Lone Girl (The Wolfling Saga) (27 page)

Monday
– 0 days to go

The other patients retreated to their ‘transformation’ rooms, which more closely resembled prison cells. An hour before sun-down I was taken to a small, clinical room where a Doctor took a small sample of blood from my forearm for pre-transformation analysis. With the blood extraction complete I was led up several flights of stairs until we came to an outdoor terrace that overlooked a football field sized tank. The air was brisk upon my skin. I wore thin, loose fitting clothes for the transformation, but the bite of the cold made me feel free. Overhead the sky was shot with pink and gold as the sun set.

The enclosure
below was made of glass and the interior resembled that of a miniature forest. The floor of the terrarium was uneven with grassy knolls, trees, shrubs and rocks. I even saw a squirrel ferreting about.

“It looks like a zoo habitat,” I told the Orderly who had escorted me.

“The analytical party will be on the ground level where they will observe your behaviour in the simulated environment,” he told me.

“Not simulated very well,” came a sarcastic voice from the stairwell. I turned around to see Tom, escorted by Professor Colt.

Without hesitation I ran to Tom and hugged him tightly, which he returned weakly. “Hello, darling,” he chuckled in my ear. “Did you miss me?”

I nodded and pulled away, grinning broadly. “After this I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

“All right, it’s half an hour until sundown, folks. Let’s get the couple into the tank,” Colt said, clapping his hands together eagerly.

Tom and I were asked to stand on a motorized platform which descend
ed into the tank. We held hands as we were lowered amongst the trees. Once we were successfully on the ground the platform rose again so we had no way out.

“Looks like we’re the entertainment for tonight,” Tom muttered under his breath, nodding towards the glass wall closest to us. I could see Colt, accompanied by a large band of people on the other side of the glass. I
felt as though I was in the zoo with people gawking at me from all angles. Suddenly I found myself wishing I’d gone to the bathroom before coming here.

Colt’s voice spoke to us through a P.A system. “Now,
don’t be alarmed by the noise, but we’re going to bring the roof of the tank across the enclosure to ensure that you cannot escape whilst you are transformed.”

The sound of the motors was almost deafening. Tom and I covered our ears and looked up as a giant metal grate slid across the top of the tank, sealing us within its walls. We were well and truly trapped now.
At least we could still see the sky through the holes in the grate.

“In case of an emergency we have set up multiple precautions,” Colt’s voice echoed through the tank. “In the event of injury or attack we have nozzles spread out over the habitat which will emit a strong sleeping gas. Completely harmless, so nothing to worry about. Of course we’re hoping it doesn’t come to that. If all goes well we should have a nice, peaceful transformation.”

I looked at Tom and saw doubt in his eyes. I squeezed his hand gently and smiled. “It’ll be okay. We’ve done this before.”

“We are going to turn off all lights and dim the glass. You will not be able to see us, but we will be able to see you. Don’t worry; the natural glow of the moon will be more than enough illumination for you. Good luck.” The P.A system cut out and the glass turned black. We could no longer see the staring eyes on the other side. Above, the lights that had once illuminated the tank were switched off, throwing Tom and I into darkness. The only source of light was the sky above which was quickly turning dark purple. A shiver ran through my spine. I didn’t want to admit it but I was afraid. This environment was not natural. It was too quiet. The trees did not rustle in the wind and there were no other animal sounds to be heard. It was so quiet I could hear Tom’s heavy breathing next to me.

“Come, darling. Let’s make ourselves comfortable at least,” he said, tugging on my hand.

I followed him clumsily through the tank, stepping over rocks and tree roots until we came to a small dip in the grass perfect for lying in. 

Tom lay down and I nestled beside him. He wrapped an arm around me and held me close.

“Do you think they can hear us talking?” I whispered, resting my head against his chest.

“I’m sure they can,” he replied.

I sighed. “I wish it could be like last time, in Halfway.”

I heard Tom chuckle in the darkness. “I wish that too, petal.”

I traced patterns over his chest with my fingertip. “It’s probably the best memory I have,” I said. “That night.” I felt childish as soon as I’d confessed it.

Tom stroked my hair. “Me too.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

I smiled and looked up, pecking Tom on the underside of his jaw before burying my face into the crook of his neck. Tom touched beneath my chin with his free hand, tilting my face up with his fingertips. He kissed me on the mouth softly, tentatively, with some reservation. We were being watched after all.

When he pulled away I smiled and nestled against him once more, feeling the prickling of my skin as the sky darkened above us.

“How long do you think?” I asked after a few minutes.

“Not long now,” he replied.

He was right. Only a few minutes later I felt the agonizing pain rocket through my body like an electric current. But the pain was lessened by Tom’s presence.

“See you on the other side,” said Tom, pecking me on the lips one last time. “Love you, kiddo.”

My heart swelled to twice its normal side. “Love you, too.”

The pain surged as a cloud above shifted, revealing the full moon.

Tuesday
– 29 days to go

Waking up was difficult. I felt exhausted and groggy. I was lying down face first in the grass, its spiky blades pressing into my cheek. I rolled onto my back and opened my eyes, surprised to see the cloudy sky above, unobstructed by the metal grate. They’d lifted the roof of the tank. 

I sat up, my head spinning and bl
ack spots appearing in front of my eyes. I was cold, which could only mean one thing. I looked down at myself.

Yup. Naked.

Embarrassed, I tried in vain to cover myself up, certain that people would be watching.

The glass of the tank was no longer dimmed and I could see into the observation rooms beyond, however there wasn’t a person in sight.

“Tom?” I mumbled. My voice was hoarse. I looked around but Tom was nowhere near me. I sighed; this scenario was all too familiar.

I stood up and tried to conceal my body in vain. I took one step forwards
, stepping on something soft. Looking down I saw a pair of neatly folded clothes at my feet. They were the same white clothes I’d worn on my first day at the facility.

So someone had been here while I slept. That was a bit creepy. I pulled the clothes
on, feeling a little bit better but they did nothing to warm me.

I spent a few minutes walking the perimeter
of the tank calling Tom’s name but there was no reply so I trudged to where the platform had been the night before and was pleased to see that it had been lowered for me. I stepped onto it and waited for it to ascend out of the tank, but it did not move.

“Hello?” I called
, looking up. “If you could let me out that would be much appreciated.”

I waited for a few seconds.

“Someone?” I tried again.

T
he platform jolted to life and began to move upwards.

“Thank you,”
I called, not entirely sure who I was speaking to.

As
the platform slowly ascended, grinding and groaning, I wondered what had happened to Tom. Perhaps he’d woken early and decided to get some breakfast whilst I slept.

Horrible thoughts struck me.
What if there was a complication? What if Tom was hurt?

When the platform reached the terrace overlooking the enclosure I saw that it was completely unmanned.

“Hello?” I said tentatively, stepping off the platform and looking around.

There was no use hanging around. I walked to the staircase and descended three flights, retracting yesterday’s footsteps. My bare feet slapped loudly against the linoleum, echoing through the empty halls, making me feel more alone than ever.

Where the hell is everyone?

Walking along the corridors
on the ground floor I peered in through doors and windows but saw no one I recognized; nameless scientists, doctors and orderlies who paid me no attention. I needed to head to Colt’s office to find out where Tom was; that had been the arrangement.