The Center: Tester - Part 8

By Blackout

Editor: Zip

I would like to extend my greatest thanks to Zip for putting up with me and how fast I hammered out these stories. :) This was partially written already as I meant it to be chapter 7 but end up finishing the next Rachael story because I wanted to do that. So it sat on my computer and because of that I ended up finishing it.

This is a Mattie story. Hope you like the picture! I think you all will enjoy this story. Though the whole chapter does happen in just a cell!
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I opened my eyes to find myself in a dimly lit cell. There were absolutely no windows I was frightened. I was scared. Who would kidnap a girl and do this sort of thing? What did this all have to do with Ryan? I remember that Scott Pharm was the one who kidnapped me; he had done something to me.

I sat in this cell for who knows how long. Hour after hour went by. There was only one door with some sort of hatch to slide food through underneath the door. I was perfectly trapped. I had tried for about an hour to open the door but it just seemed pointless. There was absolutely no way for me to escape. There was a camera in the far corner watching me but it was too high for me to get to it. I wanted to grab that camera and smash it. Damn the people who trapped me in here. Damn the people who killed Ryan. I wanted vengeance, you could not believe how pissed I was at this whole affair.

I continued waiting terrified. I was hoping that Ryan would show up at any moment to rescue me, to be my knight in shining armor. But the more I waited the more I lost hope and began to believe he really was dead. I had begun to get hungry and was wondering if they were ever going to feed me. I got my answer. Eventually the hatch of the bottom door opened and someone slid me a tray of food.

“Hey girl! Make sure you push the empty tray out or you will get no more food. You hear!”

Who did these people think they were? Kidnaping and killing and they only had the decency to give me such crappy food. The so called meal they had slipped under the door was a bottle of water, two slices of bread with a few slices of salami and a bowl with some sort of unidentifiable chowder. But I was so hungry, I ate it all. The chowder was awful but you would not believe how hungry I was. I then slid the tray under the door; I at least needed food to live. I was getting really bored and irritated just sitting in this dimly lit room. This was so cruel to put anyone through this. I was pissed. I had the urge to go to the bathroom but there was not even a toilet in this cell.

“Hey!” I shouted. “At least give me a bathroom also you JERKS!”

A few minutes later someone slipped a small bucket under the hatch.

“Here’s your toilet princess, Hahaha!”

“What the heck, at the very least give me a proper toilet. Let me out of here. When the police find you that will be the end of you guys.”

I just heard more laughing. These people were dicks, had they never heard of prisoner rights. I started to cry again the tears would just not stop, this all sucked if things kept going like this I would lose my mind. I started to cry and I eventually fell asleep on the cold hard cell that was my confinement. I was sad and I was hurt.
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I woke up the next morning sore all over. My whole body was sore, probably from sleeping on the uncomfortable bed that was my new room. I started to cry again, how I was not supposed to be upset when the situation seemed totally bleak? I decided I might as well kill myself. They were cruel and it looked like there was no chance of this situation ever getting better. I was definitely not going to be a prisoner for life. I did not even know why they kidnaped me.

I took off my shirt, I decided I would kill myself by strangling myself there was nothing but this cold dark and empty room and I was not sitting through another day of torture. I had no one for company and this was about it for me. I could not think of anything to live for here. I took the shirt and started to wrap it around my throat. I started hearing footsteps down the hall. A few seconds later the door flew open.

The girl who came in slammed the door shut a second later. She had pink hair, a white freckly face with turquoise eyes. She had slender hips and looked about 5 inches shorter than me. The girl was probably my age but she was petite and very cute. I just wanted to hug her. She was also carrying a tray of food for me. The food was a whole lot better than what I was given yesterday. It was a bowl of cereal with a carton of milk next to it, a juice box, and a bagel with cream cheese.

She ran up to me ripping my shirt from my grasp.

“Don’t kill yourself!” She screamed at me.

“Why should I not, you trapped me here against my will. I have no idea what going on? You also killed my boyfriend Ryan!”

“Calm down I can’t tell you what’s going on but you should not kill yourself. I’m Megan Brown by the way.

“I’m Mattie,” I sniffed.

She smiled at me and took my hand.

“Mattie can I show you something I think you will be shocked.”

“Ok sure go ahead,” I told her. What else did I have to do and she was the first friendly face I met from among my kidnapers, unlike that Scott Pharm who dragged me here in the first place.

She placed her hand on me and suddenly my neck began to feel better from the place I had tried to kill myself. In fact my whole body began to feel better. It was like this girl was healing every ache and pain inside my body.

“All better now?” she smiled.

“Yeah what was that?”

“Sorry I really can’t tell you anymore, but please don’t give up on life that easily. Things will get better. I promise you.”

“Fine, I will keep on living, but I won’t do anything for the people here, and I don’t know why you do.”

She frowned a little, but then she turned around opening the door and closing it behind her. I heard the lock of the door and knew I was trapped in here again. She probably was being forced to work for them and ran out because she honestly could not tell me anything. The strange part of this whole encounter was that somehow she had healed me. I don’t know what was going on but everything seemed strange now. I just wished someone would explain things to me soon before I went insane.

Time went on ticking again. I had kept myself occupied by thinking up stories in my head. I imagined Ryan with me again and my dad hugging me telling me he loved me. It was all so sad I began crying again. Life sucked and nothing was going right. Megan had not come back and I was missing her company again. Eventually lunch was slid under my door. I was still here just sitting and waiting and it just sucked more and more.

I started to scream and yell but nothing ever happened so there I was just sitting in the corner. Waiting and waiting, wondering when my next meal was going to come Time just kept ticking and it was driving me crazy. I tried to think up stories or memories in order to keep sane but I had already done that. All this sitting and waiting, along with being all alone was driving me crazy. Just when I thought I was going to lose my mind, the cell door opened.

A man in a black suit, like the ones chasing me before, was standing there. He was grinning evilly at me. The man was dragging with him the body of a small boy it seemed. He threw the unconscious body at me. I caught the small boy; I would not let them hurt another person.

“Take care of this,” he said laughing.

I was shocked. It was the same evil voice that kept mocking me and laughing at me when he gave me food. It was my prison guard. I just glared at him. He just continued laughing as he closed the door and locked it.

I looked at my fellow prisoner again. I was surprised the person they threw at me was not a small boy but a regular sized girl about my age. She had bright red hair, pale skin that seemed to glisten even in this light. Her face was really cute. She had pretty lips and eyes with long eye lashes. Her waist was small and her hips were large, she seemed to be about one cup size smaller than me. But she was still a gorgeous girl.

What surprised me was, that she was wearing boys clothing, that was obviously too big for her. Why on earth would she be wearing boys clothing. The girl still would not wake up so I just laid her down, and continued waiting. Every now and then she would toss and turn, and I would go over to her and tend to her making sure she was ok. Eventually dinner was slid under my door and I begrudgingly ate everything on my plate. Then I went to bed and decided I would sleep near this strange girl in boys’ clothes. It was cold in here and if we stayed close together for warmth it would make her stay her just a little better. With that I drifted to sleep curious as to whom my new companion was, and what tomorrow held.
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I woke up some time, unsure if it was morning or night when I woke up. But knowing my internal clock it was probably morning. My new cellmate was still sleeping, she looked really uncomfortable. She was still tossing and turning, In fact it looked like she was levitating a bit. I rubbed my eyes and she was on the ground again. I must be seeing things I told myself.

A few hours’ later two trays of food were put into the room. There was one bad tray of food for me, and one bad tray of food for my companion. I decided I would not eat until my new cell mate woke up. It took about an hour later before the girl started to wake up. She yawned stretching her limbs on the cold floor.

She looked around her confused and angry, much like me. Then she looked at herself even more confused and she started crying. I had no idea why she was crying from looking at herself. I decided I better go comfort her. So I went over and wrapped my arm around her. Telling her everything would be ok that the police would come and they would rescue us.

The girl finally looked at me still sad and angry.

“No it’s not ok,” she said. “I’m a guy.”

“Excuse me.” I asked. Apparently this girl had lost it.

“I’m not insane my name is Aaron Sheckler. I am positive I was a guy, but suddenly these guys in suit came after me and knocked me out. That’s the last thing I remember before waking up here in this dark room.”

“Are you sure?” I asked

“I’m positive!” She replied.

It seemed like she was telling the truth, from the way her eyes looked at me. I had no idea what to say to her. It did explain why she was wearing the boy clothing. Maybe this girl was telling the truth.

“Ok I believe you,” I said.

I then did all I could to comfort this girl. Hugging her and telling her it would all be alright. When she had calmed down enough, I wiped the tears from her eyes. She really was beautiful and her eyes were a bright blue that pierced through the soul. I could not even imagine that she was a boy before this.

“Thanks!” she said.

“Yeah, everything is going to be alright.”

She then asked me for my story and we began talking. I told her about the strange people who attacked me and how they all seemed to do some weird things but I was not sure.

“It was almost like these people had superpowers.” I told her.

“Really?” She asked her eyes were big with excitement.

This girl obviously was a superhero fan at least when she was a boy apparently. If she had changed gender though, I wondered why she did. And why they had not given her a spare pair of clothing? I then remembered I saw her floating just a bit almost like she was levitating.

“Hey before you woke up I think I saw you levitating I told her.”

“Really! I was floating. Do you think I can fly?”

“Maybe. Who knows?”

“Up, up and away,” she said, and jumped up with a look of strain on her face. She was trying to fly but gravity won and she came back down to the ground hard. We both had a laugh at that.

“I don’t think you can fly. Maybe you can pick things up though, with your mind. Like telekinesis.” I said.

“Let’s try that. Can I try to pick you up?” A very excited young girl said.

“Ok sure,” I said smiling.

She began to focus on picking me up. I did not feel anything, but the girl looked very excited. I had no idea why, until I looked down. My feet were no longer touching the ground, I was levitating, and she was levitating me. It was awesome to say the least. The girl then gently lowered me to the floor. She then stated jumping up and down with girlish glee. She had just changed sex and was crying a few minutes ago. But now she was jumping up and down like any little girl would. Probably the aspect of having a superpower outweighed the negative but it felt like there was something else. If I had changed sex and became a boy. Well such a change would leave me devastated even if I did gain superpowers. If only Ryan was here I thought.

“Oh yeah, we need to eat.” I told her.

We then went over and began to eat our bad food. I was happy to have someone to talk to. I had also found out something interesting, superpowers existed.

“Hey I’m Mattie.” I told my new companion.

“I already told you I’m Aaron.” She said. “Or at least I used to be.”

“Yeah I know. Shouldn’t you pick out a new name though, a girl’s name? Something I could call you.”

“Yeah you’re right, I should.” She sat there thinking and eating. I was wondering what she was going to decide on. She finally spoke.

“Amber Marshal. I will be called Amber Marshal.”

Why did you choose a new last name?” I asked.

“Well, I probably won’t be able to return home, and may need a totally new name. Just to be safe.”

“Makes sense.” I told her.

We finished eating and then another question popped into my head… This girl was way too comfortable being a girl it seemed. I was curious why she was not freaking out like before.

“Hey Amber did you want to be a girl?”

She looked at me a little confused and embarrassed, her cheeks blushed red.

“Well kind of, it was not anything serious and I never really acted on it. I liked being a boy, and was happy to live my life out as a man. But I have two younger step sisters and one older sister and I have always felt left out. They had all their girl moments and there I was the odd ball. I was the only boy except my dad. But he was busy at work all the time and I barely saw him. I don’t know somewhere inside I may have wanted to be a girl, but I also enjoyed being a boy. When I woke up and found myself as a girl I was upset and angry at all of this that happened. That I had become a girl, that I may not see my family again, and that I was kidnaped and no one is telling me what is happening. But I just feel so right in this new body. It’s like this was meant to be my body all along, and that this is the real me. Plus I have always been a superhero fan. When I found out I was a superhero I was overjoyed.”

She ran over and hugged me. It was nice and I was happy for her. It really seemed like she should have been a girl all along. She was so friendly and sweet. We talked for a long time later. Minute after minute passed by and I was beginning to get annoyed again. But it was not as bad as before since I had someone to talk to now.

Lunch was eventually put into our room and we ate the food… if only to survive for each other. Me and Amber had begun to bond it was this relationship between fellow prisoner and I really enjoyed and like spending time with the girl.

Time ticked on again. Maybe three hours later I began to feel really sick. My stomach was cramping and I had an awful headache. I t was like the world was coming apart everything seemed strange around me. I had no idea what was happening. Amber saw me in pain and looked at me weirdly.

“Mattie is your head hurting and do you have bad cramps?” she asked concerned.

“Yes I do,” I said. “But no need to worry I’m sure it nothing. Probably my stomach is most likely reacting to this bad food.”

“I don’t think so Mattie. Right before I changed I had similar symptoms that you have. Now that I mention the pain I was in before this happened, didn’t you say your boyfriend Ryan was exhibiting similar symptoms?”

“Yeah I did. But what are you implying?”

“Mattie I think you’re going through the same thing that I and possibly your boyfriend, Ryan, went through.”