Jerome, AZ
September 24th, 2018
19:00:38

Vonda's POV

"This shit's getting too much for me to handle" I held my hands up, cutting off both Jasper and Kassidy who were talking over each other - something about powers and crab meat, but I'd stopped listening.

I pushed past both of them, climbed up onto the bunk bed closest to the door, and lied face-first with my face in the pillow.

"What are you trying to do?" Kassidy asked exasperatedly, walking up to the ladder.

I lifted my head, saying pleasantly, "I'm trying to suffocate myself," before plopping back into the pillow.

"Why would you want to do that?" Concern spiked her voice, much to my surprise. She climbed up a couple of rungs until her ruffled bob was even with my frizzy mop.

I didn't bother lifting my head this time when I responded with, "Do you know a better way to die?"

"I know a few..." she muttered under her breath, turning away. I could hear her and Jasper whispering, although they obviously hoped I was too preoccupied to hear their conversation.

"I've dealt with newbies before but that girl's something else..." Kassidy mumbled, annoyance and awe both evident in her speech. "Usually they freak out a little bit or start trying out their powers... wait, Jasper, what did you say to her?" Kassidy suddenly asked, ready to blame him for my reaction.

"Hold on there, before you go pointing fingers, remind me, WHO WAS THE ONE WHO TURNED INTO A WALRUS AND MADE THE GIRL FUCKING PASS OUT?" I'd been silently straining to hear their conversation, and Jasper's sudden yelling startled me. I jumped up and fell out of the top bunk, landing on the floor face-down.

Kassidy barely gave me a glance before turning back to Jasper and saying, "There, now we've evenly screwed up."

I slowly got to my feet, grimacing. "This shit's getting boring, where's the plot?" I asked, looking back up to the ceiling and rubbing my head. "C'mon, author, move things along already"

It was the year 3749...

"Ok not that far along" I yelled. Can't this author do anything right?

Back to present day...

"This would be easier to write if Jasper wasn't such a prude" the mystery voice said. I was fairly certain that I was the only one who could hear it and that it was a figment of my imagination, but not one what I wanted to dispel.

I was snapped back to reality by Jasper, who by this point was positive that I was schizophrenic. "Who do you keep talking to?" He asked, clearly annoyed.

"Zelena, senior custodian for the kingdom of elvish hens. Why do you ask me these things?" I stated.

Before either of them could begin to think of an answer, they simultaneously put their fingers in their ears. For half a second I was confused as to why, but within milliseconds I had my answer.

A deafening screech came from a speaker in the ceiling I didn't know was there, catching me by surprise. It was so loud that I fell to the ground, scrambling to try and cover my ears with my hands. The screeching continued for 30 of the most torturous seconds of my life before it came to a stop and a small, cheery voice ended with "Dinner time!". With a click the speakers turned off and Jasper and Kassidy took their fingers out of their ears. Kassidy came over to the wall with the bunk beds and reached under one of them, pulling out a green uniform like Jaspers that said "Kidnapple #2" in a font like that on Jasper's. Jasper turned his back and tried to hide his blush to no avail. The smoke around Kassidy rearranged itself to form a translucent curtain so that she could get dressed.

I watched her for a moment, confused, then got up off the floor. Kassidy was done by the time I finished brushing bits of crab shell off my leggings and sweatshirt.

"So... that's the dinner bell?" I asked sarcastically as the smoke screen around Kassidy disappeared, revealing the way the baggy uniform barely touched her thin, fit frame. If I weren't straight I'd low key have a crush on her, I thought, then coughed and looked up to meet Kassidy's eyes. Her quizzical look told me I'd been caught, but she seemed to brush it off and changed the topic.

"I guess Herle's gonna give you your uniform after dinner. C'mon, I'm starving" she said, walking towards the door and tapping it. Brad was standing outside and opened it, letting us out.

"Kassidy, what the fuck? You legit just ate" Jasper rolled his eyes as he walked out. I left last, throwing Brad a smirk.

"Hey honeyboo, whatcha up to?" I winked and he grimaced, blushing. "Aw, you know I'm just having some fun, lighten up!" I walked away, following Jasper and Kassidy up the stairs and out the open door. I found it odd that though we were prisoners, we weren't being escorted to dinner. I also noticed that we were the first cell to get out, but before I could think about it any further I smelled food.

Kassidy and Jasper turned to the first open door to the right of the one we just walked out of. I followed the smell of food, which coincidentally had me following them into the room. Stepping in, I hardly realized that it was a school-lunchroom-style cafeteria, or that scientists filled up almost every seat in the large room. I didn't notice that the tables were lined up in a circle, leaving only one long table in the middle, and that the scientists only sat on the outside tables. No, all I saw was the open buffet at the end of the room, which DID NOT smell anywhere near as bad as school food. And that's where I headed.

A few more kidnapples had filed in behind me, but I didn't hear them. It wasn't until I'd filled up my plate with pickles, lobster tails, and pineapple slices that I noticed there were other people at the table of kidnapples. Most of them had been whispering, muttering to each other, and throwing me quick side-glances, but stopped immediately and sat in an awkward silence when they saw me walking over with my towering dish. I sat an empty seat at the corner of the table, closest to the buffet (in case of emergency, you know).

"So, uh, hi" I said awkwardly as they all picked at their food, or stared at me. A few quiet, scattered "hi"'s came from around the table.

"Is it the first time y'all've seen a hot chick or what?" I asked, shoving a pickle into my mouth nonchalantly. "You're only supposed to act this awkward around your crush."

A girl sitting across from me laughed and I smiled back, glad that someone had finally done something. "Hi," she said, holding out her hand across the table. Shaking my hand and giggling a little, her bright eyes met mine. "I'm Adeline."