We Shall Be Monsters

by Ryan Decaria

  Anika stammered, wracking her brain to think of a way out of this one. “I didn’t know he was going to keep you.”

  “Didn’t you though?” He scrambled toward her and pounded on the bars. “You hand me over to a bunch of psychopaths and expect them to what? Drop me off at the first gas station out of town. What did you think, Anika?”

  He was right, and Anika couldn’t even look at him. “I’m sorry.”

  He sat back. “You know, when the FBI first came asking about you, I told them to get lost. If you could actually have gotten into that much trouble, you were all right, you know.”

  “You attacked me.” Anika seethed. “Remember?”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, well, I didn’t have much of a choice.”

  “Of course, you had a choice.”

  “Not if I wanted to keep breathing.” He grabbed the bowl and took a drink. “I hid some stuff in Billie’s car. And some dangerous people want it back. Stupid, I know.”

  “Now, look at us,” Anika said. “A couple of lab rats with no way out.”

  The speaker on the wall buzzed. “Anika.” It was Hawking. “Anika if you’re in there, you gotta leave now. They’re coming.”

  “Ah,” Wallace said. “You must have triggered some alarm.”

  Anika got to her feet. “Shut up.”

  “Anika,” Hawking said. “Go to the east doors. Now.”

  Anika darted across the room.

  “Wait!” Wallace reached out from his cage. “Take me with you.”

  “I can’t.” Anika lingered near the door. “I don’t have time.”

  “I’ll tell them.” His voice quavered. “I’ll tell them you were here and everything you said.”

  Anika froze. She’d said all those things out loud. How could she be so stupid?

  “Now,” Hawking pleaded. “Go now.”

  Anika examined the box Hawking’s voice was coming out of. She pressed an unlabeled blue button. “Hawking, can you hear me?”

  Hawking cleared his throat. “Actually, yes.”

  “I need to pick a padlock. How am I going to do that?”

  “What kind?” Misty’s voice came through the box. Perfect.

  “One second.” Anika ran back to Wallace’s cage and examined the padlock. She ran back and hit the button. “A regular one. Aluminum. Keyed.”

  “Well, you’re not going to pick it,” Misty said. “Are there any bolt cutters?”

  “What?” Anika scratched through her hair. “No.”

  “Got a soda can and some scissors?” Misty asked.

  Hawking inhaled. “Anika, you don’t have time.”

  “No, I don’t.” Anika let go of the button and turned toward Wallace. “I’ll come back for you.”

  He shook his head. “Not good enough.”

  “Tomorrow. Please. If I don’t show up, you can still tell them everything. I promise I’ll get you out of here. You gotta believe me.”

  He stared at her for a moment. Then nodded, defeated. “Go.”

  “Anika,” Billie said. “The gallium.”

  Anika hit the button. “Billie, you’re a genius.” She fished the vial out of her bag and tossed it to Wallace. “Melt that in your palm. Spread a little on the lock every hour or so. I’ll be back tomorrow to get you.”

  He held the vial up, staring at the metal chunks, and nodded.

  “Scratch the lock a bit first.” Anika pulled the door open. “And don’t get noticed.”

  Anika reached over and ripped open a monkey cage as she slipped out of the room. The monkey flung itself out, chattering as it streaked across the room. Anika placed her back to the door and waited. The door on the other side of the room flew open, and she heard the footfalls as people swarmed in. She risked a tiny peek inside the small window in the door.

  Labcoats and guards chased the terrified monkey around the room. Wallace sat back in his cage and shrugged as they questioned him. He pointed at the monkey. Anika wasn’t sure why Wallace had trusted her, but he kept his promise. She was going to do the same.

  Anika padded down the hall, peering into the rooms and side corridors. She needed as much info as possible to reconstruct a map, so she could get Wallace out. The last door opened to a stairwell. She ran up the stairs. The next door was up about fifty stairs and opened to a hallway Anika recognized, not far from the break room. Anika tried to catch her breath.

  If Wallace whistled on her, Anika’s dad would know she was in his lab, and he’d find the device for sure. Satisfied she could map out the rest of this section of the lab, Anika headed for the lobby, texting Boulsour she was ready to head home.

  Her friends weren’t going to like this. Not one bit.

  Boulsour dropped Anika off at Linh’s house, and Linh’s parents let her inside. After bowing a dozen times and giving her a few hugs, they let her go upstairs. Anika took the stairs two at a time and rushed to Linh’s bedroom. She skated around Misty toward the bed. Yoko and Billie tackled her, and they all ended up on the bed in a group hug with Linh at the center, upright and smiling. Linh threw her arms around Anika’s neck.

  “I knew you’d make it.” Linh kissed Anika’s forehead.

  Anika grinned. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  Misty stood by the door, her arms folded. “You shouldn’t have come here.”

  Anika glared at Misty. “You sound like my mom.”

  Misty’s eyes darted to the side for a split second. She grinned and jumped on the pile, throwing her arms around them. “Don’t ever change.”

  What did that mean?

  Anika recounted her adventure in whispers, with Hawking guarding the hallway in case Linh’s parents decided to eavesdrop. As she was finishing the story, she frowned. They weren’t going to take the part with Wallace well. Anika hated herself for what she was about to spring on them.

  Yoko patted Anika’s knee. “Sasha’s got the exit strategy worked out. You’ll leave tomorrow after school.”

  Billie squeezed her waist. “Can’t wait to get out of this place.”

  Anika hugged them as best she could. “Still planning on getting me into a bikini?”

  “Ha,” Billie said. “We don’t want to go blind.”

  Linh snorted.

  Anika pulled away from them and stood up with a quick breath, before turning to face them. “I have one more thing I’ve got to do.”

  Their smiling faces dropped. Linh rolled her eyes. Yoko pressed her lips together and set her hands in her lap. Billie glowered.

  “I ran into Wallace. My father is keeping the meathead locked in a cage. Wallace threatened to tell my father everything if I don’t rescue him tomorrow.”

  Billie put her hand on Anika’s shoulder. “That’s a hell of a thing.”

  “I know, right?” Anika studied her friends’ faces. Anxiety. Worry. Linh was grinning for some reason. “Look, I know I’m putting myself in danger, but if Wallace squawks, everything we did today was worthless.”

  Billie bit her lip. “If we’ve got to do this, we make sure the plan is foolproof.”

  Misty got up and put her hand in the middle of them. “In and out.”

  “I’ll take notes.” Yoko pulled a notebook from Linh’s nightstand and put her other hand on Misty’s.

  Linh leaned back against her pillows. “I’m gonna watch.”

  Billie added her hand to the stack. Anika put her hand on top.

  “We need popcorn.” Billie slapped Anika on the back.

  Anika didn’t deserve them.

  Over the next two hours, they concocted a plan, watched cat videos, ate popcorn and chocolate chips. Billie managed to get Anika’s hair to stand straight up so, when she stood on her tippy toes, her hair brushed the ceiling of Linh’s room.

  Everyone’s toenails were bright pink.

  Anika closed the notebook. “I think that might work.”

  “It’s brilliant,” Misty said.

  “It’ll do.” Linh grinned. “I still think I should open the door from here. You know I
can do it.”

  “No.” Yoko stomped her foot a little.

  “Yoko’s right.” Anika put her arm around Linh. “Your beautiful brains need a day off. We’ll be fine. The risk level is pretty low.”

  Linh nodded. “Fine.”

  “Oh, Billie?” Anika wrapped her fingers around the back of her neck. “Wallace needs your car.”

  “What?” Billie said. “He wants Sunshine?”

  “Apparently, he stuffed a bunch of drugs in the panels, which is why he came after us.”

  Billie stared at the ceiling. “That might be a problem.”

  “Why?”

  “We sent Sunshine to Tampa with Esposito.”

  Anika grabbed at her stomach as her gut flared. “We need it back.”

  Billie scrunched up her nose as she pulled out her phone. “Not the weirdest thing we’ve done. I’ll see what I can do.”

  Anika fell back into the computer chair. She worried about Esposito, but no one would give her a straight answer about where they took him. She couldn’t demand they tell her without confronting them on their loyalty, but it still felt like she was missing something.

  Linh sat up and waved Anika closer. “Want to play patty cake?”

  Not what Anika was expecting, but what the heck? “Sure.”

  Yoko’s smile soured as Anika and Linh slapped hands. Neither of them sang, but Linh mouthed the words as she focused on the movements. Anika wasn’t sure of the psychology of this activity for Linh’s brain, and was still super impressed that Billie had picked up on it so fast. She felt a little silly, but with her hair stretching upward like a tiny troll doll, she went with it.

  Yoko finally smiled. “Can I take your picture? I promise I won’t share it.”

  Anika covered her face with her hands. Hardly her most embarrassing hairdo. “Sure.”

  “Me too.” Billie hung up and pointed her phone at Anika.

  Anika cheesed for the cameras.

  Someone knocked at the window and everyone turned. Sasha, hanging on the side of the house, waved.

  Billie pulled the window open and Sasha climbed inside.

  “You could have used the front door,” Yoko said.

  Sasha tiptoed across the bed, her eyes going straight to Anika’s hairdo. She grabbed Anika by the shoulders. When did everyone get so huggy? But she didn’t close the gap, shaking her instead. “This is insanity, you can’t go back into that building.”

  “Hey.” Billie tried to pull Sasha off, but Sasha didn’t budge. “Get off her.”

  Anika pulled Sasha into a hug. “I have to.”

  “No.” Sasha said. “Jackie can do it. She’s almost as smart as you are.”

  “Almost?” Jackie huffed, coming in through the door.

  Sasha pulled away. “We can’t let you go through with this.”

  Jackie examined Anika’s spiked hair as she crossed the room and punched Anika’s arm. “Don’t be stupid.”

  “Ouch.” Anika rubbed her arm. “You think you can pull it off?”

  Jackie shrugged. “Linh can guide me.”

  “No.” Yoko made another tiny stomp with her foot. “She needs to rest her brain.”

  “Linh is out of the equation,” Anika said. “But we have a solid plan.” She handed Jackie the notebook.

  Jackie looked it over and actually harrumphed. “This is sketchy as hell.”

  Misty peaked over Jackie’s shoulder. “I thought it was clever.”

  “We’re going to need more than clever.” Sasha pulled the notebook out of Jackie’s hands and examined the pages.

  “Nope. Veto,” Jackie said. “We’re going to veto this plan. Hayden can do it tonight.”

  Anika put her hands on her hips. “Jackie, that’s you.”

  “I know,” Jackie said.

  Anika took the notebook back. “Look, I created this problem. You guys have your own issues to deal with. It’s gotta be me.”

  “We take a vote.” Sasha raised her hand. “Majority means we veto Anika’s plan.”

  Jackie raised her hand.

  Anika folded hers. Misty kept her hands at her side.

  “The other Mistys vote to veto,” Jackie said. “That’s two more.”

  Anika shook her head. “No. Misty only gets one. The others aren’t being honest with me about anything.”

  “Yoko,” Sasha said. “You know this is stupid, right?”

  Yoko stared at her own feet.

  Linh tilted her head and smiled, keeping her hands in her lap.

  Jackie and Sasha turned to Billie. “Stop this, please,” Sasha pleaded.

  “I trust Anika,” Billie said. “She’s got this.”

  Sasha took a breath and screamed, climbing back over the bed. “You’re going to get yourself killed.”

  “I’m still leaving right afterward,” Anika said. “I just need a few extra hours.”

  Sasha climbed out the window and dropped to the ground.

  Linh’s mother poked her head inside the room. “Is everything okay in here?”

  They all turned toward the door and smiled.

  “We’re fine, Mom.” Linh pushed her mom out, closing the door in her face. “We’re playing a game.”

  Jackie sat on the bed. “What do we do now?”

  Misty sat beside her and took her hand. “We paint your toenails.”

  Jackie’s eyebrows rose an inch. “What?”

  Billie tackled Jackie. “Dogpile!”

  Linh and Yoko followed Billie’s lead, climbing on Jackie, despite her spirited protests.

  Anika stared at the notebook. Were they right? Was she getting too arrogant? Could she even see it if she was? Megalomania did run in her family.

  Anika shook off the thought. Her plan was solid. She’d save the meathead and leave this town behind forever.

  Jackie struggled to shake the girls off and tried to sit up.

  Anika tossed the notebook on the desk and dove onto the pile. For now, she would enjoy these last few minutes of ‘normal’ with her friends.

  School the next day was a little hard to swallow. Last days always were. Even Ms. Bolton was particularly antsy during English, glancing at the clock every few minutes. She still managed to get everyone involved, often ignoring today’s Misty, who tried to join the discussion. The whole class wanted to get in a few words about Romeo and Juliet. Except for Anika.

  Where had everyone found the time to read?

  Misty finally lowered her hand. Ms. Bolton was overcompensating, or perhaps Misty was now regular in her eyes. This was one of the Mistys that had traveled, had become something of an international spy. If Ms. Bolton only knew.

  Ms. Bolton gave Claire the floor to expound on her theory of Romeo as the villain. His selfishness. His arrogance. His horniness. Only she used Anika’s name instead of Romeo and had the class rolling on the floor. Well, Billie was the only one actually rolling around on the floor.

  Apparently, being nice to everyone didn’t apply to Anika.

  After Ms. Bolton turned her back to write on the board, Claire rubbed the bridge of her nose and grimaced. The price of her intellect was too high. Anika kept telling herself that, but she understood why someone might choose it. Was Linh any different with what her parents did to her?

  Linh’s parents hadn’t objected to Linh coming to school today. After her episode, Linh seemed fine, but this morning she was distant and grumpy. Yoko assured Anika it was her fault because she was leaving Linh behind. Linh had assumed they all would run together. After Yoko broke the news to her, Linh hadn’t forgiven any of them.

  Billie smiled at Anika from across the room. She’d packed Anika’s go-bag, which no doubt included a floral-print bikini. In the end, they decided Billie would have to leave a little later—a pretend exodus back to Norway. She was certainly ready to ditch this “garbage zone” for “beachy pastures.”

  Anika couldn’t wait to see her mom again. They had words needing said, but mostly, Anika wanted to hold her head and kiss all her injuries b
etter, out of existence. The only beauty Anika had ever cared about belonged to her mother, and despite the damage, she wanted to be there to tell her mother how beautiful she was and always would be.

  After English, they had a little going away party in the nurse’s station. Jackie, Misty, Yoko, and Sena hugged Anika a little too long. When had they let Sena into the group? Linh and Billie sat on the window sill, and Billie was drawing something on the back of Linh’s hand. Hawking studied the notebook where the plan was laid out in detail.

  Hawking frowned. “I don’t think this is going to work.”

  Jackie smacked him. “Of course, it will. Shut it.”

  Billie grabbed Anika’s hand, pulling her to the door. “We’ve got to say a few more goodbyes.”

  Linh waved as Anika was pulled through the door. Goodbyes felt wrong. Anika hadn’t finished her final visit to the lab. She had one more risk to take.

  There would be no time after. She’d leave Anika behind for good, and whomever Anika was in the process of becoming. That person would have to stay behind, too. It all made her stomach hurt. It all made her want to cry.

  “Who am I going to be this time?” Anika blinked back the waterworks. “You know, don’t you?”

  “Shh,” Billie said. “Chastity can wait a few more hours.”

  “Chastity?” Anika groaned.

  Billie giggled “Don’t worry, I’m sure we can still change it.”

  Billie’s laugh was like a wind chime—ethereal and fleeting, but beautiful and elegant. Anika was pretty sure Billie was joking about the name. Anika’s mother didn’t change names once she’d committed. A new identity was expensive.

  Anika hated leaving Billie in Moreau. Even if it was only temporary.

  Billie rummaged in the bottom of her locker, pulling out a hoodie, jeans, and shoes for Wallace to slip out in. “I stretched out the arm, so it would fit over his cast.”

  Anika grabbed a medium-sized wrench and added it to the bag. She was confident in the plan. At the lab, today was just another day.

  Billie handed her a vial of gallium. “For luck.”

  “You keep it.” Anika tried handing it back, but Billie shook her head.

  “Give it back next time.”