I was sitting in darkness on the cold tile floor with my back against the concrete wall in my small keeping room. No windows and no heating. I put my hands together and made a small blue flame to heat my numb finger tips. I've lost track of how long it's been since the last time I've been out of this room. There was a blinding flash I flinched and shut my eyes. One of the many staff members turned the lights on and brought me a plate of mashed potatoes and a small cup of water. They switch staff members everyday I've never seen the same face twice they're also not allowed to talk to me.
It's the same thing every day, every day is the same. I sit in the same cold darkness, eating the same food, seeing the same walls, seeing the same tiles. The staff member left the plate of food on the floor then left and turned the lights off. I took a napkin and lit a small part of it on fire to give me some light as I eat. The potatoes tasted the same as always same for the water. I heard one of the other kids here say that the potatoes taste like cardboard. I don't even know what cardboard is these potatoes are all I've ever known as food.
I wonder what cardboard is and tastes like. The napkin was completely burnt now and I had no light. But that's fine I already finished and I'm used to the dark. I stood up and wanted to do something but there's not much to do in an empty concrete room. I started to walk in a circle getting lost in my thoughts the staff people call it "immersive daydreaming". I don't know how long I've been here for and I have no memory of anything besides this place. But I know from what I was told I'm 16, 5'7, and 150 lbs and my shoe size is 7½ I was told I have wide feet.
This is a picture I drew a while back of what I think I look like. Of course I don't actually know what I look like because I'm not aloud to see my reflection so this is what I came up with. I did this when they where doing tests on me and they let me draw, I ran out of blue. One of the staff members said it was really good that made me happy.
I have blue eyes with black eye whites and long dirty blonde/brown hair like really long it's past my tailbone. My skin is a corpse like pale white color I'm also left handed. My immersive daydreaming was interrupted by another bright flash of the lights coming on and the door opening. A guard came in pointing their gun at me and told me to step outside the room. I gladly did as he asked there were five more guards pointing guns at me that's more than usual. They all have helmets on so I can't see any of their faces. I heard the reasoning behind that was because a 5 year old looked at a staff member and saw their face.
They turned into acid. There's still a burn mark where it happened or so I heard, I've never seen it. My bear feet slapping against the stone floors echoes down the hallway none of the guards spoke and neither did I. The last time I tried to speak to one of them they shot me in the arm with their gun it took a month to heal from that. I have a scar there now and you can stick your finger in it, it feels weird. We entered what looks to be an operation room the door shut and only two of the six guards where in the room. I looked around not touching anything and there were knives, saws, and needles, there was a metal table with a sheet of paper over it in the middle of the room.
There was a knock at the door the guards opened it and in came a women who looked like the normal everyday doctor. She had short brown curly/wavy hair with gray streaks. She had dark brown eyes with pale skin that was lightly freckled. She smiled and approached me "Hello Estella, take a seat on that table over there for me" I did as she asked. "My name is Mrs. Jay and I'll be performing your annual check up from now on" I stared at her with a blank face. "Don't be shy you have permission to talk" I took a second to think up the best words to say before she doesn't allow me to talk again. "when you say from now on does that mean I'm going to see your face more than once?" I said.
She laughed "that's correct, they've changed the rules for a select few". "Select few?" I asked "yes, from years of observations and collected data, Estella you are now classified as safe". I looked at her not knowing how to respond I'm not entirely sure if I'm supposed to feel something. "Estella over the years research has shown you to be emotionally detached, you show no emotion even though you can feel pain" she took my hands and held them together. "You've been so good over the years doing what is asked of you without second thought or resistance". Something about what she said didn't sit right with me I didn't know why but I kept silent "Estella" she said. "It's time we start you on training so you can become strong" "strong? what for?" I asked.
She didn't respond so I take that as I've run out of how many questions I can ask her. She proceeds to give me a few shots, check my height, and my weight the normal stuff. I started to feel a heavy sense of tiredness and can barely keep my eyes open Mrs. Jay turned me around laying me on my stomach, at this point I fell asleep. I didn't dream at all but there was an image in my head that wouldn't go away it was of a building of some sort surrounded by blue fire. In the reflections of the windows I could see people I dont think I've ever seen them before but they didn't look happy they almost looked to be in pain. Trees around the building where on fire and burning leaves were spinning down onto the grass below. There was then a sound of what seemed to be someone crying it got louder and louder.
It got so loud I tried to cover my ears but it wasn't working this was starting to frustrate me but when I got agitated the flames got bigger and brighter and the cries only got louder. The cries then turned into screaming "I can't take this anymore!" I yelled to myself. Everything went black there was nothing after that I began to open my eyes laying in a bed in my keeping room I've never had a bed before this felt nice but my back was screaming and aching. I stared at the ceiling the blinding fluorescent lights in my face. I attempt to sit up but then I feel something brush up against my leg I moved the blanket to see that there were large lumps of feathers on either side of me. I laid back down feeling two uncomfortable masses on my back that I didn't notice before I don't know how I didn't. I swing my legs over to the side of the bed and stand up just to fall back onto the bed the two masses are extremely heavy.
I give it a second try and I become light headed and my vision goes dark but I'm still aware of my surroundings my head is pounding and there's a sharp pain in my eyes. I fall to the ground my hands and knees on the cold tile floor. I hear the sound of the door of my keeping room open. My vision comes back and I look up to see to two men dressed like doctors one of them pulls me off the ground and put me back onto the bed. "You've gotta stay in bed, don't wanna rip your stitches do you?" said the black haired one. "You've gotta be confused sorry about that, I'm Dr. Robbins and this is Dr. Leith" Dr. Robbins was a young tall thin man with short black straight hair and green eyes. Dr. Leith was shorter than Robbins and has grey coily hair and has dark skin he has one dark brown eye and the other looks a cloudy milky white.
I've never seen somebody's eye look like that before I couldn't stop myself from staring "child it's rude to stare did nobody teach you matters". I looked down to remove my eyes from his strange glazed eye. "Sorry about him he's a cranky old" Dr. Robbins said. Dr. Leith glared over at Dr. Robbins with an annoyed look "Estella if you are wondering why it looks like that he is blind in that eye" "Robbins are you forgetting why we came here?". "Of course not, Estella I'm sure you've noticed the extra set of limbs attached to your back. We have many tests and exercises to perform with you for the next 8-12 months". Hearing that set off something in me I think I was excited because I'd actually be able to do something I won't have to look at the same walls.
I can look at different walls and see more people. "But for now you will be put on bed rest the estimated recovery for the normal person would take years but for you it'll be about 2-4 months". The excitement I just had vanished when I heard those words I laid back and continued staring at the ceiling. "Estella we've attached artificial wings and did some reconstruction of your bone structure regarding your shoulder blades spine and ribs" said Dr. Leith. "Once you are healed we will teach you how to use your new wings. If everything goes well I'm sure it'll be a nice change of pace for you". They asked me a few questions and wrote something's down then left I was alone again still in the same room I've always known. My body hurt and it felt like my skin would fall off it I got up again but the bed was pretty comfortable.
I'd say it's way better than the tile floor, I was told that I wasn't going to be given any furniture until I learned to control my fire. But even when I did learn I was still sleeping on the floor but I'm in no position to question the staff's authority I'm sure there's a reason for it. I wonder why they thought I would need wings I wish I was given permission to speak so I could ask them their reasoning. I can create fire from anywhere on my body the scientists theorize that my ability is also what caused my eyes to look the way they do. I know that there are people with abilities and people without. The adults don't have any abilities and they're afraid of me because they say I can just set the place on fire if I really wanted to. Not that I would ever do that. I was taught to be a good person to listen to adults and do as they ask without talking back or resisting.
I was also taught to not speak till given permission. What was that lady's name again? Mrs. Jay? What was it that she said to me? "You're emotionally detached" "you've been doing so good over the years doing as you're told without second thought or resistance". Was she saying that I was being obedient and with that I get a reward is that what the wings and bed are for? Isn't that how you train animals? What changed for them to give me a bed, do they think that after they attached the wings to my back I would be too weak to set anything on fire? I shouldn't be thinking this way I already know the consequences of disobeying adults and I don't want my life cut short. If they were able to get into my head and know what I was thinking I'd be dead years ago.
Here I go on this 2-4 month long journey to heal and learn how to use my new wings. I wonder what they will have me use them for and what benefit giving me wings have.
Hey! Thanks for reading this was a story I came up with in a dream a few years ago and I thought it would be cool if I wrote it as a story and shared it with people. See y'all in the next chapter.
Also all pictures are mine I drew them all.