Hey, I'm back with a brand new story! I really think you guys are going to like this one because I based it all off a book at that I just recently read. The book was called 'Origin' as well and it was written by Jessica Khoury. If you haven't read it, you TOTALLY should cause its amazing. This first chapter is fairly long cause I had to include a lot of stuff so it's less confusing. Hopefully you get hooked the way I did when I read the original book. Read and be sure to review!
Disclaimer: I don't own Austin & Ally. I don't own 'Origin'. All credits of the story belong to Jessica Khoury. I only changed the characters a little to match Austin & Ally. Everything else I don't own.
...
ALLY'S POV
I was told that the day I was born, Uncle Preston held me against his white lab coat and whispered, "She is perfect.". Sixteen years later, they're still repeating it. Every day I hear it, whether it's from the scientists, guards, or my own mother. Perfect.
They say other things too. That there are no others like me, at least not yet. That I'm the pinnacle of humankind, a goddess born of mortal flesh. You are immortal Ally, and you are perfect, they say.
But as I follow Uncle Preston to the laboratory, my bootlaces dragging in the mud as I clutch a struggling bird, the last thing I feel is perfect.
I live in a scientific laboratory compound, called Little Cambridge, or Little Cam, in the middle of a restless jungle. I've been here all my life. I was born here, and my mother raised me in the lab so I could be transformed into an immortal. I still have all the same thoughts, feelings and knowledge of any other person, I just can't die. I don't know how it works or what they did to get me this way, but that's what I'm here to learn. I must stay here with these scientists, pass a series of different tests, then I can join the Immortis team. They are the ones who created the formula for immortality. If I join the team, I obtain the formula and we will begin to create others like me. Other immortals. It's always been my life goal. Ever since I was as young as four, I've been taking these tests, studying endless information, all to prepare me for the Immortis team.
Today is a testing day. They are called Wickham tests, and they only come every few months, often by surprise. I hardly ever know what purpose the tests serve, but I do as Uncle Preston says, in hopes of joining Immortis. When I awoke in my glass-walled bedroom this morning, I expected the usual. Reciting genus and species lists to Uncle Antonio, comparing algae specimens under microscopes with Uncle Jacob, possibly followed by a swim in my pool. But instead, I was greeted by my mother who informed me that Uncle Preston had decided to hold a test today. She left in a breeze, leaving me scrambling to get ready. Hardly ten minutes later, here I am.
The bird fights in my hands relentlessly, scratching my palms with his tiny talons and snapping at my fingertips with his beak. It does no good. His claws are strong enough to break the skin, just not my skin. That's probably why Uncle Preston told me to carry the bird instead of himself.
Though there is no pain inflicted on me, my heart is fluttering more than the bird's. My last test was four months ago. This is my first test with a live animal. God knows what Preston has in mind, considering his tests can sometimes be dangerous. I look down at the bird wondering what's in store for him.
I suddenly feel apologetic towards the bird. I want to let him fly away. Free as a bird should be. But instead I shake the thought and hold tighter, in assurance that I won't disappoint Uncle Preston.
We arrive in a building labeled B-Labs. There is a building labeled A-Labs, but apparently the inside was destroyed in a fire long ago, so I've never been in it.
"Put subject 557 inside that cage." Uncle Preston instructs.
I notice the small metal wired cage on the table which he must be referring to. I open the latch, letting the bird loose in the cage, then quickly latch back the door. The bird throws himself at the metal gate, then lands on the bottom, wings spread awkwardly around him. After a moment, he launches up again, beating his wings determinedly against his captivity. I then notice wires connected to the cage that lead back to a generator under the table.
"All right Ally," he says as his pen scratches furiously at his clipboard. "Take a seat. Did you bring a pen?"
I nod and ask what exactly I'm supposed to be doing. Though I'm smart, I haven't the slightest idea what's going on. He tells me to take notes and examine the birds behavior to see if it can handle the stress of the situation he's about to be put in. My mind connects the dots. Those wires carry an electric current to the cage. The cage will be electrified, and I must sit and observe the bird while he mindlessly flies into it. Uncle Preston then tells me that a serum called E-13 will be injected into the bird. After the bird is exhausted, the serum should kick in and give the bird a surge of sudden energy. I nod as he begins the test.
He flicks the switch on the generator, and the bird who had ended up gripping the side of cage with his talons, jerks backwards and shrieks as the electricity reaches him. I immediately get uncomfortable and feel nauseated. But I dare not let Uncle Preston see. He isn't here to observe the bird. He's here to observe me to see if I can handle the test, if I can't, then I fail which slows my progress to the Immortis team. I force myself to write down notes about the bird and it's reactions.
The bird becomes weary and my ears catch every snap and sizzle of electricity. Each shock to the bird is like a shock to me. I feel my heart lurching to help the bird and switch the generator off, wondering how this test is relevant. But I never question Preston's work, and I know that these tests gauge whether or not I'm ready to be a full time scientist. Whether I'm ready for the secrets of my own existence. Once I prove I'm one of them, my real work can begin: creating others like me. And that's everything to me. I am the first and only of my kind, and I've been the first and only for sixteen years. Now there's only one thing I want. Someone else who knows. Knows what it is never to bleed. Knows what it is to look ahead and see eternity. Knows what it is to be surrounded by faces that you love, faces that will one day stop breathing and start to decay while your own will remain frozen outside of time.
None of them know. They think they can understand. But all they really know is what they can observe, such as how fast I can run or how quickly bruises on my skin can fade. When it comes to the hidden part of me, the inner, untouchable Ally, all they can really know is that I'm different. They can't possibly imagine how much.
Suddenly the E-13 serum must take effect because the bird takes off again with a sudden hidden energy. I note every move, but my hand is shaking. The serum will only last for a minute or two before the bird's energy will decrease twice as much as it had when it started. The bird soon looks near dead, eyes glazing, hopping raggedly around the cage. Surely Uncle Preston won't let the bird die, I think. It lasts for a few more seconds, the popping of the electricity shaking the frame of the small bird. Finally he stops the madness and turns off the generator. The bird slumps with relief, and so do I.
Uncle Preston collects my notes and tells me to return the bird to the menagerie. The menagerie is the big building in which we keep our collection of wild animals that we use for testing. When I carry the bird back, he doesn't even fight my hand any longer, just laying lifelessly in my palm. Once I release him back into his exhibit he flutters around, regaining himself.
My mood felt a little down for the rest of the day because of my disturbing encounter with the poor little bird. But I was glad to find out that I had passed. Whatever that proved. I went back to my room a lay on my bed, looking into the jungle. Three of my four walls are made of glass, so I have a clear view of the jungle around me.
The wild calls of the birds in the jungle echo through my highly enhanced ears, as do the sounds of monkeys, insects and all creatures imaginable. But along with the sounds of nature, I can hear the pulses of electricity coming from the tall fence surrounding our compound. Sometimes I wonder what it's like out there, in the jungle. What would it be like to climb a tree, or just run through the jungle, meeting all the creatures that create the noises that I live around.
But I know that's ridiculous. My home is here in Little Cam, and if I left, I'd have nowhere to go, and nobody to go to. I have no purpose, no reason for living outside of this lab. I mean, what could possibly be out in that jungle that's better than the facilities here in Little Cam?
I lay in my room as the sunlight started to fade away for the day. I had a small little stereo on my table that I used to listen to my music. It used to have something called radio installed with it, but Uncle Preston said that it wasn't necessary. Just a distraction. So he took out the cables that enabled 'radio'. Now it just a CD player that plays music. But I'm only allowed to have instrumental songs, no lyrics. Apparently that's more distraction. But I appreciate the little portion of music that I have. I've always had a connection with music for some reason, a reason unknown to me.
I fell asleep listening to my little bit of music, and the restless sounds of the jungle.
...
Though I had a somewhat peaceful night, I awoke to the sounds of yelling voices, trucks beeping, and the front gate being opened and closed. I slipped on a t-shirt and sweatpants and walked out of my room towards the main entrance of Little Cam. Today must be a delivery day.
Every few months we have delivery days where lots of food, medicines, and other items are brought to us. These products come from the outside world, which I know little to nothing about. Uncle Preston told me the outside world is knowledge restricted to me. He says there are other people out there that will take advantage of my immortality and lock me up forever. Though the thought scares me, I still have a slight curiosity for what exactly lies beyond the fence surrounding our compound.
As I looked at what was being delivered to us, I noticed that a lot of it belonged to me. I had been so caught up with my own thoughts, I had nearly forgotten that tomorrow was my seventeenth birthday. Of course I never really grow older, but ever since I've learned about birthdays, I've wanted to have one. This will be my first birthday party. Uncle Preston asked where I heard of birthdays, and I told him that I read it in my dictionary.
Birthday-the annual anniversary of which the day a person was born, typically treated as a celebration with present-giving.
Anyway, I saw my party dress being unloaded from a box, and it was stunning. All sorts of snack foods and candies I had never seen were also being unloaded. A younger woman, looking about in her late twenties or very early thirties, with many suitcases got out of one of the trucks and started asking where she would be staying. Staying?
I walked over to Uncle Antonio and asked why she looked as if she was moving in. All the people were surrounding her and asking her questions. Smiling, laughing, shaking hands. I don't know, something about her irked me.
"She's replacing Aunt Sandra here in Little Cam. She's our newest employee." Uncle Antonio explained.
I never really knew Aunt Sandra, so that part didn't bother me so much as everyone was focused on the new lady.
"Well I don't like her." I stated.
"Looks like somebody's a little jealous, eh Chipmunk?" He chuckled, scratching his long beard. Uncle Antonio has always been the only one that has never called me 'perfect', like everyone else. He just calls me Chipmunk for whatever reason. But it doesn't bother me that much. Uncle Antonio is probably my favorite person here in Little Cam. He has always treated me as more of a friend than a science experiment.
"I'm not jealous!" I reply sharply.
"I think you are." He continued to laugh. "You are always the center of attention here, and now Dr. Fires is."
"That's her name?" I asked.
"Hannah Fires. She will actually be kind of like a close personal assistant to you for a little while." He told me.
"Well I don't need any help." I pouted.
"Just go talk to her, I'll bet you'll like more than you think." Uncle Antonio said.
I've always trusted him before, and he has always told me the truth, so I listened to his advice. After a little small talk with Dr. Fires, she really didn't seem that bad, but something in me just didn't like her that much. Maybe I was jealous.
I spent the rest of the day doing my own random tasks. Because of my birthday party taking place tomorrow, I got to have a free day. I swam in our pool for little while, cleaned up a little, listened to a bit of music.
By late afternoon, I had found myself just laying in my bed, looking at the canopy of trees around my walls. I closed my eyes, taking in all the sounds. A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts though.
"May I come in Ally?" I heard Dr. Fires voice ask.
"I guess so." I sighed.
Dr. Fires walked slowly into my room, sitting down in a chair next to my bed.
She looks at me as if expecting me to say something, but I'm waiting for her to speak up.
"Okay, I know you may not like me intruding into your home, and suddenly becoming a part of this team. But I came here to get to know you and the things you study here." She starts off finally.
I continue to look at her silently, hoping she'll just leave. I'd rather sit alone in my room, listening to the noise.
"How bout you just start off by telling me some things about yourself." She suggests.
Knowing that she's not going to leave without an answer, I speak up. I tell her about my studies to be on the Immortis team, the Wickham tests, all my aunts and uncles here in Little Cam. They aren't really my aunts and uncles, but I was raised to call them that and treat them like family.
Dr. Fires listens to me talk, laughing at certain things, commenting on others, and soon I find myself talking about personal things like my thoughts on Little Cam and immortality and my curiosity of the outside world. Somehow I automatically felt as if I could talk to her openly. She even told me a few things about the outside world that I know I'm not supposed to know. She is from a place called Chicago. I found myself longing for more information from the outside world. It all seems so fascinating to me because I've never seen or heard of any of it. Maybe Dr. Fires wasn't such a bad woman after all.
"What else is out there?" I ask.
"Hey, I think you've obtained enough illegal information for the day. I don't think Dr. Preston would approve of this anyway, lets just keep it between us." She smiles.
I nodded, but I wanted so desperately to hear more.
"I'll see you at the party tomorrow Ally." She said as she left the room.
...
The next day I was getting ready for my first ever birthday party. I had my dress on, and my hair curled slightly. As I walked around, people were greeting me, admiring my dress, and handing me gifts. I was told not to open the gifts until later so I kept them on a table.
Once the party started, I danced, mingled, and ate food. They had brought a new candy to me that looked familiar, but I was told that I hadn't had them before. They were small round colorful candies with a letter 'S' marked on them. I've had ones that exactly the same, just with an 'M', so I expected it to be chocolatey. But it was tangy and fruity and I loved it. Mother said they were called Skittles.
Late into the party hours, a lot of the people had had more drinks than they should, and everyone was lost in the music, still laughing and dancing, having a good time. But then reality hit me like a ton of bricks. All these smiling laughing faces are going to die one day. But I'm not. I'll have to watch my own parents, friends and relatives die, but I'll be this age forever. Suddenly the mood of my party turns down about ten notches. I make my way to the punch table to make it look like I'm getting something to drink, but I sneak away to the outdoor area where no one is at, and slump to the ground against a tree.
Why do I have to be immortal? I don't really want it. But it wasn't my choice. Now I have to watch the death of everyone. There's no escaping it, cause I'll be here forever. I let tears slip from my eyes and they fall to the grass. As I cry I hear a loud purring noise. It's Duma. Duma is my jaguar. That may seem weird, but there's only so many choices for a pet in the jungle. We rescued Duma when he was a baby, he had ran into the electric fence. The others were going to use him for experimentation, but I wouldn't let them. Duma was mine, and he isn't allowed to be tested on. Now he acts perfectly tame, like a dog or a cat. Though he's really protective of me, and doesn't really prefer to be around, or be nice to, anyone but me.
He purrs and rubs against my side. I stroke him softly, wiping my away a few of my tears. "Thanks Duma, you're always there for me." I say to him. But I know he will leave me one day as well, being mortal and all.
In the midst of my depressing thoughts I hear a knock, then a voice. "Hey, there you are."
It's Dr. Fires. She groans as she yanks off her heels and then plops down next to me. "I don't know what idiot decided we had to choose between beauty and comfort, but I'd like to drive this heel through his eye." She complains.
"What are you doing here?" I ask a little roughly. I'm not in the best mood.
"Hey, easy. I just want to give you your present." I notice the small package she's holding.
"Oh yeah. Presents." I huffed. "What is it?"
"Good lord, child, just open it, will you? Before someone finds us." She answers.
"Why? Is it secret?" I ask curiously.
She bites her lip before answering. "Yes...of sorts. That is, you probably wouldn't want your old Uncle Preston finding you with it."
That catches my interest. The package is wrapped with plain white paper and tied with string, and it only takes a few seconds to unwrap. Inside is a large piece of paper that's been folded many times over. "What is it?" I ask again.
"Better not unfold it here; it takes hours to get it back down to that size. And whatever you do, don't open it front of anyone. I'll lose my contract, my career, and my pretty salary if that gets traced back to me. So my life is pretty much in your hands, missy. I'll thank you not to throw in into the nearest trash bin." Dr. Fires explains.
I smile and thank her, even though I have no idea what it is yet.
"Hey, just get back to your party and look at it later. But for now, hide it. Hide it well." She tells me.
I slip it down into the front of my dress and nod at Dr. Fires.
"Good girl." She laughs.
...
Hours later the party finally ends and I lock myself in my room. The paper in my dress seems to burn through my skin and I can't wait to open it. I turn on a small lamp by my bed and kneel on the floor, pulling the paper from my dress. Duma lays in the corner, completely uninterested. As I start unfolding the paper, my heart begins to race. Could it be...?
It is.
I gasp and rise to my feet, staring wide-eyes at the paper. It's so large it seems to cover most of my floor. This could get me and Dr. Fires in more than just trouble. I don't know what Uncle Preston would do if he found out, but I know it'd be awful. I still can't believe my eyes.
"It's a map of the world, Duma." I whisper.
I've never seen one before. There's not a single map in all of Little Cam that isn't locked away from my view, except for the one hanging in the maintenance building, but it just shows the area inside the fence.
This map shows continents and oceans and countries and mountains, an entire world. The world. My world. My fingers trace the outline of land masses. Europe. Africa. Australia. Asia. Beautiful names, mysterious names. I know there must be millions of other words behind those names-people, places, stories.
I'm overwhelmed by a strange new thirst, as if I've been dehydrated my whole life and am only now starting to realize it. With all my heart and soul I long to know the words and names and stories, to know everything. I want to leave right now, this very minute, and scour every inch of this map with my own eyes, to feel the soil and trees with my own hands and taste the air of every corner of the planet.
I wonder where I am right now. Little Cam wouldn't be marked. Uncle Preston would never allow that. My eyes sift through the names that are there. New Guinea. Sudan. India. Alaska. More oceans and seas than I can count. There are dozens, no, scores of areas outlined in black. Cities? Countries? I want to run through Little Cam screaming for Dr. Fires to come and teach me.
Looking at the map, I'm struck by how little I know. Which is alarming, because I feel like I've learned so much. I can quote the periodic table backwards. Show me an animal and I can tell you it's kingdom, species, and everything in between. I know the name of every plant in the rainforest and how they can be used. Give me a disease, I'll tell you how to treat it. But ask me to name five countries and I draw a blank. I can point to the west, but I don't know what ocean lies in that direction or how far away it is. I know what lions and kangaroos and grizzly bears are, but I don't know where they live.
The more I learn about the world, the less I seem to know. My eyes then catch letters that I can tell were written in with a pen in Dr. Fires' handwriting. I have to squint to see it, its so small. Little Cambridge, Amazon.
My stomach twists; it feels like a flock of butterflies are trying to flutter up my throat and out my mouth. Little Cam. My Little Cam. It's little. Very little. Surely that's not Little Cam. It's far too small. In comparison to rest of this map, Little Cam hardly makes a spec. I look around fitting together names and places.
Amazon rainforest, South America.
That's where I am.
I study the map a little longer, then I begin to hear voices around my door. I crumple the map, not bothering to fold it back, and shove it under my bed, and unlock my door. If they try the door and it's locked, they'll get suspicious. I'm glad that at least one wall is not made of glass. A few people walk in and wish me a happy birthday before going to bed.
After I'm sure everyone's asleep, I close my door again. I keep thinking about the map and exactly how much actually exists beyond that fence surrounding Little Cam. My curiosity of the outside triples of what it had been. I stare hard out of my room towards the fence, my eyes scanning the outside in hopes that I can get a feel for what's out there.
That's when I see the unmistakeable hole in the fence.
...
So there's the very first chapter! Like it? Hate it? I wanna know! The only way for me to get better is for you to tell me what you think needs improvement. Constructive criticism is one of the best things to receive as a writer. Whatever opinion you have on my story, tell me, cause I can take it. The next chapter won't be that long. I just wanted you to get interested right at the first chapter and that seemed like the best place to leave you hanging. Sorry ;). Be sure to review and hopefully I'll see you at chapter two! :D :D :D