Full Moon 2, Elaina H [beach books .txt] 📗

Full Moon 2

Chapter One

‘One Mississippi, Two Mississippi, Three Mississippi’, I bite down on my tongue as the shock is delivered.

Withstanding the shock while in water is one of the many feats, The Center rewards it. Extra meals and extra sleep.

So, every three seconds, I bite down and handle the pain. I swear, I feel my heart stop for a second every time.

But who’s to care about a hybrid girl? No one, that’s who.

The only person who cares for me, is me; but I’m starting to question that.

“Alright!” the man in the all white uniform calls, “bring her out!”

I gasp for air when they bring me out, my lungs were burning! “God!” I scream.

“Shut up, girl!” I stare at the man who works for The Center, hate burns behind my eyes.

The man running the lift, what brought me out of the water, laughs, “Girlie, girlie! I’d bite your tongue if you want that extra food and sleep.”

I do, bite my tongue, because there are kids back where they keep us who need it more than I do.

Biting my tongue, literally, keeps my anger in check. Because God knows if I get angry, the man jabs me in the side with a stick.

“Hey, come on! Climb out of the lift already, we don’t have all day here!” the man waits impatiently.

Climbing out of the net scrapes my sides, but I keep moving. Once I’ve untangles myself, I jump down, landing perfectly on my toes.

“Over here!” the observing white suited man shouts. I trudge over and hold out my hands.

He slaps the cuffs on, and I growl as he pinches my skin. “Watch it, buddy!” I snap.

He chuckles, “I’m not the one who needs to watch it, 23!” he jokes.

23 is not my name, it’s my number, the number in which I was produced. I was the twenty-third prototype for the new lycanthrope, I’ve heard the slang term, werewolf.

The new lycanthrope isn’t like the other, the strong, simple-minded, brutal lycanthrope. We are agile, intelligent, fast, and we have photo-graphic memories.

Our brains are like computer chips, we’ve been uploaded with all we need to know. I have the wisdom of a person who’s lived their whole life.

Wisdom-the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.

I’m not sure if I know what is true or false yet. I’m not sure if Mr. Gilbert’s hair is real, I’m not sure if there’s a reason we’re doing this, I’m not really sure if what they are doing here is true or false.

But wise is what the staff informed me I was, so that’s what I am. I stumble through the hallways of The Center, the man behind me keeps his hand clamped on my neck.

I laugh, as if that will keep me here!

“Where are you taking me?” I ask quickly, realizing I’m not headed down my familiar hallway, to my familiar prison.

“It is not of your concern,” he tells me.

I lose my cool, “It is of my concern!” rage fills my head, my mind, my soul, but because I am what I am, I still think clearly.

It’s not best for me to change here, so I bite my tongue until blood pools in my mouth.

“Decide to listen, 23?” he sneers.

I glare, “No, I decided to ignore,” is all I say. What I say must annoy him because the grip on the back of my neck gets tighter.

He shoves me into a glass room with an operating table. No!

Closing my eyes, images of the knife piercing my skin, blood, pain, darkness, cloud my thoughts.

“Sit!” a woman snaps. A woman? There aren’t any women staff?

“Who are you,” I ask.

Her long red hair trails down over one shoulder, her black skirt-suit hugs her curvy body. I snarl at her.

She laughs, and her navy heels stab the cement floor as she approaches, “Sit on the table, dear. Or I’ll have to make you.”

Her pale skin looks translucent in the flickering florescent lights. “You’ll make me?!” I scoff.

She smiles, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “Do you really want me to show you what I can do, dear? I don’t think you do,” she says in a sing-songy voice.

“Try me,” I give her a fierce look.

Her smile disappears, and she stalks forward, she’s right in my face. Her hand flashes forward, and she lifts me by my neck, slamming me on the table.

She cocks her head to the side, she’s smiling again, “You’re strong, dear. But you’re messing with Mama Bear.”

Mama Bear? I spit in her face, the wad hits her eye, her composure falters, her eyes flash from green to a deep deep red.

She closes here eyes for a moment, deeply breathing. When they open, they’re green. She clips the restraints around my arms and legs.

“We’re going to try a few little tests on you, okay?” she pulls out a needle with a green liquid in it. “This will escalate your anger, I want you to get very, very angry. Well,” she smiles, “you don’t really have a choice. And then, I want you to stop yourself from changing like I just did,” she pats my cheek. “Good luck, dear!” the superficiality drips off the end of her tongue.

She shoots me with up with the green liquid, my vision blurs. Anger, fury, rage all shoot through me, I feel my skin start to split, but I bite the inside of my cheek.

I scream at the pain of the reversal, I’ve never experienced so much pain with a change. One Mississippi, Two Mississippi, Three Mississippi.

I open my eyes, and I know they’re brown not the yellow I hate so much.

With a successful grin on my face, I turn to the red-haired woman. “What’s next,” I challenge.

 

The woman, who I found out is called Raven, injects me with green toxins three more times, and each time I pull through unchanged. By the end I feel little pain.

“Very good, dear,” she tells me. She pulls out a clipboard. “So here’s what I know, you’re eighteen years of age, your number is 23, your friends in Prison Five call you ‘Brim’,” she says the name like an insult, “and you are one of the five people who have completed the water shock!” she says this with surprise.

“How do you do it?” she asks like she’s actually interested.

I sigh, “I bite my tongue.” Raven giggles like I’m joking.

“Good girl, good girl!” she picks up another syringe. “Night night,” she smiles wickedly as she put the clear liquid into my arm.

 

I wake up with a start, but I don’t waste anytime coming to my senses. Quickly, I’m up on the balls of my feet. Bright lights flash into my eyes.

Above an intercom explodes, Raven’s voice cutting through the silence, “Hello, we have taken one person from each of our eight prisons for this challenge. We only need two of you though, so have fun because if you don’t find the message, you die. Have fun!”

Raven clicks off, and I look around. I don’t see any other people; all is see is a thick, heavy fog settling in the room. Across the area a person hollers, “Hello! Anybody there? Is this anybody here?!”

If there is anyone else here, they stay silent. I do what I do best, I get angry.

This time I don’t bite my tongue, my skin rips and my eyes are yellow, I see them brightly reflect in the floor.

Now, I can see straight through the fog. What I see is six human forms wandering around and one other wolf form. Here we go.

I speed around the area, searching for any clue. The only thing in the room is a locked door with a yellow warning sign for possible falling lights, and arrow points up,

Skidding to a stop, I stare into the yellow eyes of another wolf. The wolf glances at the door with the sign on it.

It hits me, I look up at the same time as the other wolf. You could only see it if you were a wolf, and if you took the time to look up.

WE ARE MOITORING YOUR MIND, THINK THE COLOR RED AND WE WILL SET YOU FREE, the message read.

I let the color red fill my head, the thought swells and bursts, splattering my brain with the color red.

Suddenly, I’m falling, my anger from earlier turns to worry, and as we fall I change back, naked.

Letting the anger come back, it floods my memories, I change again. The rapid changing is hard on my body, and I howl in pain. My joints, muscles, and bones ache.

We hit hard. The other wolf whimpers and limps off the mat we landed on.

I look up, and standing before us is Raven, Mr. Gilbert, and a man I haven’t seen before. Raven speaks, “23, please go left, into the room. You will find clothing and shoes.” She turns to the other wolf, “5, please go right, into the room. You will find clothing and shoes. Thank you, and congratulations!”

5? I thought the first five prototypes for the new lycanthropes died. I watch the wolf closely.

I follow her directions warily, stepping into the room, I calm my emotions.

Staring at the solid wood door help, the floor is cement, and the walls are white, what a surprise. Changing back, again causing me to wince in pain, each pop, snap, or click makes me cringe.

The door across the space opens, I wait for the girl to talk.

“You couldn’t have put a thicker mat?!” the man cries. Man? Why was I expecting a girl?

I quickly change into the given clothes, a white T-shirt, jeans, and black combat boots. “Ouch!” I curse when I crack my nail opening the door.

Of course, I enter with a bang. “Hey,” I say blandly. Giving our superiors a look of disgust, “When are you going to tell us why we’re here?”

Mr. Gilbert smiles, and I swear I see his hair move, “Shortly, 23. But first we must condition you before we let you in on our secrets,” he marks something on a clipboard.

“Conditioning? What was that we just went through, fun?!” I’m fuming, and my eyes snap yellow. Quickly, I close them, breathe deeply, they go back to brown and I bite my cheek again.

It’s starting to form a callus I bite it so much. “Wow, that was pretty fast,” the guy mutters.

I whip around and stare him down. He’s tall, really tall, but most of the men are. I’d guess six feet four inches. The boys muscle is lean, but you can tell he’s strong. His blonde hair is disheveled and his green eyes are smiling. “What’s so funny!” I shout.

“Nothing,” he chuckles, “just you, Brim.”

My mouth falls open before I quickly shut it, “How do you know my name?”

“23 is your name, but if you’re wondering how I know your nickname that’s another story. But I suppose it really isn’t a story, it’s more like everyone knows your name.”

I laugh, “Yea right! Not everyone…” Raven stops me.

“Stop it, both of you! This here is Mr. Harvey, he’s the man who keeps this place going. He’s also the expert on our targets.” Raven puts a hand on his chest. I gag on the inside.

“Mr. Harvey, is also my lover,” 5 whispers so that only I can hear.

I roll my eyes, “We don’t care about any of that crap! Can we just start our conditioning?!”

Mr. Harvey nods, “Of course, Brim. But you know, you wouldn’t have a callus on your cheek if you weren’t so angry all the time.”

I snarl at him, “That’s none of your business whether I’m angry or not!”

“Actually, it’s all my business since I own you.” Mr. Harvey points to both of us.

“Brim and Dev, will you please follow me,” I look away and spit at the ground, Dev