The Fawx Bite

IV.

I stared out at the dull desert that passed by. I looked down at my phone, the brief messages between Viola and I on the screen. She had enjoyed homecoming but was taking the day to relax and sleep in cause she had stayed up the majority of the night. Despite the fact that the conversation had been pleasant, I had been in a slump since. Viola and I had been inseparable over the past couple years, our bond growing even stronger when our parents died and we were forced to live on our own. She was my best friend and we did nearly everything together. But now my life was becoming drastically separate from hers. And I didn't know how I felt about it.

Echo turned in her seat to look back at me. "So, if they find fault in any of this and they say you have to go back to the regular world, would you be able to?"

Was this a trick question? How could I go back to a normal life after discovering an entire world of dragons and magic? But if I said no, they would probably pull a Men in Black thing and make me forget everything. I looked over at Marek who was curled in on himself, his nail over his nose. Despite the oddity of the situation, I didn't want to forget anything.

I smiled at her, "Totally."

Echo smirked and turned back to face forward in her seat. Jin snorted. He was still obviously in a mood since my response last night to his question. I smiled to myself, it was amusing.

I must've dozed off because I blinked into blinding sunlight and a clogged city. LA. I watched the thousands of people littering the streets. Leaning forward I asked, "How much longer?"

"A little less than an hour," Jin said.

"Where exactly are we heading?"

"You'll see soon enough," Echo replied flatly. "Now sit back, there's idiots in LA."

I leaned back, rolling my eyes. There was a gentle push against my shoulder. I looked over to see Marek purring next to me. He blinked and then pushed his muzzle into the crook of my neck. I giggled, scratching his cheek.

We turned onto a small winding road called Houstan. After several minutes I realized that amongst the nature was a pure white house rising above the scenery. It was modern, and stunning. An entire tower on the side of the house was made up of windows.

"Is this seriously the home of a government agency?" I asked.

Jin pulled the car into the driveway and parked. "Yep."

He got out of the car, stretching his long limbs. After a moment of hesitation I opened my door, leaving it open so that Marek could climb out. His claws clicked against the concrete, his tail swiping through the air. I squinted at the house, "This must've cost a fortune."

"Are you really that surprised?" Jin raised his eyebrows at me. "It's the government."

We walked up the short stone steps that led to a front door of glass. Standing just outside of it was an average height man, in his early fifties with a whisper of grey in his hair. Lines patterned his face. He nodded at us then extended a hand towards, "Jin. Good to see you." But he wasn't looking at Jin, his grey eyes were focused on me. He released Jin's hand and walked towards me. Pausing, he extended his arm, "I am Director Anthony Momsen of the Paranormal Analysis Unit. You must be Scarlet, the new curiosity."

I blinked, "Yep, that would be me."

"Well, come on it," Director Momsen extended his arm in the direction of the door. As if on cue, it opened to reveal the house inside. Marek walked first, the tip of his tail brushed against the wood floor. I paused once inside and looked around. The house was incredibly stunning. Typical though of an expensive house. As we walked forward, I noticed small details of where there were spots to explore further. Director Momsen paused by a wall, raised his hand to place his finger on a certain spot. I was distracted briefly by the spiraling staircase when a small square, almost like a phone, appeared underneath the director's finger. A green bar traveled up and down, scanning the details before there was a beep and the wall popped in, then opened with a hiss.

It revealed a stairway with bright LED lights. It wound down below the ground with white panels covering the walls. I began walking forward, the metal bar next to me cold to the touch. I paused, staring in surprise at the wide space that stretched before me. White walls and floors, glass walls and numerous people walked all around. I felt like I had walked right on to a movie set.

Waiting at the bottom of the staircase was a woman. Her short black hair was rigid in its bowl cut style. She was curvy, a black pencil skirt and a flowered blouse accented it. A white coat was laid over the entire outfit. Glasses rested on her nose. She was very pretty, and startlingly young. I came to a halt before her. She held out her hand, "Doctor Sophie Grimm."

Great, so that woman who would be poking me with needles and whatever else had the same name as my former best friend. I smiled, gritting my teeth, "Scarlet."

"If you'll follow me, this won't be too horrible of an experience," Dr. Grimm smiled, as though she wanted to be my friend.

No.

I looked over my shoulder to see that Marek was following me. I could feel a tug of worry coming from him, the side of his cheek touched my thigh. Echo and Jin stayed near the edge of the stairs, watching us. I refocused on where I was walking, noticing the massive gym, the educational areas that we walked past. We headed towards the lab, the glass revealing every excruciatingly clean utensil that was within the room. Slowly, I walked in. Marek's presence warm and constant next to my leg. The door clicked shut and instantly the glass fogged to hide us fro the world. I swallowed.

Dr. Grimm smiled.