Chapter Three

M.D. held out his hand, Drea stared in amazement. He was handsome. Dark hair and eyes, his uniform looked military but it showed off a great deal, and his voice was intoxicating. Not vomit inducing like Primnickle’s, but a very sensual intoxication. He had a strong looking face and hands. Drea felt her mouth fall open.
“Drea? Are you okay?” He asked, his voice making her slightly dizzy. Drea caught herself before she really did faint.
“Yeah, I’m fine. What did you say your name was?” She asked sliding her palms on her skirt, the sweat sticking to the wool.
“I didn’t and now we have to get out of here. Take my hand.” M.D. held out his hand again. Drea hesitated.
“Why?” She was still a little dizzy from her first reaction of him.
“Because you set off the alarm. Setting off alarms brings Authorities. In this case, Authorities are bad. Now take my hand.” Drea slowly took it and right as their hands connected Primnickle and Security plowed through the door.
“Miss Schmitt, wher-” Primnickle was cut short by M.D.
“She’s coming with me.” He smirked and Drea waved.
“Tell Kuran that I went home.” Drea yelled this behind her shoulder, M.D. was running and Drea and to run faster than she was used to as to not be dragged on the ground.
“Where are we going?” They were running out of room to run and Security was right behind them.
“Trust me.” As he said this, Great black wings sprouted from his back, tearing through his uniform. Drea gasped and pulled back a little, but by now they were going so fast her feet were barely on the ground. The end of the roof passed under Drea and a scream erupted from her lips as the plummeted downwards. A sudden jerking upwards made her shoulder go numb and M.D. pulled her farther up than the roof allowed. They were now flying above the fog and above the school. Drea watched the earth move below her slowly changing from city to country.

“Where are we going?” Drea yelled up at M.D.
“To a Haven. You’ll be scanned and checked there.” M.D. lowered his other hand and Drea grabbed it. He pulled her up to his now bare chest and they flew the rest of the way like that. Drea pulled herself into him the best she could, one reason was because they were up so high and she never really did like heights. The second reason she just liked the way his body felt. He didn’t seem to mind it either. They finally landed in a strange place after about an hour of flying.
“Check in.” A voice rang out into the darkness. M.D. stepped up to the scanner that seemed to appear out of nowhere. He laid his hand on the surface and the machine beeped.
“Identify second entity.” The voice spoke again.
“Drea Schmitt. Formerly a student at Grindel’s Academy.” The machine beeped again.
“What do you mean ‘formerly’?” She asked quietly.
“Formerly means you don’t go to school there anymore. Your permanent record has been erased.” M.D. didn’t look at her the same as he had on the roof.
“I thought I was going back?” Drea managed to say.
“No. You made an agreement to come with me on the roof. You chose me over Primnickle. Good choice.” A tone of humor echoed in his last statement.
“I thought-” Drea cut herself off and stared at her feet.
“It’s okay. We can and will take care of you here.” As he said this the voice came back over the intercom.
“Drea Schmitt has been approved to enter. Please step back.” M.D. stepped back and pulled Drea with him. A wide white light shot out of the darkness right at them. Drea covered her eyes and M.D. stood unfazed.
They entered the chamber and the door shut quickly behind them. Drea’s eye took a while to adjust. As soon as they did she realized that a team of people was coming towards her. A curtain dropped and her clothes were removed. She tried to cover herself the best she could. The team of people sprayed her down with a white mist substance that hung in the air, the curtain went back up. She was seated automatically into a chair. All at once she had her vision checked, blood drawn, she was finger printed, and saliva and hair samples were taken. Drea chanced a glance over to M.D. who stood there, almost proudly, naked as they sprayed him down with the same substance. His wings, she noticed, had left deep red gashes in his back. He caught her eye and she felt her face burn to the brightest shade of red. The team performed a phlebotomy on him and that was it. The curtain dropped down between them. Drea was quickly dressed in all white and the curtain was removed.
Once the team had been satisfied with picking her apart, Drea and M.D. were moved forward. The conveyor belt like floor moved them through another set of white doors. When the doors opened Drea felt her mouth drop open. The room had a very high ceiling held up by the most ornate flying duchesses. At the very center of it all there was a glass dome, and Drea could see the stars. He mesmerized gaze led her down the walls, all which were adorned with tapestries. The floor was gleaming with what looked like a new coat of wax. The entire structure had been carved out of white marble.

“Drea. Shut your mouth.” M.D. had whispered into her ear. She instantly felt her jaw snap back up. Her eyes were still wide and alert as a very tall and elegant woman walked toward her. This woman had long blond hair and pale skin. M.D. approached her and whispered in her ear. She nodded and M.D. stepped back.

“You are Drea Schmitt?” She asked.

“Yes, Ma’am.” Drea grew pale.
“Do you know where you are?” This woman’s deep golden eyes were bearing into Drea.

“No, Ma’am.”

“Mathios didn’t tell you?” Drea snickered.

“What is so funny?”

“Nothing. I just didn’t know his name.” Drea stopped snickering. The woman continued.

“What do you know?” The woman asked writing on her clipboard.

“About why I’m here? Nothing.” The woman suddenly turned to Mathios.

“You told her nothing?” She was glaring at him.

“No, Ma’am. I couldn’t risk any information being intercepted by Primnickle.”

“You could have told her on the way here.” She ran her fingers through her hair. Mathios turned to Drea, who was looking quite cross.

“Hey look, I’m sorry. I couldn’t risk it.” He stared at his feet.
“Drea if you would please, follow me.” The woman turned and started to walk off.
“Drea lo-” She stopped him.

“Don’t. Talk to me right now.” Drea turned her back fully on Mathios and followed the woman across the chamber. It hurt her to know that he hadn’t trusted her with keeping things from Primnickle. He should have known that the only time the two of them, Drea and Primnickle, ever talked was if Drea was called on or being assigned detention. With all the research he did to get to her, shouldn’t he have known that? Drea left the question hanging in her mind, left it hanging over the metaphorical cliff that only existed for times like this.
“Drea I want you to know that I had no idea that he hadn’t told you anything. Some hybrids think that they can get away with things, he’ll be taught a lesson don’t you worry.” A hint of malice hung in her last words. Drea looked over her shoulder to see Mathios having a chain stuck through the collar on his neck and being forcefully pulled behind one of the guards.
“What is so wrong with hybrids?” Drea asked cautiously.
“Oh there is nothing wrong with them physically, my dear. Everything wrong with them is emotional, mental, or both.” The woman never turned around.
“Please explain.” Drea mumbled. The woman took a deep breath and turned around to face Drea.
“When you look at Mathios you see a nice looking boy don’t you? He isn’t a nice looking boy, Drea. He is a monster. Emotionally, well that boy will never get close to anyone. Mentally, sooner than later he’ll start to crumble away at the mind. Everything he learned here will simply be gone and the ‘demon’ inside of him will finally take over. We take them in and we use them in our experiments and for errands. Mathios comes in handy for the most part because of the fact that he can fly. He has been given muscle enhancements to make sure nothing can physically go wrong with him at anytime. We keep them here after they become useless in experimentation, as pets really.” She turned on her heel and continued to walk, at a faster pace Drea noticed.
‘Well, why am I here?” Drea felt as though she were asking too many questions.

“We are here,” She paused. “, To study you. And your effects on the Hybrids.”
“Why me?” Drea inquired. Once again the woman turned again.
“Before we go any further in my explanation of you being here, my name is Janica Jacobs. You may call me Dr. Jacobs.” Dr. Jacobs held out her hand and Drea shook it.
“The reason we chose you is mostly based on the fact that no one cares about you. Your family has abandoned you and you really have no friends. Kuran will have to be taken care of. We’ll erase her memory. Every fragment of your existence will be erased from the world you left behind. Don’t be shocked either. We don’t do this often but we do it enough that we know what we are doing. Haven’t you wondered why your mother stopped coming to see you? Haven’t you wondered why you haven’t received a single e-mail from anyone? It’s because, months ago, we started to erase you. Your mother was first. We erased her memory and replaced it with one of her ‘daughter’ who had died in an accident. Your father was next. We ended up just killing him; I didn’t think you would care. And then we went to every other family member that had ever known you, erasing away. That is why we chose you. So easily dispensable the human mind.” Dr. Jacobs turned around again and Drea felt the only thing she could do was follow. She kept herself from crying by thinking about the way Mathios had looked at her right before they had taken off. It filled her with a warm feeling.
“Dr. Jacobs, may I ask one more question?”

“You may.”
“What sort of things will you be studying?” Drea asked. Dr. Jacobs rubbed her forehead.
“Not all of these experiments will be held in a controlled environment. I highly suggest that you don’t get close to any of the hybrids you come in contact with. Everything that you will experience will be quite personal and I suggest that you write everything down. You will report to me the things that happen: such as complications, injuries, etcetera, etcetera. I want to hear them form you before I hear them from anyone else. Your job will probably kill you eventually, but that is a risk that we are willing to take.” Dr. Jacobs snickered. Drea looked stunned. By this time they had reached a hall that was lined with doors. All the doors looked the same and the hall ended in a single door.
“So anything I do or say against your decision means absolutely nothing?”
“That is correct. You have no where to go and no one knows who you are. You are simply a subject for observation and experimentation.” Dr. Jacobs pushed a button on the side of one door. Drea was so shocked that she didn’t say anything against the fact that she was being told that she didn’t exist and that she didn’t have a choice.
“Yes, Ma’am.” Drea was screaming at herself in her head. Why was she agreeing to this? Why did she not say something or at least try to run?
“The reason that you find yourself unable to do anything against what I am telling you is because you were given a shot before you entered the main interior. That shot made you obedient for the time being. This is your room.” Dr. Jacobs pushed the door open and Drea started at the dark room on the other side. “, Enter.”
Drea felt her legs move into the room and Dr. Jacobs shut the door behind her. Moments later Dr. Jacobs's voice came over the intercom.

“You will be visited by the head of you hall in a matter of time and she will go over the procedures and processes that take place here. The dresser contains the clothes you will wear while you stay here. Change before the Matron gets here. I hope you enjoy your stay Drea.” Sarcasm hung in Dr. Jacobs’s last statement. Drea put her bag down on the bed and walked over to the dresser. Opening the drawers she ruffled through the clothes. All of them were white. From undergarments to winter clothing, all of it was white. Drea stepped over to the closet and opened it. Inside were a white jacket, a white heavy coat, a white snowboard, and a variety of white shoes; from boots to sandals. She checked the sizes and all of them were hers. She sighed and sat on the bed. The white clothes she was wearing felt sticky and she glanced down at them. They had slowly begun to dissolve. Drea hastily dug through the drawers pulling out fresh clothes. She quickly redressed herself. As soon as she had pulled her shirt over her head the door opened again and a very large woman walked in.

“Hello Drea.” Drea felt her jaw drop. Professor Primnickle stood before her.