I woke up on a cot in a small, empty room. My head was throbbing, and I vaguely remembered being tackled to the floor by one of the Mystics with pointy ears. I had tried to run, I barely made it a few steps before they caught me and pinned me to the ground. Then I had felt a prick on the back of my neck before passing out. They must have drugged me.
I slowly sat up and looked around; there were no windows and no door that I could see. The only other things in the room were a toilet and a small sink. I was suddenly aware of my uncomfortably full bladder, and I made use of the toilet. I was washing my hands when a section of the wall swung out, and a very tall woman walked in accompanied by a man not even half her height.
She smiled warmly at me, "Hello there, how's your head? I heard you took quite a tumble."
I said nothing, just stared at her in shock.
"My name's Magnolia, and this is Gadrook. We're here to help get you trained so you can be integrated into society again. Your mom told us that you've lived your whole life in that underground bunker, there's so much to teach you but first, we need to get you some new clothes. Gadrook here is going to take your measurements, and then we will get you something to eat."
"My mom is here? Can I see her?" My heart was beating rapidly.
Magnolia's smile dulled for a moment, "I'm afraid not, she is not currently in this facility. She was having a hard time adjusting so she traveled to a different integration center that is better equipped to help her. But if you both do well, sometime in the future, we may be able to work something out."
My face fell and I sat heavily on the cot. I had been hopeful that she was okay, and I was relieved that she was, but I wanted to see her and ask her what happened. I didn't trust the Mystics, even though they were being nice, something seemed off. I decided that until they let me see my mom, I wasn't going to do anything they wanted me to.
Gadrook motioned for me to stand, but I stayed seated. He grumbled and turned to Magnolia. "Gadrook needs you standing while he takes your measurements, please stand up Ava."
How did she know my name? My mom must have told her, or been forced to. I stared at the wall in defiance. I heard a sigh and then they both exited the room. I sat staring at the wall until my eyelids started drooping. I had just woken up, I shouldn't be tired yet. What was going on? I had to stay awake, I stood up and started pacing. A moment later, the same section of wall from before opened, and the pointy-eared man who had tackled me before entered. He looked startled to see me awake, and I took advantage of his surprise, shoving past him and running out the door. He shouted and once again, within a few seconds, he caught me.
This time he threw me over his shoulder and started walking back down the hallway. I squirmed, my arms were trapped under my torso and I couldn't get them free. I tried kicking him, but one of his arms was wrapped around my legs just below my knees. I tried to pay attention to where we were going. The halls all looked the same, and I was never very good with directions.
I heard voices up ahead, and then I was put down roughly. I looked around, trying to get my bearings. The room he had taken me to was at least 3 times the size of the room I awoke in. There was no furniture, only hooks in the floor, ceiling, and walls. Another pointy-eared man entered the room, they looked nearly identical, with blond hair and green eyes. Only the first one had hair to his waist, while the other's was cut shorter. They were well-muscled, and actually quite attractive.
The newcomer with short hair said something to my captive in a strange language, and then handed him a set of chains. They started towards me and I panicked, attempting to kick the short-haired one in a very sensitive area. He caught my foot and buckled a leather cuff around my ankle, he then attached a chain and looped it through one of the hooks on the floor. My long-haired captor was doing the same to my hands, fastening them to the hooks in the ceiling. They were much stronger than me, and were soon done; my arms and legs were spread wide open, and I could move no more than an inch in any direction. The short-haired one said something to the other, clapping him on the back, and they both laughed. I struggled against the chains, trying to break free. As the two men left, Gadrook entered with Magnolia following close behind.
"Since you refuse to cooperate, we have no choice but to make you comply. Hopefully you this will teach you a lesson." Magnolia pulled out a pair of scissors and started to cut off my pants.