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Chapter 1 Dazed and Confused

Trigger Alert - Hints at suicide. Mentions abduction and selling organs, no details. Hospital setting, a small amount of blood.

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I abandoned the only family member I had left, but I did it to save his life. We may not have had much of an existence, but it beats being dead and one of us had to die. Instead of waiting for someone else to decide our fate, I chose for everyone. In a world where I had no say in anything, it felt good to choose, even if that choice was death.

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Luck had never been a talent of mine so when someone roughly shook me awake, I realized I had failed. I was not surprised.

A cacophony of sounds and smells competed for my attention. High-pitched repetitive beeps, coughing, moaning, the scent of blood, feces, sweat, cleanser, plastic. I was going to be sick.

A human loomed over me, yelling something.

"Wake up.", a human male said.

Usually obedient by nature, I tried to do as I was asked, but someone had filled my brain with mud, and I was stuck.

"Wake up child. Wake up.", the human said.

I was trying, but the mud had morphed into a comfortable bed, and I was so sleepy.

"It is not nice to fall asleep when an adult is speaking.", the human said.

"We are losing her.", a second human said.

"God, she is in terrible condition.", the second human said.

"Did anyone call the police?", a third human asked.

"What makes a child do this to themselves?"

Someone shook me hard and I was back. I tried opening my eyes, but the light burned my irises.

"Hey.", the first human said.

"Hey."

This time they shook me so hard; I swear my brain rattled in my skull. I tried to open my eyes again, but all I could manage was to see the world around me from behind slitted eyelids. Suddenly the face of a human male loomed into view.

"What's your name? Little girl?", the first human asked.

"Char."

My voice sounded so far away, and the bed was waiting. I wanted to lie down in it and have a rest.

"Char, that is a pretty name for a pretty girl. Do you know where you are?", the first human asked.

Opening my eyes, I could see the human was not alone. Other humans were standing over me looking down.

"Not a girl.", I said.

"Speak up sweetheart. Do you know where you are?", asked the third human.

Irritated I drew in a deep breath to shout but all that came out was a croak.

"I am not a girl."

The humans muttered to each other, and in the few seconds that their attention slipped, I drifted away.

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Startled awake I sat up abruptly and heard someone in the room gasp. Wherever I was it was dark. I could hear and smell a dissonance of familiar and foreign scents and sounds. My instincts told me to go to ground and find cover, but when I tried to move, I felt things tug at various places on my skin.