Loss of Heart

Chapter 1: Awakening

Mary Ann stirred in the dim light of dawn. Her raven hair, disturbed in her sleep, rested against her tinted cheek. The chilled air caused her to quiver weakly. This wasn't the usual nippy morning air she had grown accustomed to in her drafty home. No. That had always been more like a summer breeze. This was a sorrowful cold. The kind of cold one feels when they are alone.  She clenched her hand softly and drowsily opened her eyes. 'Hm?' her thoughts began to whisper. 'What Is this?' She slowly began to register her surroundings. 'I'm not in my room..' Her hands traced along the stone that made up the ground she had been resting upon. A heavy chemical smell lingered in the air. Carefully she brought herself up enough to sit on her knees as she processed the situation. 'If this isn't my room....where am I?'

She rubbed her eyes softly, the blurriness slowly dissipated as the world came into focus. 'Did I faint?...if I fainted then..where am I?' Nothing, not even the eerie silence, was familiar. Despite never seeing wonderland in its entirety she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she wasn't in wonderland. This place lacked the color and vibe wonderland constantly radiated. She clutched her chests instinctively trying to calm her heartbeat. But...Her heart wasn't beating. 'Huh?'. She was terrified shouldn't her heart be racing? 'why isnt my heart beating?' she felt herself begin to panic. 'but if i don't have a heartbeat... doesn't that mean dead?...am I dead???' she slowly started to rise her mind racing since her heart no longer had a beat. 'But how? I wasn't sick.....was I?' she stood scratching at the skin on her hands lightly. '.......This can't be happening. Im only 12!' she could feel the burning sensations of tears collecting in her eyes.

**Kami/Lauren--

4 small eyes fell upon the girl from a distance. Kami and his childhood friend Lauren had entered the ticket booth to work on repairing the rides, they certainly hadn't expected to find a child. Why was a child in Wasteland in the first place? Especially in the Gremlin Village? 

Kami had noticed her first since he was the more observant one of the pair. The timid blond gremlin wasn't the most outgoing of his species, having a tendency to run and hide at even the thought of danger. He stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of her. "L-Lauren..." he whispered grabbing the taller ginger gremlin by his wrist "wh-who is that?" he whimpered out.

Lauren looked at Kami then to the mysterious new stranger. "don't know." he remarked as he stretched his navy wings. "why don't we find out?" see unlike Kami, Lauren was a bold type. He didn't mind approaching new comers. He adored the thrill of danger. 

"w-what if its a blotling?" Kami squeaked out cautiously

"Kami that's a child" Lauren claimed with confidence "If that was a blotling it would be all drippy and gross" 

"I-I think we should get Gus" Kami suggested.

"what's he gonna do that we cant handle ourselves?" Lauren refuted.  

Kami knew that Lauren was probably right. Gus would just approach the stranger and welcome her to Wasteland. But he still couldn't help being petrified by the new presence. "I-I suppose w-we should still be a l-little wary" his voice quivered as much as his body did. 

"If you're so scared just wait here" Lauren stated already unfurling his wings. 

"W-what? N-no! what if you get hurt??" Kami blurted out but, Lauren has already taken off "L-Lauren be cautious!" he called after him. Despite his fear Kami followed Lauren, It was a habit, Kami always stayed as close to Lauren as possible. 

For better or for worse wasteland was going to change. Newcomers always had something to bring to the table useful or otherwise. It was like a game of  Russian Roulette. You just had to take a chance and find out. What would she had to offer?