Shield - A New Species Fanfiction (Wild at Heart Chronicles, Book 1)

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

An hour had passed since Dr. Malcolm left the room, but no matter how hard Paige tugged at the plastic restraints with her teeth they refused to come off her wrists. The skin beneath them felt raw from her continued assault, but she was determined. The pain distracted her, kept her scattered mind focused.

And it was more practical than crying her eyes out.

"Honey, you're making it worse," Natasha said, reaching a hand out to her from between the bars of her cage. "Come here, I'll get those off."

This had been her incessant campaign to coax Paige into a conversation. For the past hour, Paige had scooted to the center of her cage and ignored her. So far, hearing the familiar voice only fueled her resolve to erect an impenetrable wall of indifference and keep the imposter at bay.

Betrayal was a hard pill to swallow.

The Species women observed her quiet rebellion with interest. They hadn't once growled or spoken since the doctor left, but Paige had a feeling they held their tongues more out of self-preservation than an inability to understand language. She'd noticed they wore strange clothing, a prison uniform of sorts that was off-white in color and had seams holding the material together.

The one furthest from Paige rested face down on the cot, a hand pressed against her cheek to support her head as if she were lounging on a couch watching a television show. She had thick, tawny brown hair and her facial bone structure, though pronounced like the male counterpart of the breed, was a lot softer in appearance. The other Species sat on the concrete floor, athletic legs crossed at the ankles, while her yellow eyes stared unblinking at Paige. Black hair with a streak of white curtained her face, which fell straight down past her hips. She'd begun to inch a bit closer to the bars as time passed, but this Paige had ignored as well. The novelty of meeting the exotic breed up close had lost its splendor, knowing soon she'd be forced into the company of one who'd lost his mind and would no doubt tear her to pieces like a rabid animal.

"Do you still have that nightmare?" Natasha said. "The one with the trees?"

Paige froze at hearing the bizarre question, but she was unable to ignore how it stirred those unpleasant images in her head. It was a terrible dream she'd conjured up as a child, one she could recall in vivid detail though it hadn't faded from her memories even as she'd grown to adulthood. A dark, sinister forest would surround her before she could escape. The trees would close in like tall, hooded figures and she'd find herself cowering from their claw-like branches. And then, right before the dream would end, one of them would snatch her up and a deformed mouth would materialize from its trunk, showing razor sharp teeth.

It would always smile at her, right before devouring her whole.

Paige didn't have it as often now, but on days when she was feeling stressed, a headache was often the precursor to the reoccurring nightmare.

Why bring it up now?

"It's just a stupid dream," Paige said, dismissing it with a lift of her shoulder. "This was the best you could come up with to get my attention?"

Natasha sighed and scooted away from the bars, her back to the cot. She tilted her head and glared at the ceiling. "Just hear me out, Paige. Didn't you ever wonder why I didn't take you to see someone about them? Maybe figure out why you had them so often?"

Paige narrowed her eyes at the NSO agent. "At first, I did. I'd wake up screaming and run to your bed in the beginning, but I grew out of it. All kids do. Since you brought it up, though, why didn't you take me to see someone?"