D.N.A: Does Not Assimilate

Immediately jolted forward in bed, sitting upright in the middle of the mattress, Niyota wracked her brain for some answer. To explain everything that had happened. That same instinct assured her the answers lay with whatever had happened for this last year, a year that she couldn't seem to remember.

Immediately clearing out her mind, to displace her from everything that had occurred within the last twenty hours, completely blanking all thought. When Niyota had finally succeeded at the task-that took a lot more work than she'd anticipated it to her mind was in a tailspin-she searched through her memories.

Her most recent memory-prior to returning home that was-was waking up out in the middle of the mountain forest, injured, that strange knife in hand. No, that wouldn't be good enough. Pushing that memory off to the side, Niyota searched deeper and further into her memory bank, determined to uncover what had transpired the last year.

A memory niggled at the back of her mind, ever-present but too far to understand. Clasping hands on either side of her head as a pounding headache started at her temples, gritting her teeth, she concentrated harder. Hoping to drag it closer. Clenching her jaw, tears streaming down her face at the agony she suffered the harder she concentrated, Niyota focused on the vague memory. Then suddenly, by her will alone, it came to her. It was too fuzzy and unfocused, only able to receive scant details. Through her unfocused gaze, she saw people those same monstrous creatures-standing around her, the eerie noises of utensils and tools. Their strange, inhuman chatter. A language that seemed so familiar, but yet had never heard before. Then suddenly the memory was gone, fading from her mind even as she tried to call it back, slipping back into the darkness.

Collapsing back against the mattress as it completely receded to the distance, fists pounded against the mattress and cried out in frustration. She knew that whatever that memory had been trying to show her, it was vitally important that she remembered what happened. For both her and her family. Because Niyota knew-no matter what other people said that her father and friends, everyone she'd ever loved, were in terrible danger. And her brain was the key and the only hope of saving them.

She would save them. She had to.

Jolting upright in bed as the blaring noise came over the intercom, Niyota blinked at the bright fluorescent lights flickering above. Obviously this was the wake-up call that nurse Pam had forewarned her about. She'd merely neglected to inform her of how intense it'd be. Not that she'd been expecting the woman to tell her much of anything, she was the patient. The nutcase that needed to be hospitalized.

Shoving off those thoughts off to the side for the time, none of which mattered at the time being, she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Rolling her neck to loosen up tense muscles, but suddenly she stopped, her gaze landed on the pile of clothes at the foot of the bed. Clothes nurse Pam told her to wear. Accepting that she didn't have a choice, she immediately climbed to her feet and stripped out of the ones that she was wearing. Niyota changed into the garments left out for her by the staff, green scrubs much like those a doctor would wear. Socks too.

Once she was dressed, the other clothes were folded neatly and precise, placed on the shelf of the cupboard, Niyota quickly crossed the floor. Opening her bedroom door, she stepped out into the hallway and was immediately bombarded by people. The other patients of Greenwood. Jumping back on a squeak when a forty-year-old man on a stick horse came galloping down the hallway, almost bulldozing her over. "Watch out!" she hissed.

He giggled and galloped on.

And they thought her crazy. Apparently, Detective Gerald didn't know jack shit about what insanity really was, or else he would've locked her away in this nuthouse.

"Don't mind Benji none," someone said from out of nowhere. "He's been a little loopy-though people here want you to be referred to as mentally challenged ever since his son was killed."

Thoroughly surprised, not having expected that any of these people would talk to her, she glanced to see who it was. Standing right next to her was a girl a few years older than her, brown hair done up in pigtails and bright dazzling emerald eyes. Although she wore the same outfit as Niyota, the last four buttons of the shirt were left undone to tie the tip to just beneath the breasts and the pants were a bit tighter. There was a provocative and seductive aura to the girl, that the other women there lacked.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Jessie." She smiled. "Jessie Wilcox."

"Niyota," she introduced in kind.

Towards the rear of the hospital ward, opposite the elevator she'd come up on last night, patients were lined up. As the line slowly moved forward, bringing her closer to her destination, Niyota saw two guards on either side of a caged door. One was there for backup, should a situation crop up, while the other checked the wristbands for each patient to be checked off the list. Niyota stared down at her bare wrists, wondering what these guards would do when they found out that she didn't have one on.

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She sincerely hoped it wouldn't keep her from being allowed a pass into the cafeteria. Her stomach growled at the thought. Last night she'd eaten a dinky sandwich at the police station, but it'd been barely more than a tease. And before that, there was no telling how long it'd been since she'd had a good meal to fill her gut. Or food of any kind.

Then her turn came.

"Where's your band?" he demanded.

"I wasn't given one," she told him honestly.

Jessie came around to her side then and smiled saucily up at the guard, running a hand up his shirt front teasingly. "No need for you to be all grumpy, Paulie. Niyota didn't get here until really late last night and they hurriedly ushered her off to bed. No time to be bagged and tagged."

After a slight hesitation, obviously thinking twice about it and probably immensely enjoying those hands-the guard gently removed her hands. "Go on inside then and have some breakfast." He stared down his nose at her, a warning in his eyes. "But if there's no band next time, then no food."

She nodded jerkily. "Okay.:

Jessie hurriedly scampered off through the doorway first to have some food, but a hand came down on Niyota's shoulder, keeping her from following. "If I was you, I'd think twice before befriending the people in here. Your new little friend," he nodded in Jessie's direction, "is quite dangerous."

"Got it," she quipped. Niyota thought better than to tell the man she wasn't befriending anyone, whether it be Jessie or anyone else there. All she wanted to do was prove to everyone her innocence and get the hell out of there, so she could get on with her life.

Immediately stepping into the food line, she got a tray available to use and waited her turn behind a patient to get some breakfast. It wasn't anything too fancy. An apple, a carton of two percent milk and a bowl of oatmeal. It looked more like watery slop if you asked her, but no one had. Keeping a straight face so as not to offend anyone, Niyota got out of line once she was done. Ignoring the empty seats at various tables, not in the mood to be dealing with anyone this morning, Niyota went to the back of the cafeteria. Finding a table at the rear of the cafeteria, empty thankfully, she sat down and started to eat her breakfast.

"Doe?"

As she heard the name being called, she glanced up, to see who it could be. Niyota saw Nurse Pam standing in the entranceway of the cafeteria, anxiously waving her forward. Though she knew that the woman was talking to her, Niyota immediately went back to her meal, blatantly ignoring the woman's presence.

A couple of minutes later a soft clicking of heels filled her ears and someone came to stand before the table. Nurse Pam stared down her nose at the girl, hands planted on hips. "Dr. Wenchell wants to see you."

She shrugged. "I wasn't very hungry anyways."

Snatching up the shiny green apple off the corner of her tray, she climbed out of her seat and stalked to the barge bin. Dumping her untouched breakfast out into the trash can, her stomach growling in protest all the while, the tray was placed on the top. Tossing the apple up into the air only to catch it as it came down again, Niyota spun around and followed Nurse Pam out of the cafeteria. The guard at the doorway started to say something at noticing the apple in her hand but thought better of it at the nurse's head shake.

"Food isn't generally allowed out of the cafeteria," Nurse Pam explained the exchange once they were on the other side, walking down the hallway. "Except for special circumstances. But seeing how we interrupted your meal, we can make an exception this one time."

"Thanks."