--
The room is dark, sterile. It reeks of medical supplies, cleaners and expired band-aids. She huddles in the corner, the pounding fear throbbing in her temples. The first in over three months, her most recent nightmare seemed to make up for lost time, and with a vengeance. Rocking back and forth on her haunches, she waits for the fear to slip away, for the calm to return. The nightmares had at first been so simple, at least as simple as escaping flesh eating monsters and an unstoppable juggernaut could be. But her latest fever dream had seemingly raged within her own body, the terror and pain of something unspeakable rampaging behind the walls of her flesh.
She had turned 15 scarcely two months earlier. In addition to the changes of her body, she could see the doctors treating her differently. They didn't hang on her every word, her every action, anymore. They didn't double check locks on doors. They didn't appear nervous in her presence, only listless and bored. Even the large mirror panel covering one side of her room somehow seemed emptier. Sherry would have bet there was never more than one person behind there anymore, and she would have been right. Only Linda's visits hadn't decreased; still the woman was Sherry's most frequent visitor. No matter the reason, Sherry was gladdened by these changes. The doctors had expanded her room, giving her an entire wing within the facility to roam freely around in. With at least a semblance of privacy now, she could feel the onset of womanhood hounding her every step.
Linda had gotten her some books on the subject, and Sherry began to be slowly pulled into the world that had drawn in her parents so thoroughly. Sherry devoured four textbooks and various medical journals in her first week, ravenous for the information they held. Linda began to show a bit of parental pride in Sherry's aptitude for biomedical science, and often smuggled in more advanced books on the subject, some filched right off her colleagues' shelves. She had once confided in the young girl that the other doctors were afraid of Sherry someday taking their jobs, and doing it better. Sherry couldn't hide the smile from her face at the praise despite all her long months of practice.
All that is little consolation now, though. Even with her understanding of the intricacies of human physiology, she is still a young girl suffering from night trembles and a longing, lonely heart. She cradles her chin against her knees for a long time before finally standing and leaving the small examination room. It is more instinct than anything that makes her creep across the narrow hallway, her brain knowing that no one else is awake or watching her anymore. Still, she finds some solace in acting like a child, even if she is no longer one.
She returns to her sleeping quarters (or, as Linda constantly calls it, 'her room'), the cool climate comforting now, the sweat-soaked sheets dry. She thumbs through the small pile of letters from Leon and Claire, postcards and Claire's usual twenty-questions spread throughout the letter. Sherry could tell Claire wasn't getting her replies by the frequency of her questions, her growing concern. Furthermore, she knew the letters were being screened, as they came minus the envelope. It was a little after that when she began to receive the postcards from exotic lands all over the world. The pile of letters doesn't comfort her. She pushes them aside, getting under the sheets and hugging the pink vest tightly. It was worn out, the smell a bit moldy, but there was nothing in the world that comforts her better. As the world drifts away, she soon falls asleep.
--
The meeting had been running for five minutes, the same way every other meeting had run for its first five minutes, the same thing every week for over a year. The observer detailed the minutes of the last meeting, took attendance, and so forth. All simple formalities, all routine.
"Anything new to add to the agenda," asked the moderator seated by the head of the table. No one responded.
"So still no significant change?"
"No change at all…how much longer do we intend to continue this colossal waste of time?"
"Looking at the map of her genetic makeup here," pointed a scientist at a computer simulated series of arcs and graphs, "it's in my opinion that we will likely see zero change, even in the coming months."
"I'm inclined to agree," piped in another scientist. Others nodded in agreement.
"So what do we do with her then," asked the man seated at the head of the table. Tired, he held his spectacles in one hand as he rubbed his eyes with the other. Everyone knew this was his pet project; any failure to produce results meant the past two years was a complete wash. Would it be prudent to continue on this dead end path in the hopes of finding at least something of scientific value? That was the quandary men of any profession inevitably faced.
"It might be a good idea to consider the best interests of the girl," suggested Linda. "For once," she added under her breath.
A silence fell over the room. While most of the other meetings had revolved around the experiments and research (or lack thereof), lately they had centered around the welfare of Sherry. Especially when Linda had a chance to speak.
"I'm not against that at all," replied the leader, rubbing at his mouth. "What do you suggest?"
"Releasing her into the care of relatives, perhaps," answered Linda. "Sherry has told me of family in one of the Dakotas, farmers of some sort."
"That's not in the file," said another doctor, rifling through a stack of papers. He seemed happy to finally use his brain for something. "Yes, just like I thought…nothing documented here at all."
"Like I said, it's what she told me, and in my notes. I'm sure with a little pressing, I can find their exact names and address."
The man seated at the head of the table stroked his chin now, weighing the option before speaking. "Legal ramifications?"
"The girl has never officially been signed over to the state for asylum; it seems whomever decided to conduct this research on this girl had little concern for the legality of it all," said a slickly dressed middle aged man.
"Which would be further complicated should some family members suddenly get her back…"
"Exactly."
"But they might be the best choice. Just think of it, a hillbilly farmer family isn't going to ask questions about custodial rights. For all they know, we've been giving Sherry free medical care out of our own concerns for someone we believed to be an orphan."
"This is America; they will be looking for a chance to sue."
"We could always trick them into signing a waiver, disguising it as a medical claim bill…in effect, they'd think they were saving themselves money by doing so…"
"My god, listen to you people! What's wrong with you," yelled Linda, suddenly slamming her fist against the table. "Am I the only reasonable one here?"
"It was your idea, Linda. And we're just discussing the best options for Sherry like you wanted…"
"How is covering your own asses best for her?"
"It would be best to not leave any type of paper trail, and it's not as if we were the ones who brought Sherry here illegally."
"That's right; I'm not about to risk jail time for something I had no control over…" said a woman from the corner. She was well past middle aged, and Linda suspected the kids in her neighborhood feared her as a witch of some sort. The woman, like the other scientists, had never cared for a child in all her life.
"What, you never asked yourselves how she got here," Linda asked sarcastically.
"And yourself, doctor? Would you accept your burden of responsibility?"
"I-I…I would be willing to take in Sherry, if that's what you mean. Adopt her."
The table sat in silence, everyone staring open mouthed at the woman's offer.
"Are you aware that doing so would only further muddy the legal waters? This is a girl we have no right to claim, and now you want to take her home with you?"
"I'm saying I accept my role in what's gone on here," replied Linda. "Unlike the rest of you."
"The girl is rather precocious," commented one of the scientists. "She's definitely inherited her father's aptitude for science…"
"And her mother's looks," said another, a bit too appreciatively. Linda cast him a dirty look and he shrank away. She made note to keep an eye on him.
"It would be best to nurture her interests, to help her develop socially at the very least," she suggested, calming down. "And it wouldn't hurt if some of you got involved with her life."
"We all see more of the subject now that she's so interested in science; she allows us to openly test her and collect samples that way."
"I mean more than just prodding her with swabs and needles, Warren. Getting involved is showing an interest in what interests her, getting her to communicate better."
"We're not her parents, Linda."
"But we are the closest thing she has now. I say we either commit to raising her ourselves until she's 18, or cut her loose so that her family can."
"I think we're perhaps getting a bit ahead of ourselves here," said the moderator, turning to a page in the log. "In our original outline, we agreed on a minimum three years of observation, with a window for five years. Which gives us a little over a year to finish the initial projection. Does everyone still wish to abide by these guidelines?"
No one answered. They sat, stonily silent, everyone looking to another for an answer, refusing to meet eyes.
"Very well, then. We shall continue as planned," said the head scientist, exchanging a knowing look with the lawyer. Both knew that within the next year, Sherry would have to be disposed of, to protect both the person who had her brought to the facility, and those seated at the table. It was for the best.
--
Note: The beginning of this interlude was an attempt at something I used to do when I was younger, and that is to write in the present tense. Something I had always done as a kid and teachers told me not to do, I always thought it pulled the reader into the action better. I decided to try it, but I will admit, it did feel awkward. Especially when throwing in flashbacks and so forth. I had originally intended Sherry to feel completely isolated and withdrawn, but she strikes me as strong enough to make the best of things and wear a brave face. I really enjoy writing in the "roundtable" format, with more than a couple of people talking. I especially liked the legal jargon talk, as a big Law and Order fan and all. My favorite bit is the Lolicon scientist appreciating Sherry's looks. I'm probably in the minority, but I thought Annette was really quite attractive. Minus the homicidal tendencies, of course.
