[Kitsumi]

Gem
This is an attempt at a new roleplay style. I may or may not keep this character, and if I do, she may or may not keep the form I have given here in this thread.

Day 1
We didn't see them coming. They were silent, sneaking into our homes and dragging us from our beds before we even realized that we were under attack. Herded into large cages on carts, we were wheeled away from everything we had ever known. I was placed in a cage with strangers. I don't know what happened to my mother, but I know that I will never see my father or brother again. They fought, even with their eyes still blurry from sleep and without a single weapon. The last thing I saw before the blindfold fell over my eyes was their broken bodies falling to the ground.

[Kitsumi]

The entire way here, the cart had jolted and bucked over stones and bumps in the dirt road. Everyone was pressed so tightly together, that we were all tumbling into one another. A child began crying as she bumped into my legs. I had no idea who she was, but it was obvious that she was all alone. I wrapped my arms around her, bending over to whisper into her ear, "It'll be okay." She clung to me for the rest of the trip.

I have no idea what happened to her, but I haven't seen her since we arrived. I hope she's okay.

[Kitsumi]

I don't like the cage they have put me in. It smells of mold and fear and blood. It's large enough for me to lay down in, but that's about it. There's barely enough light for me to write by. My only consolation was that I was allowed to keep this journal and a bit of charcoal to write with. Maybe documenting my experience will help me sort through it, and make it a bit easier for me.

[Kitsumi]

A short while after we were all brought here, several large brutish looking guards went from cell to cell. At first I wasn't sure what they were doing. But when they stopped at my cell, they gave me a large tin cup filled with water. It was warm and had a metallic taste. I would have preferred having food, as my stomach was beginning to growl. But I was happy to at least be able to soothe my thirst.

[Kitsumi]

I soon realized that the water was not brought for our benefit. Our cups were refilled several times, and we were urged to drink. Soon after, a man in a long white coat entered the room. He wore latex gloves, and he wheeled a cart of medical supplies in front of him. I tried to see what he was doing as he stopped in front of cells, but I wasn't able to make out his actions. Many he touched had no reaction, but some seemed afraid of him. Soon, he was in front of my cell.

[Kitsumi]

My focus had been on the doctor, so I hadn't noticed the guards trailing him. They hovered nearby, prepared to hold me still if I resisted. I assumed that they were prepared to handle me roughly, so I decided to comply with whatever the man asked of me. He gestured for my arm, and I gave it to him. He probed for something - a vein, I realized suddenly. By the time I realized what he was doing, it was too late to pull back. My arm was held tightly in his grasp.

[Kitsumi]

I whimpered when I saw the needle. I knew that I was in no real danger. But I had been afraid of needles ever since I was young child. Getting my blood drawn was always a harrowing experience for me. I squeezed my eyes shut and turned my head away. The needle hurt slightly as it slid into my arm, and I let out a small cry. The doctor spoke no words of consolation.

[Kitsumi]

When he was finished, the doctor labeled the vials of blood he had taken. A cotton ball was placed over the insertion point of the needle and taped in place. I had shed only a few tears, but I wiped them away quickly. I hated appearing weak. Why did these people even need my blood? What did they want us for? I still don't know what is going on.

[Kitsumi]

The adrenaline has finally worn off. I feel exhausted. I can barely keep my eyes open. Although the stone floor of my cell is cold, I think I need to lay down. It's almost morning now, I think. It's beginning to become more bright in the room. Now is the time I would be waking up, if I were still at home. But I'm not. I'm here, and I'm tired. I think I'll sleep...just for a little while.

[Kitsumi]

Day 1 (cont.)

I don't know how long I slept. I was awoken by a guard shaking me harshly. All of us were being led from our cells in the center of the room. I didn't notice that a tag had been placed on my wrist until I began to see tags on others. They varied in color. Mine was yellow.

[Kitsumi]

"What's going on?" I whispered to nobody in particular. Nobody seemed to know. In fact, I heard the same question echoed several times. The guards began pushing us into several lines. I tried to join the nearest line, but a guard grabbed my arm. He didn't speak, just shook his head and pulled me towards another line.

[Kitsumi]

We were being sorted, I realized. Everyone in my line had a yellow tag on their wrist. The others were sorted likewise, based on their tags. I wasn't sure how they were sorting us. It wasn't by age, or by gender. Both men and women from all points in life were in line in front of or behind me. Our skin varied in color. I couldn't find any sort of similarity.

[Kitsumi]

A woman standing three spots behind me figured it out first. "It's the blood," I heard her say. "They must have been testing our blood for something." My eyes widened as I realized that she was right. I hadn't thought that blood tests could come back so quickly. But perhaps these people's technology was more advanced than ours.

[Kitsumi]

"What sort of crazed bastards would do this to us?" I heard a man's voice say. "What do they want from us? They took our whole village!"

Another voice replied, "They took everyone from mine, as well!"

"Mine too!" Yet another person spoke up.

All around me, from my line and others, people spoke the name of the place they had come from. Some names were repeated several times, but there were at least six different villages that had been raided.

[Kitsumi]

My village wasn't the only one. I hadn't realized just how bad the situation truly was. Whoever had taken us, they had to be very powerful to be able to raid so many different villages. Why did they need so many of us? I wasn't sure, but I knew it couldn't be good. I could only hope that there would be a chance for escape.