Woven at the Soul

Awkward Introductions

I was just drifting off to sleep when my bed...changed. It was rough and almost sticky. Alarmed, I bolted upwards. I looked around warily; I was not in my room. A towering canopy of trees surrounded me as I stood up. Looking to my right, I saw three others who seemed just as confused as me.

The first was a boy, around my age, maybe a little older, with jet black hair, a complexion only a few shades lighter than my own and wearing a faded blue shirt that matched his pants.

The second was a young girl; probably 4 or 5. She had long, neat hazel hair and a complexion similar to milk chocolate. She wore a pink nightgown and purple socks.

The third was a woman, most likely in her mid 20s. She had platinum blonde hair that reached her shoulders and was ghostly pale. She was in sweatpants and a large tshirt with some writing on it; but I couldn't make it out.

My own shortish dark blue hair was matted and sticking up every which way and my cocoa-like complexion was flushed red from the strange situation. I was in a baggy green tshirt and sweatpants; typical for bed, not the woods.

I looked over at these strangers; unsure what was real. Without speaking to one another, we felt a connection. I felt like I knew these people who I had never seen before.

The boy looked forwards at some boxes and stood up to examine them. We followed close behind and found four. Each one had a note explaining our arrival. As we read them carefully, we looked at each other in disbelief.

We had never heard of this organization, the Trial, in our lives. While reading, we found that we all had one thing in common; we are super-humans and humanity's only hope for survival.

"I'll be damned," the woman whispered, holding the note in disbelief. "Oh, I apologize. Where are my manners?" She clasped her hands together at her chest in a huff. "My name is Arlene." She smiled, but it soon faded. Arlene shifted uncomfortably, moving her hands strangely. It was obvious she wanted us to say something.

"I'm Madeleine." The little girl spoke up, surprising us all. She wasn't smiling and I couldn't tell how she felt, but judging from her impressive posture and seemingly unafraid voice, she was extremely confident in herself.

"Name's Parcee." I stumbled over my words a little, as I normally did. Arlene and Madeleine smiled slightly at me. It was almost reassuring that these two strangers didn't hate me right off the bat.

"I'm Izac." The boy mumbled. He kept his gaze downwards, obviously very suspicious of us. I couldn't blame him, we just appeared out of nowhere and apparently we're super humans? I wouldn't believe it either if I had no proof.

I looked up at Arlene; something seemed off. Her eyes. They were wide-too wide. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my head. I clutched it and looked at the others who were doing the same. Madeleine grabbed Arlene's arm and I shifted over, closer to the group.

-flash-

All I saw was white.

A flash of white.

Such a familiar light.

When I opened my eyes, I was strapped to a cold, metallic chair. Panicked, I swung my head to the right. Madeleine was in the same type of chair, only smaller. Her eyes scanned the rooms with a type of panic I didn't understand. It was like she knew where she was.

I looked to my left where I saw Arlene. She was obviously fighting to keep her eyes closed. I understood why; the room was dull and quite haunting.

Though I was unable to see Izac, I knew he'd seem calm, but be absolutely terrified on the inside. It was strange; I'd only known him for a few minutes, but I could tell exactly how he'd react to this extremely rare situation.

I heard footsteps.

They got closer.

Closer.

Closer still.

Then I saw him.

"My beloved test subjects..."