Loosing Her Number »ᴄɵᴍᴘᴌᴇтᴇ«

TWO

TWO

The next day past quickly. I was given a drink of water and a something to eat. It looked like a pie with meat. But I wasn't too sure. Nothing else had happened. But the day after brought something new. An argument that had started because of boredom.

"...I could take you any day of the week!" a female jaguar growled, Number 18.

That was one thing I'd noticed since being here. The only males around were the scientists and the guards. All those in cages were female.

"Oh! I'm sure you could. I mean, all you'd have to do is sit on me!" growled back a lynx, Number 8.

Sighing, I looked around the rest of the room so see that most felt like I did. Tired of the fight. It had started hours ago. Or at least, I though it was hours ago, there was no clock or window to see what time it was, whether it was night or day. I looked back at the jaguar and lynx, I was actually surprised the two had any insults left for each other.

"You mother––"

"Shut up, jag!" a wolf, Number 23, growled. "Look around, your both upsetting everyone in here! Just because your bored doesn't mean that you can start growling at each other."

"Shut it, wolf!" both cat's growled.

With a here we go again, I moved to the front of my cage. I didn't like fighting. Hated it unless it was necessary. And this was not necessary. People ended up dead when fights ended. Like my family had. "Lynx, jaguar. Instead of fighting we need to group together if we're going to escape."

"What the hell!" the jaguar turned to look through her bar's at me. "Escape, are you insane? How the hell are we supposed to escape?" The room had gone quiet since "escape" was first said.

"I'm not sure," I replied honestly with as much of a shrug as I could give inside my cage. "But the spider's venom doesn't work on me." Gasps were heard throughout the room. "And, I'm not sure when, but we will escape. People shouldn't live like this. Like dogs.

"What I want everyone to do, is to listen. And if you find anything that may be a weakness, or important, remember it and tell the rest of us. Those scientists like to talk. We'll find a way out. We're smart."

Voices rose in the room as I gave them all something to think about. Excitement. Hope. At least they weren't fighting. But I heard doubts whispered too. I couldn't blame the doubts. I doubted what I said as well. And I agreed with the jaguar, how the hell were we going to escape this place? We were kept in cages then drugged when out of them.

"Your eyes are different," a voice opposite my cage whispered. Sending the room into silence. It was Number 2, an eagle. "They used to be brown." She cocked her head, blinking at me in a very bird-like way. "Now their silver. How come?"

"I don't know. But ever since my eyes have changed, the spider's venom hasn't affected me."

"Your hair is different too," she told me.

Frowning, I pulled the mid-back length of it forward. Yesterday it had been at my shoulders. And it was still brown, yet it was getting paler. It was almost a soft honey colour now. I felt a curious fear rise in me then. Were the changes good or bad?

"I wonder why," the eagle whispered. "No-one else has physically changed."

"I wonder," I repeated her words but quieter.

I dropped my hair as the only door into the room opened. The other's moved back in their cages as Sone and Shree brought dinner around. Sone was the one to put my dinner in, when he saw me, he froze, blinked, then called for Shree to come over.