Gifted

Chapter 9

Rita felt warm, all around her was darkness, her eyes were heavy and she felt refreshed. There was a sound, it was distant, like listening through a tunnel each sound echoed and bounced off of the invisible walls of the endless void. The voices were getting clearer, Rita could only begin to make out what was being said.

"Shhhh! If we're loud then she'll wake up." One echoing voice warned, becoming clearer with every second.

"I wish I had my video camera." Another stated, the echo beginning to fade away.

There was a chorus of contained giggles and then a whoosh, Rita groaned and curled up slightly to fight off the sudden cold. There was a small fit of laughter. Rita shivered and tried to curl up and become warm again, she desperately wanted to fall back into her dream world.

"Time to get up." One playful voice said cheerfully, tugging her out of the sleeping bag.

"C'mon Rita, please get up."

Rita grumbled and turned over, she squeezed her eyes shut, but already she was waking up. Rita opened her eyes and squinted at the light.

"Why?" She asked Alyssa crabbily.

"Because if you don't then I'll tickle you."

Rita felt a little more of her wake up at this, she lifted up her head slightly to see Amber and Alyssa staring at her expectantly.

"You wouldn't." Rita said slowly.

"Try me." Alyssa said, fighting to keep a straight face.

Alyssa raised her hands up, preparing to tickle her half asleep friend if needed.

"Okay, okay." Rita grumbled, sitting up slowly, shivering at the lack of her blanket.

Rita looked all around her, there were definitely more kids today than there had been before. All of them were bustling around, getting ready to enter the lab, their new home. Rita became acutely aware of her messy hair and pajamas, she grabbed an outfit and her toiletries from her bag and went to the restrooms to change.
There was already a small line of girls leading in, waiting to get dressed and ready for the day. Rita groaned at the slow pace at which it was moving, but was grateful that there were only seven people waiting. Rita almost gasped at the pace the line was moving in the boy's bathroom, it was almost nonexistent, the line disappearing before her eyes.

"This is going to take forever," Rita groaned, she silently wished she had her phone to go on. Maybe she would have texted Robin to say hi, or her parents to let them know how she was doing, but she couldn't, at least, not for the next three years. Rita wondered what the tour of the lab would be, how everything would look.
It would probably be the latest technology, the government would only give them the best; they were the future after all. Rita could only imagine all of the friends she would make, friends that she could actually be herself around, but then again, Rita wasn't the best at making friends. Rita looked up to see that the line was actually getting shorter, she waited until the girl in front of her went in, and then it was Rita's turn to shuffle in.
The restroom had ten sinks and mirrors, they were each occupied by girls. Some of them were brushing their hair, while others were applying several layers of makeup, some were waiting for a changing room to become unoccupied; Rita stood by one of the changing room's doors and waited. She was still gradually rubbing the sleep out of her eyes by the time the curtain was drawn to the side to reveal a short girl with black braided wearing a plain t-shirt and jeans. She stepped aside to let Rita in, Rita transferred her belongings to one hand and stepped inside, closing the curtain behind her.
She began to change, switching her blue worn shirt for a newer, red one. She exchanged her yoga pants for a pair of jean shorts. She pulled aside the curtain and let the waiting girl take her place as she went to the mirror. Rita took out her brush and pulled it through her tangled hair until it knot free, then she pulled it up into a messy bun and brushed her teeth.
The girl on her left was applying eyeliner while the girl on her right was smelling her breath and debating whether or not to brush her teeth. Rita took her pajamas and toiletries and left, almost immediately she saw Amber and Alyssa laughing together. Rita began to head over, passing a group of rowdy boys.
Rita grimaced in distaste at the noise, there was a laugh and then a yelp, and there was a force that shoved Rita to the ground. She let out a yelp of surprise as she crashed into the floor, there was a thud that came from right beside her.