He placed the piece of sample paper on the table beside the case, and my mom was instructed to put her finger on the paper and hold it in place for ten seconds. The paper drew in enough blood for a good sample, which my mother had taught me. She had used it on a regular basis in the labs herself plenty of times. Joshua picked it up and wrote something on the card so it could be identified, and then placed it in a small, plastic biohazard bag.
Then it was Gaia’s turn and there was the snap, the tensing of muscles, and the exchange of sample paper smeared with blood. Then I stepped in front of the man and held my hand out to him—index finger pointed out just as instructed.
“We’re not getting bandaged?” The words were out of my mouth before I had a chance to stop them.
The man froze with his hand a few inches from my arm and looked at me in such a way that I knew I should have remained silent. He smirked and his eyes bore into mine to the point that I almost had to look away. I held my ground and stared back, not letting him intimidate me even in the slightest. That iron will, like my father’s, at work again.
“The paper has an agent in it that causes clotting once you pull away from it. You won’t need it,” he sighed. Even though my mother taught me about this tool, this was new information.
He took my arm and practically jabbed my finger with the device, pressing the button begrudgingly at the fact I would ask anyone of his station a question. A small yelp left my throat as the snap and prick came. It stung slightly, but mostly, it had startled me. I hadn’t expected him to be so rough, but I had disrespected him by asking a direct question without prompting. I was mentally kicking myself at that moment. I placed my finger on the small sheet of sample paper and noticed its rough texture as it soaked in my blood almost like a vampire. I pulled my finger away and saw that I wasn’t bleeding anymore.
I stepped back and stood with my mother and sister, watching as the men packed our samples into an envelope. They wrote our surname on it with an identification code composed of numbers and letters, packed the samples into the case with the supplies, and dropped the needles in a separate biohazard bag that was thrown into the case as well.
The man who had taken our samples snapped the gloves off and threw them in the trash shoot built into the wall next to the refrigerator. We all had one of these, and all of our trash went to the same place. It all went to a city landfill located on the outskirts of the city. All the main cities had one, and the smaller cities and towns had to share amongst each other.
I led them to the door in silence. I didn’t want to speak again for fear of being spoken to as if I was a child who needed someone to hold their hand. They stood back as I opened the door and then walked out in single file, not looking at us as they left.
As they filed out, leaving us to fret, I knew I would be found out. There was no way to hide what I was anymore. I only hoped that they would be merciful.
Chapter 3
Once I had closed the door, we stood in silence, staring at the old blue floor beneath our feet. There was nothing we could do or say to make the situation less uncomfortable. Something unfathomable snuck between all three of us, and we knew it without speaking. If any of us were taken away, it meant we had been hiding something from our family. In our society, that wasn’t well tolerated.
Then again, if you came out as an oddity that could make a person’s blood boil just by looking at them, then you had a tendency to fear those around you. I didn’t want anyone to be afraid of me, but I also couldn’t keep it from creeping into their psyche once the truth was laid bare for everyone to see. It would break my mother’s heart, and I couldn’t be there to watch her fall apart because of my secrecy.
So I decided to keep quiet as we listened to murmurs in the hallways. The men were moving from one apartment to another and would have the entire building finished within the hour. I could barely breathe, and the anxiety of being kidnapped by a stranger at any moment was beginning to sink in. I steeled myself against the sorrow that crept in. Strength was the only gift I had to give my family and I knew Gaia couldn’t be the unshakable force we needed. The blood was already leaving her face, and she was turning a sickly green.
I watched as she tried to hold herself together. She swallowed hard a few times and then let her shoulders sag, the tension seemed to leak away, leaving her deflated. I was proud of her for not showing her weakness to our mother, even though it was entirely clear to me.
Unseen vehicles roared to life and pulled away, and I felt a small amount of rigidity leave my body as my heartbeat finally began to slow. It didn’t stop my mind from racing, though.
I took a chance and glanced at my mother. She stood with her arms folded across her chest and so deep in thought I felt she might drown. She slouched over a little as she took a deep breath, but then she straightened, looking from me to Gaia. The fake smile she wore said it all.
The resolve shimmered in her eyes, and I knew she would internalize what was happening and move on as if nothing had ever transpired. They would be coming for me soon, and when she couldn’t find me, she wouldn’t be able to deny the truth. Then, she would fall, and the only person who was going to be there was Gaia. I knew she wouldn’t be able to pick up the pieces of herself that would soon follow.
With a heavy exhale, my mother turned to Gaia, no doubt wanting to leave so she could fall to pieces in private. I didn’t blame her. I was probably going to do the same once the both of them left. I had been slightly uncomfortable all day, and I wanted to be left alone until men in bright white suits came for me.
“Well, we should get going,” she said as she took a second to look at me, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. “The curfew will be in effect tonight, and we can’t chance getting caught outside once it’s dark now, can we?”
I knew she was right, so I moved to the door and threw it open as quickly as I could so my mother didn’t see the tremors wracking my body. She didn’t need to know how anxious I was, so I hid it as best as I could.
My mother reached out to hug me as she made her way out of the door with my sister following close behind. She was quiet and hadn’t said anything the entire time she had been in my company, and I knew she was trying to hold her feelings inside. I wouldn’t have blamed her for saying she was scared. To be honest, so was I.
“I love you,” I whispered softly to my sister as I wrapped my arms around her, not wanting to let her go.
“I love you too,” she said with a sigh.
Her voice began to crack, and I could tell she was about to start sobbing if I didn’t let her go. She was traumatized, and I knew what was coming would fracture her.
I pulled away, and my mother ushered Gaia out of the door, pulling her hand into hers and cradling it against her chest. I stood in the doorway and watched them as they walked down the hall, curled into each other. My mother put her arm around Gaia’s shoulders as they moved with sobs tearing through her body. I wanted to run to her and cry with her, but I couldn’t because I was numb and needed time alone.
I closed the door and leaned against it as the tears flowed. Not even squeezing my eyes shut was enough to halt the barrage streaming down my cheeks. With my mother and Gaia gone, I felt okay about letting my feelings show. Our culture taught us that emotion was a weakness, and we had to keep them to ourselves while around others. That was hard when being continuously faced with things on a daily basis that caused stress. I chose my moment of weakness, and it was going to be while I was alone and no one could see me.
I couldn’t fight the conflicting emotions inside me. Relief and absolute terror warred just on the inside. My fate was unavoidable. I had a secret power that could put anyone down with just a look and a little fury, and I was about to be ripped from everything I knew because of it. Nothing could be done to stop the flow of hot tears pouring out of my eyes. Instead of trying to stop them I let them go, letting the terror flow out with them.
Not even five minutes later, I was still standing at the door and a knoc
k sounded, mirroring the same one from earlier in the day. I jumped and turned toward the door, staring at it like nothing else existed. It was past curfew, and everyone knew what being caught out at night would mean. Who would be foolish enough to come down here with the possibility of getting caught? It was as if they took the rulebook and threw it out the window.
On tiptoes, I took a look through the peephole. I could see Julius’ panicked expression and sad steely eyes on the opposite side as he bounced on the balls of his feet with anxiety strong enough that I could feel it pulsing through the door. I swung it open, grabbed his wrist, and yanked him inside as fast as I could—closing the door quietly behind us. The sadness I had felt was replaced by red-hot rage and dread.
“Julius, what the Hell are you doing here? Are you crazy?” I hissed the words at him, letting him feel the emotions that were running through me at that moment.
His metallic eyes were wide, and his breathing was ragged. It looked as if he had run to get here, and while I was pleased to see him, I was irate that he’d risked himself to get here. He had to be stupid to do that just for me. I was nothing special, at least not to me, but what could I expect out of a childhood friend? We had been raised together, forging through each school grade to take care of one another just as siblings did.
“I wanted to check on you. Are you okay?”
“You’re out past curfew! I can’t believe you’d risk yourself like this. You know what they’d do if you got caught.” I shook with a mixture of fury, dread, and angst that I had no doubt he could see. Now that he was there he wouldn’t be leaving. I couldn’t bear it if he got caught because I made him go knowing what could happen.
He nodded and said, “I know. I know. I just needed to see how you were, and from the looks of it, I was right to come.”
He was one hundred percent correct. I quickly wiped the tears away and took a steadying breath, my eyes not leaving him even for a second. After staring him down for a few moments, I could no longer hide it. He knew me better than I knew myself, and I had to admit I barely knew me at all. There was no way around the fact.
“You’re right,” I sobbed, collapsing into myself.
He watched me intently as I took a seat on the couch and rested my head in my hands. I am not going to cry in front of him. I thought the words to myself, over and over, hoping the repetition would help stave off the tears. However, after one escaped, I decided I was not going to fight it. I was too weary and too frightened to keep things from him. It was too much to hold everything I felt in, and I was going to stop keeping things from those that meant the world to me. If I was going to be experimented on, poked, and prodded, everyone was going to know, right?
Julius knelt down in front of me and placed his hands on my arms. I looked up into his beautiful gray eyes, focusing on the small, twinkling flecks of light blue. Concern and the same fear I was feeling seemed to look back out at me. I almost couldn’t stand it since I had always seen him with a cold and icy exterior. He looked as if he had no heart most of the time, just like everyone else did. The new level of intensity was bothersome.
“Everything will be okay, that I can promise you,” he asserted.
All I had to do was trust and believe him that it would be okay. I had known him my whole life. It would be reckless for me not to. He had been nothing but honest with me, and I had always been candid with him. We had faith in one another, and I didn’t see that changing. Ever.
As I sunk into his gaze, I understood I had the one person there with me that would stand by me—no matter what we faced, even if it were a firing squad. Who knew what they would do once they were done with me? I was willing to bet that none of it would be pleasant, and I believed that no one taken that night would get out alive.
Chapter 4
I sat on the couch, watching Julius move silently through my kitchen, going back and forth between the refrigerator and counter. He seemed inclined to make me dinner since he had arrived at my home, neglecting his own safety. Granted, he was a fine friend, but I did not like surprises. Especially when he risked his life and well-being for said surprise. I was a planner, not spontaneous in any way or fashion. That was one of my downfalls, but I didn’t consider it one like some did.
His movements were so fluid. I had never noticed that, but I was more interested in what he was making me for dinner than how he made his way through the space. I decided to investigate since a very subtle aroma was beginning to come from the room, along with a nice sizzling sound. My stomach growled in earnest. I stood and walked toward the kitchen and leaned against the counter, watching him as he stood over my stove and worked his culinary magic.
The scent was delicious, and I was practically drooling, the saliva rolling over my tongue as I watched in rapt fascination. Nothing I had ever cooked had smelled as wonderful, and I liked to think of myself as a very talented chef. Maybe he was even more talented than I was, and that was incredibly hard to believe considering even Julius preferred my cooking.
“So? What are we having?” I probed.
“We’re having steak, of course, and loaded baked potatoes. The potatoes are in the oven already. Oh, and those fresh green beans you have in the fridge as well. I just need to wash them, snap the ends off, and get them cooking.” He used the chef’s knife to point toward my refrigerator.
At least I always made sure the fridge was stocked to the brim with fresh produce. I preferred it fresh, rather than canned like most. My refrigerator was always full of fresh green beans, corn, potatoes, peaches, and apples. These were my favorite fruits and vegetables, and Julius knew it. He even had a tendency to bring me some on occasion and then proceed to steal and eat the apples while he was visiting. I had to replace them once every few days when I’d usually only have to once a week. I even kept real bacon on hand. Yet another benefit of my mother being a government employee.
“I’ll take care of the green beans,” I said as I walked to the fridge and grabbed them out of the bottom drawer. It would keep my mind busy enough to stop racing with what-ifs.
I peeled open the thin, plastic baggy and made a point to stand next to the chute where I could quickly dispose of the ends. First things first, they had to be washed. I glided past Julius and over to the sink, placing a colander in the deep well and turned on the water.
It was important to rinse vegetables with cold water. That was a crucial lesson I’d learned when it came to the genetically altered produce I picked up at the grocery store. Everything we had as far as produce was genetically improved to ward off pests and last longer in our refrigerators, but if put in hot water when not cooking them it would result in a mess. The only downfall of our government messing around with the food supplies was that things got a little revolting if prepared incorrectly.
The water was cold as I rinsed them as hastily as I could since my hands were already feeling slightly numb. The wonderful thing about water companies being government facilities was that the cold water was cold, and the hot water was hot and everything was monitored to ensure maximum healthiness and happiness. They wanted us as hearty as possible as not to spread disease.
Another reason our hospitals and doctor’s offices were hardly ever used. When someone fell ill, they were quarantined in their homes, and a private government doctor would come to keep down the spread. They were extremely cautious, which was why we had been without measles or even the common cold for nearly fifty years.
I turned the knob to turn the water off and took the colander with the green beans over to the counter by the trash chute. I then grabbed a pot and filled it with water, sitting it on the back burner and turning the heat on high. While waiting for that to boil, I moved to the next order of business.
As I began to snap the ends off the beans, I watched Julius cook. He moved so smoothly, the muscles moving underneath his skin like water instead of muscle. I felt an almost irresistible urge to ask him if he had an ability of his own that the genetic testing would find. That night would have been a
bad one to ask since I was certain everyone was being watched.
That moment was the first time in the years that I knew him that we were cooking together in my kitchen. Normally, I was the chef, and he was my taste tester. Him and everyone else. The green beans made a delicate snapping noise as I removed the ends and thumped softly as they made their way back into the colander. It was a satisfying sound, and I was so hungry my stomach felt close to digesting itself for satiation.
I hadn’t been able to eat right before the testing had taken place. We were anxiously waiting for the government officials to make their rounds, kidnapping people as they moved through the city, and cooking dinner helped to keep the awkward silence away. And give everything a sense of normalcy.
I removed both ends from the very last green bean in just enough time to spy the very first bubbles erupt in the pot. Dropping the ends into the trash chute, I picked up the colander and plunked the good parts into the boiling water. I removed the saltshaker from the counter and sifted a nice palm full of salt into the pot, the bubbles boiling up at an even more furious pace as I worked.
If I could only just use my power to do this instead of run up the electric bill, but that would be cheating.
Julius considered me and smiled. The smell of food wafting in the air caused my stomach to growl and my mouth to water even more furiously than before. I was so ravenous that he might not get any of the food he had helped prepare.
Of course, when someone showed up unannounced to someone’s home that person should expect such things. The anxious mood caused by the day’s events had been draining, and if he weren't there, I wouldn’t be eating anything. It was a win, win situation as far as I was concerned. I didn’t have to be alone, even though I secretly wanted to be, and I got to eat without having to do anything. Cooking green beans was nothing, right?
The Harvested (The Permutation Archives Book 1) Page 2
