• Greyman’s

    When I rose back into consciousness, I was lying in an old, worn-out bunk bed that was completely black. I sat up and immediately a wave of dizziness washed over me. My arm stung slightly. I looked at it and saw that the blood was still flowing freely from my body. Stupid no-clotting-ever blood. The guards had just dumped me onto the bed without a care that I was bleeding to death. I sighed and licked the wound; my saliva immediately stopped the bleeding and sealed the wound closed in seconds. It was easier to use my natural defenses than Healing myself.

    I looked around at where I was. I was sitting on a bunk bed; the mattress and my clothes were stained a deep black from my blood pouring over it for hours. The cell I was in was very small. It was only about 7 feet long and 6 feet wide. My bed took up the entire wall length and 3 feet into the length of the room. If I took two steps, I would run smack into a wall. A toilet was in the corner across from me. I frowned. Public restroom much? The wall at the foot of the bed was bars of iron.

    I sniffed. No jade? Weird. There definitely was silver laced into the mortar holding the stones together. Why would Greyman’s allow us to use our abilities? I might not have scented it right. I sniffed again. Nope, no jade. I Shifted slightly, giving me my Wings again. It worked. My frown deepened. Again, weird.

    My Wings scraped against the wall, burning the thin flesh worse than being tossed into a raging fire. I yelped. Electrum was laced in the walls. Electrum burned Shifters and was invisible to a Jewel Hound’s keen nose. I immediately Shifted to a human form.

    My yell summoned another inmate. He eyed me warily.

    “You’re awake,” he said. He had a weird accent. English maybe. “You missed Orientation. I’m your new cellmate. You don’t bother me, I won’t bother you, got it?”

    Short and sweet. “What’s your name?” I asked him.

    “Jronekk. You?”

    “Insanity.” He perked up at the name.

    “I heard rumors. You’re the one from the fight on Topside? I thought you were a casualty in the gunshots. We heard them, even down here.”

    “Yeah. It was a fun fight. I had gotten shot, though, trying to fly off…” I stared off into the distance. “I want to get in another fight again.”

    “Bad idea down ’ere, mate. They got sentries everywhere. You try to hit the guards, you’re down. They don’t care if we fight amongst ourselves, as long as we don’t make it big.” He looked at me. “You said you got hit, mate, didn’t you? Where’s the bullet hole? Or are you a Healer? You got to be some type of Special to get into Underground.” He nodded behind him.

    I Shifted instead, turning into a black kitten. He nodded thoughtfully. It explained how there is no wound. Shifters’ saliva could seal any wound in less than 10 seconds.

    “Jronekk?” He looked at my kitten form, surprised that I could speak this way. “What did you mean by ‘Underground’?

    “All Specials are sent to the Underground. It’s part of Greyman’s, but it is under the main building. The Topside is saved for them. You know. For the Normals. We get to be under the dirt. Like we’re already dead,” Jronekk glared at me accusingly. “You threw me off track, mate! Time for you to go to the Orientation. You missed Formal, but Underground’s Finest is going to start theirs soon. You better go, or you will need more than a bit of drool to save you. Good luck, mate.”

    I jumped off the bed and left the cell, still in kitten form. I was too lazy to change back right now.

    Someone stepped on my tail in the hallway. Irritated, I Shifted into a black Tigre and attacked the poor guy that had hurt me. He was rewarded with several bit marks and shredded skin for his efforts of fun. I stalked off, leaving him screaming curses at me.

    As I walked away, I deep yell vibrated through the ground, calling words you could feel. It was time for Orientation.