Sparrow Truman May 1st, 20XX

I awoke from my sleep-induced fog and felt the presence of a large crowd of people surrounding me.

" Is she alive?"

" I don't know, I'm not a humanologist."

" That's not a word"

“ She’s also not human.”

"Whatever"

“ Do we even know if she's the right person?”

“ Considering that she didn't turn into stone yet we’re at least sure that she's one of us.”

One of them poked me with sharp nails and completely pulled me into consciousness.

" Ow!"

As my eyelids opened my pupils were immediately assaulted by waves of purple and reds and deep blues, one rich shade after the other.

The crowd of beautiful but inhuman people crowded around me and looked at me like I was an exhibit at the zoo, some of them even coming closer and touching my hair or pulling at my sides.

From their bright purple or yellow eyes and the various tattoos on their skin that moved around like illusions, it was pretty obvious that I wasn't amongst a crowd of humans.

I vaulted out of bed and backed up to the wall, putting my arm out in case any of them decided to attack me.

" Where am I!"

The one that poked me finally spoke up in an amused but comforting voice. Like one would talk to a puppy after taking it home for the first time.

" Don’t worry. You’re safe here. We're supposed to take you to the queen when you look less..... Human"

She said the word like it was an insult.

" I am human. What's your point?"

She looked me up and down with a critical gaze then suddenly brought out a short and thin baton that was ornately decorated.

" Just stay still."

" What? Why do I -"

She waved it in a somewhat complex pattern and the others began to chant around me; the different timbres merging into a singular eerie melody.

My pixie-cut lengthened until it was past my waist and watched as my cargo pants and tank disappeared in favor of a long elegant dark purple dress and my boots were replaced by delicate slippers.

They put a dark purple tiara in my hair and started leading me to the door which was painted a dark and rich red.... similar to the texture of blood. The door swung open in a dramatic fashion and I was led into an office with the same color scheme as the door.

I winced as the flood of different reds hit my eyes and focused on the pale woman in the middle of the room.

She couldn’t have been older than me by much, twenty maximum but the way she carried herself made her seem much, much older. Her low and velvety voice slipped out of her throat and curled itself around me like an itchy boa scarf.

" You are Sparrow Truman?"

I nodded my head and felt the odd urge to curtsy but I quickly shook it off and began to ask questions. The longer I stayed here the weirder it got, wherever here was.

" Where am I? And more importantly why am I here and how did I get here?"

She bade me sit with an elegant wave of her hand and her intricately designed nails shimmered in the light.

“Hello, Sparrow. I am Rubella. "

"Hi. Yeah, nice to meet you. Where am I and what’s going on."

I didn't bother yelling. What was done was done and I was already here..wherever here was.

No one was coming to save me if I yelled loud enough. the only thing I could do was try to negotiate and find my way back home.

Her red brow furrowed in slight annoyance at my less than polite tone and she slowly put down her ruby crystal cup. The fractured glass captured the light that streamed from the window and released it in various red patterns around the room.

" Calm down. There is absolutely no reason to be impatient. Did no one bother to tell you?"

I shook my head, the last thing that I was sure of was that I had gone to sleep at home and had woken up here.

Instead of replying with words one of the ladies beside her brought out a wicked-looking wand and a bowl full of a mysterious murky purple liquid. Bowing down onto a single knee and offering it to her.

Rubella muttered something and dipped her wand into the concoction. She then raised it and motioned for my arm.

I didn't put it forwards or course, I wasn't an idiot. But at the slightest hint of resistance, my arm was grabbed and offered to her.

I shivered as the sharp end of the cold baton lightly traced over my birthmark and let out a small yelp when she suddenly stabbed it into my arm.

The web of lines that had been on my arms for so long suddenly began to branch out and formed a much more intricate pattern.

" Ahh!”

I screamed.

The pain from being stabbed did hurt but that was nothing in comparison to the feeling as the patterns on my arms began to form, like they were being burned onto me.

I was suddenly held down and another goblet was brought towards me, filled with a concoction of a similar texture as the other but this time a red one.

The goblet was forced past my lips, despite my best attempts to stop it, and the warm liquid oozed down my throat. I tried to spit it out but the goblet stayed in place and I ended up drinking my backwash.

She chuckled once more in that same hateful manner.

" I suggest you close your eyes”

I didn't want too, I really didn't but the pain grew too much to handle and I closed them out of instinct.

The moment I did a flood of memories barged into my mind and my consciousness was forcefully taken into them.