The Alchemist's Starling

Danger...

Chisa's POV

*****

He was there...

Joseph... haunting me in my dreams...

His eyes... dancing with joy... a sinister smile plastered on his lips...

He pinned me down... raising a scalpel in the air... as I convulsed beneath him... mouth open as a blood-curdling scream left my lips...

In an instant, the image vanishes... and is replaced by... Chise...

She looks... alive...

Eyes bright and full of life...

This is so strange... and impossible.

I never have happy dreams...

*****

I'm surrounded by darkness... yet I'm... peaceful...

"...se, please... don't want you to... behind."

I don't feel any pain... wherever I am...

"I have... stay! ... needs me!"

Where am I?

"Just one... I ... eed you.

The last thing I remember... are the Ariels...

"Alright... right back if... happens."

I feel like I'm about to wake up... I can hear voices... they do sound far away though...

"I'll let you know... things change."

Wait... Voices?! Where am I? Oh please, tell me I'm not in the Alchemists' College... But I'm not in the forest... I can tell. This bed is too soft to be the trunk of a tree. But I can't be here! All Alchemists are the same! They're like Joseph! They'll hurt me and experiment on me! I can't take anymore pain.

I just can't!

Hold on, stay calm. I just need to be logical about this... If I pretend to be asleep, I can just wait until these voices go away and them I can escape. My plan sounds terrible, but right now it's the best bet I have to get out of here alive.

But I still don't know where I am...

I can hear the Alchemists much more clearly now... I must really be awake. I can sense them... their auras... the seem brighter than Joseph's... but it's a trick, it has to be... they want me to trust them... like hell that's ever gonna happen!

"Her vitals are normal. It's just a matter of time before she wakes up." A man's voice.

"I can't wait to examine her!" Anoter excited voice joins the conversation. "Another Sleigh Beggy! She will be valuable towards our research."

My blood ran cold. I could feel my heartbeat start to climb. It was extremely difficult to keep my face neutral and calm. I wanted to scream, thrash, cry. But I can't, or I'll blow my cover. I knew it... I can't trust anyone but myself... I have to get out of here! I did my best to calm my raging heart, I was still listening to their conversation:

"Tory! Don't say it like that! She is a person, y'know!"

My heart skipped a beat. Do they know I'm awake? Are they trying to trick me?

"Yeah, I know. But now we can research two Sleigh Beggies! It's so exciting!"

Two? There's another one here? Oh no... I won't have time to look for the other one. My heart cracks for that person. This must be one of the times where you have to put yourself first... I won't be an experiment again. My body can't take it!