It is some hours later that I would be finally coaxed into leaving a little break room that Sky had managed to drag me into to hide away in. Just the two of us, cuddled up together on a couch in the dark.
Sky had managed to get me leave the underside of the table, drawing me out with her voice, and to follow her to a separate room. Far enough away from everyone else so that we could have some privacy and to let me relax. To let me cry as she held me. Her fingers gently combing through my hair and petting my back. By the time that I finally stopped crying, I was left exhausted and wishing that I could fall asleep in her arms. To just close my eyes and dose off. But I am incapable of sleep.
Gods how I long to be able to sleep.
My eyes closed, and face buried in her chest, I try to hide away from the world for some hours. The warmth of her body being my only solace.
Even this is eventually ruined as a knock comes at the door.
Sky gently whispers into my ear, “Lain, is alright if I go and see who is at the door?”
I shake my head, “Mhmh.”
She giggles lightly, “Lain, this isn’t our home. We can’t stay here all night. Though if you want, we can. I won’t tell you no. We can just hide away here and refuse anyone that comes, and I can hold you. But we will eventually have to leave.” She says as she pets my head.
I know that she is right. I also know that she is serious. If I chose to, she would happily spend the entire night here holding me.
I give her a squeeze and mumble into her chest, “You can answer the door…”
She just giggles, “Then you’ll have to let me go silly. You have me a bit wrapped up here…”
“Mhh…?” I finally look up, removing my face from her chest and find that the both of us are currently wrapped up in a cocoon of shadows, holding the two of us together with only our heads free to breathe. Sky has a massive blush on her face, and I can tell that this situation is really doing something right for her. Though the both of us know that this is definitely not the time for horny…
I give her one last squeeze and begrudgingly remove the shadows, pulling them all back into my clothes and compressing them into storage. “Sorry… Can you answer the door please?”
She gives me a smile and a kiss, the blush refusing to leave her face. “I’ll be right back. And remember, if it becomes too much for you, we can always just go home. You don’t have to force yourself to do anything that will hurt you.” She says, her hand stroking my cheek. I just give her a nod and pull my legs up onto the couch.
Walking away, she heads over to the door and talks to whoever it is that is on the other side. I already miss her presence terribly as she is gone, her missing warmth feeling like a piece of my body had been ripped away. I simply continue to stew in this discomfort until she returns, kneeling down in front of the couch and offering me her hand. I grab it, latching on to it like a drowning woman at sea. I have to hold back the urge to pull her back onto the couch with me like a starving animal in its cave.
“I just got word that the little man is waking up. They moved him to another room after taking some samples and put him on an IV drip. They even fed him some ground up monster meat because they thought it would help.”
He’s waking up already? It hasn’t been that long yet, has it?
“They haven’t hurt him, have they?” I ask worriedly.
“No, they didn’t hurt him. Just took some blood and other minor samples. They did some scans and took pictures, but that’s it. They told me that they aren’t going to hurt your servant.”
“They called him my servant…?”
“No, sorry. Ah… They referred to him as bunch of letters and a number. Uhm, FERH-1… Don’t know what it means. But I know that he is yours. I can feel it.” She says happily. The idea of me being able to make people and claim them apparently being something that she is proud of. A hard reminder that Sky really isn’t human, though it doesn’t make me love her any less.
I put a hand on her, “Sky, people aren’t supposed to own people. It’s not right.”
She nods her head, “You're right. People can’t own people. Can’t own someone that is their equal.”
A bit of relief goes through me. Oh, good. She does understand.
Sky continues, her words knocking me back. “But you can. After all, you make people. They’re not your equals. I can feel it, how their souls are connected to yours. How even some humans are drawn to you, wishing to be put under your control; even if they don’t know it themselves. Even my own soul longs to be bound up in your chains. To be made yours completely and utterly~” She says with a warm smile full of love, a hand reaching out to caress my face.
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“Sky, stop!” I snap.
She freezes, her smile dropping away as she looks at me. Realization hitting her as she sees that she just harmed me.
“Lain, I’m sorry. I don’t know what…” She tries.
“Sky, I don’t want to own people. I don’t want to be above others. I don’t want to do these things, because they are wrong. And I don’t want to own you. I want us to be equals. You and me. Not to just keep you as my pet. It doesn’t matter if I can. I don’t want to… It’s wrong.”
“Lain… I, I’m sorry…” She says, shaking a bit. She goes to touch me, but pulls away just short. I grab her hand before it can get away and bring it to my face, kissing it lightly.
“I’m sorry that I snapped at you. Just please don’t ever talk like that again… Especially, don’t talk about me doing such a thing to you. I want you to be mine, but not like that. Never like that… Do you understand? I want to be with you, not own you. You’re not my possession, you’re my love.”
She nods her head as I pull her into a hug. “I’m sorry, Lain… I let my emotions get the better of me…”
“It’s ok… I love you far too much to let something like that ruin things between us. Just remember that we are equals. We’re partners and I love you.”
“Love you.” She mumbles into my shirt.
…
For a while I simply pet her long hair, the two of us somehow having ended up in a reverse of our previous situation.
“Thank you for earlier Sky. For helping me feel better. I think I’m ready to go face my newest mistake… Will you come with me?”
“Not a mistake.” She says seriously, looking up to me with puffy red eyes.
“Sorry?”
She shakes her head. “Not mistakes. Your warrior, the little man, even me. We’re not mistakes. You have a gift, and you shared it with us. Even if you didn’t mean to do it. Even if it comes with a price. Your warrior… Nathaniel, you saved his life and gave him power. You made him more than just a man. The little one? You turned an animal into a person! A miracle! And me… You gave me everything.” She kisses me on the lips, her love being passed to me through her touch, carrying more weight than mere words alone could ever hold. “We’re not mistakes. Please don’t hate yourself because of us.”
I look at her, peering deeply into her beautiful yellow eyes. I find only love within their depths.
Nodding, I inhale and then let out a deep, shuddering, breath. “Not mistakes…” I say, agreeing with her.
She’s right… I need to look at the good that I can do with this. And it doesn’t matter if I am able to chain those that I change. I simply have to give them back their freedom. I just have to be a good person… I just have to be responsible.
Giving her another hug, I stand up from the couch, Sky holding my hands as she rises with me. “Come on Sky, I need to go say hello to Adam. Thank you…”
She gives me a little smile and pulls my hand, leading me out of the dark room. Down the hall, a waiting researcher turns as he notices us approaching. He remains silent as he leads us to an observation room. Walking ahead of us as I walk hand in hand with Sky.
----------------------------------------
Adam, The First Gremlin
Food! Hide the food! Bury the food!
Groom friend. Groom self. Keep fur clean and smooth. Straighten whiskers.
Friend steal buried food! Wrestle! Fun! I win! I’m strongest!
Hungry now. Eat food. Drink water.
Belly full. Tired. Make bed. Friend belly warm and soft. Perfect bed! Sleep!
…
…
…
Noise? Up, top gone. More food? More bedding? Play?
Claws!!! Predator!
Big thing that bring food and give pet? Smell weird? New?
It give pet! Groom it. Claws not scarry.
Blood? Blood on claw? Lick?
Yes. Yes lick! Blood tasty!
More pet!
Clean face. Clean whiskers.
Face near? Give kiss? Soft noises, very warm…
Something offered. Hungry. Accept!
…
Demon Queen. Devil. Obey.
…
More soft noises. Orders from Queen! Happiness! Obey!
…
……
Pain…
…
Pain…!
Pain!!!
PAIN!!!!!
HURTS!!!!!
…
…
…………..
My eyes open to the light and for the first time in my life.
I am.
I shudder as my eyes adjust to the light. As my tongue feels around in a mouth that feels alien and different.
My entire body feels different now. Heavy, strong, new… There is just so much… more…
Even my mind feels as if there is a weight to it now. A… a potential. But for what?
I try to move my limbs and find it difficult. They don’t feel as they used to. The simplicity of it all is gone. I have to put in effort. I have to… focus? Yes, focus. Concentrate. I have to think…
Think?
…
Who am I?
What am I?
Why am I here?
…
I don’t know… But, I want to learn…
Learn? Yes, learn. I want to understand…
But I am empty…
…
A feeling fills my hand and I struggle to turn my head. But I focus and I do. I am rewarded for my efforts and happiness floods through me. My mouth parting and pulling back in a motion that I am unfamiliar with, but that fills me with even more happiness as I see the being before me do the same. I can feel my tail shaking along with my joy.
Demon Queen. Devil. Obey.
I am happy, because sitting before me is my Queen. I wish to kneel, to throw myself to the floor before her. But my body is heavy and refuses to move.
The urge to kneel quickly leaves me as she moves her lips and noise is made. I don’t understand the noises, but the message is carried into my soul.
A soul? Me? Is that what I am?
She makes more noises and her orders flow into me, binding into my soul.
“This order extends to all who shall carry your blood. I grant you free will. Become your own person. Unless it is directly stated as an order by myself or my descendants, you are free to heed our words as you please.”
My Queen’s order fills me with purpose. Become a person.
How I am to do this, I do not know. But yet, I do not fear. For I feel open. I feel… Possible? Empty and just waiting to be filled.
If I learn, will I be able to fill myself? Will I be able to become a person?
Yes. I wish to learn…
My Queen stands and places a hand upon me. Happiness radiating through me from her touch. I know nothing, I am nothing, but I know that she is my ultimate purpose. I will become a person for my Queen.
She moves her mouth and noise is made. I long to learn their purpose, their understanding lost in my blank and empty mind. No ground for the knowledge to take hold. It is only my soul that truly listens, that hears and understands.
“My first Gremlin. The first of a new race of people. I name you Adam. May this name be the seed from which you will grow.”
A spark. A light born within my mind.
For the first time in my short life, in my new life, true thought is born within me.
Ah, I am Adam. My name is Adam…