(You're More Than) Nothing

Changing Tides

       "VEEEERRRROOOOOMMMMM!" The blanket swooshes out behind me. Leahna dashes back.
       "Arrrooorooorooo!" Her white feet spread apart, and her eyes gleam. Her ears perk. Go time!
        "CAN'T CATCH ME, LEAHNA!" Cold floor flies under me. I won't win. Click. Click click. Click click click. Click...
      "AROOOROOOROOWWW." My lips tug up into a grin. My hands land on my waist. "ROOWWROW." Intelligent eyes shine into me. As if to say in a husky voice, "Anna, I caught you! You said I couldn't, but I did! Aren't you proud of me?" Her pointy ears swivel, the white fur gleaming. How did I end up with a beautiful creature like her? "ARROROROOROROROROW!" Food, right!
        I exclaim, hands in the air, "I almost forgot! I need to go to Lan's for your kibble! Be right back." I dawn my coat. The smooth fabric kisses my body as I step into my crocs. Cold metal rubs against my palm as the door glides open. Oh, it's surely fall out there! My teeth chatter as the door closes. My zipper closes my jacket. I love f...

🏃🚗🚔🚑

      That was the last time I saw her. My best friend was gone. Her bright blue eyes have dulled to oblivion. Her expression as her heart ripped apart, they're ingrained in me. Her every cry of agony, every whimper, every scream, locked inside of me. I never should have let her step out the door. The casts shift. A groan escapes me. The blood drips down. My mind's eye gushes out a waterfall. Sirens scream, and my mouth is sour. I eject to the side. A nurse rushes in and grumbles, "Goodness gracious." Cold hands slip under me and I'm dropped onto a new mat. Wheels click as the ceiling zooms by. Where am I? Sharp pain echoes up me.
      A disembodied purr stops my heart, "It’s time. Get her on her feet and changed. Our window dwindles." The trolley jerks and turns.
       Another misplaced voice warns, this shadow a perfect mask, "She isn't ready..." Silence and cold choke me. The hands wrap me up, forcing me to be in their embrace. The cold nips, while the dark disfigures. I breathe again. No, I'm not ready for anything involv...
      The first echo sneers, hands jamming the trolley to a stop, "I don't care! This one will not be taken like the others! Snatched from me. From me, because our window closed!" The cart wheels screech as I'm drug on. The force comes from the front, from the echo. The echo taking my freedom away. Every step, every breath, is one closer to a known fate. A fate I was warned of. A fate I was never marked for. This was Anna’s fate. Never mine. The voice brushes my ear, "Emma, I think it's time we get this going. What do you think?" I nod and swallow my fears. This isn’t such a bad life, right? Paired with a savage, nothing to fear. I get a microchip in my neck, and it gets it's partner shoved in the neck of whatever I connect with best. They said it had to do with my blood proteins and the elements in my chip.
      A sharp sting echoes into my neck. My back tenses. No going back. Not that I had a choice. They stole me from the funeral and held me at gun point all the way here. The voice purrs, "A transition chip? Luck of the draw, Emma. Now go make a difference." My body is tugged onto my feet and off the bed. I shiver on the concrete. My arms are loaded with glorious burden, and purpose, as I'm thrust into a changing booth. The clothes easily slip on. I turn my body around in the mirror of this two door room. One to the hall, one to the beasts. The hall is locked, the beasts aren't.
       You know, the grey shirt isn't flattering, but I don't mind the soft colours. The black tights and navy skirt aren't bad either.  The Y on the black jacket pocket is weird, but hey. I set my glasses back on my nose, and turn to see my profile. My heart stops. My fingers tremble and reach. Sleek, black lines poke out from my collar. The two lines intersect, and merge, forming a big black Y.
That moment, even if I had but a smoking clue, changed everything. 
*
        My heart races as I stream through the underbrush. Here you die, or you find the dragon. Which ever comes first, I guess. The trees swish around me as I swing about a branch. I scale quietly, hoping to escape the wolves. They told me 'The Mirage' changes you. It works with the chip in me to unlock my wild side. They say the change is painless, seamless, sudden. They say they want lively troops, but I wonder if they mean savage. I swivel my head.  The cries of angry beasts roar over the roaring of a river. My body shivers. My leg muscles coil and my shoulders sink down. The treetops become level with my eyes. In one simple motion, I uncoil. The release is fluid and addicting. Soon, my body coils, and releases again. Solid matter meets my fingers. I curl each muscle, wood digging in. The smell of the forest blurs by in circles as I let go. I glide down, cold air brushing against my back. Dirt carves into my back, tiny rivlets of blood trailing down my spine. The woods call to me. My heart races. Cool soil brushes beneath me. I coil down. Harsh cries make me shudder again.  I go forward in a rush, and my fingers are suddenly welcomed by warmth and shocking blue eyes. Wow...