The Dark Fate

"What's your name?"

"Ashley Thomas."

"Date of birth?"

"July 16, 2000."

"Birthplace?"

"London."

"I know that! I meant where in London!"

"Why should I tell you?"

A sixteen-year-old girl with pale skin, green eyes, and black, curly hair sat in a spacious office. A bulky man—about the age of forty, the girl guessed—sat behind a desk, fiddling with his pen as he looked attentively at the teenager sitting across from him. He abruptly slammed his pen down and began to drum his fingers on the surface of the desk.

He glared at the girl, his blue eyes staring directly into her green ones. "I will ask you again," he growled. "Where exactly were you born?"

"Oxford, sir," the girl gulped.

The man wrote something on a light brown slip of paper. "Thank you for that information, Ashley Thomas. You may leave now."

Ashley exited the executive office and walked toward Oxford, where she had lived her entire life. She never much cared for the place. It was filled with despicable human beings who showed no respect for their elders whatsoever, which was why she despised it so.

Ashley passed Pierre Victoire, her favourite restaurant in London—or at least it used to be, before it was shut down. She held her head down low as she walked past the restaurant, thinking about what had happened on that tragic day.

It had been May 21, 2010. Her best friend, Charlie Smith, had just turned fifteen—the two of them were five years apart—and was celebrating her birthday at Pierre Victoire, across the street from her house. The two friends were enjoying cake and having mirthful conversations, when Ashley stood up abruptly.

"What's wrong?" Charlie asked in concern.

"I left my watch in the restroom!" Ashley replied in panic. "What if someone steals it?"

"No worries. I'll go see if it's still in there."

Charlie left to go search for Ashley's beloved watch. After ten minutes, she had yet to return. Ashley's anxiousness was ever-growing. She went to the women's restroom to check on Charlie, only to find that she was lying in a pool of blood.

"Charlie!" Ashley yelled, alerting everyone in the other room.

Charlie's mother burst through the door. "What happened?" she asked. Then she noticed the dead Charlie on the floor. "Charlie! How did this h-happen?"

"I'm not sure..."

Another woman—the manager, no doubt—barged into the room. "What's going on in—oh dear..."

"What should we do?"

"I'll have someone call the paramedics. If we are quick enough, we may just be able to save her life. For now, it would be best if everyone went home."

Ashley snapped out of her flashback when she finally arrived in Oxford. She was now standing in front of an old asylum, which not many children had been forced to go to lately. She opened the large doors and went straight to the cafeteria, where someone was expecting her.

A man with short, brown hair, a bushy moustache, and rather pale skin sat at one of the tables. He wore a brown tuxedo and a monocle, which he was never seen without. He hardly ever wore shoes, which disturbed Ashley a bit. He combed his hair back before speaking.

"Where have you been?" the man asked. "You're a whole thirty minutes late."

"Maybe if I didn't have to come to this dreadful place, I would not be so late!" Ashley retorted.

"That is no way to speak to your master!"

"You are not my master, Adam."

"That's Dr. Edwin to you. Now come over here and sit down. Or do I have to force you?"

Ashley sighed. "No, Dr. Edwin." She sat across from the self-proclaimed doctor.

"That's better. Now down to business—there is someone I would like you to meet." A girl walked into the room and sat down beside Edwin. "Meet Subject 21, our newest 'client.' She has not spoken a word since her arrival and I'm beginning to get worried."

The girl had features similar to Ashley's, with brown hair that reached the middle of her back. Her green eyes were only half open, as though she was exhausted. Just like Edwin, the girl had pale skin. She wore blue jeans, light blue sandals, and a yellow tunic.

Ashley felt as though she had seen the girl before, but she couldn't quite place it. "What's her real name?" she asked.

"That is none of your concern," Edwin said. "I'm going to leave you two alone now. I must attend to...other things."

The doctor left the room, leaving Ashley and the other girl alone. "So...how old are you?" Ashley had trouble getting the words out.

There was an awkward silence before any response. "Fifteen," the girl finally replied.

"So you can speak! My name is Ashley. What is yours?"

"Subject 21. Didn't Dr. Edwin tell you?"

"I meant your real name."

"I am not allowed to say. I'm not even supposed to be speaking to you right now. If he finds out about this, he will put my head on a spike."

"Who?"

Dr. Edwin returned, books in hand. He set them on the table and looked at Ashley. "Subject 21 here has never gone to school," he explained. "Just like you, she has no parents, so you will have to teach her how to read. Do I make myself clear?"

It was true. Ashley had no parents, for they had died miserable deaths nine years earlier. No one remembered exactly what events had transpired, not even Ashley.

She nodded. "I'll get right to it," she said.

"Good," Edwin said. "I must leave again, but I will return later to check on your progress." He left the two teenagers alone once again.

"Before we get started," said Subject 21, "there is something I have to tell you."

"What is it?" Ashley asked. In all honesty, she was a little afraid of what the girl sitting across from her had to say.

"Beware of Dr. Edwin. He cannot he trusted."

"What do you mean? It's not like he has ever done anything wrong."

"You don't know him like I do. I've known him for six years, and I have enough common sense to know that he is up to no good!"

"Oh yeah? Well, I have known him for nine years."

"Doesn't matter. It's obvious that you do not believe me. Aren't you going to teach me how to read?"

"Of course."

Ashley grabbed a random book that was beside her and opened it. She could not believe her eyes.