Chapter Text
“Dear Diary: Yesterday was okay. I was able to spend some time with Ash and Don in the play room. Ash got taken away yesterday, and we didn’t see him for the rest of the day. I wonder if his tests are like mine. Mine are easy. They just prick my arm and take my blood. I don’t think they only do that with Ash. He had bandages over his eye the other day . I wonder what happened. Don says it’s rude to ask so I don’t. I want to visit him today. I think-“
”Enough for today.” A burly, monotone voice sounded from above Katie’s sitting figure.
She reluctantly shoved away the black crayon she was using and groaned.
”I only got a few words down! I wasn’t done!” Katie complained loudly, but still got up and put the piece of paper on top of her stack of diary entries.
It’s not like she was doing anything dreadful today like testing.
Today was another day with the privilege of going to the playroom, which meant she got to see her brothers. That always made her happy. Although she wondered if Ash would be there today.
She watched as the white bear in grey opened her cell door, while she raised her self up and down on her tiptoes with anticipation.
Katie followed the worker down the white hallway to the playroom.
She always hated the hallways. She didn’t like the bright white that felt like lights flashing in her eyes, or the sterile smell of the cleaner they used.
In the middle of the hallway she tapped on the workers back to ask him the question she’d been waiting to ask until it was ‘free time’.
”Hey! Do I get to see Ash today? Is he still getting better?” She asked with a sassy tone. She was sick of never knowing how her brothers were doing.
The man turned to face her, looking down at her. The pure white face without any eyes or mouth made her anger falter for just a moment.
”He is in the playroom today.” The worker responded, no tone or emotion in his voice at all, like he spoke from a voice box.
“Yay!!” Katie jumped up and down, glad that her preconceived notion was wrong.
The worker simply turned back around and continued leading Katie down the sterile hallway.
When the door to the playroom opened Katie burst into it yelling obnoxiously.
”Ashhh!! Donnnn!!!”
She liked the playroom because she didn’t have to stay behind a worker or wait for instructions. It was the time she got to do what she wanted.
Over near the fake window was her black haired brothers, but their demeanor was less happy than Katie’s.
Ash was curled up; his knees close to his chest and his face buried deep in them, his curly hair hiding any trace of his face. Don was knelt by him, his hands on Ash’s shoulders like he giving him a speech.
By the time Katie had made it to them Don had straightened up and opened his arms for a hug.
Looking at Ash behind Don she tilted her head and inquired bluntly,
”What’s wrong with Ash? Is he not feeling well after his test?”
Don looked down at Katie with a shake of his head and a small sigh, already exasperated at her blunt density.
”He’s just a little tired, Katie. He’s okay.” Don nonetheless reassured her, turning to Ash and beckoning him to say something.
”…Yeah Katie I’m okay.” Ash reassured, albeit very timidly and not very convincingly.
Katie rubbed her ear — her nervous tick, but took them for their word anyway.
Katie really loved her brothers. She was older than Ash but younger than Don. They didn’t see Ash much but whenever they did she was really happy. She loved Don a lot and spent the most time with him.
Don was always in trouble though. She felt bad when he got in trouble. She got in trouble too sometimes for mouthing off and running around when she wasn’t supposed to but she only ever got small corrections: a pull of the hair or timeouts.
Don got more.
He obviously got in trouble last night because there was a big bruise on his cheek.
He and Ash were the only people she liked. She hated all the other people in the facility. She never interacted with other kids, mostly because they never lasted long anyways. Whenever there was someone new they always were gone before long.
Her Ash and Don were the only 3 that didn’t leave.
She always wonders what happens to those kids.
After a long day of playing with her brothers they were separated once again for bed time. She was always reluctant for bed time. She hated being alone.
She did most of her thinking alone. And Don told her that thinking doesn’t do very good in this place.
After brushing her teeth she stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself. A nightly routine she’d developed.
She wondered why her appearance was different than anyone else’s she’d seen.
She thought about it and honestly the only person that looks like what all humans look like is Don.
Normal humans didn’t have what Katie has.
Fluffy, long, pointy ears that she can’t cover with her hair like Don and Ash can. A thin tail with a tuft of ginger hair at the end. And last but not least, a small bony pink cone on her head, with a birthmark in the shape of a star surrounding it.
She ran her hand over it, her fingers moving up with the groove of the cone. She hated that thing the most. It was so weird looking, like a big unwanted shape toy got glued on her head.
She got herself into a frenzy about her inhumane looks before remembering no one around her really looked ‘human’ anyway. Other than Don.
The bears were the furthest thing from human.
And Ash had those weird glitchy purple things surrounding him.
And when she really thought about it, nobody was ‘normal’ here. Don could disappear!
She started to feel bad for being so mean about her features. She really did like them. They gave her comfort.
She walked over to her bed and threw her head into her pillow.
“What even is normal anyway…” She thought to herself, annoyed.
Its not like she’s ever seen anyone outside this stupid place anyway.
Maybe this is normal.
Maybe those picture books are the fantasy.
Those thoughts roamed her mind as she drifted off to sleep, the lights eventually shutting out as bedtime commenced, signifying the end of another day of Katie’s life.
Late at night a guard dressed in blue makes his way to a dimly lit room where a fully white figure stands facing the window, its paws clasped behind its back.
“Hello Guard. What is the news with the children?” The robotic voice of the figure inquires from the shadows, sounding nor like a man or woman.
“The children are fine. Subject A106 is recovering from the most recent test. He should be ready for another in the following day. Subject D99 put up another fight over A106 the other day, so force was used against him.” The guard replies in a monotone voice, standing still and straight.
”What of K777? Has any of your tests shown she is of use yet?”
“No, but from research she will begin more development very soon and very rapidly. It is only a matter of time.”
“Good.”