The Alias

Part 4

Pain shot from my eyes and I flinch. The pain subsiding as realization hits. A hiss escapes my clenched jaw. I forgot to take my contacts out. My hand swiftly pulls out the clear patch peeling away the ocean blue. Emerald green hits the bewildering grey, "I didn't sleep. What happened to the tests and where are the other kids?"

"Your eyes they're..." She trails off ignoring my question.

"Mother called it emerald. Said they didn't exist so we covered them up with the blue. Now my questions?"

"Right, sorry. The test consisted of what you did. Not taking blood and checking your vitals or anything like that. They wanted to know what you did or how you reacted to a new environment. Like if you'd try to escape or in your case not eat from what I heard."

"I can't eat solids. My body's too weak."

"Then how do you get energy to live?"

"I like apple juice." I state as the tips of Chase's mouth slowly twist to her eyes. I'd seen this once before in a dream. Little burst of air coming from Chase's mouth collide together. "Are you okay? What are doing? Are you dying?"

My question only makes the sounds come faster. She stops after awhile. As she raises her head to me, she breathes heavily before saying, "Wow where'd you live before here--a dungeon?" She freezes before saying, "Don't answer that."

She gestures to the door then walks out with me following close behind her. The corridor is desolate as we walk further down. Its voices begin to swim through my mind. All begging to be heard. Light swarms through the doorway toward the voices. Chase strides into the room, pulling me along with her. I quickly snatch my hand back knowing full well the consequences if I didn't. The kids from yesterday have formed small groups and started talking about where they lived and their families.

"Line up!" A loud crisp voice comes from behind me. I turn to see the lady from the white room. The kids around here seem to call her Ms.Gray. Obeying, I took my place next to a girl with olive skin and rich brown hair covering her eyes. On my left, the boy from the desert stands fiddling with copper strands. His hands fall to his sides instantly and the desperate plea of sky blue shoots up toward the lifelessness of emerald. "Follow me and we'll begin."

This time there were no questions or protests. The others silently follow Ms.Gray in her chalky white blouse. We maneuver down several hallways until we face a huge door. Blood drips down the blade like a division between us. When the door swings open to another desolate room my mind twitches straying back to the empty stairwell with its frigid stone. The guards push us in toward a stage that blends into the surrounding grey walls and there are black padded mats below our feet. Thousands of weapons line the far left wall. "This is the training room and through this door each one of you will be taken in one at a time." She points at a pure gold door on the stage, "We'll have you call upon your counterpart. After that you'll return back to your room."