Alrighty, so I still don't see my original story, but that's understandable because it's sorta lost within the many pages of Fanfictions. Here's the newest draft of it though, just in case. Hope y'all like it ;)
*Prologue*
"Krys, get off the computer and go outside. Please don't let another nice day go to waste," Mom said.
I still didn't understand how chatting with friends online was "wasting the day".
I sighed. "Fine," I said. "God, we just got here and you're already trying to get rid of me?"
"Of course not, dear. Don't be silly. You just need some fresh air. You can't spend your whole life staring at a screen."
I sighed. "I guess I'll be back later, I have my cell." I really didn't know where I was going to go. Robinsville had to be one of the most boring towns you could possibly live in. There was no mall, no arcade, and no movie theatre. Mom didn't get how messaging online was the only way to stay in touch with my friends since we moved. Summer just started, so it's not like I could have made new friends at school. What did she expect, that some random fourteen-year-old girl like me was just going to ring the doorbell and ask to hang out? So not going to happen.
Well, I might as well go look around, I thought. I started walking down the road. I wasn't the most outdoorsy person in the the world, but it was still worth the adventure. At least there was a small coffee shop downtown.
I walked in and a bell chimed. There was a lady daintily sipping her coffee while typing on her laptop. I was surprised that any place here would even have wi-fi. I took out my phone. A weak connection, but a connection still. On the other side of the shop, there were some scruffy-looking guys loudly talking and laughing. I walked up to the counter.
"One small coffee, please," I told the girl.
"Comin' right up!" she said. "Hey, I haven't seen you around here before, hon. Where're you from?" she asked.
I guess when you live in a town as small as this, you get to know everyone. "I'm Krys, I moved in about a week ago. I came from Toronto," I told her.
"Well, welcome to Robinsville, city girl. Hope you like it here!" she said cheerfully as she handed me my coffee.
"Thanks," I said. I sat down at a table near the loud guys. They looked entertaining. They seemed to be babbling on about the forests at the edge of town.
Because Robinsville was in the middle if nowhere, it was surrounded by a pretty big forest of mostly pines and cedars. I had never heard of anything happening there, so I decided to listen in on their conversation.
"Don't go in there, man. I heard some creepy stuff goes on there." said the short stubby one.
"Come on. I don't believe any of that crap. It's just a forest. What did you see, Bigfoot?" the tallest one asked.
The last one finally chimed in. "Well, believe it, buddy. Remember the incident that happened three months ago? The couple went hiking and was never seen again. How do you explain that?"
"I don't know, they fell into the river?"
"No, the officials would have found the bodies or backpacks. Seriously, stay away from the forest. There are a few people who have gone missing there.
Being one who is always looking for something interesting to do, I finished my coffee and set out towards the forest. It was still only 10:00 AM, so I didn't have to be back for a while.
It wasn't far to the edge of town. I just had to cross a couple of "roads" which were really just dirt paths.
I started to stroll through the trees, which seemed to be almost a hundred years old, if not more. It was quiet and peaceful. I didn't see anything creepy about this place. It was actually a fairly dry forest. I was thankful for this, because wet forests tend to have more unpleasant things like bugs and mud. There was a woodpecker, furiously pecking away high up in the trees, and a small creek that was certainly not worthy of being labeled as a river. I heard a bullfrog croaking against the soothing sounds of the trickling water. The air smelled fresh. A small breeze blew the hair out of my face, and I guessed if I had to be anywhere then, other than on my computer surfing Facebook, it would've been this.
Then, something didn't feel quite right. It seemed as if I were suddenly cloaked in a thick, orangey fog. I started to feel nauseous and dizzy. As my heart beat faster every second, my life flashed before my eyes. The world started spinning, and I collapsed. What was happening? Was I going to die?!
*Forced Invincibility*
Chapter 1
"Hello? Are you awake?" That voice had been going on for a while. Who were they? I opened my eyes. Everything was blurry. "Hey, hello!"
"Hmm?" I said hazily. That voice wouldn't leave me alone. "Go away," I mumbled.
"No, I'm not going away. I'm your best friend! Don't you remember anything?" asked the girl in front of me. No, wait. I knew who she was.
"Well, I'm Krys, I think." I started.
"Yes, Krys Miller, and?" she encouraged.
"I just moved here recently."
"Yes, to this really boring town, and who am I?" she asked.
"You're Karen, my best friend in the whole world!" I shouted, with a huge grin on my face. Everything just snapped back into place.
"I came as soon as I heard," she said. "What happened to you?"
I thought hard. "I...I don't know," I answered. "The last thing I remember is walking into the forest and enjoying the fresh air," I said, looking up at the small crowd of people huddled around me. There was Karen of course, Mom, Dad, and a doctor.
"Were you kidnapped? Did you get lost? Bitten by some mutant poisonous snake? Tell me all that you can think of that happened that day." said Karen, excited to hear every detail.
"Ok, I was chatting online with you when my mom suggested I get some fresh air," I began, giving Mom an almost unnoticeable glare. "I walked down to the coffee shop to buy a coffee, and overheard some guys telling dumb stories about the forest. Eager to check it out for myself, I left the shop and headed for the trees. I was just starting to really enjoy it when..." I trailed off. I didn't remember what had happened after that. I tried, but I couldn't grasp the answers. They were at the back of my mind somewhere, I knew they were, like trying to remember where you'd heard a certain voice before in an animated movie.
"Oh sweetie, we were so worried!" said Mom. "You've been gone for days! We've had the police searching 24/7. We looked and looked until we were sure you had disappeared. Then one day, you just turned up in the middle of the forest. We're so glad to have you back!" She said, giving me a big hug.
"You still look great, by the way." said Karen.
"Which is good news and bad news," Mom said with a frown, "The good news is that you're not hurt, as far as we know. The bad news is that we still have no idea of what happened to you."
"Right now, I don't even care. I'm just glad to be back!" I said, looking around the room. I was in my bedroom, with the same beige carpet and the same purple walls. I let out a sigh of relief.
The doctor looked me over quickly, and confirmed that I was fine. I chatted with Karen for a bit. Luckily, she didn't ask me any more questions, knowing that I probably couldn't answer them anyway. I had a hearty meal, then went to sleep in my warm, comfy bed.
Chapter 2
Karen had slept over that night, and said that she would stay for a while. We would wake up and have waffles drowned in maple syrup. We were even talking about her moving in, because we were pretty much already sisters. That would be so cool; all we had to do then is ask our parents.
"Mom, we were thinking." I began.
"Yes?" She said. "Is this about Karen and how long she can stay? If it is, then I say she can stay as long as her parents allow her to." She smiled in that "mom" way. Yes! I thought. I ran back to my room to tell Karen.
"She said you can stay as long as you want as long as it's ok with your mom and dad." I told her excitedly. She was looking at my phone.
"Great, so now I call my mom I guess. Can I use your phone?" I nodded, walking over to my closet. It was about 11:00 AM, and I was still in my pajamas.
Karen was talking to her mom. "Come on, please? I promise I'll visit, and we'll talk on the phone every day. Their house is huge, more than enough room for everyone. Everything will be great, and you won't have to drive me here everyday!" She stopped, listening. "Yes, it would be everyday. Don't you know I can't live without being with her? She's my best friend, practically my sister. Please?" She begged. There was a long pause as her mom was talking. "Yeah, her mom's ok with it. Yep, got it. Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise you won't regret it! Love you, bye." She hung up, then looked at me with a huge grin. "I can stay!" she squealed.
"Really? Yes! Let's go tell my mom." We ran back downstairs.
"So, how long's she allowed to stay?" Mom asked. Karen and I looked at each other.
"As long as she wants!" We both screamed excitedly.
"Um, ok. Well, if her mom's ok with it, so am I." She looked at Karen. "As long as you'll be living here, you can just call me Cecelia."
"Thanks Mrs. Mi...Cecelia." Karen said, stopping herself.
"Okay, well now that we've sorted everything out, Karen and I should go look around. Right, Karen?" I turned to her.
"Uh, yeah. Sure." She hesitated. "We're gonna stay away from the forest though, right?" She bit her lip nervously.
"How come? It's actually kinda nice." I told her. Why was she nervous?
"Well, that's where you went missing. We don't want to risk that again, do we?"
"No, you're right. We can go to the coffee shop downtown."
"Isn't that where you went before you disappeared? What if that place had something to do with it? Can't we go to the mall? Honestly, you're acting like your accident was no big deal." She seemed frustrated.
I frowned. "I don't remember what happened, and I came back fine. Therefore, none of that matters anymore. Also, there's no mall. Let's just ride our bikes around, okay?" I suggested, still disappointed that the town had no mall.
"Yeah, sure. Lemme open the garage." She walked into the house to press the button. The garage opened, and she came out to grab her bike. I grabbed my blue one, then we headed out.
Chapter 3
We rode for a while. At least this place had nice scenery. All the buildings looked a century old, with a few huge, super modern homes like ours thrown in around the edges. They must've just recently started expanding the city. The people here must be hard core gardeners, for the outsides of the houses were all covered in gorgeous flowers.
There was one big building in the heart of the town that had no signs or labels. There were windows on the bottom two floors, but the blinds were always closed. I was pretty sure that they develop new medicine and stuff there, because my dad was due to start work there soon. That was why we moved there, after all.
"Hey Karen, let's ride up that way," I pointed up a road we hadn't ridden on yet.
She nodded. We had just started to ride this way when Karen screamed. Some teenager who looked only just old enough to drive swerved towards us almost hitting me. We steered out of control and while Karen fell on the grass, I wiped out on the gravel road.
"Jerk!" Karen yelled at the guy, who had kept driving as if nothing had happened. She leaned over me. "Woah, you okay?" She asked, looking at my leg. It had a huge scrape down the middle. "We'd better head back and put a bandage on that. Here, lean on me. Leave the bikes, we'll get those later."
Luckily, the house wasn't very far from where we were. I tried not to put weight on the scraped leg, because it still really hurt. I limped back, leaning on Karen for support.
Opening the door, I yelled. "Mom!"
She rushed in. "What's the matter?" She asked, unaware that I was hurt.
Karen started to explain. "We were just biking up another gravel road when someone swerved, making us lose our control. I'm fine, but Krys ended up with this big scratch..." She trailed off, looking amazed at my leg.
"I don't see anything." said Mom, confused.
"But...but it was there. It hurt like crazy. There's no way it's better." I sat down and ran my fingers over the injured leg. Nothing. "How could that be?" I muttered, mostly to myself.
Mom seemed tired. "Look, I'm sick of all this stuff happening. You're okay now, right?" She asked.
I still wasn't sure. "I guess," I replied.
"Good, now why don't you two go relax upstairs?"
"Yeah, come on Krys." She said, starting up the stairs. "Cecelia?" She called down when she was at the top.
"Yes, sweetie?"
"We left the bikes on Maple street," she said.
"That's ok, I'll just get Krys' dad to pick them up on his way home from his meeting."
We smiled, then went to our room. There were enough rooms for Karen to have her own, but that wasn't necessary. We closed the door and sat in my room, each curling up with a good book. The book was new and as I turned the page, it cut my finger.
"Ow, paper cut." I said, holding my finger.
"Bummer," page said, looking up from her book. "God, you're accident-prone. Where's the cut?" She asked.
"It's right—oh, come on! Again?" I shouted. The cut had gone. "What the heck is going on? Am I imagining this?" I asked, still staring at my finger.
"I have an idea, if you're interested." She looked at me cleverly.
"Uh, sure, what is it?" I asked skeptically.
"Well," she started. "Wait, what's that?" She pointed to the other side of the room. I looked away to see what she was talking about. Karen took out her long, manicured nails and scratched my arm.
"Really, Karen? What was that for?" I shouted.
"Just watch!" She said, gesturing to look at my arm. I looked down. The scratch slowly faded right before my eyes.
"This is unbelievable! How can I heal that fast? It just doesn't make sense. What if I got terribly hurt when I went missing? Maybe that's why I looked fine." This was really getting weird. Sure, it's cool to have all your cuts heal almost instantly, but it's not like I didn't feel anything.
"Girls, supper!" Mom called.
"Coming!" we shouted back. We ran downstairs. Tacos, yum. We ate up and went down to the basement. We talked for hours, trying to figure out what was going on. Eventually, we gave up and ended up sleeping on the couches down there.
Chapter 4
We decided that we wouldn't tell Mom just yet, unless anything else comes up. I got up early and had a bagel. I finished my book in the two hours before Karen woke up. She was never a morning person anyway.
"Morning, Karen." I said. "Want a glass of chocolate milk?" I offered.
"Yeah sure. Why are you up so early?" She asked me.
I handed her the glass. "I don't know, I slept enough."
"You only slept, like, five hours."
"Yeah, so? Whatever. Remember, Mom's taking us shopping today for new school supplies. We start at River Ridge High in two weeks."
"Isn't River Ridge about twenty minutes from here?" asked Karen.
"Yep, that's where we're going to shop. There aren't enough stores here to get what we need. We're gonna have to take a bus next year." I told her, knowing that she wasn't going to like that.
"C'mon, the town's big enough to have that giant obscure building in the center, but not big enough for a few stores?" She sighed. "Let's go."
We grabbed our purses and lists of what we needed. Mom was just getting her jacket, so we waited in the car. Karen started talking about the funny things we used to do when we were kids. By the time Mom got in the car, we were in a full on giggle fit.
"And remember the time we buried your aunt's necklace in the backyard?" asked Karen with a huge grin.
"Duh, yeah. And the time we got lost in the mall and sat in the bathroom crying?"
"That was a disaster," Mom chimed in. "Imagine, not too long ago you two were getting lost in the mall; now you're going all on your own." she said with a dreamy look.
"It's ok, Cecelia. We still have a few years of childhood left." said Karen, trying to comfort my mom.
She wiped the tears away from her eyes and nodded. "Yes, I suppose. All right, let's go." she said, opening the car door.
We had gone out to get a few things, but came back with a full carload of stuff. Karen and I stayed up until midnight in the basement getting all of it organized. Somehow, I didn't fall asleep 'til three, and woke up not two hours later.
Without looking at the clock, I turned to face Karen. "Hey, are you awake?" I asked her.
She faced the other way. "Why are you awake at five AM? Go to sleep." she mumbled. But that was the problem. I wasn't the slightest bit sleepy.
"I...I can't." I sat up, now wide awake.
Karen did the same. "Are you okay, Krys? You haven't been sleeping well. How could you stand staying awake for that long?" she asked, confused.
"I don't know. This is weird. First the cuts, now this? Maybe they're related somehow. What should I do?"
Karen sighed. "Cecelia needs to know. About all of it. I still need another three hours or so of sleep. Could you keep yourself occupied 'till then?"
I nodded. Another book was waiting for me anyway. It was boring, but good enough. I escaped to the closet, my silent sanctuary. I turned on my flashlight and read until morning.
Chapter 5
"Well, that's the story." finished Karen. We had just told Mom about all that was happening.
"My, that's odd. I'll ask your father about what to do. Maybe he's encountered something like this before." suggested Mom.
My dad works in the medical field. He's almost never home, but he does was he can. Mom was right. Maybe he would know what to do. "Mom, I'm scared. What really happened when I went missing? I sighed. I'd just have to wait for my dad to get home.
Coincidentally, my dad came home fairly early that day.
"Honey, I need to talk to you for a few minutes. Can we speak in private?" Mom asked him with a worried expression.
"Of course." He took off his jacket and stepped into the den with Mom. Karen and I glanced at each other. It was time to eavesdrop.
We lightly pressed our ears against the door. We could just make out what they were saying.
Mom started, "I'm concerned about Krys. She still has no idea what happened to her in the forest. She hasn't been sleeping well, less and less each night. It's very unusual."
"Yes, it is. Anything else?" asked Dad, with more interest than worry.
"This is the strangest thing. All her cuts and scrapes heal almost instantly. Her leg when she fell off her bike, her paper cuts, everything. It's not necessarily a bad thing, just...odd. What do you suppose we do, Frank? Should we call someone?"
"No, Cecelia, not yet anyway. How's about I take her down to my office. I'll see what I can do, okay? Will that do for now?"
"Yes, that would be wonderful. If you find anything else unusual, talk to me about it. I'm sure there's some sort of explanation."
We stepped away from the door. "My dad's office? That's normally off limits because he's afraid of things breaking. This ought to be interesting." I said.
"I need a cup of coffee," stated Mom, opening the door. "Do you want some cocoa, Karen?" she offered.
"I'll have some!" I said, sounding like a little kid.
"You can have some later, Krys. Right now, go with your father." She nodded towards my dad.
He smiled. "Come, you can see my new office downstairs. Just don't touch anything."
"I know, Dad." I agreed, rolling my eyes. I followed him down the stairs, and into his laboratory or "office".
Chapter 6
I actually hadn't seen this room yet, and I only saw the one in our old house once. The room was very neat and organized. There were many cabinets and drawers. Along the wall, there were also a lot of shelves. Everything in its place, of course. He had a desk with neat stacks of important-looking files and papers. Right in the middle was an empty, low table with rounded edges. It kind of looked more like a bench.
"Hop up here, Krys." he told me, tapping it. As I stepped up, he looked around for a clipboard. When he found one he asked, "Now, what's the story? One part at a time, please."
"Well, for starters, I can't sleep."
"Okay, got it, and?" he asked.
"Well, how do I explain this? For some strange reason, I heal automatically, and quick too. I don't really get it, but even though I have no memory of what happened in the forest, I think all these incidents may be related."
He listened with a curious look in his eyes. "Hmm," he said, pausing. Then he went searching in one of his cabinets. Soon he brought back a pin.
I looked at him quizzically, but he returned my stare with one of fascination. He glanced at my finger with a smile.
"Go ahead." I told him, holding up my hand and looking away. By the time I looked at the tip of my finger, there was no mark to show for it.
"Amazing! I wonder still...oh, never mind that." Dad was shocked, but you could see only wonder and excitement in his voice.
"Wait, what is it?" I asked.
"Well, if we want to investigate further, more tests and experiments need to be done. Is that what you want? I could get my coworkers involved too, for I'm sure they'll be quite interested."
I thought about that for a bit. Is that what I wanted? To be a lab mouse for my dad's scientist friends? It sounded okay I guess, but what about the media? What if they find out? What will people think? I'd be known as a freak before the first day of school! Not the best way to start my freshman year.
"Sure, test me all you want, whatever. Let's just keep it in the family for now though, alright?" I suggested.
He nodded. "Fair enough. Do you mind if I see one more thing before you go?" he asked.
"Sure." I'd let him have his fun as long as it'd help find answers.
"I wonder if it's just your skin that heals itself." He went to one of the shelves and picked up a small glass bottle of viscous black liquid and a teaspoon. "This should do the trick." As the spoon slowly filled, I became less and less open to the idea. He held it up to me with an expectant look.
"You want me to eat that?" I asked, slightly gagging. It looked truly disgusting.
"You don't have to. It won't make you sick or anything. You'll be fine," he assured, stepping forward a bit.
I shuddered. "Ah, what the heck." I opened my mouth.
It slid onto my tongue and down my throat, but really had no taste at all. And thank goodness for that, I thought.
The room went silent for about five minutes, then Dad exclaimed, "This is unbelievable!" He seemed ecstatic.
"What?" I asked. "What's unbelievable? What was that stuff?"
He chuckled. "I sort of lied. It would make a normal person a bit dizzy, but you, Krys, you're special."
Special.
Chapter 7
I later went up for cocoa. Karen and I didn't care that it was strange to have hot chocolate in the summer. We were both suckers for a good mug of warm, chocolaty goodness.
She and I took our mugs with us and retreated to my room. She has a a room of her own, but we preferred hanging out in mine. It was a bit bigger than hers and had more places to sit.
"So, what was that about? What happened?" she asked when we walked in.
"What was what about?"
"When your dad took you down to his office. What'd you guys do? What's going on?"
I hesitated. "I don't really want to talk about it right now," I answered.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to be nosy." She looked down.
"No, it's fine. I'm just really mixed up right now and need to do some thinking. I'll tell you about it eventually, though."
"Yeah, I understand. If you wanna talk, let me know." she said, shrugging.
Really, all I needed was time to figure out how to word everything.
I didn't go into much detail, I just wanted Karen's opinion on what I should do next.
"Well?" I prompted.
"I, I don't know. It sound's to me like he doesn't know what this is. Talk to your dad tomorrow and then we'll see what happens. Maybe if his colleagues get involved, it won't be so bad."
I was starting to get the feeling that I was overwhelming her. She was trying her best but she needed a break. Plus, she was right. I'd talk to my dad tomorrow.
I nodded.
"Good choice, Krys! We'll leave right away," said Dad. I had told him that if it seemed to be the only way to solve the problem, I'd go to his work with him and talk to his coworkers.
"Right away?" I asked. That seemed a bit soon.
"Of course! It's only about five minutes away from here, and the sooner we leave, the sooner we can solve this enigma!" Dad shouted enthusiastically. He looked way too excited about this.
I sighed. "Okay, whatever you say." I grabbed my phone and quickly said goodbye to Karen. "See you tonight, Karen. Text ya later!"
"I'm afraid that won't be possible," said my dad, stepping in, "Cell phones aren't allowed in the building."
Disappointed, I put my phone back on the table and went out the door with my dad.
"Are you sure about this?" I asked him, stepping into the car.
"Of course," he answered with an awkward smile. His expression implied he didn't want a response.
A long silence passed. Judging by all the stuff that my dad packed, I had a feeling that talking to Karen at all tonight would be an improbability.
"Dad, we're not coming back tonight, are we?" I asked, though it was more of a statement than a question.
He sighed, trying to find the right words, "Well, that all depends on how things go." Changing the subject he asked, "So what persuaded you to change your mind?"
"It's not like having all your injuries heal quickly is a bad thing, but I don't want to go high school as a freak. I…I just want this all to be over."
"It will be over soon enough," he assured, parking the car. As he stepped up to the door, he entered a passcode that was exceedingly long.
I followed him inside, observing my surroundings. It seemed like a typical office lobby. There was an old receptionist seated at a desk, typing away furiously at her high-tech computer. The walls were covered in an ugly beige floral wallpaper, while the floor was carpeted in a simple grey. The ceiling was quite low, There were a couple armchairs and a couch, accompanied by a small coffee table. The blinds have always been closed, and today was no exception. I noticed that they had gone way overboard with the air conditioner, obviously a frantic attempt at beating the heat. Wishing I had brought my sweater, I continued to trail my father, trying to avoid thinking about what lay ahead of me.
"Hello Hilda," Dad said to the lady at the desk.
She met his expectant look with glare. Rolling her eyes, she replied, "What now, Dr. Miller?" by the looks of all her wrinkles, she seemed to be as old as the hills.
"Would you please alert Dr. Stewart of my arrival, and tell him to meet me in room 204 at one o'clock," he asked with a smile. It was one of his awkward smiles, like he was quite unsure of what he was saying. He approached the elevator, looking back at me to be sure I was still there.
I nodded, and gestured toward the elevator. "Well?" I asked.
"Oh, yes, of course," he said, pressing the 'up' button. The elevator soon arrived, and upon stepping in I encountered a large array of buttons. "Thirteen," my dad muttered.
Chapter 8
Dad led me off of the elevator an down the lengthy hallway. We came to room 390 and stopped.
"This is your room for now," said my dad. "Take a shower, get some rest. You could order a drink if you'd like, the menu's on the table. Just press the button beside the item and room service will bring it up, alright? I have to go meet someone a couple floors down, and I won't be back for an hour or two, so just chill for now. Do you kids still say chill? Or is there some other new word I should know?"
"It doesn't matter, Dad. Go ahead, I'll see you later."
"Ok, I'll leave you be, but I gotta lock this door. Regulations, you know?" he said, taking out his keys.
"Whatever, Dad. Do what you gotta do," I said with a sigh, beginning to look around the room. It was alright, not four-star-hotel quality, but not bad. At least the bathroom was nice, and the bed was clean. The lighting wasn't the greatest, but it was no big deal.
I showered off with the sweet smelling shampoo and soaps, then changed into some comfy clothes. Settling in, I went and glanced at the beverage menu. Ooh, hot cocoa, I thought to myself. I pressed the button and sure enough, a man soon came in with a big mug of steaming hot chocolate.
He unlocked the door and handed me the mug. "Your cocoa, Miss Miller," he said, giving me a nod.
"Thanks," I said. That was a bit formal for handing someone some cocoa, I thought. He left the room right away and locked the door behind him. Sure, because I'm totally going to wander off like a little kid around some huge building I've never been in before, I thought sarcastically. What a strange place.
I took a sip of the hot chocolate. Wow, it's even better than the way mom makes it, I thought. I quickly gulped it down, And not a minute had passed before I had finished.
I yawned. My sleep loss must be finally catching up on me, I thought. I should go…I should take a…a nap...I...what? My feeble attempt at making it to the bed had failed. There I lay, on the cold, hard cement floor, now blissfully unaware of my surroundings. My heart rate had slowed and I became still, mumbling nonsense to myself.
Chapter 9
The door opened. Two strong men in lab coats lifted me and carried me into the elevator. I wanted to struggle, I wanted to scream, but all I did was twitch and mumble. I could hear them talking, but in the condition I was in, none of it made any sense.
"Aw, look. How sweet, she's even stubborn in her sleep." said one of them. The other one chuckled as the elevator opened. Had we gone up or down? Everything was too jumbled to tell.
The one gripping my arms said, "All right, we set her down on the bed, then Dr. Stewart and his crew will take it from there. Then, she's not our responsibility and we get back to work."
His friend sighed. "Thank goodness for that. I just want this to be over and done with." He opened the door to a bright room, then they set me down on what felt like a hospital bed. "Okay, leave her," he said, turning.
I was just coming to my senses at this time. I didn't know what was going on, but I knew I wasn't good. I used all my might to twist my torso, swing my legs, and roll off of the bed. I had forgotten how hard the floor was, and hit my knee on the blue-grey cement. I cried out, but didn't have the strength to reach for my leg.
"Oh, crap. She's one tough cookie. I suppose we were warned. Hey, let's put her back up on the bed. Watch her knee."
Once they had placed me back on the uncomfortable bed, the one of the men asked, "Well, what do we do now? We can't just leave again."
"Yeah, I know. I guess we wait for Dr. Stewart. Let's just keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't hurt herself any more."
"From what I hear, I don't think she could hurt herself badly even if she wanted to. Still, what if she really wakes up and starts asking questions?"
"We don't know anything anyway, the answers she'll be looking for are on a need-to-know basis, and even if we did know, we can't guarantee that we're allowed to tell her."
"True," he sighed, then looked down the hall. "We can't just sit here much longer. I'll run ahead down the hall and tell him about what happened. You stay and watch her," he called back, closing the door.
"Well, it's just you and me, kid," said the man beside me.
I couldn't tell whether or not he knew just how awake I was. I heard their conversation and knew better than to ask questions that surely wouldn't be answered. I then decided that no matter what, unless I had something super clever and thought out to say, I would not speak. I told myself this over and over. I began to think of what I would do in various situations. I didn't get very far, because the man who had ran down the hall returned, bringing some people with him.
Chapter 10
"Dr. Stewart," he began, "we're deeply sorry. We were just about to leave, like you said, when she rolled over and fell onto the floor, hurting her knee. We knew that if we left, she would just do it again, and eventually if she wasn't already awake, she would be by then."
"Yes, yes, well just leave. I'm here now and I've got it all taken care of," Dr. Stewart waved his hand, dismissing them.
"Thank you," the two nodded and left. Here we go, I thought. Remember, if you don't have anything clever to say, don't say anything at all.
"What fools they are," sighed Dr. Stewart, "but they were the only ones available at the time. Kind of pathetic, actually," he added. Then he began to wave away his own crew saying, "Go, don't you have anything better to do than follow me around? If I need you, I will call you," he told them, closing the door behind them. He turned towards me, but I had closed my eyes in time so that he never saw them open.
"Dear Krysten, don't try to deceive me. I know that you're perfectly awake. I can tell by the way your eyes flutter around behind your eyelids, and by how perfectly still and tense your muscles are," he said, very matter-of-factly.
I scowled, "What, a girl can't close her eyes without being accused of deceit? Also, you would be tense too if you were in the same situation as I. Perhaps I'm merely trying to shut out the horrible reality that is my life."
"Nice try, Krysten, but you can't escape it. What's done is done, and what's going to happen will happen whether you like it or not."
I sighed, "It's Krys, not Krysten. K-R-Y-S, Krys. Say it right."
"Alright, Krys. My name is Dr. Stewart."
I opened my eyes and glared at him.
"I'm sure you have many questions about what has happened over the past few weeks. Fortunately for you, I have the answers."
I held my stare. I've talked too much already, I thought.
"Silence isn't going to help you, you know. In fact, it may work against you." I didn't look away. After seeing I wasn't going to respond, he sighed, "Yes, I've been told you're stubborn, and now I see it for myself."
"By whom?"
"Pardon?"
"Who told you I was stubborn?"
He smiled. "I believe it would be best if I started at the beginning," he said, taking a deep breath. "As I said before, I am Dr. Stewart, the head of this organization. We have worked many years, developing new treatments and cures for various diseases, but that's not all. We have focused much of our attention on one specific experiment. We have been working at creating the impossible; invincibility. I've come so close, and you have been the most successful trial of all so far."
"That's sick," I spat, "Are you too stupid to see all of the obvious problems with this? If people don't get sick or hurt, no one will die, and if no one dies, overpopulation will take over! Some people will live forever and some won't, so the people that do will have to watch all their friends and family pass away. Doctors will be out of jobs, paramedics will be out of jobs. You'll be out of a job too, once everyone has the invincibility drug. Don't you get it? This will only cause problems for everyone!" I cried.
"I was speaking," he started.
"I don't care! First you tell me that I'm supposed to talk, now you want me to stop?" I knew very well that that's not what he meant, but I felt it appropriate to use his words against him.
"I'm starting to like the silence better," he muttered. He seemed to be talking to himself. "Then again," he said loudly, "I get great information about changes in behavior by observing patterns of speech." He turned to me. "Continue with your rant. It's actually quite entertaining," he stated, smiling. If I continue, I thought, then I'll be doing exactly as he says and he wins. On the other hand, if I stop, there's the possibility that he's been using reverse psychology all along, and that I'll be falling into a trap. He'll think that he's outsmarted me. I can't win either way.
"I am not your puppet, Dr. Stewart. Anyway, I have nothing left to say on the matter. The idea is just messed up in every aspect."
"That may be so, but most of the wealthy people in the world won't understand how invincibility could be a bad thing, and they will pay through the nose to get it. Now, if you'll allow me to continue, I have much more to say." I rolled my eyes and nodded for him to go on.
Chapter 11
"At the beginning of the summer, when you had first moved to Robinsville, you went missing. You were gone for days, but you have no memory of what happened. That is simply because Taz and Naia, two of my failed experiments, have done their jobs correctly. They were instructed to do all the things they did and to end with the last crucial step; erasing your memory of all that had happened. Ring a bell?" Infuriated, I clenched my fists, staring at him with hatred.
"Now, you may somewhat remember this as well. They were, at one point, instructed to give you a special drug through a machine similar to an IV. Naia actually took a liking to you and, against my advisory, did not have you immobilized. You sat up at the sudden pain, and the flow was interrupted. As far as we know, this didn't significantly affect the process, but I still worry. Naia was indeed punished for the lack of restraints used on you," he sighed.
Everything came back; the walk in the forest, Taz and Naia, the dark room and most importantly, the iridescent blue liquid, pulsing through my veins. "What happened to her?" I asked quietly.
"Let's just say her existence has been terminated," he replied with a sinister smile. I knew what this meant. He killed her, he killed Naia. As far as I knew, she was innocent. Like he said, Naia was one of his failed experiments, making her a victim, just like me.
I was on the verge of tears. No, I thought, stay strong. Crying shows weakness. That's what he wants. "You're a sick person, Dr. Stewart," I said. "You kill innocent people, you experiment on humans, you are attempting something that could send the world into turmoil. All for money. You avaricious monster."
"About the human experiments, it is quite needed. The results in lab mice were not accurate enough."
"Couldn't you have asked for volunteers? Or if you couldn't, why not abduct some homeless druggie from an alley that no one would miss?"
"We did try the volunteer idea, but most of them were either cash-stripped and malnourished or their system was already filled with drugs that would interfere with the sensitive process. We need to use people who are as close to our future consumers as possible. Plus, it's more fun when they put up a fight," he added with a chuckle.
"You sadistic bugger!" I shouted.
"Calm yourself, Krys. Would you like some more hot chocolate?" he asked nonchalantly.
"I don't want any of your delicious knockout cocoa."
"Ah, you're one smart cookie aren't you? Speaking of cookies, I believe we have some of those around here too."
"Stop it!" I shouted.
"Stop what?"
"You're a coward! You can't deal with me like this, and so you amalgamate my favorite treats with some sort of sedative or anesthetic. I'm not falling for it so give it up!" I stood up, unafraid of what he might do. My mind was burning with rage at the point. How could someone be so insane as to attempt to mess the world up so much?
"Fine, but please sit back down. And next time you get the urge to act up, keep in mind that I'm capable of putting you to rest for little while."
I glared at him and approached the door. I expected it to be locked, of course, but I had something else in mind anyway.
Chapter 12
"You can't get in or out without a key."
"No duh. I'm just looking around," I said smoothly. I slowly circled the room glancing at the various substances scattered around. Dr. Stewart eyed me warily, but didn't stop me. "Hmm, what's this," I asked, carefully picking up an open vial of sizzling clear liquid.
"Nothing interesting. Part of a different experiment I'm working on," he replied, then gave me a look that said 'put that down.'
I narrowed my eyes at him. "And what were to happen if this stuff spilled?" I asked.
He shifted in his seat. "It wouldn't really be much of a big deal. It could burn a hole in the desk, but no promises," he shrugged, but I could see right through his little charade.
"Well then, there really should be a cover on that. What if someone were to tip it over by accident?" I asked with a smirk. Snickering to myself, I flicked it over and surprisingly enough, he was right. The corrosive liquid puddled and went straight through the desk, gathering on the floor. The floor was of different material than the desk, so it didn't have an effect. "Cool," I said, "but what does it do to skin?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure. It could do nothing, or it could do the same thing as it did to the desk. Go ahead and touch it though, I'd love to see your invincibility in action."
I cocked an eyebrow. I knelt down and quickly touched it with my middle finger. The chemical slowly began to burn through my flesh, but as it did, my skin quickly started to heal up behind it. Dr. Stewart rushed over to see, but wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. I held up my index finger, hid my still-healing middle finger and said, "Nothing happened. Doesn't do anything to skin I guess."
Dr. Stewart frowned, disappointed. "I suppose we can get to testing your invincibility later," he sighed.
I was expecting him to sit me down again, to stop me from snooping and strolling around the room. Instead, he just leaned back in his chair again and gave me a calm look. As if reading my mind, he stated, "I have all day, Krys. And nothing to hide. From you anyway. You can know whatever you want, you just can't change anything."
I rolled my eyes. As I slowly walked around I got a good look at everything. I scanned the blue-green walls and the cabinets and shelves attached to them, noting anything I could possibly use as a weapon. Unlike my dad, Dr. Stewart didn't seem to be a very organized person. The desks and shelves were cluttered with paperwork and scribbles. Empty beakers lay tipped over and crowded in the corner of a work table. The cabinets were left wide open, showing tools and medical equipment.
Shivering, I realized how cold it was in the room. I glanced at the one and only hospital bed in the room. It lacked any blankets, but made up for it in thick leather straps. Oh perfect, I thought.
Dr. Stewart was right about one thing, the men from before were real idiots. It was obvious they could have simply strapped me down as opposed to standing around wondering what to do. As I stood pondering this, I almost forgot what I was doing. So far, I hadn't found anything useful.
After checking a few more nooks and crannies in the room, I finally came across a back wall with drawers built into it. This seemed to be the only neat area in the room. Inside the drawers were neatly stacked syringes and needles, put away with care. Along side them were various medical knives and other strange looking, sharp metal tools. I didn't know what they were supposed to be used for, all I knew was that they were sharp and could do some real damage.
"Are you done exploring?" Dr. Stewart called.
I took a deep breath. Keep stalling, figure out how to get out of here. "No," I replied. Think, think. "Um, where's the bathroom?"
I heard him sigh, but not out of frustration. It sounded more like he was amused. "Of course. Remember, we have all day. I'll escort you down the hall." He unlocked the door and led me down to the women's restroom. "I'll wait here," he said, leaning against the wall outside the door.
"Thanks," I muttered. I went inside and locked myself in one of the four stalls.
Chapter 13
I had sat there for about ten minutes, waiting for Dr. Stewart to say something. Finally, he asked if I was almost done.
"Maybe," I replied vaguely.
"Is everything alright, Krys?"
"What do you think?"
"You know what I mean."
I didn't answer. I didn't care how long I'd have to sit there. I was going to wait until I was in power.
"You can't stay in there forever," called Dr. Stewart through the door.
"Yes I can," I replied calmly.
"What about food?" he asked.
"You won't starve me. You need me. I'm your precious success. Anyway, a person can go for almost three weeks without food."
"And sleep? There's no one else in there with you, and I'm sure you won't fall asleep in the stalls. I can just come in and get you when you're asleep."
"Good luck with that," I called to him melodically. What he didn't know was that one of the side effects of his stupid drug was the fact that I slept very little and very light lately. Besides, I've had plenty of extra sleep since I was knocked out. I stood my ground and didn't come out no matter what.
After staying put for what felt like about three days, I started to wonder if he really would let me die in here. I tried the door, but he had actually locked me in. My stomach was rumbling so loud I couldn't think. I was starting to weaken even though it hadn't been that long. I hadn't heard a word from anyone and was starting to become suspicious. What were they up to?
As if right on cue, I heard the faintest sound coming from the air vents. The room became orangey in colour. My vision became fuzzy, and My heart beat fast. Oh crud, I thought. I was pretty sure I knew what would happen next.
My wrists and ankles were securely strapped down to the bed in the room I was in before. I could hear people loudly arguing in the hall outside the room. If they thought these rooms were soundproof, they were wrong. I tried to make out what they were saying. The eavesdropping skills Karen and I had developed over the years were finally paying off.
"But Uncle, what you're doing is wrong!" shouted someone. He sounded young, not too much older than me. I could detect a strong British accent in his voice as well.
"You will do what I say, regardless of your opinion!" This voice sounded like Dr. Stewart.
"Testing dangerous chemicals on poor, innocent animals? Next you'll be telling me to capture puppies for you!"
"I'm your ticket to med school so don't sass me, boy."
"I still can't believe we're related."
"Believe what you want. You were sent here to help me. I've given you instructions, so do what I say or you'll never get to become a doctor."
There was a tense moment of silence between them before Dr. Stewart quietly added, "The subject is in there. If she struggles, sedate her. You know where I keep all the supplies." I heard footsteps stomping away, followed by the door unlocking.
Chapter 14
When I heard the door close, I clenched my fists and looked up. What I saw was a boy who looked about sixteen, mumbling to himself as he locked the door.
"What in bloody Hell is wrong with that man? If only there was another way to prove myself to Dad," he sighed, turning around.
The boy gasped and froze. He was looking me in the eye with horror. I returned his stare with one of sorrow.
As he slowly approached me, I tensed and narrowed my eyes. Judging by what I heard, I suspected he could be on my side. To be honest, he was actually really cute. Unfortuanately, seeing as my own father brought me here, I didn't know who to trust anymore. "Well, say something, pretty boy," I spat, hoping it would sound bitter. It came out as a shivery whisper instead.
His expression looked as if I had just slapped him the face. Then, he looked down at his shoes and I saw tears in his eyes. "Dear Lord, what has he done now?" he asked himself, stomping to the back of the room. "Horrible," he kept muttering as he paced back and forth. He disappeared for a little while, into the back room. I could hear him talking to himself and he seemed to be ranting about something.
After he had calmed down he came in with a cup of hot coffee. He sighed as he came closer. He tilted his head. "Well, you look normal," he began, and sat down in the wheelie chair beside me.
This caught me by surprise. Was he trying to confuse me? I didn't think so. "Um, thanks?"
"What did he do to you?" he asked quietly.
A lot, I thought. Just to be sure, I asked,
"Who?"
"Unc... I mean Dr. Stewart!" he shouted, jumping up out of his seat in anger. His coffee went everywhere, including all over my arm.
"Ah!" I shouted in pain. I could feel the searing coffee sizzling.
"Oh my goodness I am so sorry!" he said in a panic, rummaging through the clutter trying to find a cloth. "I'll find something to clean up the spill and some ice too. It probably gave you a burn."
"Watch," I said through my teeth.
He snapped out of his frenzy for a moment to look at me. "Hmm?"
"You want to know what Dr. Crazy did, watch. Just watch. You'll see it in a second," I bit my lip, toughing out the pain and waited.
"I don't see—" his eyes widened. "He did that? Why? How?"
I shrugged.
He found a cloth and wiped up the spilled coffee. When he finished, he stared at my arm, mesmerized. He reached out to touch it, then stopped himself. "Sorry. May I?"
"I guess. I'm going to have to get used to it, being stuck here."