Youth

The world fractured. One moment, a twisted, feverish dream of purple skies and screaming horses, dragging her down a black tar river. The next, a harsh collision with a wall, jolting her awake to a horrifying reality.
No phone, no bedside table, no bed. Just a cold metal slab masquerading as one, and a voice from across the stark, bland room. "Be quiet, would you?"
Panic surged, a frantic realization: she was kidnapped. Silence stretched, then an amused chuckle. "Hm? No questions? You might be the first human who's ever listened to me. You should get up. There are spiders on the floor."
She shot up, her eyes locking with a pale man, violet-magenta eyes unnervingly bright. He gestured to the metal slab, a silent command. Reluctantly, she sat. "I may as well cut to the chase," he began, his voice dropping to a serious tone. "You are one of twenty other women of your age. You have all been selected meticulously from the age of three and raised in a manner that would prepare you for this moment."