I looked over my soaked face and hair in the mirror. I had inherited almost everything from my mom. Her looks, her hair, her metabolism, her desire for isolation most of the time. The list is pretty long.

As far as my dad goes, I inherited his voice and charisma. When I was really devoted to a situation, I was able to convince people pretty damn well. And I had a smooth voice. Granted, my looks were far from sexy, but I could definitely label myself as an average looking person. What was underneath was what really made me attractive. And the money. For most people, it was the money.

I walked out of the bathroom and started to get dressed. It didn't really take much for me to invent, so I decided on wearing a simple black T-shirt with a leather jacket and baggy Levis. The black Nikes I had on complimented the whole thing. I always loved dark clothing. Black and blue were really my colors.

I walked out of my door and got on my motorcycle to head toward the Test house. We didn't have school for another day, so I was free to head to the Test house to relax. I find that their house is incredibly fun to be at.

So I got on my bike and began heading towards their house. I immediately spotted Johnny and his dog on top of the roof on a unicycle. I looked at the pair curiously.

"Just where is this even going?" I questioned.

"This is how we have fun!" Johnny yelled from on the roof. I shook my head and walked in front of the house before it was automatically opened and Johnny's dad walked out.

"How are you Mr. Test?" I asked politely.

"Hello to you. Is Johnny still on that roof?" he asked me.

"Yeah. You got yourself a daredevil in training there," I said. "Where are Susan and Mary?"

"So you are on a first name basis with them now?" he asked me.

"As of yesterday, yes. They are certainly fun to be around. Makes a change when you have someone inventing along side you," I said.

"I'm sure. You can head on in. Johnny!" his dad yelled. I immediately walked inside the house and went up the stairs. I walked in their lab and saw that they were conversating rather than inventing.

"No inventing? I'm a little shocked," I said, walking up next to them.

"No ideas right now. We don't go to the Institute until tomorrow, so we decided to have a conversation about..." Then the both of them gave off a dreamy smile and got a love-struck look on their faces, which caught me off guard.

"Gil next door," they both said, practically having hearts in their eyes.

"Ok... I can assume you like this Gil character very much," I said.

"Very..." they both said in the same love struck voice.

"Ok, now you're starting to weird me out. Mind if we change the subject?" I asked, honestly feeling a little uncomfortable about how unnatural their crush seemed.

"Fair enough. I can assume you don't crush?" Susan asked.

"Hardly. Never got to know a girl long enough to crush on her. I was moved across the country in the time span of a month. Two months if I'm lucky. The few friends that I made, I lost them cause I had to move," I told them.

"That's gotta be rough," Mary said.

"I've got used to it..." I said, my tone not matching my statement. "So, what should I expect when I get to the University?"

"It usually involves work that professional scientists already know, and if you are what you say you are, you'll already know it all," Susan said.

"We also make lab experiments at the end of it every once in a while," Mary said.

"So unless we get to invent something, I'll likely be bored out of my mind," I said.

"Yeah, that's right," Susan and Mary said at the same time, making me groan.

"Great. What even makes this school so successful?" I questioned.

"Well, other than Eugene, everyone who goes to this school graduates and becomes successful," Mary said, making me face palm.

"Lemme guess. He bought his way into this school," I said.

"Yes. He could invent things somewhat, but no matter what, the end result of the experiment was always bad," Susan said.

"Like the time Eugene's last experiment ate Professor Slopsink's hand. Twice," Mary said, making me just face palm and try and let it go.

"Yeah, I had the feeling he wasn't the brightest person in the world. But what you can do," I said idly before I looked at Susan. "How'd you end up being Eugene's infatuation?" She groaned.

"I don't even know. He seem to look at me and instantly become obsessed with me. Ever since then, he's tried a bunch of things to get me to go out with him. Roses, chocolate, expensive jewelry, kidnapping, blackmail-" I had to cut her off there.

"Hold on, hold on. The fuck? Kidnapping? Blackmail?" I questioned.

"Yes. You heard right," Susan said. I still had a look of disbelief on my face.

"I mean, I knew the dude had a few screws loose, but that's just taking it to an extreme. And he's not gonna give up any time soon, is he?" I questioned.

"Nope," Susan said.

"It's very unlikely," Mary said.

"Figured that. But I'll be prepared when the shit hits the fan, so to speak," I said.

"Just how long do you expect to be here?" Susan asked me.

"If previous situations are anything to go by, then I will be out of here most likely in one or two months," I told them.

"That's not very long," Mary said.

"That's my life. But I'll make the best of the time I have. I can promise you that," I said. "So... what should we do?"

"I don't know. Unless you want to invent some thing random," Susan said.

"Random works," I said.

"Lunch time!" I heard Mr. Test yell.

"Thank God it's not dinner," Mary said.

"What's so bad about dinner?" I said, placing the electric core I had made inside the blaster that I had made.

"Every time when dinner arrives, he always makes meatloaf," Mary said.

"I can understand how that can get repetitive. Got any molecular plasma?" I asked.

"No. Used it all up on a laser we designed for the government," Susan told me.

"Damn," I said, leaving the blaster on the table.

"Anyway, it's not just the fact that we have meatloaf every dinner. It's also the fact that his meatloaf is pretty awful," Mary said.

"Ah. That's understandable. Well, if you want, I can make it a habit to start coming over here. I know for a fact that I can make a good breakfast, lunch, and dinner," I said.

"If you can somehow convince my dad to take a break from making our dinners, then you will be a godsend," Mary said. I smiled.

"Duly noted. I'll think about it. But I'm gonna go and get me something to eat," I said, setting my blaster down on the table.

"You're not gonna stay here?" Mary asked. I turned around to face her.

"He's not gonna serve meatloaf, is he?" I asked.

"No, that's only for dinner. He can make other foods pretty well," Mary said.

"I could work with that. Your parents won't mind if I stay?" I asked.

"Don't worry about that. I doubt dad'll have a good reason to say no. Come on," Mary told me, gesturing for me to follow her out. We walked into the kitchen to already see everyone else already sitting there.

"Well, hello girls. Who's your-" Their mother started before getting a good look at me, causing her eyes to widen. I cut her off before she even got a word out.

"I know who I am, but can you act like I'm a normal kid please?" I asked her.

"Yes. Would you like to stay for dinner?" she asked.

"Yes please. Do you have an extra chair?" I asked. Mary had already grabbed a spare chair out of one of their storage spots. Wow, she moved fast.

I grabbed the chair from her and put my chair in between Mary and Johnny. I patiently waited at the chair for a plate while I could see that Mrs. Test looked particularly antsy. I sighed.

"Go ahead. Ask what's on your mind," I said, looking directly at her.

"Forgive me. It's just, your father owns every branch of the company I work at," she said.

"And you think that's going to affect you." It wasn't a question. Mrs. Test scratched her head nervously and I continued.

"Trust me. It's not going to work that way. I'm not like the spoiled brats that want to cry to daddy when they get told off for doing wrong and ruin someone else. The concept of that even happening is so incredibly asinine that I'm truly reminded about how stupid and childish humanity is sometimes," I said as Mr. Test set a plate in front of me. "There are no eggs to tread carefully around me, so to speak."

"That's surprisingly mature for someone of your descent," Mrs. Test said.

"Trust me, not all rich kids are idiots. Most of them are, but some of us aren't," I said with a smirk before it quickly disappeared. "Even though I'm rich, I'm far from spoiled. Trust me. When you're under the personal tutoring wing of Richard Morgan, it's far from easy."

"I could see that. Does he want you to fall in his footsteps?" Mary asked.

"No. He wants me to succeed no matter what field and no matter what I do to do that. It may not sound as bad as you think, but you have to actually see it," I said as the food was being set onto the table. I scratched the corner of my nose, and everyone at the table seemed to be mulling over my words. Except for Johnny.

"Anyway, what part of the company do you work in Mrs. Test?" I asked her.

"Financing. When the leaders of the building we work at make a purchase, we make sure that the purchase lines up with company protocol and is within the price range. Though for your father, that's still a lot," she said. I nodded.

"Numbers and equations come into play quite often when it comes to inventing. One calculation can sometimes mean the difference between and absolute success and an absolute disaster," I said.

"Oh, man. Trust us, we've been there a lot of times. We overlooked an extra two on one of our inventions. Made a magnetic bomb that obliterated our desk," Susan said. I hissed.

"Ooh. When it comes to magnetics, miscalculation can be very dangerous without the proper precautions," I said.

"Exactly why we triple check each others' work," Mary said.

"Smart. Since I'm a solo inventor, I have to quintuple check my calculations, going over ever little crevice," I said.

"Dig in!" Mr. Test said suddenly. I waited patiently and waited for everyone else to get their portion of food. Once they did, I reached in and piled my plate with a sizable amount of food. The portions included steak, mashed potatoes, and vegetables. Not a bad spread.

I cut a piece of my steak in the 'proper' fashion and slowed chewed the piece, examining how he made it. This was made with a little toughness to it, which wasn't necessarily my favorite type of steak. I preferred when they were more tender and cooked with a little more flavor. Granted, it wasn't bad. Though I would prefer if I didn't have to wrestle with my food before I could eat it.

"Do you like it?" Mr. Test asked me. I shrugged.

"It's pretty good. Though I prefer my steak with a little more tenderness to it. Though that's just me," I said, digging into my mashed potatoes and taking a bite of those. I had to close my eyes at the taste of this. Now the potatoes were definitely good.

"Now that's really good. You're a pretty good cook," I said.

"Why thank you," Mr. Test said.

"Let's see if you say that when he makes meatloaf," Johnny whispered in my direction. I had to smirk before lowering my face close to my food to hide it.

Then I could feel my phone vibrate in my pocket and I took it out to see that it was my dad. I had to restrain myself from groaning at the conversation that was going to follow.

"Excuse me. It's my dad. I have to take this," I said, standing up from the table and walking in the living room to answer the call. "Yes dad?"

"Just calling to remind that you have school tomorrow. Do not waste all your time partying," my dad told me, making me roll my eyes.

"Since when do I ever party?" I questioned.

"Kids do all sorts of things when they don't have any parental guidance," my dad said. I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from retorting to that statement. It was so incredibly ironic in the cruelest of ways.

"Yeah, but I'm not one of those people," I said.

"That's my boy. Good on you," he said, a tone of pride sinking his way into his voice. I smiled. It wasn't often that I got a reaction like that from my dad.

"I'll be heading to school tomorrow," I told him.

"Remember, success is like survival..."

"You have to do whatever it takes to accomplish it," I finished for him.

"Glad you remembered. Goodbye," he said, hanging up. I cut off the call and put it in my pocket.

"Well, that went a lot better than expected," I thought before walking back to the kitchen table.

"What did he want if you don't mind me asking?" Mrs. Test said.

"Oh, just to remind me that school is tomorrow and I better prepare myself," I told her.

"Isn't he at your house?" Mrs. Test asked me.

"No. He set me up to see if I can live on my own," I said, taking a bite of steak. Now everyone at the table looked at me surprised. Though the surprise was for different reasons.

"Your parents let you live on your own? Which means, you can do whatever you want?" Johnny asked me.

"Basically. My dad supplies with the money, but I have to handle the taxes and the bills when they come. I have to go get the food, I have to worry about everything else that an adult has to worry about except a job," I explained to him.

"What kind of parents just leave their child by themselves?" Mary asked.

"The kinds that want you to grow up fast. I'm fifteen, yet I've done a lot of things that most kids shouldn't do," I said, digging into the mashed potatoes.

"I agree with preparing you for the real world, but leaving you with no parental supervision is where I draw the line," Mr. Test said.

"I can understand that. Granted, to be fair, this is only the first time he's done it. If he moves me out of this town, I can't say it'll be the last," I said, dipping my steak in my mashed potatoes and eating them together. I always loved that combination.

The table went into a kind of tense silence after my words. No one said anything, we just ate. I looked over to the twins on my right and Susan seemed somewhat irritated, Mary sympathetic. Susan's irritation threw me for a loop. Just what was she upset about?

"Must eat vegetables," I heard Johnny say in a voice that was supposed to imitate a robot. Then he threw a carrot into the robot he had made, knocking the vegetables all over the table.

"No playing with your food at the table!" Mr. Test scolded his son.

The rest of dinner passed by with silence and I walked outside for a moment to get some air. I exhaled in the air and reveled in the cool air that hit my face.

"Problems?" I heard a voice say behind me.

"Nah, just needed some air," I said. I opened my eyes again and turned to face Mary. "You know, you should be glad for the parents you have."

"I know you don't have much, but my parents aren't necessarily perfect either," Mary said.

"None of them are. But at least they're actually involved in your life and act like they care about you. My dad only calls me to make sure I don't fuck up, and my mother has no contact with me. She doesn't even care at all, which is worse than my dad really. You have no idea how that feels," I explained, starting to pace restlessly.

"No, I can't necessarily say I know how that feels. But I'm surprised it hasn't made you bitter," Mary said.

"That's cause I'm used to it too much to be bitter. Personally, when you like people you just met a day ago more than your own family, something's definitely wrong with that picture," I said.

"You mean us?" Mary asked.

"Definitely you all. But not just you. Others as well. Some people at previous schools, my dad's workers, and the list can just go on," I said.

"I can understand how that can be upsetting. To us, living on your own sounds awesome, but with you it's a lot more complicated than that with you, isn't it?" Mary said.

"Very. You know, I have to say I quite enjoy these talks we have," I said.

"How so? We just talk," Mary said.

"Cause it feels good to have someone to vent your problems to. Especially a smart intellectual such as yourself," I told Mary, making her smile.

"I suppose I can see the benefits of that. And I'm glad to see you recognize me as a smart person," Mary said.

"Why would I not? You and your sister are geniuses. That is a fact. Only a sexist idiot would think otherwise," I said.

"That outlook is why I like you. Just about all male scientists say that this profession is for men, not women," Mary said.

"That's cause mostly men become inventors. Then you have people like Thomas Edison and the like who were famed inventors, and you've got male supremacy on your hands. It's bullshit," I said, scratching my itchy nose.

"I couldn't agree more with that. It is..." Mary seemed to struggle with saying the word.

"It's ok. You don't have to cuss to be cool. You're already cool in my book," I said with a wide smile.

"That's strangely mature of you. But thanks," Mary said.

"I'm going to be honest with you about something. Your sister doesn't really impress me for a minute," I said.

"I thought you said..."

"No I meant what I said about her being a genius. No, that was very much true. What I mean is that she doesn't really impress me as a person. Straight away, I could distinguish the true difference between you two," I said.

"What do you mean?" Mary asked.

"Susan's not really one for playing things by ear or trusting her gut. No, she's more of a woman of science. One who believes that science is more important the welfare of other people sometimes," I explained.

"And me?" Mary asked. I smiled.

"I easily made you out to be a person who believe more in family. You're more prone to trust your emotions and your instincts over planning and science. You also have more of a moral compass over what's right and wrong. For that, I like you a lot more," I explained to her.

"I'll certainly make note of that. But do you have to judge her so harshly?" Mary asked.

"I call it like I see it. Trust me, it's a lot worse to hide the truth than put up a facade. You can tell her if you want. It really doesn't matter to me," I said.

"Well, I won't say anything about it until your issues with her become a problem. That way we can have some type of peace," Mary said.

"Suit yourself. Ready to head back up to the lab?" I asked.

"Yeah," Mary said, walking back into the house.

"Well, after getting the plasma, I was able to finish this thing," I said, holding up the blaster I made.

"What is it?" Susan asked me.

"An electrical blaster. The plasma gives the bolts shape and speed to make it a true blaster. After those robots we dealt with from last time, it'll be helpful. My core makes the plasma restore itself cause of the reactions that happen when they meet, so I never have to keep replacing it," I explained.

"Not half bad," Susan said.

"Thanks," I said before I heard the lab door open and I saw Johnny and Dukey walk in.

"What is it Johnny?" Susan asked almost mechanically.

"I want a new dad," Johnny said. I looked at him in disbelief.

"What?" I asked.

"No!" Susan and Mary instantly exclaimed.

"You sound just like dad," Johnny said.

"Johnny, we're not going to make you a new dad just so you can get everything you want and always have your own way," Mary said.

"We like dad. Without him, we wouldn't have this lab. Or the monkeys," Susan said, gesturing to all the monkeys hanging around the lab.

"Oh, please. Hasn't dad ever said 'no' to you and really made you angry?" Johnny pleaded.

"Hmm..." both twins trailed. My eyes widened. They weren't seriously thinking about this?

"I dunno..." Mary trailed.

"We're in," Susan said, making me look at her in disbelief.

"Are you crazy?" I asked. "You know this'll end badly for you."

"In no way that I can see," Susan said. I closed my eyes tightly and balled my fists up. They actually had a dad and they were willing to replace him just because they didn't get their own way.

"You know what? Damn the lot of you. You have a dad that actually gives a shit about you, and you're willing to replace him just cause you don't get your own way? If that isn't the most selfish shit I've ever seen, I don't know what is," I said with a distasteful tone.

"Just because you have a dad that doesn't care about what you doesn't mean we have to," Susan told me. I reeled back from the insult as if it physically attacked me. I couldn't lie. That hurt more than I could care to admit.

"Ouch. That's harsh," Johnny said. Mary slowly approached but I glared at her, and she backed off.

"Fuck you," I growled at her. "I sincerely hope you get what's coming to you, you ungrateful pricks." I then grabbed my blaster and stormed out of the lab without a word.

"Just because you have a dad that doesn't care about what you doesn't mean we have to."

She didn't even say 'a dad that cares about what you want.' She just said 'a dad who doesn't care about you.' Thinking it to yourself is one thing. But to have someone validate it is far more painful to hear.

I walked out of the house and wiped the angry tears that came to my eyes before getting on my bike and driving off toward my house.

Walking into my house and locking my door, I collapsed on the couch and plugged in my earphones, playing Disturbed as loud as I could so I could block out the rest of the world and my problems for as long as I could.