Chapter 1 - Eyes Wide Open

The story begins.

My heart was pounding in my chest. Running as fast as I could just wasn't enough. I wanted to glance behind me just to see if I was anywhere near safe but I knew that the fear would only stop me dead in my tracks. Indecision couldn't hold out any longer. I spun on my heels to face my oncoming foe. Skidding to halt, they laughed disturbingly. I was surrounded by darkness, running away from a person who was apparently just the black shadowy figure of a person. The whole world felt like an unfinished video game in which I was the only really complete part.

"What? Was track not really your strong suit in school, Sweetheart?" The words literally floated around me like subtitles as I searched for a comeback. Their hand reached towards me. I tried to move but felt restrained. It was as if my hands and feet had been strapped down to an invisible wall behind me. I began to panic and tried to break free but it was useless. I was trapped in my own body. The figure leaned in towards me and whispered into my ear.

"Oh, don't worry. I wouldn't want to hurt our little key now would I?" A long fingernail dug into my arm drawing blood. I am a key? A key to what?

The pain became nearly unbearable. I shut my eyes for just a moment but when I opened them I found myself strapped to a bed. I wriggled my wrists in a lousy attempt to break free. Giving up on an escape by my own two hands, I decided to familiarize myself with my surroundings thinking maybe I could find something of use. I was in a white room all to myself. The bed I was in was slightly propped so I was more sitting than lying. To my left was a door with a small window about the width of a head, probably just there to look in on the room. A large mirror placed directly opposite of me - that was obviously a one way mirror - struck a cord in my mind. Tan skin, long brown hair stopping just below my barely existing breasts with a white hospital gown. This girl is staring at me. This girl is me. And I am...oh. This is the part where I started thrashing around on the bed. A feminine looking robot entered the room. From it’s silver hand slid a syringe which only caused more fear to pulse through me. My eyes locked onto the IV, coincidentally where my dream-foe had dug their nail into my arm. The bot emptied the syringe into my IV tube. My eyes glazed over and my voice struggled to make its first audible word in who knows how long before losing consciousness, "Valor."