Yeah, so I did the editing I needed to (it was actually just one sentence), and I'm going to start posting this.
Prologue
They told me I'd never be able to feel pain.
It wasn't like I knew any better... I thought I was normal. Of course, my snow-white hair and my pale skin didn't match that of my parents, but I never considered that a problem. My mom would just smile and say, 'You're just special,' and that was all there was to it. Successful with his occupation, my Dad was able to support us on his own, and we lived comfortably and happily, without worry. For awhile, my family went on with our lives as if nothing was wrong... and whether it was ignorance or denial on my parents' part, I'll never know.
That was until the day the inevitable happened. While 'helping' my mom wash the dishes, I stuck my hand down the drain, into the garbage disposal. My hand shook against my will, and when I pulled it back out in surprise, I saw nothing but blood. When she glanced in my direction, my mom screamed, horrified to see my fingers mutilated to that extent. However, I just looked at the bloody lacerations with interest, too naive to know what had happened. I was rushed to the hospital, and my hand healed... eventually, but that was the day I was told I was told that I was incapable of feeling pain. That was the day I was told I was adopted.
MessyRaindrops: I don't know, actually. She was a little kid; she didn't know any better I guess. That's an interesting question though... a lot different from the questions I got earlier.
EP: Thanks for always reading my fics, it means a lot to me
^That's exactly what I plan to do, once I have 4-5 Chapters. So, here's chapter one. Hopefully you won't notice the only thing I changed about it...
Chapter 1
The words took some time to sink in.
I felt light-headed, but maybe that was just from the loss of blood. The doctors wouldn't tell me anything. Being adopted might have not been that big of a surprise, but if I wasn't human, then what was I? I looked at my healthy hand, comparing it to my crying mother's as she knelt next to me, holding it and telling me that things would be okay.
“Mom, what did the mean when they said I wasn't human?” I mouthed. She was looking, but she didn't answer. I was confused; didn't I freakin look like a human to them? What did they know?
If I didn't stick my hand down that drain, maybe I wouldn't have had to deal with all of this, at least not yet. My hand did come out torn apart, but I was still confused as to what this thing they called pain was. Hot, cold, rough, smooth... none of these words meant anything to me. They still don't. I guess it's probably how a blind man feels about colors, or maybe how you feel about love. Some things can only be learned and understood with experience.
Sometime during the early evening, my dad came into the room. He motioned the doctors over, and they went in a side room to talk. The sky went from blue to black, and all the life that was once in the room died, a part of me with it. Soon, my mom was asleep by my side. I, however, didn't close my eyes once that night. I wanted to believe her words; I wanted to believe that everything would be okay soon, but I couldn't. Dreading the sunrise, I watched the stars sluggishly make their way past the hospital window, feeling uneasy and afraid of what would happen if I allowed the next day to arrive.
My hand was better by the next morning.
The doctors gawked at it wordlessly; they hadn't treated 'my kind' before, and apparently my body healed at a rate they considered impossible. My dad talked to them in a side room again for quite some time, and shortly after we were back in the car, taking the long way home.
“Honey, you don't have to do this...” my mom pleaded. My dad kept his eyes on the blurred glass in front of him, focusing on the street he followed between swipes of the windshield wipers. It was almost like he hadn't even heard her, but I saw his mouth clenched shut and his hands tighten around the wheel, trembling ever so slightly. With tears in my mom's eyes, she continued, “So what if it means you'll lose your job? We love you, and we need you here.”
“I can't; I'm sorry.” His grip on the steering wheel strengthened, “Look, none of this was supposed to happen.”
“You knew all too well that it was going to happen. It was only a matter of time. We couldn't keep her locked away in the house forever.”
Raindrops splattered into nonexistence on the window I leaned against. I focused my mind on that, tuning the argument out of my head. The rhythmic tapping continued for awhile, the water flooding my ears with sound, drowning out the things that hurt to hear. My parents were arguing again, and it was all my fault. Why couldn't I be human? Why couldn't I just be a normal girl? Maybe things could have been different then. The car ride soon ended, but the tension followed us through the front door, hovering above our heads throughout the house. Not a single word was spoken.
I hated calling this prison my home. It was a cage, disguised by bright colors and photos of happy faces in memories of my pathetic excuse of a life. I wanted to go outside. I wanted to run as far as I could. I wanted to have more friends than just my parents.
I wanted more than what I had; that's normal right? At least, it is for “humans”. I glanced at my window. I was on the second floor, right above the front door, but if I jumped out I could probably get away undetected. I looked outside. It was still drizzling, but compared to my room, it was inviting, tempting. The young dog from across the street waded through flowers in her yard, looking for bugs. People walked by on the sidewalk, holding all sorts of colorful umbrellas.
And then I looked down.
My 'dad' was standing with his back to the door. He shook his head, and began walking down to the car. Mom ran out after him, crying, but he ignored her. He got in, started it, and pulled out of the driveway, leaving my mom sitting alone in the wet grass. Ignoring her, he looked up to the house one last time. We made eye contact, he blinked, and he drove off.
From the look in his eyes, I already knew he wasn't going to come back. I wanted to run down the stairs and out to my mom, but I couldn't. I was frozen like a statue, wishing it was just another bad dream. It was in that moment that I became an adult, and I was only nine years old.
They told me I wouldn't be able to feel pain, but they were wrong.
Cyndi - Thanks, your kind words made me smile. If you have any CC at all to make it even better, though, I'd be glad to hear it.
Shadowcat45 - You'll find out who the main character is in the next chapter. It isn't Blanca though, I've written a story with her before, and I'm usually reluctant to use the same characters too often. Also, I pretty much always have a human as the main character. Thanks for reading though.
Ryan - Yeah, thanks. Usually when someone uses the word riveting from my experience, it means 'riveting tale, chap' which is a variation of a certain meme, so... haha. My mistake for making an assumption.
Here's chapter 2. There were very minor changes, just fixing the plot-holes since I changed up the plot a little bit. I have one more chapter coming, but after that, you can expect the updates to start coming less frequently (one every 2-3 weeks).
Chapter 2
Without my dad home, we had no way to pay for anything. My mom tried to find work, but minimum wage was nowhere near enough. As days went by, we began to lose the remainder of things we had; it wasn't long before we were without a house. I always looked forward to the day I would be let out of the house, but I didn't expect it to be that way. I didn't think I'd feel so helpless. It was a slow and painful death from one life into the next.
However, life outside the front door was amazing. Finally setting foot outside of the place I used to call home was like a dream... and it was. For years, I wanted this. Some kids wish they could go to to space; some kids wish they could be part of their favorite TV shows, their fantasies, their imaginations. I just wanted a taste of reality, and it's bittersweet flavor was finally on my tongue.
Finally seeing things from the other side of the window, I couldn't help myself. I felt like a kid again, bewildered, confused and scared, but amazed. If my mom hadn't pulled my arm and dragged me along with her, I might have stayed just in our old front yard forever. Every color, every smell, ever minute detail... I was in a completely different world.
We couldn't stay anywhere near that place though. My mom told me that we couldn't be seen in public. I thought she was just embarrassed with our poverty, but I later found out it was because of my hair. The scenery of green lawns and expensive houses soon changed as we reached the heart of Wayfare... the city.
Buildings of all sorts towered on both sides of the street, stretching to the clouds. Cars and people bustled about. I wasn't used to the noise, and I clung to my mom, hiding my head with my favorite hoodie. We wove through the ocean of humans and animals. I wasn't sure if my mom knew where she was going, but eventually she led me down an empty alley where we would make our temporary shelter.
I asked where we were, but she was too busy to look at me, so I didn't get an answer.
My mom looked around, then at me, patted my head and said, “We'll stay here tonight and find out what we're going to do tomorrow.” I leaned against my mother, huddled in a corner by grimy walls. Splotches of black and brown covered my clothing, and the lack of light was terrifying. Sounds I couldn't identify echoed down the walls of the alley from the main roads. My nose stung with the smells wafting from the nearby trash, so I buried my face into my mom's clothing, trying to fall asleep.
This wasn't the type of place I imagined when I left my house. This wasn't what I wanted. For once, all I wanted was to be home.
and thanks as always EP! If you have any cc for me, I'd like it. I also have some of Opheliac's next chapter ready, so if you'd like to give some CC for that before I post it, let me know :3
I haven't started the fourth chapter yet, but I will... soon. I need to work on my other fic's next chapter first though, so I won't be updating this for who knows how long.
Chapter 3
“Tara.”
I rubbed my eyes and opened them. The sun wasn't up yet, but natural light began spreading across the sky. It took me a few seconds to realize where we were. The hands that gently shook me let go, and my mother's face came into view.
“Honey, mom has to go to work now. Are you going to be okay by yourself?”
Under normal circumstances, I would have rolled my eyes, but this was a different story. It was the first time I was not being treated like a baby, and I was sick with fear. I let the question pass through and out of my mind; it wasn't like answering would change anything anyway.
“Hmm... well, you're a big girl now, so I think you can handle it. Just stay in this alley and make sure no one sees your hair... is that okay?” She began muttering under her breath, but I ignored it.
I nodded, and my mom's body relaxed. She kissed my cheek and stretched as she got up onto her feet. Headed to work, she began walking slowly out towards the lights, and soon she turned the corner and disappeared into the sea of faces. I sighed. She didn't have work today; I knew her schedule.
When I was finally alone, I got a better look at my surroundings. I was between two industrial buildings of some sort, two of the many concrete blocks cut out of the cement sea of the city. Apparently these buildings were still in use, at least according to the fresh trash bags piled along the side of the alley. However, the walls of the building were damaged beyond the point of simple repairs. Hidden amongst the dirt on the walls was the occasional crack or hole. The narrow alley continued down until it reached a rather tall fence, though the building walls continued further to the other side. I made an attempt to see what lied on the other side, but it was far too dark for me to tell. The alley probably extended much farther, but all I could see on the other side of the fence was a small hole in the wall, leaking faint light. I leaned left and right, trying to see through the hole from behind the woven chain links.
Inside I saw a steel table with straps attached to it. This was lit by a single light bulb, dulling the outer edges of the room. The walls behind it were a pale green, sort of sick in color. That wasn't all, though. On the table was something white. I couldn't see all of it because of the hole's size, but even at that age I knew what I had found. On the white object there were uneven splotches of red.
I stood there in inaction, barely blinking. I might have stayed there forever, but soon the table (and whatever it had on it) was pulled away, giving me nothing to stare at but pale green. Pale, sick green.
Then, stillness. I could have walked back to the middle of the alley and pretended that nothing happened. The cars and people constantly flowed by the alley opening, the flies continued to wander about, the whole world kept moving... and I was the only one that was stopped in my tracks because of this. I could just have forgotten it, since it would have had nothing to do with me, but something made my stomach turn from what I saw. Something made my heart sink. I had a bad feeling about everything, and when I have strong feelings, they never fail to come true. Whatever was going on in that building was part of my life now, and from peeking I guessed it wouldn't be good.
It was still relatively early in the morning, so I thought I would try to figure out what was in the building. I decided that even if it scared me, I would be determined to find my way into that room. I had to. Foolish decision or not, it was the only thing that was on my mind at the time. I reexamined the wall, but there wasn't any unlocked doors or holes big enough to crawl through.
That meant I would need to go through the front door.
I didn't know where this sudden courage came from, but I knew that getting into the building was important. Something about it was so hauntingly familiar that I felt like it was actually drawing me towards it. It was overwhelming to a point where in my mind, all my other thoughts became muddled, fading into the blurry screen in the background.
Nervous, I stuck to the wall as I ventured back out into the city. I pushed my way through the moving crowd to the front of the building. It looked a lot nicer than the rest of its damaged exterior. A familiar 'Celeste Research Facilities' sign stood at its front, and large glass windows displayed the empty lobby within it. The carpet was unstained, the tables were dusted and the lights were bright... the building was definitely still in use. Seeing that the door was unlocked, I pushed it open and stepped inside. There were cameras set up, but I ignored that. I needed to figure out which path would lead me to the back rooms... but somehow I didn't. Somehow, I felt I already knew. Something about the place was nostalgic.
Yeah, its all coming in slowly. There isn't going to be an animal crossing town or anything, but this city is one where humans and animals coexist. You'll be meeting some more animal crossing characters soon; Tara and her parents are really the only humans in the story.
I'm excited. Four chapters = entry into Computerfan's competition. I don't have a goal set until I see who else entered, but I'd excited to be a part of it.
Anyway, question for all of you readers. You're showing me support simply by reading my story, so whether you've entered or not, I'd like to know... do you write fanfics? If you do, I'd like to check out your stories as well.
Posted: 7/8/2011 5:57am 
So many positive words to fit this story. *waits patiently for impending chapter*
The character sounds like she'd be Blanca.
I know, it's weird to use that word..
I love it. No CC from me yet.
