Katherine woke up with a start. Gasping for air, she sweeps her hand around frenziedly trying to find the reassuring furry feeling of her soft toy, only to find it absent. Figgles, her one and only companion in her bed, the one she couldn't sleep even a wink without, was now gone . This however, didn't surprise her much. In fact, it just confirmed the overwhelming feeling of ickiness that she felt the moment she woke up.
Everything just felt wrong.
Maybe it was various foreign scents assaulting her nose that made her feel weird. The familiar scent of lavender replaced by a weird artificialish smell. Maybe it was the fact she felt heavier for some reason. As though someone had added extra weight to her arms causing them to move slower. To be fair, the room was very dimly lit so she couldn't quite tell if that was the case, but she knew one thing for sure.
This environment disgusted her.
These issues, however, paled in comparison to the overwhelming sense of emptiness she felt deep within her. The vast abyss threatening to swallow her whole. It felt as though her friends and family were all far away from her, like stars in the night sky, present but not exactly reachable.
"Mama Papa wo bist du?"
wake up
Silence. There were no answers.
"Mama Papa, wo bist du?" Katherine says again, more urgently this time. She looks around frantically, hoping that her initial gut feeling was merely a trick of the mind, that her ever jovial dad would appear around the corner to embrace her warmly. She yearned for the ever-familiar sound of her mom's voice as she raises hell all across the ward, indignant for her daughter's treatment. Heck, she even hoped for the ever-boisterous Jacobine to show up. Despite her peasant ways and her undignified mannerisms, she was a familiar face and a friend, who could without a doubt dispel any fears that lay in her heart.
Yet despite how hard she prayed, the room remained as quiet as ever. Its grey walls looking at her with mere indifference to her pleas. The fear once a mere sapling within her has started to grow at a quickening rate. Its roots, once thin as twigs have now expanded to the size of trunks, sucking the courage in her ever so slightly. If this continues, Katherine knew that she would soon be reduced to a sobbing mess. The once-proud daughter of the Oriental Junkers brawling her eyes out in mere the presence of a foreign room. No no no. She couldn't do that. She was a European a Herrenmenschen how could she show weakness at the sight of danger. What would natives think of her when they see their master weep? What her countryman think of her crying away while doing nothing to help herself? And more importantly, what would her mother think of her.
At that last thought, Katherine instantly snapped right up. From the depths of her throat, a loud "Ja", forced its way out of her mouth, her voice echoing in sheer defiance at the encroaching fear. She knew what she had to do. Leaping up from the top of the bed, she intended to march over to the door and to break free of her confinement. Prove herself worthy to be a Herrenmenschen.
wake up katherine wake up!
However, something was off. Despite how hard she pulled, her right hand refused to move along with her body as if there was a mysterious force pulling it back. On closer inspection, she easily found the culprit of the mysterious force, a pair of handcuffs. With one portion of it having been cuffed firmly to her wrist and the other cuffed to the metal portion of the bed preventing any escape.
With that in mind, she felt the once burning fire in her start to dim, slowly smothered by the forces of circumstances. The hope she had once held so dearly slowly starting to slipping out of her and into the darkness around. She tried to scream, thinking that fear would once again be kept at bay. But she realized even that she couldn't. The fear had long robbed her of that. She knew at this point that if not for a miracle, she would be doomed. Once again the scared kid she is but this time dishearted and alone.
Then she heard the door click. Her initial shock was quickly replaced by excitement. Was it her parents finally here to get her? Was it Jacobine finally gonna reveal it's all just a prank? Is the Teutonic knight of her dream coming to whisk her away and make her his bride?
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
Katherine watched cross-legged on the bed as the knob slowly turned, her spirits rising ever still. Finally, she could be back with her friend and family again! For the first time since she awoke, she felt a sense of joy, of hope. Test or not, she couldn't wait to hear their laughter, to see their smiling faces as they frolic around the countryside without a care in the world. She knew that she would, most likely end up being the topic of gossip among the maids for weeks to come but she didn't care. This whole conundrum, its emotions and all, just felt too real and was just glad that all was finally over. Now she could go back to living her peaceful, mundane life!
Wiping off the last drops of tears, Katherine watches with bated breath as the knob finally reaches its limit of rotation.
Then, with a resounding ping, the door pops open.
Only for a man in a dark blue suit to stride through the door, accompanied closely by a lady clad in white, presumably the doctor. Seeing this, Katherine was devastated but she knew better than to let it show. If this was a test, the less he knew about it the better. Sucking her emotions deep into her heart she decided to do what she did best, analyze.
While the man himself being Caucasian, male and about 30 plus give or take, wasn't anything out of the ordinary, well barring the very liberal usage of sunglasses indoors, the woman on the other hand was. She was dark skin, and thus, more likely than not, of the Malaiisch race. While it wasn't common for there to be doctors from that race it was present nonetheless. Weird but not uncompromisingly so.
"Good afternoon," Mr. Smith says before realization dawn on him "oh sorry you can't tell can you," He smirks "Surprise I guess. I should really give them feedback regarding the whole transparency issue here."He chuckles, laughing at the ingenuity of his joke, "Oh where are my manner, let me introduce myself, my name is Mr Smith, a detective on behalf of Interpol," he says pointing to a badge on his chest, a logo utterly foreign to Katherine, "Currently, you are being investigated on allegations of theft and other misdemeanours. As such, your cooperation would be much appreciated." Mr Smith says before smiling politely. Something in his voice made Katherine feel that he wasn't one to take no for an answer.
"Now," Mr Smith said as he took out the hourglass from under his clothes "As part of this investigation, you need to undergo this test. So sit still young man it would all be over soon." Finishing his sentence, he then tosses the hourglass up before catching it and resolutely slams it back down onto the table.
ENERGY LOST SIGNIFICANT
"Well," Mr Smith chuckles, a mixture of glee and melancholy briefly flashing through his eyes, "Looks like you and I are going to have to spend more time together."
"No no no it can't be, please....please I'll tell my parents I am sorry just please get me out of here! "
KATHERINE WAKE UP
"Blurh" I yelled out as I jumped out of the bed.
Wha..what the heck was that!? Was..Was that a dream?
Yes, it was outlandish but I just couldn't help shake the feeling that it was indeed 100% real and it wasn't for the lack of trying...
But if that's the case, who..who the hell was Mr Smith, and why the heck does Interpol give a shit about a kid from Singapore. Actually, wait a second....
My mouth slowly contorted to a pout as my eyebrowed furrowed. Did Jacobin leak my internet history?! I opened my mouth letting out a laugh. Nope that ridiculous even by my standards. But then what could it be....
"Katherine, let's go we don't have time. If we wait any longer I won't be able to do my etching" Jacobine says, gently shaking my arms, pleading with me.
"Oh Jacobine," I say, the drain from all that mental shenanigans finally catching up to me, "I am a little tired why don't you..."
Before I could say another word, Jacobine leaps over and tackles me. Me, shocked at this total 180 in personality and already mentally drained, could only watch as she tussles me to the ground before securely pinning me down with her body weight, her two knees flanking either side of my body securely gripping my torso.
"I said let's go now Katherine," She says insistently, the sharp end of whatever tool she was holding inching ever closer to my face. "You do know friends don't usually threaten each other right." She says again, softer this time probably afraid the nurses might catch her.
"Yeah I know but you didn't really tell me where you are going either did you."I said already resigning myself to my fate "and fine let's go do whatever stuff you want to do. Sleep is for the weak anyway am I right."
"Huh," Jacobine says, eyebrow raised " I thought you would have known about my etching by now. And how to speak proper English" she squints before shrugging it off "maybe the radiation did have some permanent effects. Oh come along now don't be a pussycat and let me show you," she says as she sweeps her arm towards her, urging me to follow her.
I ofc was less than happy to oblige but obliged anyway. As far as I could tell, my original body was now trapped in God knows where so I, being trapped in this body, might as well count my blessings and do some side quests for her. Maybe this might finally advance the main story.
I chuckle.
Yeah right as if that's the case.