N.E.W | Teen Ink

N.E.W

July 20, 2011
By Allis-in-Wonderland PLATINUM, Cartersville, Georgia
Allis-in-Wonderland PLATINUM, Cartersville, Georgia
38 articles 1 photo 63 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Sometimes people leave you...halfway through The Wood. Do not let it grieve you...No one leaves for good. You are not alone, for no one is alone." -Into The Woods


I remembered waking up from a state of near euphoria. How I had reached that stage, I really didn't know. Until I looked at the IV that was attached to my wrist, the bag hanging from the metal pole a few feet above me, just out of my reach. I had no idea where I was, who I was, or what the heck I was doing being fed drugs from the drip. But, finally, someone walked into the completely white room that I was being held captive in, holding a clipboard and a very business like expression. Her name tag read the name #Lacy.#

#Hello. Do you know where or who you are?#

How could I even answer that question? I looked around the room, to find it surprisingly strange looking despite it being all white.

The sheets were crisp and starched, a couch lay in the right corner next to three windows that were covered in ivory blinds that extended to the floor. The only colorful thing was probably a garment that lay over a chair with wheels at the foot of my bed. Wheels? How could that have happened?

#Um...no. I was hoping that you could tell me that question...Lacey?#

#Good. You can still read and speak languages. And you seem to have regained your senses. Let's test just to be sure, shall we Doctor?#

A man appeared from the door behind her, wearing a long, black coat and shiny shoes that seemed to gleam. He looked alarming, and his face was a strange color that I had never seen on a person. It was...I couldn't name it. And even that frightened me to the point of widening my eyes and trying to escape my bed. Only then did I notice that I was in an invisible box-like structure, that wouldn't let me out.

#You can't get out of that box unless we let you out. Now, if you're good we will let you out of the box and get you something to eat. Are you hungry?#

I had no idea what the word #hungry# meant, but my stomach felt surprisingly empty. Was this what hungry was? Feeling empty?

#I don't know ma'am, but I feel...#

She interrupted me, seeing my difficulty in finding the right word. She seemed annoyed, and almost angry, that I couldn't find the word for it.

#You're hungry! The word is hungry you stupid girl!#

I had no idea what the word #stupid# meant either, but it didn't sound too nice. But after I registered that she was angry with me did I receive an afflicting shock that caused me to wince first, then yelp at the burning pain on my skin.

#Ha! You may not be so dumb after all! What you just received was #pain# and we give it to you if you can't figure out what a feeling is. Is that clear?#

I didn't like this woman one bit, but the Doctor seemed to like the idea of hurting me. I didn't care for it at all. I looked down at my skin to see a long burn that went up my right arm, to my shoulder, and disappeared somewhere down my back. I noticed that I couldn't sit up anymore, probably because of the injury.

#Why would you...hurt me? And why can't I go out of this box?#

#It's because you aren't ready for the normal world yet. You are kept here at N.E.W because you don't have the right amount of brain capacity to survive the real world, Dominique.#

#What's N.E.W?#

#N.E.W is Next Ecosystems of the World. You may or may not be a part of that ecosystem.#

Was that my name? That long word that she called me? Dominique? It sounded nice, almost meant for me. Was it mine to keep? I decided to ask her that question, and she said that it wasn't mine to keep unless I did what she asked. She, from then on, called me D1346.

#D1346, tell me...what do you think of your surroundings?#

#They're white. Almost blank and clear, like a piece of paper. Why?#

She didn't tell me why. Doctor scribbled down on the clipboard that she had brought in with her and she continued to ask me dumb questions about what was around me, or how to describe what was next to me. She asked about pain and how it felt.

#It's not a good feeling. It's almost like...#

I paused and then remembered that she would hurt me if I didn't answer immediately. Another yelp of pain escaped my lips, causing me to not being able to lift my head.

#Anguish! The word is anguish, right Lacey?#

#That is a word, but not the right word we're looking for. Did you enjoy the pain that followed? How do you feel now?#

I described the torture vividly, and only then did I realize that the box had become encased in black. Black...that was a color, right? Yeah, I remember that. A color, something pretty maybe.

#Good. You're capable of basic conversation with another human being in the language, English. Now, how about French? Can you speak French for me?#

I didn't know what French was, but Lacey said it was a language, so I began to search my mind for any traces of it. Suddenly, the box became MOVING pictures, as if someone were in front of me! It was mesmerizing, almost like a miracle!

The woman on the moving picture was speaking a language, that I realized was indeed French. But after she repeated a word, I had to repeat it back or I would be shocked. After about ten or so words, I hadn't been hurt once, until she spoke a different language all together!

#Familia. Familia. Familia.#

She showed me another picture of a man, a woman, and a little girl. The girl had dark...brown hair? She also had eyes that were another color, that I thought was blue. Like the backround behind them. Blue and brown! I had to tell Lacey about the colors!

#Lacey! I know two new colors! They're-#

I didn't have time to say it. The agony that followed was allot worse than the normal shocks that I had usually recieved. After it was over, I noticed that one side of my vision had become black. I reached up, to feel a liquid running out of my wound. It was red. I then knew, it was blood.

#Haha! You see? The woman said family, then you remembered colors! Colors! To think that you remebered it!#

#But why did you hurt me again!? Why?! I can't see out of my left side! And there's blood! Blood...#

I didn't have time to finish my sentence. The box became clear and I could see, now, four people in blue take me out of the box. I couldn't move anymore. I could barely talk. They put me on a long table with wheels and pushed me down a white hallway, with a linoleum floor.

What I saw shocked me. There were children in different rooms, under going the same torture. Some, I saw, had succeeded and got name tags. I saw one that read #Jimmy#, another #Lucy#. But where was my name tag? Where was it?

One of the people in blue told me that I had failed the N.E.W Project test and that I shall be taken away from this world. Taken?

#Where are you taking me too? My family?#

#No. You have failed the test, so you shall be taken away to another place. You will never see us again for a long time. And, D1356, you do not get to keep your name. It shall never be used.#

Liquid began to come out of my eyes, and my throat became tight and thick. I began to...cry. I was shoved into a black room, and smoke began to fill my lungs. I couldn't see, or move. I was...gone.


The author's comments:
I thought this would be cool to write!

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This article has 1 comment.


on Aug. 23 2011 at 8:53 pm
Kayotic PLATINUM, Goodyear, Arizona
37 articles 9 photos 84 comments

Favorite Quote:
You aren't having fun unless you're commiting sin~ Priest

Wow!Torturous,suspenceful,dark,nd sad.All those emotions put into one short story.Amazing!