by Rey, Solomon
“It couldn’t have been too bad—I’m fine!”
“Honey, let your Dad finish,” Donna said gently.
“Okay,” she said, “Sorry.”
“You were hurt a lot worse than you think. When we found you, you were barely breathing, an arm was broken and your spinal cord had been severed.”
Olivia sat stunned, thinking, it was impossible. He had to be lying or trying to be funny, but her father never lied to her before, and it would be a horrible joke.
Richard continued, “On the way to the hospital, you died. I performed CPR, breaking a few ribs in the process, but I was able to resuscitate you.”
Olivia glanced at Donna, then Derek. She could tell by their solemn looks they wore, he was telling the truth.
“You weren’t going to live if we drove to the hospital. Your pulse was barely detectible. I’ve worked the E.R. long enough to know the signs.”
Olivia was aware of where this was leading. She could foresee the conclusion. Tears slowly ran down her face. She knew her life would never be the same. Why did he do
this to me? She thought. “You used Chromosome ‘S’ on me?” she asked with anger in her voice.
“If I hadn’t you would be dead right now; I really had no choice. I wasn’t about to let you die! In fact, you died after I administered the serum. Your heart had stopped for almost seven minutes. Chromosome ‘S’ brought you back. You are sitting here because of it.” He decided enough was said. They waited patiently for her to respond.
Olivia was numb from head to toe. She didn’t know what to say, act or feel at the moment. She was curious as to what to expect. “What’s going to happen to me,” she asked apprehensively.
“You will find your strength increasing exponentially and obviously your power to heal is amazing. Your wounds mended practically overnight. You won’t feel pain the same way as you did before.”
“Hey! Good news! No more cramps!” Derek chuckled.
Olivia shot daggers at him with her eyes. “It’s clear my body can heal itself, but when will the other changes begin to happen?” She asked, still stunned.
“They already have begun, Honey,” Donna said, rubbing Olivia’s shoulder, trying to comfort her.
“What do you mean?” Olivia asked.
“Last night, do you remember having any bad dreams?” Richard asked.
“Yeah…kind of,” Olivia forced herself to recall, “Yeah…I dreamt of my mom. It was of her murder. I had to watch her die,” she said sadly, “Why?”
“I was lying next to you, watching you toss and turn. I tried to comfort you, so I held your hand, but your fingers began to squeeze tighter and tighter. I couldn’t free myself…”
“Are you saying I did that to you? Because of me, you have to wear a cast?” She looked toward his hand.
“Whoa!” Derek said.
“Yes Honey, but it was an accident,” Donna said, “I took him to the hospital last night.”
“How bad is it?” She asked. Guilt washed over her.
“Five broken bones—the cast will have to stay on for six weeks, then it will be good as new.”
“I…I’m so sorry, Dad! Is that why you slept on the floor,” she asked, “Because you’re afraid of me? You’re afraid of me!” She still didn’t know how she should feel—thankful or angry. The anger was winning!
“I know you wouldn’t intentionally hurt anyone. Last night was an accident. I did sleep on the floor to avoid any further accidents. My intention was to tell you everything this morning.”
She wanted to know more about her ‘new’ self. What should she expect? “What other changes will I see?” She asked.
“Well, last night as I was taking a blood sample, I had difficulty penetrating your skin. I would assume it to be impossible now, it’s should be practically impenetrable…”
“So…you’re saying she’s bullet proof?” Derek asked, “Cool!”
Olivia and Donna gave him a look, which he unmistakenly understood to mean: Shut up.
“No,” Richard said confidently, “I wouldn’t go as far as to assume she’s indestructible.”
“I don’t want to hear anymore!” Olivia said through clenched teeth, as she stood with anger evident: In her posture, her attitude, and her face. “I can’t believe I hurt you,” she said, finding one thing, anything to center on.
“It was an accident Honey, you weren’t aware of what you were doing,” Richard said.
“Really Dad? Are you sure about that? How do you know it’s not one of the friggin’ side effects of Chromosome ‘S’? You don’t…you can’t know!”
“I see no aggression in Minnie…”
“I’m not a mouse!” She said furiously at her father. “How could you do this to me? I’m a freak!” she wiped a tear away with a flick of her hand. “Who gave you the right to play God over my life?” She gave her father an unmissable angry stare. “Who did you do it for—me or so you wouldn’t have to deal?”
“Olivia!” Donna said. Richard sat down next to Donna, calmly putting his hand on hers.
“It’s okay, let her speak,” he said.
“Did it ever occur to you that I could end up dying a more painful prolonged death if something went wrong with Chromosome ‘S’?”
This had never crossed Donna or Derek’s mind. They looked to Richard, waiting for his answer.
Richard was about to answer her questions, but was cut off.
“I need to get out of here,” she said irately, “I need to be alone,” she hurried to the door, squeezing the door knob as she opened it. She bounded up the stairs, three at a time.
“You think you should go talk to her?” Donna asked of Richard.
“I’m the last person she wants to hear from right now,” he said, “Derek should go.”
“Me!” He replied, obviously surprised.
“I told you, you would be valuable. This is what I was referring to.”
“You knew this would happen? That she would react this way?” He asked.
“More like ‘suspected’,” Richard said, “Will you go?”
He nodded to Richard, glancing at his mom, as he walked toward the door. “Whoa! Check this out,” his eyes were wide with astonishment. Donna and Richard quickly joined him, as he pointed at the door knob. “Look!” he said, “You can see where her hand crumpled the metal! So cool! I’ve got goosebumps,” he chuckled as he pointed at his arm.
Donna and Richard exchanged looks, but remained silent. Derek ran up the stairs to find Olivia.
“How do you think she’ll deal?” Donna inquired.
“She’s always been a level-headed kid, but if she can’t get a grip now, she won’t be able to handle all the changes ahead of her.”
“What kind of transformation are you talking about?”
“I can’t be a hundred percent sure about any of it. All I can go by is Minnie and scientific speculation, kind of an educated guess, you might say.”
“Well, what’s your best guess?”
“We know Minnie had a growth spurt of twenty-four percent, and a weight gain of eighty-five percent. So, if my calculations are accurate, my four foot, seven inch daughter, should end up being five foot, nine within the next few weeks,” he said confidently.
“And her weight?”
“About one hundred sixty pounds, a gain of seventy pounds.” Donna was speechless. “That’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
“Tell me everything,” she stared wide eyed.
“With her strength increase, comes speed. Then there’s her hearing and sight, which—“
“How fast will she be?”
“I won’t be able to predict it without tests and observation,” he replied, “Now, the most complex of all organ’s in the human body is the brain, which, most likely will bring the most significant changes.”
“Why?”
“Scientist guestimate that the normal person uses, at most, ten percent of their brain. There is so much we don’t know about it, but what if C
hromosome ‘S’ allows the use of fifteen, twenty percent or more. What would that mean? Would she have photographic memory, be telekinetic or telepathic? Would she become so smart, Einstein would seem like a child, comparatively speaking, of course.” he said excitedly.
This was to much for Donna to absorb, it sent her head reeling with details. So many things to consider.
* * *
Derek reached the top of the stairs, scanning the area for Olivia. He saw her outside, sitting on the tailgate of the SUV. He recalled yesterday, her laying on the same spot, fighting for her life.
He went to open the screen door. He noted, it hung by a single hinge…two had been sheered off. “Whoa!” He whispered to himself.
She sat with her head down, hands in her lap, “I heard that,” Olivia said,
“What do you want?” she snapped.
“I came to see how my best friend is doing.”
“I don’t want to talk right now!” She said curtly.
“Good! I don’t either. Maybe we could just sit and stare at each other for awhile. But that wouldn’t be fair, ‘cuz I’m easier on the eyes then you are.”
He could always make her laugh, but this time she wasn’t going to smile. She wouldn’t allow herself. She glared at him.
“Did it suddenly get cold out here or is it me?” He said joking.
“Stop it!”
“Stop what?” He said innocently.
“You know what…you’re trying to get me to laugh and there’s nothing funny about me being a freak!” She placed her hands to her side, gripping the edge of the tailgate.
“You’re not a freak! You don’t think I’d be friends with a freak do you?”
“You might, if he supplied you with Hot Pockets!” A hint of a smile appeared.
“You know me so well,” he said, pausing briefly,
“Olivia, you could never be a freak to me or to our parents. Isn’t that what really matters?”
“But--.”
“There’s no buts! You died, and instead of talking to you right now, I’d be crying at your funeral this weekend wishing you were alive. I’m glad he did what he did! He really had no choice. You have to be able to see that, but I’m not the one who has to live with the changes, you do. I know this: if your Dad hadn’t injected you with Chromosome ‘S’ and you died, I don’t think I could have ever forgiven him.” He was right and she knew it.
“I guess you’re right,” she said softly.
“I’m sorry? Could you please repeat that! Did you just say I was right,” he pretended shock. “Oh, please say it again!”
“I can’t, it would hurt too much,” she said.
“Just remember, ‘With great power, comes great responsibility.’” He chuckled.
“This is not some stupid comic book, Derek, this is real life. It’s my life, which has been genetically altered,” she said sharply.
He heard a creaking sound coming from somewhere, “What’s that noise?” He looked around, shrugged, “I would step up and take the serum without hesitation, long as I wouldn’t end up with a super hero name like blubberbutt or noseman,” he finally did it. He made her laugh.
“You’ll always be my friend?” She asked, already knowing his answer, but hearing it would make her feel better.
“I’ll always be your friend, and the fact that you can kick the crap out of me will not affect my decision.”
She dropped down from the tailgate, opening her arms to hug him.
“Gently...,” he cautioned, easing into her arms, “Easy with the merchandise,” he was partly kidding. He didn’t want to be fitted with a back brace. He pulled away.
“You were pretty hard on your Dad back there.”
“I know…I was just…scared.”
“Well, you want to do a couple of experiments? Kind of check out what you can do?” He asked enthusiastically.
“Like what?”
“Well…did you really hear me whisper at the door?”
“Yeah, like you were right next to me,” she said more jovial than before.
“Okay, let’s experiment with that,” she nodded, “The distance between the door and the car is…,” he paced it off. “About twelve strides. I’m going to triple that,” he walked toward the road, “Are you ready?” He asked.
“Yeah…go ahead.” she said. “Okay,” he whispered,
“Scott Davies eats dog poop for dinner.”
She laughed, “I think you’re right!” She suddenly got a whiff of a rancid odor, “Oh my God!” she exclaimed covering her nose, “What is that horrible smell? It smells like something died.”
“Oh…sorry,” he said with a guilty look. “Hey! you could smell that?”
“Unfortunately, yeah. What have you been eating?”
“Never mind that, you’ve got a super sniffer!”
“Or maybe, you have super farts, ever think of that?” She said giggling.
“Funny girl!”
* * *
“Should we go check on them?” Donna asked.
“In a little bit. I wanted to talk to you first,” he had thought about her through the night. He hadn’t been with a woman in a sexual way, since his wife’s untimely death eleven years ago. He was not used to having a woman in his house and considered it best to set some ground rules while she was staying there. He didn’t want to do anything that could offend the kids or could be misconstrued as improper. He most definitely was attracted to her, and could someday see marrying her, but he felt they should fake the right steps if they were going to further their relationship.
“What about?”
“Us,” he said. This brought a smile to her face. She was intrigued.
“So…there’s an ‘us’?” She asked playfully.
This caught him off guard; He sat silently.
This tickled her, as she suppressed a laugh, “I’m sorry. Go ahead.”
He took a moment to compose himself. “We’ve been friends for almost ten years; during that time, my feelings for you have grown immensely−.”
“Same here”, she confirmed.
“Now that we are sharing the same living space, awkward situations may arise. For instance, last night when I got out of the shower, you came−.”
“I’m confused. What are you talking about?” she feigned ignorance. She was enjoying herself tremendously as he squirmed before her.
“You know…when you saw me naked,” she stared at him. He didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t hold back any longer, she giggled.
“I knew what you were talking about I just wanted to mess with you.” She had to be straight with him. They’d been friends or a while; each concealilng feelings toward each
other. Wasted was what it was and she wasn’t going to continue doing it, anymore. “I understand that you’re nervous about us. I am too! You haven’t been with a woman since your wife died; and me with my husband. I have deep feelings for you and I’ve had them for a long time, without ever acting on them, because I wasn’t sure you felt the same for me. Now I know you feel the same, which thrills me to no end. We’ve wasted so much time, I refuse to squander one more second,” she said fervently.
She stepped close to him, tiptoed up and kissed him passionately. He wrapped his arms around her. She fit perfectly, as though God had made them just for holding her. He had wondered often what it would be like to kiss and hold her; His wondering-days were over. He eventually eased away, lingering any longer could cause things to happen; clothes would be removed.
“Well, that was worth the wait,” he said.
“I concur, Doctor!” she said giggling.
* * *
“Can you imagine how bad my farts would smell if I had taken the serum?” Derek said.
“That would be classified as biological warfare,” Olivia said, “Do you want to go further away and say something?”
“Naw,” he said, walking toward her, “Let’s see how good your eye sight is.”
“Okay,” she said willingly. She
was starting to enjoy herself. I could really have some fun with this stuff, she thought. “So what do we do?” she asked.
“Just look around…find something,” he glanced, surveying the area until he found an object, “I got it! Can you see this, right here?” he pointed.
“An ant crawling along the ground”, she stood fifty feet away from it.
“Oh wow!” she exclaimed.
“You can see it!” He shouted, “Wow!”
“I can, as clearly as if it were in my hand,” she said excitedly.
Derek danced around, “This is awesome!”
Olivia laughed hysterically. It is awesome, it really is, she thought.
At that moment, a fly passed in front of her face, she focused all of her attention on it. Suddenly, time seemed to slow. She could see and hear every flutter of its wings, as well as every minute detail as though looking through a zoom lens. Instantaneously, she plucked it out of the air. Time sped up.
“What the hell was that?” Derek asked.
“I don’t know. It’s like everything went into slow motion.”
“Yeah, but one second your hand is down by your side, the next your holding a friggin’ fly with two fingers.”
She was just as amazed as he was. She released the fly unharmed. He bent down to pick up a small stone, placing it in the center of his palm, (He had seen too many martial arts movies). He said in an Asian accent, as his eyes remained locked on the stone.
“Gwasshoppa, when you can snatch this pebble from my hand, you—.” It was gone!
She held it in her hand! He never saw or felt anything. One moment it was there, the next—poof. Olivia was smiling.
“That is so cool!” Derek said.
“Should we see how strong I am?” She asked eagerly.
“Yeah, yeah.. Good idea!”
“What should I do?” She asked, both searched. Derek’s eyes widened.
“The SUV! Go to the front bumper and see if you can budge it,” he suggested.
