Hmmm…Normally I have something to say here in the little introductory paragraph, but I feel this chapter is pretty self-explanatory so….

Oh! My dog did just have puppies last night! And I have to watch them all this weekend. So I'm not really sure if this will give me more or less time to write, hmm…I guess we'll see! But I really need to get on that. I'm running out of pre-written material and I haven't written a new chapter in days xP. Ah well, hope you enjoy!

"Have you finished the letters, Isabella?" Adelle asked, sitting behind the desk in her office. It looked like a larger replica of the one that had been in the therapist office. Bella entered the room nervously, a stack of papers in hand.

"They're right here." She set down the pile of letters, all addressed to Charlie and Renée.

"And they contain all of the information I gave you?"

"I didn't write much more than that. I was afraid of conflicting with the story you had made up for me."

Adelle fingered through the pre-written letters, one for every month of the next five years like Charlie had asked, every so often reading a portion here and there. She nodded, satisfied. "How did your father take it? Your abrupt decision to 'study abroad' for this coming semester?"

Bella frowned, clearly puzzled, recalling the look on Charlie's face. "He seemed…pleased. He didn't even ask me why. It's like he's glad to see me go."

"I'm sure he is," Adelle smiled, understanding. "He's probably happy to see you smiling again, after so many months. He must think that you are looking for a fresh start. And I suppose that's not too far off the mark, is it?"

Bella gazed out the window, looking down at the busy streets of Los Angeles. It was a warm, cloudless day, and people were crowding into shops, buying last minute decorations to ring in the New Year. She had only been in California for two days, and yet she was already missing the cold, snowy weather of Washington. She laughed darkly to herself. Less than a year ago, she would have given anything to go back to the sun. But now it scared her. Even before he had left her, the sun meant he would be away, off hunting. The sun had come to symbolize longing and solitude, whereas it had once been a source of joy and comfort back in Arizona. But in five years, when Bella would awake once more, she knew that her darkened view of the world would improve. She would no longer feel that sense of isolation and rejection. She would once again experience happiness.

"I believe we are all set here. Are you ready?"

Adelle opened the door, motioning for Bella to follow. They walked down a long hallway that overlooked the entire first floor of the Dollhouse. It looked like a retreat where millionaires would go for a weekend getaway. Polished wood floors sprawled across the room, leading into oak panels that lined the walls. The center of the room had a large square punched out of the floor that was instead filled with smooth gray pebbles, and leafy green trees were placed strategically in every corner. With calming yellow lights meant to mimic the sun's warming rays, the natural elements worked together in harmony to produce the effect of a Zen garden. Everyone looked content and peaceful. Some Actives were doing yoga in the center of the room, while others sat around tables playing chess. In one corner, stools and easels were set up for those Actives who wished to express their creative side, and behind a screen in a small back room, two more were getting a massage. Bella couldn't help but think that in just a few moments, she would join them. She would get to be carefree and serene, just like the people down below.

"In here, Isabella," Adelle said, pointing to a door ahead. The room was starkly different from the ones on the first floor. It was small and cramped, the only light coming from an array of computers and machines that lined the walls and the harsh fluorescent bulbs from above. A man in a checkered shirt and sweater vest stepped forward.

"Hello," he greeted, smiling a goofy grin. "I'm Topher, and you must be…"

"Bella," she filled in, still taking in her surroundings.

"Right. Bella," he repeated. "Well, Bella, I'm going to briefly walk you through the steps before we begin so there are no surprises, alright?"

Bella nodded, directing her attention toward him.

"First, I'm going to need you to sit in this chair." He gestured dramatically to a reclining chair in the center of the room. Surrounding the headrest was some sort of halo that emitted a blue glow. Bella moved to take a seat, but Topher quickly stepped in front of her. "Nah uh uh, not just yet, impatient one. Just listen for now, okay?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Bella saw Adelle roll her eyes, her arms crossed sternly in front of her chest. "No need for theatrics, Topher. We're on a schedule."

"How many times must I tell you, DeWitt? Genius takes time. That's just the way it works. I'm sorry, but even I can't change that…Though I can change a lot of things. Like brains and such…Yeah, brains I'm good at…" Topher began to mutter to himself as he rattled off his accomplishments. Adelle raised an eyebrow and quickly Topher paused in the middle of his list, returning to the task at hand."Okay, okay okay. I'm sorry," he said, raising his hands and shrugging his shoulders in surrender.

"So," he continued. "You will lay back in this chair. The first thing we will need to do is run some tests. Boring, yes. But also necessary. It will allow us to see everything we will need to know to keep you safe during your stay. You aren't afraid of needles are you?"

Bella shook her head.

"Well good. Because we're going to have to stick quite a few in. But hey, just think of it as acupuncture!" he joked. No one laughed. "Okay then…" he said awkwardly. "Well anyway, we'll run all the diagnostic tests, then we'll have to insert two implants – one is the hardware we'll need to modify your memories, and the other is a tracker, so we'll always be able to find you if something were to happen. Not that anything bad normally happens, of course!"

Adelle glared at him, warning him to wrap up his explanation.

"Okay, um…Well finally, we'll scan your brain and save everything to a hard drive. Two, in fact, just to be safe. And then we'll upload the Active software and you'll be good to go!"

"Oh, just like that, huh?" Bella remarked dryly, but it had been a while since she had attempted to be funny, and her joke fell flat. Topher was quick to correct her in a voice that showed he clearly thought he knew it all.

"Actually, it's not 'just like that'. The process can take hours, and it's a very delicate procedure that, if done incorrectly, can-" Topher began to shoot down her ignorant assumption, but suddenly saw the half-formed smile on her face as she tried to lighten the mood. "Oh, haha. It's a joke. Right…Haha. Good one," he amended awkwardly. "Um…Well let's get started then."