Sam's story.

     I had lived in this cage as long as I could remember. The scientists said I was four. Whatever that meant. It wasn't all that bad. Not like I had anything else to compare it to, though. It was always cold. Always dark. I got one meal a day, if they didn't just forget about me. I had been forgotten a few times before. Now, I was sure they had forgotten me for good. They hadn't come with food for three days, and I was getting light-headed. My stomach growled for the billionth time that hour. I curled up at the bottom of the cage, the cold metal poking at my arms. I had never seen death, or even heard of it. If I had, I would've wanted to die. But, for all I knew, life went on and on without end. I was lonely and sad, but didn't know that either. I put my fingers through the little bars, trying to see if they would fit. 

    Suddenly, the room was filled with a bright light. I put my hands over my eyes, and my tail in my mouth. I heard yelling, and a gun fired. I had never heard anything like it. I waited a moment for my eyes to adjust to the light, then opened them. The door at the back of the room banged open. I flattened myself to the corner of the cage. A scientist in a white coat ran in. A boy, who looked to be about fifteen, came in behind him. The boy threw a knife at the scientist, who fell and laid motionless. 

    I watched, not sure whether to expect pain or not. The boy picked up a key from the scientist's pocket. He turned to me, and unlocked my cage. I stared at the scientist, wondering why he was sleeping. The boy pulled me out of the cage, and stuffed me into a backpack. I whined loudly, but he shushed me. I knew not to disobey, and went quiet. 

    The boy set down the backpack I was in, and went to a little metal box on the wall. He pulled it open, and ripped out a wire. The lights went out once again. I chewed on my tail, and wondered what kind of experiment this would be. He picked up the bag, and put it on his back. "Stay silent." He said. I, of course, didn't say anything in response. 

    He ran out the door, and through the building. I trembled and tried to say upright, as he ran. The inside of the bag glowed red, from the sun, when he had gotten outside. I touched the fabric. Having never seen sunlight, I had no idea why it had this effect. After some time, I fell unconscious. 

    I woke up in a soft bed. I stared at the blankets. "What is this...?" I wondered out loud. The boy who had taken me looked through an open door near the bed. I looked up, and stared at him. 

    "I'm Phez." He said. "I'm.... Uh...." I remembered having a name, but couldn't remember what it was. "Need a name?" Phez guessed, as though he had done this before. "Yes." I said. "Hmm... What name do you like?" He asked. I stared at him, afraid he'd hurt me if I said I didn't know, like the scientists had done. "How about James?" He offered. I still stared at him. "Luke?" He said. I didn't respond. "Sam?" He sighed. I smiled a bit, and swished my tail. Phez seemed satisfied. "Sam it is, then." He left the room. 

    I laid perfectly still, listening to the small floating creatures outside. A few minutes later, the boy, Phez, came in with a glass of water and some sort of yellowish food. "Do you like eggs?" He asked, handing me the water. I sipped the water, but didn't answer. Phez shrugged to himself. He put the plate on my lap, and left.