Nonconformity | Henry Creel

Kazan, Russia

(THIS CHAPTER IS SUPPOSED TO MIMIC SIXTEEN'S DRUG STATE! ITS PURPOSEFULLY CONFUSINGGG )

Enjoy <3

My eyes snapped open.

Darkness surrounded me on all sides. My breaths bounced off of the indiscernible walls around me, shuddered and quick. I wasn't sure whether I was awake or asleep, which only frustrated me further. Had I awoken to yet another dream? The complete and utter blackness told me I had to be asleep. However, this didn't feel like my mind. It was colder, emptier. Usually I found comfort in the silence, but now it only unsettled me.

I tried to tilt my head to the side and get a grasp on where I was, but my neck would not turn. I didn't panic until I realized that it wasn't only my neck ignoring my brain's commands. It was my limbs, too, my torso. First I was afraid, confused, and then I was angry all over again. I truly couldn't ever catch a break, could I?

"Hello?" I called out. The only answer I received was the ghostly resounding of my voice from all directions. At the vey least, I could speak. The ability didn't exactly improve my circumstances, but it was welcome nonetheless.

Without any other option, I shifted my focus to my surroundings. Water sloshed against my skin. I realized my body was almost completely submerged aside from my face. I laid on my back, legs floating just below the surface. The water was cold, sending chills down my back and making goosebumps protrude from my flesh. Wherever I laid, it was compact. Even if I couldn't physically reach up and touch the walls around me, I could feel the water lapping against something a few inches away and then rebounding towards me.

I couldn't help but feel dazed. My brain moved slowly, as though the water had seeped into my ears and filled up my skull. I could feel my limbs growing more and more numb as the moments passed by. Soon enough, I was stuck in my head, made to bask in the murky darkness without the ability to think clearly.

Without warning, the familiar whisper of static sounded overhead. It washed over me, cutting through my brain and swimming among my thoughts. I had to be drugged. Everything was so clear, so impactful. The simple sound of white-noise became music as it's haunting keys rang though my eardrums.

"Number Sixteen." It was Papa. His voice echoed from some sort of intercom system in the space around me. I could feel the noise like it was its own being, vibrating through the water, brushing against my skin. The oddest part of it all was that I could sense him. Just from the sound of his voice, I knew he was standing a few yards to my left. His face flashed across my mind, severe as ever. He leaned over some sort of microphone while doctors shuffled around beside him. Just as the image appeared, it disappeared. Still, his presence lingered on. The doctors around me were no different. The feeling was innate, involuntary, as I perceived them without meaning to. Each time a person walked by my watery confinement, I could feel their footsteps, hear their breathing.

Definitely drugged.

"What did you do to me?" I asked. My heart beat hammered in my chest.

"Don't be afraid, Daughter," Papa cooed. Gone was the man from my dream, unfeeling and cold. "Right now, you're feeling the effects of a drug named methylphenidate. A rather potent strain. It works as a concentration enhancer, increasing the flow of certain neurotransmitters in your brain. Now, that all may sound a bit scary, but I assure you, it will help with the task at hand."

"Am I dreaming?" I asked, only to realize how ridiculous that question was. Either way, he'd probably say no.

"No, no, you're not dreaming," Papa replied. How predictable. "You must be disoriented. You had quite the busy day yesterday, after all." My heart rate picked up. I almost feared it was too much for my body to keep up with. "Don't be afraid. You're not in trouble. If anything, this is an opportunity for you to redeem yourself. Your emotions overwhelmed you yesterday, and though the outcome was less than ideal, it affected your abilities innumerably. You've been hemorrhaging power four hours, now. If we're going to introduce you to your new program, I figured now would be the perfect time to do it."