The Fifth Girl

I entered a contest where I picked a Genre, a picture and a color.

I chose Fantasy, Picture A, Color Orange.

I then was given a plot (Posted before the story) where I had to then right a story that was similar.

This is what I came up with. Enjoy.

Here is my plot for a short story or short novel given to me by HeyGirlCheer on Booksie:
Dani lives with her Grandma since her mother passed away a day after she was born and she had never met her father. All of a sudden, she finds herself intrigued with her past and finds information that suggests she is anything BUT human. With this information, she can save the world or possibly cause the apocalypse.

I decided that since I was writing up a prologue to 'The Tournament', I thought: "Why not bring in a character from that story?"So, this is Dani, before 'The Tournament'. However, Dani is not a main character in that story, and as such, this is more of a bonus side story. But maybe this will get you all excited for the first part of 'The Tournament'. :)

Please excuse some of the writing, as I still haven't gotten too good with Tense(s) just yet.

Remember to look for Fairy and Orange in here. ;)

So, buckle down, and enjoy the story of 'The Fifth Girl'.

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"This is it." Whitman looked down upon me with a menacing smile. I knew this was the end for me. As he slowly brought the needle down to my arm, I thought back to how this all started. How I got here in the first place.

It was a beautiful morning. It always is. I looked down at our front garden. Grandma was watering her roses. I could see the little corner that she had separated just for me. My frangipanis had grown beautifully, their radiant orange petals almost glowing in the sunshine. Suddenly, out of nowhere, my mobile phone rang. I ran over to my bed, unplugged the charger, and flipped the top. "Hello?"
"Dani! It's Sara! Where are you? Dean and his sister are at the cinema already waiting for us!"
"Sorry, babe! I'm on the way!" Hanging up, I quickly checked my hair in the mirror, giving the odd strands a quick brush with my hand, then bolted for the front door, grabbing my purse on the way out. As I bolted past the garden, I called out, "Bye Grandma, going to the movies!" I stopped at the end of the path to pick one of my Frangipani flowers, slipping it into my hair above my ear.

The pain was unbearable. I could hear myself screaming, yet it didn't feel like it came from my mouth. Whitman was standing a few feet in front of me, the table I was strapped to had been moved into a horizontal position. There was an IV attached to my right arm, but whatever was inside the bag was definitely not Morphine. There was a doctor on both sides of me. Whitman started to pace left and right. "You know this could end any time. All you gotta do is one little thing, and it'll be all over."
"NO! I will not do this!" Whitman sighed.
"Such a shame." He looked to a doctor on my right. "Inject the next dosage."

"So, I had a great time with you today, Dani." Dean was holding his arm around my waist. Not that I was complaining. "I was really surprised when Sara came up to me today, and just out of the blue asked if I'd like to go out with you. I think Sara and my sister really like each other. I think it was a perfect match there."
"Sara would do anything to make sure we'd become real sisters. I think it helps that she has had a crush on your sister for almost a year." He had an incredible laugh. I wish I could hear that laugh all the time. I really wanted to say something, but I liked these silences we had, just holding each other while we walked. "So, does that mean there will be a second date?" Before I could answer, we rounded the corner, and I saw the smoldering remains of my Grandmas house.

"Now, now. We can't have this. Why must you continue to struggle? Do you not wish to just walk out of here alive?" Whitman was rolling in a three-shelved trolley, all with various instruments and medical utensils. The IV had been removed, and the two doctors from before were nowhere in sight. "Really, all it takes is a little co-operation." I could feel the tears running down my cheeks. I knew I was crying, but I couldn't feel it anymore.
"Please. I don't want to do this. Just let me die."
"I'm afraid you are no good to us dead." Whitman then picked up a scalpel, and proceeded to move towards me, and started to bring the scalpel to my chest.

"GRANDMA!" I shouted, half garbled by my crying. "GRANDMA, WHERE ARE YOU?" Dean ran forward and kicked down the front door as hard as he could. The wood shattered and splintered, and the door flew into the house. I ran in, expecting some residual flames, but it seemed the fire that destroyed this house was long gone. "GRANDMA!" I sprinted into the kitchen, while Dean attempted to navigate what remained of the stairs up to the bedrooms. I sped past pictures of memories past, burnt beyond recognition. This place seemed foreign to me now, the fire had twisted and burnt it to its will. I ran into the kitchen, searching frantically for my Grandmother.
"DANI!" Dean yelled from somewhere upstairs. I sprinted back to the staircase, to see Dean at the bottom of the staircase, holding a small piece of paper. He pointed to the second floor. I ran upstairs, and burst into my Grandmas room, completely untouched by the flames. She lay there on the bed, hands on her chest, resting peacefully. She probably died from smoke inhalation. Yet in all this, she had a smile on her face.

I awoke. The room was empty. I must have passed out. Whitman was nowhere in sight. The trolley was covered in bloodstained instruments. I looked down at my naked body, and saw stitches running down my chest, where Whitman had done his tests. Small pools of dried up blood on the floor below me, small streams that slid down from my new wound. Whatever he had done, he somehow managed to stop me bleeding out as much as I should have. I need to get out of here. I struggled with the restraints tying me to the table. To no avail. I closed my eyes, and tried to think of something smaller than me. Like a mouse, or a fairy. Something really tiny.
"I wouldn't. It won't work." I opened them again to see Whitman standing next to the trolley. I hated when he did that. I hated his smile, his combover, the white hairs clinging like they were also being forced to stay beyond their will.
"What have you done to me?"
"Just a small procedure. It's nothing really. Keeps you from doing things you shouldn't. But don't worry, you'll be back to normal in no time. Well, reasonably normal. And since you refused to help us willingly, we had to go in and grab what we wanted ourselves. We just have one thing left to take from you. Then you will be released." Whitman. That name will be etched in my mind forever. And he will pay. Oh, he will pay dearly.

I slowly made my way down the stairs, using my shirt to clear away the last of my tears. Dean still stood at the bottom of the staircase, holding that small paper.
"I found this upstairs. I thought it would be best if you read it after you saw your Grandma." He handed me a small note. It was in Grandmas writing.

Dear Dani.
Your father came to see you today. It's been 18 years since he left, but he wanted to tell you why he had gone. Remember that everything he says is true, even if it sounds unbelievable. There's something different about you. It came from your mother, my daughter. Just as it had come from me. I had hoped you would never learn of it, but it seems like there is no other choice. If your father is still there, he will be able to introduce you to an old friend of your mothers named Mr. Forbes. He will show you what you need to do, and possibly hide you from those that plan to hurt you. I've asked your father to burn down this house, and me with it. I hope you can understand, and I'm sorry for doing this on your birthday. Good luck with your new life.

Dean looked down at me. "We need to go." I looked up at him.
"Why?"
"Haven't you noticed? Your house burns down, your father is missing, and yet there are no police, or ambulances or firetrucks or anything around here? Doesn't that seem odd?" Now that he mentioned it. "I suggest we go now, before those that want to hurt you arrive, as your Grandmas note says." I knew that he was right. We stepped out of the front door, only to see someone waiting at the end of the path.
"Dani Spellman?" he called.
"Yes?"
"My name is Mr. Forbes. I believe your father called me here to pick you up?" This old man in a white suit and jacket looked a little distrustful, but I walked towards him. I could feel Dean close behind me. "Good. Now, I'm afraid your date might have to end here tonight." He looked at Dean.
"No way, sir. Dani needs all the support she can get at the moment." Forbes seemed to show a little irritation at this.
"Very well, since you refuse to leave, I must inform you, that should you follow, you will be overhearing some very classified information."
"What kind of information?" Dean started to take a step back.
"The kind that should I tell you, I'd have to kill you." Dean then started to smile.
"I'm sure I'd be okay with that."
"Very well." Forbes then turned around, and leaned down to fiddle with something. I heard a door open, and in the middle of nowhere, the inside of a car seemed to appear from an invisible doorway. "If you don't mind stepping in first, Dani." I climbed in over the red leather seats, finding the interior being large enough to assume we were inside a stretch limousine. Dean climbed in behind me, and took a seat right next to me, with Forbes taking the seat next to the door, closing it after him. The windows then changed from transparent, to the same red that covered the seats. I now couldn't see outside. "Let's go." He called to the driver.

I woke up once more. Whitman was humming away. I think it was 'Ode to Joy' he was humming. God I hate that song now. I looked around, but everything was all blurry now. I couldn't even see clearly if I tried. I think it's best if I just kept my head down.
"How long till you kill me?" I heard Whitman walk up to me, and felt his hand grab my chin, and raise my head to his eye level. I could only see a round whitish blob where his face should be. As if I wanted to see that vile beings face anymore.
"Kill you? Have you not heard me? We don't want you dead. Your friend Dean was a perfect example of that. Should we have wanted you dead, you'd be lying there in your own blood with him right now, bullet in the head." Whitman let go of my chin and walked away. I think he was at the trolley again. "No, no. We need you alive. It's what's going to help us change the future."
"By having me kill other people? People you probably dragged in here against their will? I won't do it!" A clang of metal on metal. Perhaps he dropped his scalpel on the trolley table.
"Dear girl. I think it's time I told you what this next test is going to do to you."

"We're here." Forbes smiled. The entire journey took no longer than half an hour, but felt longer due to the long silence. Yet it felt like the limo didn't move at all. Forbes stepped out first, then Dean. When I stepped through the door, what I saw hit me like a ton of bricks. The interior of this building looked like a gutted out skyscraper, where the only floor was the lobby. Above us, the roof went upwards and upwards, till the shadows covered the top, many Storeys high. Forbes led us to an elevator in the middle of the room. It popped out of the ground like it didn't belong there. We all got in, and I noticed there were no buttons. Still, the doors closed, and we were transferred down to a lower floor. When the doors opened, I saw a man, with short brown curly hair, standing there. He seemed dirty, bruised and malnourished, as if he had been running in the wild for a very long time. "Mr. Spellman! What a pleasure to see you alive!" The world seemed to slow down for a second.
"Spellman? As in-"
"Your father." The curly-haired man replied. I didn't know what to say, or do. I just stood there, frozen. "I think we need some alone time, you two." He nodded to Dean and Forbes. He then walked up to me, putting his hand in mine, and leading me forwards. Somehow, holding his hand like that made me feel better. "I'm guessing you have some questions. I think we need to get to the important stuff first. Like your abilities."
"My what?"
"I suppose Lauren, your Grandmother, never told you. I think she made the right decision there. After your mother died, I told her to take care of you. I had to disappear. For your own safety. When I was told of the Supernatural Rewards Program, I knew it was time to come back to you." This was all too confusing.
"You had to leave? Supernatural Rewards Program? What didn't Grandma tell me?" Dad sighed. Huh. Dad. That's new for me.
"I'm part of an organization that protects people like us from everyone else, called the Foundation."
"People like us?"
"You're a shapeshifter, honey."
"I'm a what?" This was really starting to get weird. As if it wasn't weird enough as it is.
"You, your mother, your Grandmother. Passed down from generation to generation. Your grandmother never used her abilities that often, and your mother tended to shift to a wolf most of the time for me, so no-one knew she was an actual shapeshifter."
"What do you mean, for you?" Dad seemed a little uneasy about that question.
"I'm a Lykanthrope. Or Werewolf as we are called these days. But don't say that word around other Lykanthropes. It's kind of an insult to our race."
"So how do you know I'm not a Were- uh, Lykanthrope like you?"
"Because I would have smelled it on you the second you entered the building." Dad winked at me. "And I know you aren't human because I can't smell that on you either, except for that other kids lingering scent around your waist." Dean. Of course.
"Me and Dean aren't a thing, you know."
"I know. Trust me. I would have noticed his scent all over you, were that the case."
"So what's this Special Rewards System or whatever?"
"Supernatural Rewards Program. It's a series of tests that must be completed, to help us with our abilities. After the test, they plan to have a special city constructed for all Supernatural beings to live in peacefully. I thought it would be the perfect chance for us to live together."
"Why couldn't we before?" Dad was silent for a while.
"As I said, I was in an organization called 'The Foundation'. The Foundation was built to protect us from humanity. Sadly, there were others who thought we should just be extinguished. It was lead by a very evil man...."

Whitman was continuing with his work at the trolley. Everything he said was appalling. Inserting a chip into my brain? Using my own brainwaves to make me obey everything they tell me to do. Instilling a liquid in my blood that will force me to change shape when they desire, and refusing my own choice to shapeshift. Cutting open my chest so they can place a small bomb inside me should I overcome these. It sounded like some sick psychopathic joke. Why would anyone want to do that? All I want to do is be back in Deans arms. Dean. Why Dean?

"These past few months have gone by so quickly, haven't they?" Dean held his arms around me, as I snuggled up to him in our bed. I had finally managed to get a good grip on my shapeshifting ability, after 8 hour training every day with Dad. Dean kissed me on the forehead. "I mean, to think, a few months ago we barely knew each other. Now we are sleeping together." I laughed.
"Well, we may not have even gotten that after you asked me to be your girlfriend in front of Dad." Dean laughed too.
"Yeah. I thought he was going to kill me! Everyone here thought he'd gone feral or something! Luckily I was able to talk him into seeing I was a good guy, or I'd probably be dead by now." Dean then reached into his pocket. "Which reminds me. I made sure to ask your Dad first, so he won't kill me, but here." Dean pulled out a small box, and lifted the lid, bearing a ring inside. "I had some people make it out of a special metal, so no matter what size or shape you take, it will always fit. Will you marry me?" I was speechless.

"This is it. The final test. Once this goes in, you will have no memory of your past. You will serve us in every way, or you will die. I do wish there could have been another way." No you don't. "Is there any last words you would like to say?" All I could think about was Dean, and his final proposal. I turned my head, and my vision returned to normal for just long enough to see the ring on my finger.
"Yes, Dean. I will marry you. I love you." Whitman smiled, bringing his scalpel up to my forehead. Then I blacked out for one last time.

Parading may have been an understatement for me and that ring. Though I never said it, I think Dean knew my answer. I was glowing. Nothing could have dragged down my spirits that day. We were heading up to the training chamber to meet Dad, when we ran into Forbes halfway down the corridor.
"Ah, Dani! I was hoping I could speak to you before you go to the tests."
"What about?"
"Well, our the tests we ran yesterday seem to have indicated that you might be pregnant." I reeled back for a second.
"Pregnant?"
"Yes. We just need to run a few more tests to make sure."
"Sure...." I should have been more surprised, but truthfully, being married and pregnant in one day just made me feel unbelievable. The three of us headed to the usual medical bays, but stopped short of the door.
"Actually, we need you in the other chamber, seems there's some different tests we need to perform."
"I wasn't aware of any other chambers."
"Ah, it's through this wall. I have to hold you to phase you into the room. There's no doors due to safety regulations." That sounds strange.
"DANI!" Dad came barreling around the corner. "Dani, stop! We need to leave!"
"What's wrong Dad?" He seemed extremely worried.
"I found out what the Supernatural Rewards Program is! They are using us to control the Foundation! By getting us to compete in a tournament to the death against other Paranormal beings, they rally support from the winning species, using them to kill off an entire city of humans so that they can steadily build an army against humanity!"
"Is that true?" Forbes looked a little unsteady for a second there, before regaining his composure.
"Yes, it is. I was hoping you wouldn't find out until you needed to. I'm really sorry."
"So why not just shut this place down?"
"Because Dani, we have come too far. And I apologize to your father." Dad looked a little taken aback.
"For what?" Suddenly, two armored guards came round the corner, and shot their Tasers at Dad. He went down, writhing, but still partially moving. There was a loud gunshot behind me, and I turned to see Forbes holding a pistol, smoke coming out of the barrel. As I turned to see who he shot, I saw Dean lying on the ground, eyes wide in fear, a small red pool starting to form around his body. I shut my eyes tightly, and felt Forbes grab my arm tightly, the pistols barrel pressed against my head, still hot from the recent firing.
"And now, Mr. Spellman, you are going to enter this competition. If you want to see your daughter stay alive." Forbes then ran through the wall, pushing us into a large circular white room, with a small operating table equipped with harnesses in the center.
"Mr. Forbes, why are you doing this?" I cried to him.
"Because the Foundation can only do so much for us. This will usher in a new era for all of us Paranormal beings. Without Human prejudice." He smiled a wicked smile. "I'll be back with your doctors." He walked towards the wall, but stopped short of going through. "Oh, and for the last time, please just call me Whitman."