Dragon' truly does suit him, Vessel thinks, taking her mind of what was to come. Out of the corner of her eye, she catches Chirp looking at the others with distraught. They are used to the moral support of each other during the hardships of training. Now, they can't even send a sibling a comforting glance.

"Ghost, you're with me," the female scientist says, tucking the stopwatch into her pocket and beckoning Vessel, who hides a wince. She nods sharply, glancing at the others with a small smile of false reassurance, as she follows the scientist out of the room.

"Glider, you're coming with me," another says, and Chirp leaps after him in fear of punishment, gently touching Wick's hand, for her own comfort as much as his, as she jumps past.

"Candle, stop looking so bored and come with me." The final scientist left the room, with Wick trailing after her. He took a last glance at the man in the pinstripe suit, surrounded by heat, and smoky fog. It was The Dragon that split up the three, but nothing could be done about that now.

Training has begun.

Words: 1375

Welcome to The Unusuals! This is an original story that I've worked quite hard on. So every chapter I'll have a question for my readers, no matter how few. So, enjoy!

Q) What do you think of the characters and story idea so far? Honest opinions, please.

~River.