The Perks of Being a Freak (Editing)

9. There's A Fishhook In My Spine

What did you two do? Tony demanded, streaking back down in a blur of red to find Emily and I spinning and swirling confusedly.

Don’t touch each other, I advised, shell-shocked.

Benny came over just in time to hear my advice, and snickered.

You’re insane, he told me, laughing silently.

Sometimes… most of the time… I’m not quite sure… I rocked backwards, and then slumped flat. I couldn't focus on anything. My brain was spinning around my skull, knocking into everything.

Guys, I found something, Rajeev called out to them. Emily looked around, and could not see his shadow anywhere. She was about to ask when he interrupted. I guess our connection doesn’t have a maximum distance, huh?

I guess not, Emily replied, flowing around me toward the feeling of Rajeev. The others followed, with me behind them all, watching their backs.

As we walked Rajeev explained what he had found. It kinda looks like we’re in the middle of a donut, which is cut into five equal sections. One of them is silver, like… well… silver. Another is whitish blue. The third one is kinda brick-colored. The fourth one is made of… cement? Concrete? I don’t know. The last one… Hey that looks like my Dark Space! Guys I think we’re in the middle of our Dark Spaces. Wow, you guys should see this.

What’s going on? I felt something tugging at my consciousness. Are any of you guys waking up? ‘Cause I am and I don’t- AH!

All five of us cried out. Pain was spreading from my back into my consciousness, and from there it spread into all of the other four. We screamed as one, and collapsed. I watched them, writhing in torment. Their pain was my pain, and my pain hurt them just as much, if not more, than it hurt me.

As if there was a hook jammed through my spine, right in between my shoulder blades, I was dragged away from the prone, squalling, vaporous bodies of my friends. I howled and fought, but it did no good. Vertebrae by vertebrae, I was pulled out of the darkness and into white, toxic light.

I fought consciousness. I fought the tube jammed down my throat. I fought the burning in my back as doctors pulled me open and put me together in the wrong way. I fought the restraints, and the foam filling my mouth to keep me from biting my own tongue. I fought and fought, but it did nothing.

Help me! I howled, clamoring for anyone. I was alone. Alone and in so much unbearable agony. Help! Please!

It hurts, Li, Emily’s voice in my head gave me strength. I wasn’t alone. I had Emily. I had Rajeev and Benny. Hell, I even had Tony. I wasn’t alone.

What are they doing to me? I cried. Tears ran down my cheeks, involuntarily. Out of the corner of my eye I could see blood, and a lot of it.

Tony is red. But Tony is prettier than blood. Tony wasn’t just one color, flowing in a river over my back and my eyes, blocking my vision. Why can’t I see? Why is it so red? Whatever. Tony wasn’t just one icky red. Tony was a thousand. He shifted and changed, like light. Tony was a beautiful color. Tony was red. He wasn’t the empty grayness that was spiralling up to meet me.

Finally, I met the unconsciousness I had been striving for before this whole kidnapping fiasco began. The blood slid over my eyes, warm and wet and gross, and the darkness drank me in.