Experiment 5

by kakalinabogina

An original story by FreeSpirit329 and kakalinabogina.What happens when five teens are taken in by their government and genetically altered? They are being made to survive...will the experiment succeed or is death waiting in the wings?

Taylor

I was crawling on the ash covered ground; my hands and knees being sliced by the shards of glass scattered everywhere. Acrid black smoke surrounded me, obstructing my vision and making my eyes water. The fire was engulfing everything. Death was beckoning to me. I was choking on the smoke that was taking away the oxygen from around me. I was confused about what was happening then, now I know. Being in this horrible nightmare made me wish to be a child again, wrapped in my mother's soft, comforting embrace. A child that knew not of the horrors that now infects my mind.

The fire happened when I was five, in my home. The only real home I've ever known. For the place I live now can never be called a home. There is a difference between where you live and a home. I took that home for granted. There was no way that I was going to let go of that stuffed animal that was being choked in my chubby hands, it was the last thing I had to remember my past life by. I finally made it to a safe corner of my kitchen. How naïve I had been thinking that my parents would save me.

I was that little girl again. Tears were flowing easily down my ash covered, panic stricken face. I sobbed uselessly. Bringing my knees up to my chest I rested my face on them. When you're five, death never really registers in your mind. Sure, old people die, but could you? No. Not in the mind of a five year old anyway.

Then with an earsplitting crash the beams of the ceiling started falling down around me. One fell right by my feet, I screamed. I crawled slowly to the demolished living room hoping to find a way out. This room used to be happy place to relax and enjoy my family's company. Now it was a breeding ground for disaster. I hid behind the charred couch, and with another crash more beams fell. What do I do? I thought. So I started racking my mind trying to remember the specifics of fire safety. Suddenly there came a panic inducing crack and I looked up, straining to see above the sweltering black cloud of smoke. There I saw it! The earthly characteristic of the underworld itself: fire. It was falling. Wait, how was it possible for fire to fall? Oh no, it was another burning beam, but this one was going to fall right on top of me. Screaming I covered my head with my arms as the heavy and hot object fell on me. Then everything went black.

" Taylor. Taaaaylor. TAYLOR! WAKE UP!" someone yelled at me.

"Wha-a-a-at!" I gasped as if and ice cold bucket of water had been thrown on me. I looked around the stainless steel and glass room. But I didn't see any of those shiny surfaces, all I saw was burning house and the falling timbers……. and then I let out a scream like a banshee. Bear grabbed me and shook me but my screaming didn't cease. Even though I could feel his arms around me all I could see was fire, blazing hot and dangerous. Then he tried a new tactic. Bear started rocking me and said:

"Shhhh… its ok…it wasn't real…. just a dream." This murmuring helped me return back to the present and calm down enough to speak. I liked being there in his arms, it made me feel safe and protected.

"It seemed so real. It was like I was back in the fire. I could actually feel the burning timber fall on me. It was scorching my body, roasting me alive."

"Tay…" Bear said tentatively.

"What? Is something wrong?" I asked quickly

"They created another one." Bear said with a haggard look about him.

"What!" I screeched. I could then see the new boy even though he wasn't in this room. He looked to be around fifteen, probably one or two years younger than Bear or myself. Coming back to this room I looked around to get my bearings.

"Hey… I know that look." Bear said.

"What did you see?"

"Just the new kid, he's in the next room. Let's go say hi." I suggested.

Getting up we both walked into the next room to see our newest member. He was handsome; there was no doubt about that, with his dark shaggy hair, ivory skin, and emerald eyes. He looked uneasy as he sat on the uncomfortable modern couch. I greeted him with the only phrase that I could think of that could best describe this place.

"Hello. Welcome to living hell." The boy looked confused at the disgusted tone that saturated my voice. He must think this place was a sanctuary after the horrible accident that must have befallen him. I mean we all thought that when we first arrived here.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Dylan Powers." He said

"So Dylan, do your parents know where you are?" Bear asked. Shaking Dylan's hand in his plate sized one.

"No. I don't think so. I'm pretty sure they think that I'm dead. I just don't understand why I'm here! Did my parents send me here? Why? To get rid of me?" He said. His confusion was evident in his voice.

"The government has a lot of ways to convince people to see things their way." said Bear. The pain and confusion that filled his eyes was almost unbearable for me. I flashbacked to the moment when the government officials had explained to Bear why he was here, they had said that his parents had left him here as a baby. You could see that he was remembering the same scene as I. I knew that he was still tortured over this encounter. His true feelings were beginning to break through his carefully set façade. I put my hand on his forearm in a comforting and reminding gesture. Telling him simultaneously that it was okay and gently reminding him that we didn't know if we could trust this new stranger. He pulled away from me, hiding his face from Dylan.

"So… Dylan. You wanna come into the other room? Relax a little?" I said. Pffft. Right, like you could ever be truly relaxed here. This was my attempt to break the ice.

"Nah. One of the scientist guys wants me in a meeting. Do you know why? I really don't understand what's happening here.

"Well you'll find out soon enough." Bear muttered rejoining our conversation.

"Listen carefully Dylan. They're going to try to sell you a load of crap about helping your country, blah, blah, blah. Patriotic stuff, ya know? Don't buy any of it. After the meeting we'll tell you everything you need to know." I told him in a grim voice.

"I would have busted out of here sooner if they hadn't put this stupid electric bracelet on me." I said, gesturing to the clunky band of glowing metal around my wrist.

"They only put that thing on you 'cause their mad at you for being so stubborn." Bear said. It's true; I'm nothing, if not stubborn.

Just then a tall blond woman in a pencil skirt and a red blouse with a neckline that was extremely low came in.

"Dylan Powers?" she asked in a high pitched, nasal voice. I stared that woman down until she left with Dylan in tow.

"Come on Tay." said Bear. The exhaustion on his face was so pitiful I reluctantly followed. He was tired from this new information and the physical exertion that he was forced to perform yesterday. Whichever scientist had thought it would be fun to have him run for countless hours (and if they slowed to shock them) …….. is a crack head. But aren't all scientists crack heads? At least all of the ones I've met are.

I followed Bear out the door thinking about just taking a nap before the afternoon's lesson on "Self Defense". More like how to kill a man in 25 different ways using the least amount of energy. Being in a government facility can be extremely stressful. We are super human, genetically mutated people. We were stolen (or in Bear's case, given up) from our parents and these completely mental scientists injected us with toxins. In my case, they altered my brain causing me to have visions. The have also altered Bear's body to have powers.

"Taylor, I need to tell you something…" he trailed off. Then he turned around to look at me.

"Shoot," I replied. But I would never know what he wanted to tell me, because right then I got really dizzy. I started falling forward and the ground started rushing up to my face. Luckily Bear's strong arms caught me before I hit the ground. The walls were spinning and my eyes started to flutter closed.

"Dang it," I heard Bear mutter. His voice was so faint, almost as if he hadn't said anything at all.

Then I blacked out.

Dylan

I followed the blond woman into a room with a long wooded table and chairs crammed along its sides. I realized that if I was my old self, (the one who wasn't stolen by the government and now in a strange place) would have noticed her looks, but not now, not here, in this strange and isolated place, the old me was a distant memory.

"Please sit down, Dylan," she said her voice cool and smooth. I plopped down in one of the plush black chairs surrounding the mahogany table.

"Are you hungry, Dylan?" asked the woman, fake concern plastered on her face. Earlier I was preoccupied with my new surroundings and the throbbing in the back of my head and my arms. Now that she brought it up, I realized I was ravenous.

"Yes, starving," I answered in a horse voice, my voice cracking on the starving. She snapped her fingers twice and a servant with a tray of food on a silver platter came in. My stomach grumbled like a wild animal as I dove for the finger sandwiches and fruit, not usually my style but I was too hungry to care.

"Now Dylan, I'm sure you have a lot of questions for me, and I will attempt to answer them, in time. But for now I need you to listen to me." She paused making sure she had my attention. Then she turned around and hit a button on a driver, that, until now, I hadn't noticed. She turned and walked over towards me and placed her frail had that surprisingly housed a diamond that weighed roughly the same as a boulder, on my shoulder as a comforting gesture.

"Now I know this all seems very disorientating, but it will all become clear soon," she said, dragging her hand across my shoulders sending shivers down my spine. She started across the room, her high heeled feet clacking along the floor the whole way.

She turned to the wall and clicked another button on her remote. I wonder what else that thing does? A screen was lowered mechanically from the ceiling. A projector was being wheeled into the room by a man in uniform. The screen went blue, and then changed into a picture of a big-boring-looking building on it. In front of it was a white glossy marble sign with the letters WFFA. Below were the words "World Future Foundation of America."

"My name is Melissa Sanchez, and I am the head of the project the WFFA is recently working on. Now, I can't tell you everything now, but in time it will all become clear." She pressed a knob on the projector and the preceding slide came into view. It was a collection of images showing the results of hurricanes, tornados, and wildfires.

"We as humans have destroyed our earth, and no matter how many people disagree, we will keep destroying it. So, what's the point of saving it? Greenhouse gasses are trapped up in the atmosphere for years and the amount of gasses keeps building up so we'll never get rid of it. So, now the WFFA came up with a brilliant idea, sponsored by the American government. She paused for emphasis. "We are creating genetically enhanced humans to survive the end of the world or survive to the fullest on other plants. You, Taylor, and Berret are getting to save the world. You are part of the first batch of genetically enhanced human and are of the most successful group." She made us sound like cookies. Walking back over to me, she placed her hands on my shoulders and breathed in my left ear, "Dylan you can save the world." Her breath left tingles in the inside of my ear.

"What kid, has never dreamed of being a superhero? You will be famous; you can have anything you want. Everyone will love you. I for one think that superheroes are sexy." She winked at me and I forgot to breathe for a moment. She lifted her thin hand to her salon perfect hair. She twisted a small section in-between her middle and forefinger.

"Dylan you know you want this, all you have to do is cooperate." I looked up at her and saw from icy blue eyes that she was lying. There would be way more to it than just cooperation. I nodded my head and asked:

"Can I go to my room now?"

She nodded "Of course. You must be exhausted," she said in a clipped tone. Ms. Sanchez snapped her fingers again and two bodyguards came in and escorted me to Bear and Taylor's room. I left the conference room cold, confused, and convinced there was something that Ms. Sanchez wasn't telling me. But, for some reason I knew Berret and Taylor would tell me.

Berret

I was pacing in the small stainless steal room……thinking. I had several things that my mind was battling over for full concentration. I was

A) Worried about Taylor, what could they be doing to her?

B) What was this guy, Dylan, doing here? Was he one of us? Could I trust him?

And finally C) The most frustrating one of all; what are my feelings for Taylor? Lately I have been feeling weird around her. We always have spent all of our time together; she was the first person I'd ever spent time with as a friend. I grew up in this Hell Hole of a building and never experienced anything normal, let alone humane.

I decided upon worrying about Taylor because it was the least confusing. I decided to re-live the few moments before she had her vision and was taken away….

We were walking back from meeting Dylan and I was about to tell her about how I felt about her, which was….. I didn't know. I mean, she was my best friend and I trusted her with my life, but lately I've been actually seeing her as a girl. I mean as a normal guy would see her as…. She was gorgeous in a unique way. She had a small frame, so she gave of a pixie look that made you want to hold her. Not to mention her hair; that fell in long waves down her back. Her face, which was kind and caring, had a sharpness which demonstrated her control over everyone and everything. She's a control freak but, I love that about her. I could always count on her. I knew she counted on me too, well at least sometimes. Whenever she tried to break out she would cut herself on the metal reinforcements, and because I can heal, I easily fix her cuts. When the scientists found out about our determination to break out they were furious. So they gave her an electric wrist band; which shocked her system and made her fall to the ground in pain. Unfortunately I can only heal physical injuries. So if Taylor had cancer I couldn't do anything about it. It seems unfair to me that I have to watch my loved ones be ill but I can never be sick with them.

My mind was in turmoil. My thoughts were like a tornado, uncontrollable and erratic. I turned around and looked at her. She was exhausted from yesterday; they wanted to see how high her endurance was when she hadn't eaten anything for 3 days. She was forced to run at top speed on a treadmill. She had dark circles under her eyes and her hair looked brittle.

"Shoot," she had said, too tired to notice my tense voice and posture. But, I was saved from embarrassment and/or rejection because right then she had a vision. I have never really seen what she's like while having a vision, because usually she is with the scientists when it happens. But then she started to fall and I ran over to catch her, determined not to let her it the ground.
I caught her just in time and her eyes started to close. "Dang it" I muttered. Now she would be taken away to those wack-job scientists. My Tay, they would take MY Taylor! They would experiment on her and do all these horrible things to her! I pulled her unconscious body into less of an uncomfortable heap. I laid her head into my lap and straitened her legs arms and torso. I ran my fingers through the soft waves of her hair wishing she was awake. Then I cradled her in my arms and took her to our room.

We were confined into a certain area. We had one bedroom, with two sets of bunks and a bathroom with a shower, toilet and sink. Then we had a room where we were supposed to sit and look happy when government officials came to check the place out. That was where Dylan was sitting.

I laid her on the bed and pulled up a chair to her bedside and watched her sleep. Or what I thought was a peaceful sleep; I had no idea what was going on in her head. I sighed; glad she seemed in a peaceful place. One moment she was laying there in peace the next; thrashing and grimacing in pain. Her mouth open in a silent scream, her eyes squinted shut and her body tense and at the same time whipping sporadically. I climbed onto the bed next to her and started to attempt to calm her.

"Shhhhh…..its okay……..Clam down…" I muttered smoothing her hair and daring to run my fingers across her cheekbones. It did nothing to calm her. She was still violently shifting back and forth across the bed.

Just as the spasms started to get worse, five scientists rushed into the room and one burly German by the name of Hans (according to the nametag.) picked her up in his over muscled arms and took her away. I could only watch blindly as the scientists scurried out of the room followed by the stomping Hans. So I lay back until I couldn't take the chaos of my burdened mind; and started to pace. Back and forth, back and forth, Taylor and Dylan, Taylor and Dylan, my mind was going back and forth in time with my feet. I was worrying about Taylor again after re-living the latest nightmare of my horror movie of a life, when Dylan came in. I took one look at his face and said: "I bet you have a lot of questions for me right now."

"You have no idea," Dylan muttered darkly.

Quoting Taylor, Berret said "Shoot."

"One, well where's Taylor?"

Berret

"Where's Taylor?" repeated Dylan.

"With the scientists. She had a vision." I replied.

"VISION?!?" Dylan exclaimed in surprise.

"You really have no idea what's going on here do you?"

"No." Dylan admitted sheepishly.

I sighed. I would have to explain everything to the new kid. I hate talking to anyone besides Taylor. God, I miss her, and it's only been a few hours. Unfortunately, she was with those morons who call themselves scientists. I wished she was here to explain our situation to the green horn, despite the fact that I don't want her spending too much time with Dylan. Alone. Hey, I know how the teenage male mind works. It's all hormones. If she could read my mind, I'm pretty sure she would beat me up as I tend to think of her as helpless. She hates being portrayed as weak, its just not her style.

Anyway, I sucked up my pathetic self-pity and hid my emotions behind a perfect mask. I started explaining…

"You are in a governmental approved facility, The World Future Foundation of America, or as we call it the WFFA. Taylor and I, that is. I've spent my time here trying to be silent and attentive to the inner workings of this place. I wanted to know how this place works, the secrets, lies, truths, and goals of this hell hole. I'm not even close to claiming that I know it all, but I know enough. I know our purpose, I know our future, I know where we are in the building at this very moment, I know all the possible escape routes and that all of them are blocked by laser sensors. I'm not aware of when their plans will be put into action. I don't really want to know when they plan on it. It's like knowing when you're going to die." I took a deep breath. I don't think I have ever spoken so much at one time in my life. I wallowed in the room's stunned silence, and then spoke into it.

"Here, in the WFFA is where scientists are trying to create a superhuman to survive the demise of the world. As far as I know there was only Taylor and I. Mrs. Sanchez, the head bitch herself, probably gave you some crap like "You will save the world" right? Wrong, we are just experiments to see how they can manipulate the human cells. To them we are not humans, not people with minds. We are lab rats. They think there is no use in saving the earth, but there is. Apparently to them, there is use to save all the monsters that wrecked it in the first place. The scientists want to create humans who can survive disasters that no one should survive."

I shuddered, not from cold, but from the horrors that filled my mind. I realized that during my rant, my mask had fallen, exposing my emotions. I felt naked and uncomfortable, except when I was with Taylor. My eyes were blazing with the hidden sensation of horror, angst, and frustration. I quickly put up my wall to hide my feelings and push away Dylan. My arm muscles flexed under my short and my hands curled into fists to release the growing tension in my body and mind.

"Well obviously you're here so what can you do?" I asked. My voice betraying none of my distress.

"I-I don't know." stuttered Dylan.

"Why me?" I mean I wasn't anything special at home. I wasn't the smartest, strongest, or the coolest. My life was fine before, but now I'm some freak with unknown superpowers!"

His voice grew in strength and volume until he was yelling. Then he cut off, with an expression of burning anger on his face. He stood and turned around with his hand clutching the doorframe for support. His anger peaked and he punched the frame in one violent movement. This earned him a fistful of splinters and a bloody mess of a hand. His expression changed from hatred to pain and anxiety. He faced me and asked;

"What's the government going to do to me?" I walked over to him and touched his hand with my palm, feeling the healing process begin. His face was contorted in a mixture of discomfort and awe. The healing process is uncomfortable. The injury burned, then froze, and then going back to its previous, unharmed state. The time length differed depending on the severity of the injury.

"You can heal?" he asked with a tone of reverence and surprise.

"Yeah, I can heal." I replied. Then I continued on with my explanation.

"They train us to fight, study us, and experiment with us. They want to have as much information about us as possible before they kill us off, or we die. Maybe we will even lose our powers. That's the thing about us. We are in uncharted territory and we live with a fate of uncertainty." I finished in a bleak voice.

"Why don't you just… escape?" Dylan asked.

I snorted at his naiveté. "Yeah we tried that. Trust me. I don't think Taylor has ever stopped trying. Determined little devil." I said, my tone warming at thoughts of Taylor.

"Huh" Dylan replied brilliantly.

Exhausted from the extensive use of my vocal cords and Taylor's episode, I was about ready to pass out. I weakly pointed to where Dylan could sleep which was on the other side of the room, at the other set of bunk beds. He warily made his way toward his new bed. I lay back on Taylor's bed and started to fall asleep. My head rested on her pillow as I breathed ion her scent. She smelled sweet, but spicy. This reminded me she was kind and caring but vicious, sarcastic, and can definitely take care of herself. I was lying on her bed for two reasons. One- I was too tired to move and Two- I wanted her to wake me up when she got back.

I soon fell into the dark abyss that was calling me and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Taylor

What is that incessant beeping noise? I wondered. My fore head itched like crazy and when I tried to lift my arm and scratch it I was met with resistance. Oh no! I remembered now! The flash of a vision, Bear's strong arms encircling me, the murmuring of an expletive, and finally blackness. It all made sense now. Of course Bear would have tried to hide the fact that I had a vision, but I bet the scientists had seen me go down and connected the dots. The beeping was the monitors hooked onto my forehead with itchy stickers. My arms (and my legs undoubtedly) were strapped to this stupid hospital bed. Opening my eyes confirmed what I already knew. I was in the experimentation lab. There in the corner was the treadmill and it's mechanisms. On the table near me there sat needles, scalpels, and a myriad of other medical instruments. Finally, I examined myself. I was in an ugly hospital gown (I mean really what is with those? It's bad enough to be sick and somewhat bedridden. Do they really have to embarrass you with bad fashion too?)

There were monitors all over the place. Looking at my reflection, using one of the many gleaming surfaces, I was looking at an exhausted woman. The cheekbones were prominent. Her eyes were blue with dark circles rimming them. Ohhhh... the eyes. The look was one of loneliness because I missed Bear. He was always by my side after an episode. Where was he now? And where was the new kid, Dylan? The eyes also contained confusion. I suppose this is because I'm a teenager. Our hormones are raging and it feels like we're on an interminable roller coaster. It's bound to be confusing. As I was pondering these things, I felt another vision coming on. My vision clouded and I was no longer I that stark room. I was on the shore of a beach island. The sand is warm against my bare thighs. Sitting next to me is….Bear? Looking out to sea, I see a breathtaking sunset. As the sun sank below the waves, I felt happy and content. When the sun's last rays flickered out I scooted closer to Bear, enjoying the heat of his skin. He glanced down at me and slung his arm around my shoulders. I looked up into his dark green eyes and I felt almost weightless. Leaning into his chest felt natural, almost instinctive. He leaned closer and bent his head to my face. YES! Finally! Just as I was about to get my wish, my vision clouded over again. I was having another premonition. But this new vision wasn't anything like the previous. I looked around me and disoriented. How is it that I go from an amazing beach scene to …this? Smoking pillars of undistinguishable objects. Darkened skies and hazy air, around me stood the bones of a civilization, charred cars houses and storefronts. Why does fire always appear in my nightmares? Maybe this was the end of the word the crazy scientists were always telling us about. Then at the sound of a huge explosion, I wheeled around to find the source of the noise. That's when I received one of the biggest shocks of my life. There walking away from the burning buildings was…us. I was at the front of the formation flanked by 4 others. We were different in this vision. Our eyes had a crazed look in them and we moved forward like robots. Suddenly understanding hit me with the force of a truck. This is what would happen to us of we continued to stay at WFFA. We would end up destroying the world. We would be puppets, with the WFFA pulling the strings. No way in hell was I going to let that happen. There was no doubt in my mind that we were going to make a break for it. As if my body knew what to do the vision stopped abruptly and I made a move to get off the medical table.

"Crap! Ow!" I said. I had forgotten about the metal restraints that were now biting into my wrists. I couldn't get out of here without some help. Just as I was contemplating ways of calling Bear, I heard approaching voices.

"Should we tell them?" a male voice asked.

"Absolutely not!" a nasal voice answered. I knew that voice. It was the woman who had taken Dylan. Mrs. Sanchez. Oh what a joy she is. She spoke again:

"Have you chosen the other project subjects yet?"

"Yes we have." The other voice said. "We also have the chemically enhanced magnetized generators ready for implanting."

Huh? Was he on crack or was that just how scientists spoke for the purpose of confusing innocent bystanders?

"Shhhhh, I think she is awake." Mrs. Sanchez said. I closed my eyes and attempted to slow my breathing and heart rate. She walked into the room and unlatched my wrists. Taking my hand, she pressed her bony finger into my wrist to take my heart rate.

After a while they walked out and I opened my eyes again. I ripped off the brain censors and walked across the room to the glass door. I saw no one, so I started to take my first step out of the door , when a burly security guard came out of freaking-no where and grabbed my arm.

"So polite of you to escort me back to my room, kind sir." I said snidely as we walked away from the experimentation lab. He roughly tugged me down the hallway. When he reached my room he opened the door and threw me in. Even though I fell to the floor from the impact, I held my head high. I climbed to my feet and rubbed the invisible dirt off my tattered jeans. I skipped back to the bedroom in false joy and collapsed on the end of the bed. Only to find Bear's socked feet in my face. I sat up and saw his peaceful face and smiled to myself. My best friend. I hated to wake him, but he was probably worried about me. He always was. Overprotective fool. Does that mean he likes me? No, he just likes me like a friend or a sister. Right? This train of thought was giving me a headache.

I shook his shoulder a bit and hear his soft snoring stutter to a stop. Then he opened his eyes groggily.

"Taylor! Are you okay? I-"

"Yes. I'm fine." I said, cutting him off. I sat on the bed and leaned into his chest. His arm came around my shoulders in an action of comfort. I sighed in content. I slowly drifted off to sleep in his arms and knew that no nightmare-ish visions would plague me tonight.

Berret

I woke up (it felt like it had only been five minutes) with Taylor shaking my shoulder. I shot up and opened my eyes.

"Taylor! Are you okay! I"I exclaimed. Thank God she's back. I was so relieved. It felt like a load was lifted off my shoulders.

"Yes. I'm fine." She cut me off. She said it very blasé but I could sense an undercurrent of pain and exhaustion.

She sat on the bed and leaned into my chest, I wrapped my arm around her, it felt so food to have her back I my arms. I looked at her, immediately noticing her once healthy, glowing skin has subsided to a sickly pall. Her beautiful face was marred by dark circles. It was like we were made for each other (I know it sounds hokey but it's true.) She snuggled closer. Her body fit perfectly against mine. I felt restlessness mixed with anxiety when she wasn't near me. Even though I knew well enough that she could take care of herself. She never lets me forget it as she proves it. Every day. She was tough.

Since we are genetically enhanced, we have stronger senses. We could see and hear better than normal humans. We are also two to three times stronger, not to mention our assorted supernatural powers. Taylor's breathing slowed and I decided to join her in the peaceful sleep.

Dylan

I woke up in a strange bed quite unlike my own. I had a moment of cluelessness before reality set in. Yesterday came rushing back to me. I pinched my arm hoping this was a nightmare. No such luck, much to my disappointment. Not that I thought it would work.

I sat up, my feet on the floor. I felt really dirty. I had been wearing these clothes for days. I lifted my arm and sniffed. Uck. I wasn't a priss, but I needed a shower. Bad.

It was then that I realized I was unbearably thirsty. I noticed a metal cup on the bedside table. I wished for water with all my strength. I picked up the cup and saw that it was empty. Dang. All of a sudden the cup filled with water and the air turned dry. Hastily, I gulped the water down. Once the cup was empty I wished for more water. As soon as I did so the air got even drier. I drank that water too. I was so thirsty I didn't even notice how weird this was.

After my thirst was quenched, I sat up and stared blankly into space. My mind was churning, attempting to find a reason for this strange event.

Some time later Berret and Taylor woke up. I explained the water and cup mystery to them. Taylor was astounded by this turn of events. Meanwhile, Berret had his eyebrows raised in disbelief. Taylor was the first to break the stony silence. That followed my confession.

"So …….. you wished for water and it appeared in the cup?", she asked. Her voice was disbelieving.

"Uh….yeah." I replied. I never said I had a way with words.

"Maybe it's your power, to control water." Berret suggested. Taylor gave him a blank stare.

"Well, Dylan, you said you didn't know what your power was and that cup is definitely not magic. I think that's the only explanation." reasoned Berret.

"So he can make water appear out of thin air?" questioned Taylor.

"I think he can control it. Like take the moisture out of the air. Or move it. It's just a guess but…. I think I'm right." explained Berret.

"Of course you think your right Bear." muttered Taylor.

"So….. I can control water?" I asked.

"I think you can change the molecular structure. Like from liquid to gas, to solid and back again." Berret offered.

"I don't know" I replied.

"Try." Taylor suggested.

"Okay." I said warily.

"Follow me." Taylor demanded. Berret and I followed her into the small bathroom that was connected to the bunkroom.

She pointed to the toilet:

"Move the water." Taylor ordered.

"What!" Berret exclaimed.

"You heard me. Make the water move. Like in the air or something." Taylor explained, as if I was stupid.

"The water in the……..toilet?" Berret repeated. "Isn't that unsanitary?" he asked. The disgust was evident in his voice.

"No. He's not going to touch it. He's just moving it. "Taylor said.

"Uhhhhhhh…. O.K." I said.

I focused all my attention on the water, willing it to move out of its chamber and into the air. Slowly it did. The water rose up into the air and floated there, in thin air. Astounded, I lost my focus and it fell to the floor making a wet splat sound. We all stood there shocked. I had a power.

Taylor

We all stood there with toilet water lapping at our feet. Bear was the first to speak:

"Huh. Sooo, what now?" he asked

"Well, do you think we should tell the scientists? Because today is my training day so they'll be coming here to pick me up any minute…." I trailed off, leaving my sentence hanging.

"No" said Dylan in a tight voice. I put my hand on his shoulder in a friendly and comforting gesture. I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, that Bear was clenching his jaw. Confused, I let go and my mind wandered to my vision.

"It's okay to be scared Dylan. We're here." I said, understanding the fright in his eyes.

"I'm not afraid! I'm …. Never mind it's not that big of a deal." He said. You could easily hear the fury in his voice. He shrugged out of my grasp and stormed out. I let my hand fall, my eyes following his retreating form.

Bear walked over to me and placed his hands on my shoulders. I looked from the door to his eyes seeming to get lost in their depth.

"Are you really okay? Was it horrible?" he asked.

I laughed bitterly. "When is it not?' I asked. He pulled me into a tight hug. Surprised, I didn't respond instantly. Once my surprise dimmed I was filled with affection and responded to him by wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my face in his chest. His arms encircling my waist and drew comforting rotations on the small of my back. I never wanted to let go. Somehow, I knew he didn't want to let go either. I tilted my head up and got lost in his eyes again. Suddenly, this moment felt right. He leaned in and our lips locked. I haven't kissed anyone before, so I had no past experiences to compare it to, but it was perfect. I could feel his nervousness through his excitement. I'm sure he could feel mine too. We pulled back, stunned. Our first kiss. I had felt about a million different emotions at the same time. It was exhilarating. It was weird and awkward, but it was sweet and loving too. We were still standing there like astonished idiots when the door opened and a wacko scientist came in (without knocking of course, so rude.) and she said:

"Taylor, its time for your training session." I realized that Bear's arm was still slung around my waist. Wriggling out of his grip, I walked out of the room as a blush crept into my cheeks. That was awkward. What if the scientist had seen us? Would they separate us if they knew? I entered the bare training room. Gray mats covered the floor and top of the line exercise equipment lined the wall. All the equipment was connected my sensors and wires that are attached to the person working out. The scientists forced us to test our endurance daily to see how their crazy experiments had affected our bodies. Sitting down to lift some weights, I saw the scientist trainer's eyes flicker to the operation room which is adjacent to the exercise room. I followed her gaze and saw an unbelievable sight. On the tables in the operating room lay two little kids! They were experimenting on kids! The two looked to be a few years apart. The girl was small and fine boned. Her thick, dark, hair fell to the middle of her back and was cut straight across her forehead into bangs. The boy (I assumed he was her brother) was a little bigger than the girl but he had the same shiny hair, light cinnamon skin, and exotic brown eyes. What are they planning to do with these little kids? I thought. I puzzled over this question for the rest of mu grueling workout session. After a quick shower, I sprinted to Bear and my self's room. In a rush I explained what I had seen in the operation room. He sat there staring at me when I was finished.

"What they are doing to those little kids is just…horrible. Those scientists have no soul. UGH! This just gets me, so, so, angry! I mean-"I was ranting when Bear cut me off.

"Tay. It's great that you feel so passionate about these kids. Just don't do anything….." I sighed as he thought of a word.

"Rash" he finished, giving me a warm but stern look.

"Remember what happened last time." He pulled me into a hug. He didn't have to say it out loud for me to know what he was talking about. I could remember it like it was yesterday….

I was 13 and Bear was 14. He was just put through surgery to give him super strength, but it failed miserably. Bear was in excruciating pain and was in his bed all day. He didn't even get up to eat. The fact that he was even admitting to being I pain was big. He never admits to anything; exhaustion, pain, hunger. All these feelings he preferred to be unknown unless it was too much to handle. His emotionlessness just irritates me to the high heavens!

Anyway, I was really angry at the lab rats (my nickname for the evilness that is the scientists) so I decided to break out. Yeah, I know not the smartest idea I've ever had. I was so angry, I was just beyond reason. My plan was simple, whenever a lab rat came in to get one of us I would knock him out and we run.

I informed Bear of my plan and he had a few choice words for me:

"That is the most moronic idea since genetically altered humans!" There were a few others but its probably best not to repeat them on paper.

Well, not much later; a lab rat came in and sure enough I knocked him out. But, oooooooh no, Bear didn't want to come. He said I was going to get caught and there was no point in trying. So while he lounged in a chair I split. I sprinted down the hallway, full speed ahead. I had been running along for a whopping 7.5 seconds. Then I heard the heavy clomping of steroid induced appendages hitting the floor. I quickened my pace, but it wasn't too ling until the caught up with me. A burly man jumped me from behind and I hit the floor. I could feel my nose break as my face slammed into the hard tile. Blood spurted from my nose and streamed down my face, dripping onto my t-shirt.

Roughly, my arms were yanked behind me and I hissed in pain. The man literally dragged me to my room and threw me in. Berret had a smug look on his face and said:

"I told you so."

I turned to face him, secretly smudging some of the blood around so it looked worse. Once he caught a glimpse of my face, it wiped that smug look off right away. I smiled vindictively on the inside, attempting to keep a look that would inspire pity on my face.

He got up and brought me a wet towel to wipe my face with. I took it and slowly wiped the blood from my face. As he came closer I shut my eyes and balled my fists while he set my nose.

I held in my protest of pain as the almost unbearable burning and then cooling set in. A few moments later he was finished. He took care of my bruises and the pain slowly faded to a dull ache. I let out a sigh of relief….

I came back to reality as the flashback faded away. Bear was waving his hand in front of my face, begging for my attention. I shook my head, wishing the memories would fade. I breathed in…..and out, ahh relaxing. I wished so much that I could go back to that time too be able to be with Bear without having to think about our attraction. It was like there was a rubber band around us and the farther we moved away the closer we needed to be. I couldn't get away from him (not that I wanted to). I was acutely aware that we were in our room. Alone. Together. He leaned in and I joined halfway. Our lips fit together perfectly, like lock and key. He smelled musky and something I couldn't quite name and I loved the combination. I moved my fingers from tracing the contours of his shoulders; to tangle in his hair. I ran my fingers through the waves of dark brown hair. I tightened my fingers clutching his head closer, not getting enough.

He started pushing me forward, until my back was pressed against the wall. He was in front of me and the wall was behind me. His arms were tight around my waist clutching me to his chest.

We were pressed against each other, so close that not even a piece of paper could go between us. There was such a flurry of movement that we couldn't speak. He was everywhere- my neck, my hair, my back, my waist. Everything was Berret.

I was usually in control; it was a necessity to me. But I was gladly dominated. I don't know how far it would have gone because….

I heard a small voice whisper:

"What are they doing?"

"I don't know. Eating something?" another voice said.

I jerked my head away from Bear and pushed him with all my strength (I'm no whimp, I mean they make me lift weights almost every day) I whipped around and heard a thump when Bear, taken off guard, hit the wall.

Two kids stood in front of me. One was around eight and a small Asian boy. He was holding hands with a little Asian girl who was around six. They were the children that I was from the operating room. I walked, slowly, towards them and kneeled down to look them in the eyes. In their eyes, I could see fear and confusion that was evident in their minds.

"Hi. I'm Taylor." I said sweetly.

The older boy stepped in front of his sister and said:

"I'm Yoshi."

"Hi Yoshi." I spoke. I could feel Bear's presence behind me. From the slightly taken aback expression on their faces, I'm sure just his size was intimidating. The girls stepped put from behind her brother with a determined look on her face.

"Hi. I'm Dallas." She spoke and her voice was high, but not annoying.

"Hi Dallas. You and your brother will be staying with me and Berret for a while. I'll take care of you. Don't worry." I said. The girl ran up and hugged me. I didn't fully understand why, but I felt very protective and motherly towards the two new strangers. I scooped her up and hugged her close.

After a few moments I noticed Yoshi off to the side. I let Dallas down and motioned for the eight year old to come closer. He did so and then lunged in for a hug. I gave it to him and whispered in his ear:

"Call Berret Beary, it'll annoy him."

Yoshi giggled and I put him down. He ran over to Bear, hugged his legs and said:

"Pick me up Beary!" Berret looked impassive but I could tell from the slight raise of eyebrows, that he was surprised.

"Come on Bear. Be a good big brother." I said. He sighed and picked up Yoshi, gave him a quick squeeze and immediately set him down. Hmmm. We were going to have to work a little harder to unearth Bear's brotherly side. The little girl, Dallas, was sitting in the corner hugging her knees. Her eyes darted around the room shiftily. I went over and picked her up again. Her new wariness of us immediately evaporated and she curled into a little ball in my arms. I clutched her tighter and she murmured something into my shoulder. I loosened my grip and her head popped up to repeat her question.

"Is there food here?"

" Oh yeah, there is. You guys must be starving, huh?"

Her big brown eyes got a little wider and she nodded her head in assent.

"Come on, follow me." I said.

The two kids followed me eagerly, like little puppies. Bear trailed close behind them.

We walked into the little kitchen and I opened the refrigerator.

"I'm not much of a cook, so how do you like eggs?" I asked.

"We like eggs just fine." Yoshi said.

I put the skillet onto the stove and cracked a few eggs into a bowl. I added some leftover ham and then I threw it onto the hot skillet. I sprinkled salt, pepper, and cheese onto the bubbling mixture.

"So what would you guys like to drink?" I asked

"My auntie always used to give us green tea." offered Yoshi.

"Oooookay. We don't exactly have tea, but we have milk. Is that OK?"

"Sure."

"Wait, Wait, Wait." Interrupted Berret

"What?" I exclaimed exasperatedly. He folded his arms.

"I am going to cook, because you cannot."

He took the frying pan and cracked an egg.

"What is that supposed to mean." I asked, irritated.

"Isn't it obvious? You stink at cooking, no offense."

Of course, I took offense. I felt the color rush to my face.

"What do you mean I can't cook?!" I asked through clenched teeth.

"I just mean that your crazy experiments with food always go bad, that's all."

"Insult my cooking one more time." I threatened. I was mad now. If he was going to take one more shot at me I was going to have a meltdown.

"Your-cooking-sucks." Bear said, annunciating each word.

I cracked. In a fury, I picked up the frying pan full of bubbling eggs and hurled the contents at his face. He was so caught by surprise that he didn't have time to dodge the mixture. It hit him full in the face. I could see that it was hot enough to give him burns. I didn't care. The eggs wouldn't cause him pain for long. He ran his hand over his face and the burns were gone. Dang, I had forgotten he could do that in my moment of fury. He just stood there smirking. I suddenly got very aggravated again, but kept my face blank. I had an idea. I walked slowly over to him with a flirtatious smile on my face. Little did he know I had a surprise behind my back. I walked right up to him, stopping only when our noses were touching and electricity was coursing through our bodies. Right when he wrapped his strong arms around me I lifted my arm up and SPLAT smashed an egg on his head. His face was hilarious! He stood their all PO'ed with yoke running down his face and hair. Gross. I backed away and started laughing. I faintly heard Yoshi and Dallas giggling in the background, but I was focused on Berret.

He slowly walked over to me and I started backing up but, too soon, my back hit the wall and Berret was towering over me. His dinner plate sized hands were placed on either side of my head. He leaned close.

"You think that I'm going to let you get away with that?"

I was still shell-shocked by his sudden closeness and couldn't respond. He reached behind himself and grabbed a bottle of chocolate sauce from the counter.

"Berret…." I said in warning. He smirked and lifted the bottle of chocolate over my head teasingly. I frowned.

Slowly, he turned it over and dribbled it on my head like he was making a sundae. The chocolate sauce was running down my face and into my gaping mouth.

"Bear!" I screeched. He bent down and whispered in my ear using a smoldering voice:

"Mmmm. Chocolate."

I felt an involuntary shiver slide down my spine. He brought his face down so I was staring into his deep green eyes. I was so distracted by this that I didn't notice his finger until it touched my face. He swiped it across my nose, then licked his finger grinning. "Yum"

He leaned down to kiss me. It was like before, except sweeter, like chocolate. Then like an electric shock had hit me, I pulled away realizing that we weren't alone and soon enough, that simple kiss would build into a full blown make-out session. I didn't want to scar these kids for life, so I stepped out of his arms. I walked over to Yoshi and Dallas.

"You kids still hungry?"

They looked at me like I was crazy.

Bear

The kitchen scene was awesome. It was like Taylor and I had forgotten our problems for a little while. She was so surprised when I dumped that chocolate sauce on her head. Her face was priceless. Now we're sitting in our bedroom playing a game with the newcomers, Yoshi and Dallas. Taylor dug the game out of the back of her closet. It's the only game that we ever had as kids. These kids seem to be entranced by it. It's like they have never played Hungry, Hungry Hippos before.

So we're sitting there and then that Sanchez woman came in. she was carrying five black bags over her arm. She dumped them on one of the beds and motioned for Taylor and myself to follow her. We got up and Dallas glanced up with her intelligent eyes. We walked into that little living room-thing. She turned around and spoke in a severe, nasal voice.

"We have planned a party for you and the other 3 to get to know each other and the others like you. We have supplied new clothes for the occasion. The clothes we have given you must be worn. The gathering will start at eight o'clock sharp. Food will be supplied. Good day."

"But-"Taylor started to say after that onslaught of information.

"I said good day" she snapped in her Hispanic accent. With that she turned around briskly and walked away, with her butt twitching. We walked back into the room and Yoshi looked up from the pile of clothes sitting on the bed. He had a puzzled look on his face as he asked:

"What is this thing?"

He had a bra pinched between his fingers. Then he tripped over the big pile of clothes and the bra flung out of his hand as if in slow motion and it landed on my head.

Taylor

That was awkward. Apparently, while Bear and I were gone Yoshi and Dallas opened the bags labeled with our names. Yoshi had dug through mine and came up with an object that was unfamiliar to him. A Wonder bra, my new Wonder bra to be exact. I also had a new emerald green dress with a yellow skirt underneath AND high-heeled shoes to match. After getting myself dressed and throwing on mascara I had to help Dallas get dressed. Her dress was yellow with an emerald green sash. She had cute little ballerina slippers with bows on them to go with her dress. I led her into my little closet of a bathroom and gently brushed her dark, shiny hair. When I was done she beamed up at me and asked:

"Can I brush yours now?"

"Um….sure."

She took the brush from my hands and had me sit on the toilet seat. Then she started to brush my hair just as softly as I had done hers. When she was finished, I scooped her up and we both looked in the mirror. We looked good, really good. Dallas's eyes were alight with happiness. Her cheeks were a soft, rosy pink and her eyes were framed with a fringe of black lashes. We both jumped at a knock on the bathroom door. I took a deep breath and opened the door. Bear, Dylan, and Yoshi stood there. They had on black tuxedos with a yellow flower in the button hole. Bear's dark hair was combed, so it wasn't falling in his eyes. Dylan's eyes were alight with curiosity and Yoshi looked cute but a little apprehensive. Dallas jumped out of my arms and took her brother's hand. Bear looked me up and down from head to toe and then asked:

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah. Where is it?"

"The ballroom on the third floor."

"Are they actually going to let us go unchaperoned?"

"Nope. That Sanchez woman is here again."

"Figures."

Bear gave a nod and slid his arm around my waist. Dylan stared at his arm with contempt. Great, just perfect. I needed a gentle way to brush him off. We walked out of our bedroom and there sitting on the couch was Melissa Sanchez in a skanky looking black dress. She had her hair pulled back in a sleek bun, J-Lo style.

"You look…..nice." she said with as much of a smile as someone who has been overly botox-ed can. Her eyes were still uncaring and cold.

"Come." She snapped.

We followed her with Bear's hand still resting in the curve of my hip. Yoshi and Dallas were skipping ahead of us. The group exited our compound and headed for the elevators. Stepping inside, Melissa pressed the third floor button. She started speaking as the elevator rose:

"When we arrive at the party I expect you to be on your best behavior. There will be many important people that we have to impress. They will ask you questions about this program and despite what some of you may hold as your personal views." Here she shot me a reproachful look. "I expect you to sing this program praises to the high heavens. Understand, you little brats?" she snarled suddenly at Yoshi and Dallas, who a few seconds before had been listening intently. Now they were cowering behind me and Bear (which was an understandable response as Mrs. Sanchez had eyeliner tattooed on her eyelids). The elevator dinged and we stepped out. Women in ball gowns and men in expensive suits, stood before us in the ballroom. I had to admit it looked beautiful, with satin bows adorning the tables and chairs. An orchestra was playing in the background accompanied by the tinkling of glasses and silverware. Bear slipped his arm around my waist again (which served a dual purpose; looking refined and making sure I didn't fall over in my heels.) and we glided into the room with Yoshi and Dallas following quietly. Dylan was sulkily walking behind the siblings. We were soon spotted by a group of men in their late thirties to mid-forties. Bear accompanied …………….

34