Kenno rolled her eyes. "How did you convince me to come here, again?" She groaned. Chrissie punched her lightly on the shoulder.
"I said we're going to hot topic and get your choice of food." She retorted.
"Oh yeah." Kenno sighed. "Still."
Chrissie laughed and turned back to a rack of clothes. They were presently in the mall closest to their homes, browsing aimlessly. Chrissie's birthday had been a few months prior, and somehow most of her birthday money had been staved off until this day. Chrissie was a year older than Kenno herself, having just turned 14 whereas Kenno, who's own birthday was less than a month before Chrissie's, had turned 13. They had chosen a sunny weekend to visit the mall, rather than after school, and the noise was really started to get to Kenno.
"When can we go to Hot Topic, it'll be so much quieter in there." She whined jokingly. She wasn't a whiny person; she just wanted her best friend's attention.
"You can head over now if you want," Chrissie said, finally deciding on a decorative scarf and pulling it from the shelf. "I'll be over after I pay for this."
Kenno nodded and with a small flourish of her hand, swept out of the store. She hadn't looked at what it was called and still didn't care as she irritably made her way through the crowded mall. She wished she had her headphones, but they were in Chrissie's purse. Besides, they were ear buds- they wouldn't do much for the noise.
"Hello, miss," A man from a kiosk said, sliding up alongside her. Instead of blowing him off, like she normally would, Kenno was irritable enough to correct him.
"Don't call me that." She growled, stopping. She decided to humor him and listen, if just for a minute. He blinked slowly, registering. "Oh, my apologies. We're supposed to use titles and I was not aware you would be offended."
Kenno cocked an eyebrow and twirled a hand. "My friend's on her way and I'm supposed to be somewhere, what is it you're going to ask me to buy?"
The mad seemed delighted to finally have someone listen to him, and Kenno wasn't prepared for what he said next. "Actually, you looked just right for the experiment. I wouldn't ask just anyone."
Although mildly weirded out, he was from a kiosk and clearly worked there, and he was dressed almost like a scientist. She gave in to her curiosity, asking, "What?"
The man waved a hand. "Oh, pardon me. I'm Doctor Cameron, but you can just call me Cam. I'm from Kontour Science Laboratories, where my colleagues have just made a scientific breakthrough. If you'll follow me-" He turned to his kiosk, where a black screen waited. Kenno followed him, prepared to give him a big 'NOPE' and walk away. She was, once again, not prepared for what came next.
Dr. Cameron flipped a switch on a small control panel, and the screen flicked on. It showed a small, bare white room with no visible doors or windows. The only thing inside was a cat. It was a brown tabby, shorthair, it seemed. Slender but not underfed, from what Kenno could see. Everything seemed normal about it, until it opened its brown wings and started fluttering around the room.
Kenno gaped, unable to come up with anything to say for several minutes as she watched the cat fly around its confinement. Dr. Cameron sat down on a stool and gestured to a matching seat next to him. Kenno sat, tearing her eyes from the screen to glance back toward the store she had left. Trust Chrissie to go back and look around more- she wasn't visible yet.
"You look young, thirteen perchance?" Cameron asked. Kenno nodded, and he continued. "I know this is pretty blunt, but we're looking for a...human being to be tested on."
Kenno was so fascinated by the winged cat that she didn't stop him, and he kept talking. "If the project fails, you would have external scars along your back and possibly some internal dysfunction, but nothing too major. We have scientists working on human anatomy figures as we speak. If it is a success, however, you'll have full working wings and will be released to your daily life. The project itself should take two to three weeks. You will not be compensated, nor will you have to pay us."
When Kenno registered he had finished, she slowly nodded. "Why did you pick me?" She asked. Cameron held out a small sheet of paper, and she took it as he replied. "We needed a young figure that is physically fit but not overboard. One question, are you religious?"
Kenno shook her head. "Atheist." She replied.
Cameron nodded. "Good. We couldn't have someone going around saying they were an angel, after all." He smiled somewhat at this. Kenno nodded understandingly. "I wouldn't. But you say I'd be released to a normal life, like school?" She questioned, finding this hard to believe.
Cameron nodded. "We'd send a note with you on your first day back, and you'd probably go to school with a blanket. What they do about this is up to them. For example, whether they hold an assembly or have you show each of your classes individually or what not is up to the school."
Kenno processed this, glancing over her shoulder to see Chrissie making her way from the store. "Oh crap, gotta run." She said, glancing at the paper. It was riddled with phone numbers, emails, and a lengthy description (probably what Cameron had just explained). "I'll contact you." She promised before sliding from the stool. Dr. Cameron's face lit up. "I'm so glad you're taking this into consideration! And please, tell no one other than your parents."
Kenno nodded, having no time for more questions, as Chrissie was making her way toward Hot Topic. With a nod to Dr. Cameron, she slipped off, darting and weaving between people to make it to Hot Topic before Chrissie.
