A few years ago, Hilliard Group of Schools; the biggest school in the country, began offering scholarships to several people.
The cut-off mark was also reduced to a meagre score. Their ambassador, Kenneth Malachi, an athlete, declared on the news at a TV shop. "We are growing one step closer to breeding a nation, where everyone is equal and treated equally, where no one will be cast aside as weak. We are looking at the best evolution of mankind... I'll make sure of that".
Several businesses and institutions from all over the world were given chances to give everyone in the same generation. Everyone thought it was an answered prayer, a miracle. But once they got it...they were never seen again.
Deanna was the oldest orphan in the orphanage. She had unusually dark skin and long, wavy, green hair with baby blue eyes and bold white freckles around her eyes and cheeks. She watched from across the road, the man who wanted to declare change. She thought to herself, "How fake" before moving along the sidewalk.
"We interrupted this program for breaking news! A young lady named Yanassa of the Kumtra group has gone missing!! She was last seen at a pool party a few hours ago. Let's hear more info..."
Deanna kept her eyes on the girl's displayed picture but still kept walking. She could swear that she'd seen her before, but this didn't concern her, so she kept walking...
A few walks later. She stopped in front of an old Tudor mansionette in the middle of an autumn forest. The place would give off haunted vibes any day,, y yetis was home for her. Deanna walked up to the porch and swung the door open.
*Thwack,
A wooden plank dropped from the door, sounding her presence. Deanna broke into a cold sweat. She was planning to sneak in.
"Damn it..." "Shush!", a small arm came over her lips. Deanna turned her head in fright...to find a young blonde girl with maroon eyes and a very rosy plump face. She had climbed her back when Deanna was frozen.
"Hehe", the cheeky child giggled and Deanna breathed a sigh of relief. She hasn't been caught yet... She was safe...she WAS...
"DEANNA!!! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!!!", a grumpy lady in a nun's attire came bolting down the centre stairs. She looked beyond furious, she was raging.
Deanna made a weak laugh before taking off her styrofoam solid heels and taking off in fearful speeds. She saw the nun gaining speed and began running harder. Deanna bolted into the kitchen, and the nun followed. Deanna dashed into the back garden, the nun was still hot on her tail. She immediately made a sharp turn on the leaf-covered stone pavement. The nun slipped at the end, giving her time to head back to the Manor.
As Deanna was catching her breath at the foot of the main stairs, the nun appeared like a horror story and yanked her hair from the roots.
"Aaah", Deanna screaming in pain as she was dragged across the floor to the punishment room on the right corner of the left hallway.
Levie, who was hiding by a plant in that hallway, began shivering. She was watching the scene with teary eyes. She choked on her tears, assuming the fault lied with her. As the nun dragged Deanna by, Levie felt tied between two strings and after a few moments of braving herself, she jumped at the nun with perfect timing.
She clung to her leg and bit it hard, making nun Freticia lose a grip on Deanna.
"You blasted children!", the nun cried. The other members of the orphanage all rushed to the scene. Despite their appearance, no one tried to get down there.
Levie, heaving in frustration, cried out "Someone...anyone...help her! Doesn't she help you?!", but still none moved. Levie rushed again at the nun but Freticia, who was very furious, grabbed a nearby flower pot and threw it at Levie's head before Levie attempted anything. Everyone stopped moving, the younger ones rushed down the stage to help, Deanna knelt there, frozen in time.
Deanna's White freckles began glowing faintly as tears ran down her cheeks. The risen moon made it all seem like magic, her dark skin turned fair, the green tips of hergrey,,r turned grey,,and her once wavy hair grew straight. The freckles turned black and made her look like a normal girl.
Nun Freticia grew baffled but was slightly happy, she could continue with her plan
"My assumption was right… Wasn't it, the Head Guardian Tulle?"
Everyone turned to the corner of the hall and saw the head Guardian leaning against the corner, in the moon's shadow. Smoke wafted through an old oddly swirly pipe that the head Guardian usually used. She smokes a mysterious herb that gives off a very thick-thin smoke that can be seen from far. Also, she never NEVER involved herself in anything....unless
The younger children who were with Levy began wailing. Jackson, one of the older kids,came near her and put his head on her … his eyes grew teary as he raised his head and bit hard on his lips. "She's dead". He blurted out while staring at the high ceiling.
big-time his big time crush. He loved her cheerfully playful but awfully curious and considerate attitude. Ever since she came in summer, she always stopped him from bullying others. Her ever fighting spirit was what he fell for. "Now, she hasn't even written the high school final exams, hasn't achieved her dream of being an acrobat, hasn't..." He thought as he let his tears fall.
The head Guardian quickly picked Deanna from the pit but Deanna was at the edge of redemption. She was livid. She doesn't want to know or care about what they were planning to do but... killing someone, wasn't part of it.
She slapped the head Guardian's hand away while gritting hard. She couldn't imagine what's going on in the smoke-filled head of the guardian. As Deanna stared into those icy brown eyes, looking so much like cola, she felt sunk. She was in a lot of trouble. Anytime she doesn't control her emotions, her looks change, even her height can change. No one knew but Levie, who's like a younger sister.
Deanna said after a deep silence, "...Fine, I'm the grown up here, anyway", letting out a soft scoff. She got up with one foot. She felt a sharp sting in her shoulders but shrugged it off.
"Let's go", she walked ahead of the nuns into the office.
...
As Deanna opened the door, she saw a new scene. A room too illuminated with a purple-gold theme. Everything seemed too new for the rundown orphanage. "I thought we didn't have funds", she remarked, standing in the doorway.
Nun Freticia shoved Deanna inside and quickly locked the door, removing the key. She handed them over to Nun Tulle, as though she were a servant. The head Guardian jingled the keys like a bell.
Suddenly, three platforms rose from the floorboard and began glowing. Some people's figures began emerging from the light. After the light show, there were 7 more people in the room.
They all wore different colours of overalls but they wore the same 90s smiley mask. Without any introduction, they welcomed themselves to the purple sofa and some small chops, cookies and dessert arranged all over the coffee table.
Deanna could feel the influence these mysterious people had on the nuns. "If I'm to do anything, I'd have to negotiate with these freaks", she racked in her high IQ brain and began smirking. "It's been a while...since I was forced to use my head", she spoke into the silent crowd.
The man in the blue overall began cackling crazily while holding his forehead. "The heck...", nun Freticia covered her mouth. Her hands trembled on Deanna's mouth.
The orphanage was low on money. One day, the head Guardian called Nun Freticia into her glamorous office. It was so obvious that she embezzled money. Nun Freticia stood and questioned, "Why did you c-" "The government is resuming the Otherside Project", she cut her off, filing her nails. Freticia was stunned. Only government orphanages and the secret service of Monsanto were in on recruiting for this large project but it suddenly got stopped 33 years ago when "extra terrestrial forces"damaged the facility. There was also a sighting of the "UAP" so, the government stopped the whole operation. But why now, what's truly the aim of the operation?
Nun Freticia didn't like children but this was her livelihood. She didn't want to endanger the lives of the children, staining her conscience. But for herself...
"Although it's on a smaller scale. All you have to do is just find me a child that reacts to the Jeledon crystal hidden in one of the library books under Topology... Don't mess up. Remember what I have on you", nun Freticia was hiding the fact that she does prostitution in the chapel before she was moved to the orphanage.
"Pay your debts Freticia", nun Tulle gave her no option...but to use a child. Luckily, it was none other than Deanna Hawkins, 'the girl who wanted to keep her surname', who began glowing, when she went to get Levie's favourite novel, which was mistakenly by the book with the crystal inside. Freticia never liked and didn't hide from her. But now that it is happening, she wants to at least ensure she won't die.
"D-deanne won't die, right? Tell me she won't!", she demanded. She suddenly started coughing and used her elbow to guide her cough, only to find blood on her sleeve. Freticia immediately slumped and died.
The colours drained from Deanna's face. Her hair turned white and her eyes turned green. It was as though she turned into a black-and-white TV. She was as pale as chalk.
Deanna noticed that she couldn't hear what they've been talking about, her vision began blurring and she was burning up. Her attention immediately turned to look at the blue candles hanging all around the room, the slightly oddly coloured items in the office that smelled like herbs. She suddenly stopped hearing and turned on its side before blacking out.
...
Deanna woke up binded at her hands, feet, eyes, and was gagged at the mouth. A sack was placed on her head. She could feel the cold tiles she was sitting on, and the AC ventilation that had a waft of the forest. It was an awfully familiar smell that has covered the entrance of the orphanage for years.
"We're probably not far from there", she thought. She remembered getting lost in the forest for 2 years but it was as though her mind was wiped. She then thought that for her to survive this place, she must hide the fact that she's scared, uncomfortable, and get as much information as possible.
She could hear the man in the blue overall's footsteps. It made a clanking sound like heels and he was the only one who seemed like the tallest and d fashionable overalls and still wore heels. The man came and pulled off the bag on her.
Although she couldn't see, the fabric over her eyes let her see the colours around her. The man wore an awful colourful mask with a bunch of spirals on it. There were no holes for eyes, nose nor mouth yet, the man looked fine. Looking alone made her dizzy and nauseous.
Like reading her mind the man drew his face back and snapped his fingers. A lackey brought a comfy chair, almost like a throne, which the man sat in.
Another man overalls came and brought out a large tablet and began reading something:
" Hawkins. 11 years old. Student in the 12th grade. All round best student. Has no affiliations nor friends. Oldest in the St. Mary's Descendants Orphanage with a total of 27 children since its establishment. Joined 5 years ago. Lost her nuclear and extended family 5 years ago in a nuclear bomb... detonated by her...
The man obviously broke into a cold sweat. How could a child be so cold hearted, independent and indifferent
...Works part-time at a convenience store after sneaking out of the orphanage after her 8pm curfew...
"That was supposed to be a secret. Not even Oliver Friden knew. How?"she pondered, the only person she told about herself was that guy. "Was the orphanage in on this? Since when? This isn't how they trafficked people. Even people selling their bodies weren't being told their life stories."
As her mind started running far and wide, the man was about to conclude the report:
...And finally, responsible for the murder of tamer candidate 7462 of class Pisera. That concludes the..
Deanna just forgot all reasoning and jumped at the man. With her hands and legs bound, with the right angle could propel herself but her anger gave her an overwhelming amount of strength...just like that time.
With all her mind & body chanting to kill him, she gave him a mid air headbutt to his nose. In almost 4 seconds, the man was pushed from the centre to a corner of the room.
Everyone looked like they'd be in awe, fear or shock since she couldn't tell from the masks but the leader stayed perfectly still.
Deanna hooked the hand ropes on the edge of a metal table, probably sharpened for brutal torture sessions. Without breaking her momentum, she lunged at the man with the spiral mask malevolently. With cheetah fast reflexes, the man grabbed her entire face with his left hand.
It was as though time stood still
She was in the air, being held from her face and no one moved a muscle. Even the fans didn't make a sound.
"You tried to kill my men," he finally said "...but you know nothing, and yet, failed. Now SIT!" he yelled, as he threw her head to the floor like a basketball.
Deanna began bleeding immensely but the man deemed it natural. He moved forward on his seat and began explaining something diabolical.
"Do you know about the La Vonche incident?" he said with a flat tone. "No one knows why everyone in that kingdom was suddenly wiped out, a day before the treaty will be signed...".
He gave her a stare that meant she must talk so she asked, "Why?" in the most platonic front she could show. "Well it was because of someone just like you only...on the other side did something to Mason and she got angry."
He looked at her again. He rubbed his temples, having to explain everything
"...Urgh, so all those fictional characters you kids so much read about, were plundered and exploited by humans,for decades"
One ancient day, a young witch sacrificed her bond to some life force, I don't know, and now, there exist
a boundary on a part of the Earth where they can live in peace of mind, and even if there are some people who try to touch them, they can't. It'll be like they're ghosts."
Why they need to be safe from inferior species, I don't know but, mhm, that's life", he said while crossing his legs on her bent back. She felt an immense weight on her, like the air suddenly bore weights.
"S-so,what is the government trying to do" she said through her teeth
Like a switch, the man's eyes grew crimson red and he smiled with his multiple shark-like teeth.
"... We're going to cross to the Otherside"
With her eyes of confusion, he sighed then elaborates,
Her mind wanted to refute whatever he's saying. Other side? Mythical beings?