Friendship, Love, Paws and Fur. (incomplete)

Chapter Two

The next few days were slow and most of us were too tired to really do much activities. I did take the massage and it left my arms and shoulder stinging. The face mask thing I skipped but the swim in the pool was relaxing. As there were not many guests in the hotel, as most of them took to the Ski resort side further up the mountain, it really felt like we owned the place. It was peaceful and I didn't have to worry about my insecurity with my body so much. I'm not fat, its just I wish I could loose a few more pounds and tighten the slight flabby stomach that I have.  I should defiantly join the gym programme when I feel less like a brick.

Today was the day of the surprise field trip. We were told that we need not bring anything, no phones, no bags, nothing. Which was a bit weird, they had security guards with guns stationed at the entrance to the hotel.
''It's the government. Like we are going to become secret agents!'' Connor whispered to me. I rolled my eyes and placed my phone in the clear bag that they gave us and into the bucket a hotel staff member was holding up. I frowned when the guards climbed aboard the coach before us and when I sat down the were still holding their guns tight to their chest, looking out the window with focus expressions. Creepy or what.  The drive seemed long and uncomfortable with the guards in the back. But we pulled to a stop in front of what liked an over grown farmhouse. I could just about see paddocks surrounding the house in sections. There were guards patrolling the area and when I looked back I could see a big iron electrified gate closing behind us. My heart increased in beats and sweat began to form all over my body, more so than what the Canadian heat was causing.  Camilla was grasping Roberts arm and she was looking around with scared eyes. I folded my arms in an attempt to keep calm, my friends were standing nearby, keeping their cool unnaturally. Muttering to themselves about what this place could be.  I felt suddenly cold and moved closer to my friends. I could see what appeared to be scientists with clipboards exiting the main doors of the house, followed closely by heavily armed guards. The man in the lead was not carrying a clipboard, he was tall, skinny and about 30 - 35 years old. He wore glasses and from this distance I couldn't see his I.D badge, but no doubt he was coming outside to welcome us to this prison like place.  I want to grab hold of someone, or have them grab hold of me, to hold me to tell me its okay. But I stood my ground, stepping forward to confront the teacher nearest me.
''Sir, what’s going on, what is this place?'' I asked, tugging on his sleeve. He looked at me with a slightly concerned and scared expression.
''Don't worry, you'll be alright. '' That was all that he got time to say as the scientists had reached us. The man at the lead extended his arms with a warm smile.
''Look at you all, bright young students on a journey of discovery. Welcome! Welcome! '' He stood a little way apart from us, his followers scattered behind him in a arrow formation. The guards dispersed and formed a circle around us with the other guards from the coach. ''Now now, everyone, please don;t be frightened by what you see, you are very lucky bunch of people to be given this opportunity. You won it after all. I ask you not to feel intimidated by the security of this place, it is necessary that what we do here remains safe and undisturbed. For you all have entered a top secret government research facility. '' He gestured for us to start walking, Connor looked at me with a ''I told you so expression.'' I swallowed the lump in my throat and followed closely behind the teacher I had asked. The guards formed up in front and behind us and we were escorted towards the house. ''My name is Dr. Arcane, and you are about to enter a research facility belonging to a large but fairly under the radar project called PDMP, which stands for ''Personal Data Manipulation Program''.  It is here where scientific research on Data Manipulation and modification takes place.'' Thinking that we were about to walk into a run down farm house, we entered the front door and saw a set of metallic stairs leading down to a lower level. The surrounded rooms remained the same as they were when they were left derelict. The trees had grown through the roof and made it seem like we were walking into a trap. But then again, government research facility. Scientific curiosity. Always a great pair, even when I'm more scared than curious and as scientific as a beetle.  But still I walked down the stairs, seeing the building's natural light give way to high-tech replacement.

We had arrived at some form of museum/scientific research lab facility. There were guys in lab coats and few security guards armed with tranquillizers and machine guns waiting for us outside. A few of the people started murmuring about it. The lab-coats guided us around the facility in a hour long tour. Finally leading into a lab, there were many coats in here. There were two boxes on a table, with a row of seats with a table next to each of them. Upon the tables were glasses of water. I was at the front of the group, Marion next to me and Philip just behind him. The rest of the students were crowded in behind us. The room became more full. The scientist began to explain what our main prize was. As I was the one to answer the final question, I was picked to sit in one of the chairs first. The lead coat handed me a sheet of paper, on it was a very short instruction manual.

''If you take this capsule, you will begin to feel weird. Your head will spin and your heart will beat faster then it has ever beat before. You will black out and when you wake you will not see how you can now, colour will disappear almost entirely and you will feel different. From now on you will be a shape shifter, however you will remain a wolf for two days before you can return to your human form. Please remain calm, put the capsule in you mouth and swallow it with water.''

I blinked and the word ''wolf'' jumped out at me, font becoming bolder as my eyes grew wider. I looked at the table and at the still water in the clear glass. The coat put a small white box on the table.
''The choice is yours my dear.'' He smiled an encouraging smile on his lips. I picked up the box, ignoring the comments from my fellow students.
‘’Don’t take it, it could be poison.’’ Camilla said. I frowned as I opened the box. Inside was a purple-ish looking tablet. It looked like the contact tablets for colds and flu symptoms. Instead there was some sort of DNA pattern within the plastic-like casing. I picked it up and held it in the light. It shone like gold and I smiled. I popped it in my mouth looking at my friends, their eye wide with concern and fear. I picked up the glass of water with a shaking hand. The glass was cold to my touch, as I put it to up to my lips and bead of sweat formed on my forehead, taking one last look over all my friends and the teachers, feeling like this was my only option and that I could make this decision by myself. I placed the pill on my tongue and tilted my head back and swallowed it. I swallowed the water, the capsule with it. As the paper said, I felt dizzy almost instantly. My heart was beating furiously against my rib cage. I tried to stand but fell back down. My friends rushed to my aid but the guards with guns stopped them. One of them picked me up and took me out a door leading to bright light. The world went dark and silence followed. The sounds off all my friends’ concerned voices were faint in the distant.

                                                         (To be continued)