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>☆<
For a long time she only knew darkness. At some point as she floated in this confusing mass of darkness, she heard the squealing of metal that woke her up.
She was trapped inside of a dark metal box that lurched upwards.
By force of will she got her elbows underneath her and pushed herself up. Her legs wobbled like she hadn't walked in months. A lurching shudder shook the floor beneath her. She fell down at the sudden movement.
Sinking to the floor she pulled her legs up tight against her body.
She was surrounded by total, darkness. She turned her head this way and that, trying to see something, but the darkness pressed on her eyes like a weightless veil.
A smell like burnt oil invaded her senses, turning her stomach sour with nausea.
Elisabeth. My name is Elisabeth.
That was the only thing Elisabeth could remember about her life. She didn't even know her last name. She only had common sense. She could remember climbing a tree but not who taught her how to.
She dug in the darkness of her thoughts, trying to remember something.
Anything. Her parents. A friend. A boy.
Nothing... Her memories were gone.
Elisabeth sat stock still, turning her sightless eyes left and right. She was shivering all over, goose bumps had erupted up her arms and the hairs on the back of her neck were standing up. She opened her eyes to their fullest extent, staring blankly around, unseeing.
Elisabeth started to feel dizzy. She put a hand on her head as her heart rate increased. It was all too much. The tears that had yet to come burned her eyes.
After about thirty minutes or so, with a groan and a loud clonk, the rising box halted. Two large metal doors were opening and she could see light. After staying so long in darkness, the newly found light was burning her eyes. She looked away covering her eyes with her hands.
She could hear voices. Male voices.
"A girl!"
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"He's just pulling our leg, mate. Can't be a girl."
"How old is she?"
"What does she look like?"
"Is she pretty?"
"Staí zittó, Michael."
"Was this a mistake?"
"Dunno, mate."
Fear squeezed Elisabeth's chest. She blinked several times, hoping her eyes would soon adjust to the light. When her vision finally returned she could see people. But they were all boys. Teenagers. Kids.
After a moment of deep breaths, she gathered up all her courage and stood up.
Instead of helping her out, all the boys gawked at her like she was a very interesting animal in a zoo. "Get me out of here." She said in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Hey, it's alright," she looked up and met eyes with a pair of ocean blue ones. The boy sent her a friendly smile. "We'll get you out of there."
A few boys lowered a rope into the Box, the end of it tied into a small loop.
"Yes, mate. Just step into the loop." Another boy said.
Elisabeth wrapped her fingers around the rope, then stepped into it with her left foot. With one firm tug she was lifted out of the box.
"Blimey, she's light!"
Elisabeth breathed in the fresh air as fully as possible. The breeze felt good on her face, cooling the sweat on her forehead and neck.
She spun in a slow circle taking in her surroundings. They were surrounded by giant walls. The walls were at least a hundred feet tall and formed a square around them, each split in the middle by an opening that led to passages and long corridors.
She took a look at the boys around her. There were at least sixty of them, all of different skin tones and sizes, gawking at her.
