Seven days in the life of Ari:
The first memory Ari has is of being loved. His mother is holding him tight, he is held in her warm arms. The good him, before Jeb leaves him alone with the Whitecoats and before they turn him into a freak. But Ari likes this memory because his Mum loves him.
She is the only person, Ari thinks, who has loved him in this way.
A mother's love.
Ari is four years old.
A Whitecoat gave him some crayons earlier. She was smiling at him but her eyes were sad. Ari didn't like that- it confused him.
But he began to draw a picture and he knew it would be the best picture for his Daddy. He couldn't write, not like Daddy could, but he could see the picture in his head and copy it. He drew the lines slowly and carefully, and after five minutes Ari has just as much crayon on his hands as on the paper. He is drawing a house- a house with his Daddy outside it, and his Mummy too even though Daddy said he mustn't think about her anymore. He drew himself too, a wobbly blue square with yellow lines on top.
Fifty minutes later Ari was finished, and he was happy. He looked it over, checking for details. Then he remembered what Daddy did; Ari grabbed the purple crayon and scribbled in the corner. Daddy called it a signature, but Ari couldn't write so this would have to do.
He toddled off, crawling along the floor with stumbling movements. He would show his Daddy his drawing. Most of the Whitecoats ignored him as he crawled past. They were looking into the boxes they had. People lived in the boxes, Ari saw them sometimes. Ari didn't understand it. People should live in houses with a Mummy and Daddy and a doggy if they wanted one. Ari had always wanted a doggy, but he would just be happy to live in a house with his Mummy and Daddy.
He catches sight of his Daddy, down the hall. Ari excitedly wobbles after him, an ungraceful mix of crawling, walking and stumbling.
"Daddy!" Ari shouts happily. He can't wait to show him the drawing! He sees his Daddy, impossibly tall with other whitecoats approach a lab. Heads close together as they discuss something. Ari knows his daddy will turn around any second, and look at the drawing and smile and ruffle his hair and maybe even-
The door swings shut as the men enter.
Ari`s lower lip wobbles. But… they are coming out soon, aren't they? Ari waits and looks at the clock. The big hand is at six, the small hand is at three. Ari can tell the time, something he is proud of. Jeb showed him one day, before his mother disappeared. It was the last happy memory Ari had of them together.
When the big hand reaches eleven, Ari wonders if his Daddy is coming at all.
When the little hand reaches four and the big hand two, Ari sees the lights switch off in the lab.
He leaves the drawing outside, so his daddy can see if he leaves.
It is not until the day after, when Ari finds his drawing carelessly swept in a bin, does Ari cry.
This is gonna be a multiple part story, mostly cause I haven't finished writing the other five days yet. Please review. I bring cookies for reviews (::)(::)(::) Oh, yeah, this isn't gonna be a happy story. i reread schools out forever and have a lot of Ari feels and then this fanfic happened so there ya go.