by Yazz Ustaris
Sitting up in bed, I debated what to do. At the old barracks, if I was thirsty all I had to do was go into the Common Room and grab a drink from the fridge. We didn’t have a mini fridge in our room, and I was funny about drinking water from the bathroom sink. Something about it being too close to the toilet grossed me out. Seeing no way around it, I decided to sneak out to the Mess Hall to grab some water. I remembered that there was a drink dispenser along one wall. It was cool because it was exactly like those self-serve beverage stations you always see at fast food restaurants. They had iced tea, water, and six different flavors of soft drinks.
Slipping out of bed, I tip toed to my closet and pulled out the soft pink slippers I had seen earlier. Slipping them on my feet, I felt kind of goofy wearing them because they had bunny ears, but they had been a present from my older brother from several years ago. I hadn’t actually started wearing them until the year he passed away.
Opening the bedroom door as quietly as I could so as not to disturb Kyrie, I crept into the hallway and slowly eased the door closed. The hallway was brightly lit and I had to rapidly blink my eyes in order to adjust to the glare. As I walked down the hallway, I saw the camera at the end panning in my direction, so I waved to it and mimicked holding a glass and tilting it up to drink from it before rubbing my tummy. Then I flashed the thumbs up sign at the camera and went on my way. I kind of sucked at charades and sincerely hoped that whoever was watching me got the gist of what I was trying to say. I came in peace and only wanted water. Self-consciously, I smoothed my long hair back over my shoulders thinking I probably should’ve run a brush through my hair before leaving my room. Walking quickly, I figured the sooner I got my drink and went back to my room, the less likely I’d get in trouble for leaving it in the first place.
As I turned down the second corridor that led to the entrance of the Mess Hall, I stepped through and came to an abrupt stop. I wasn’t expecting to see anyone at all since it was way past midnight, so it came as quite a shock when I saw that one table had occupants; three of them to be exact. All guys. I stood there staring at them wondering what they were doing awake. Not only that, but they also seemed to be drinking coffee if my sense of smell was accurate.
As I stood there debating if I should get my water or if I should just turn around and go back to my room, one of the guys stood up and held his hand out to me in the universal hand gesture to “stop”. Studying him, he didn’t look particularly threatening so I decided to wait and see what he wanted. “Hi there. We were wondering if you were ever going to come out of your room.” As he slowly and cautiously started to approach me, he simultaneously raised both hands in the air in front of him as if in surrender.
Staring at him curiously, I asked, “What are you doing that for? I’m not holding a gun.”
I heard a couple of snickers from the other two guys at the table behind him. Grinning crookedly in embarrassment, he explained, “I just didn’t want to spook you and have you go running back to your room before we got the chance to talk to you. I’m Logan by the way.” Logan slowly extended his hand in my direction, waiting to see if I’d shake it or not.
Considering it, I decided this guy was too polite to be one of the “troublemakers” that Sergeant Kami had been griping about earlier. Seeing no harm in it, I held out my hand for him to shake. He held my hand warmly in between both of his for a few brief seconds before releasing me. The smile he gave me was a genuinely happy one. Logan looked to be about the same age as me, if not older. He had dark brown hair, a stubbly jaw, and kind eyes.
As soon as the other two guys saw that I had accepted Logan’s handshake, they both scrambled to their feet and practically tripped over each other in their haste to introduce themselves to me as well.
A cute younger guy with black hair elbowed Logan aside and reached out to shake my hand next. “Hi! I’m Gabe. Nice to officially meet you, Teagan.” Gabe seemed to be multi-racial and I studied his features, trying to make out his nationality. Whatever he was, he was super cute and had really nice eyes. My gaze landed on the third guy as he stepped slightly in front of Gabe and reached for my hand. Grasping it delicately in his, he lifted it up to press a light kiss onto the back of my hand as his eyes twinkled flirtatiously. “I’m Cassidy. Very nice to meet you, Teagan,” He was really tall and had a deep voice to match. His skin was the color of coffee with a lot of cream, and my eyes drifted up to admire his completely bald, shiny head. I had to admit that I found bald-headed guys attractive and agreed with the sentiment, “Bald is Beautiful”. It suited Cassidy well.
As I stood there and glanced from one face to the other, I decided that I was slightly uncomfortable with all the attention I was getting and gently tugged my hand out of his grasp. I discreetly tried to wipe the back of my hand on my pajama pants before I crossed my arms over my chest in a defensive stance. “Why were you waiting for me to come out of my room? And what made you so sure I was going to come out of it tonight anyways?”
Logan was quick to answer, and said, “When Sergeant Ramsey mentioned you suffered from insomnia sometimes, he said that you’re most active around the 1am hour. We didn’t know for sure you’d come out…we were just hoping. We’ve already been waiting here for an hour.”
“Why?” I demanded, still on my guard. After all, they seemed nice so far but I still knew nothing about them.
“We just wanted to ask you a couple of questions about the project if you could spare the time.” Gabe shot a hopeful look at me before adding, “Why don’t you go grab your water and then we can sit down and talk? I promise that we won’t take too much of your time. We all have to be up early tomorrow after all.” I did a double-take at Gabe, wondering how he knew I was searching for water.
I nodded my head in agreement though, curious about what they wanted to talk to me about. I headed over to the beverage station and grabbed a tall plastic cup from the stack of reusable dining ware. Filling it up with ice cold water, I stood there and greedily drank the whole thing before refilling it all the way back to the top. I was really thirsty. Turning around to join the others at their table, I saw with bemusement that all three were watching me like a hawk.
As I took the empty seat next to Gabe, I saw him look towards the ground before he grinned and said, “Nice slippers.”
Tucking them beneath me, I took another sip of water before mumbling, “Thanks.” I then raised my voice and looked them each in the eye before saying, “Okay…you guys get three questions tonight. That’s a total of three, not three questions each in case you were wondering. That’s all I’m in the mood to answer tonight, so make them count. Go.” I stared at them expectantly and waited for the first question to land. They looked surprised at my 3-question limit, but I noticed that they didn’t argue with me.
Logan scrambled to fill the void, and asked the first question. “We all know that you and the other two guys in your unit have all gotten 2 DNA injections so far. Do you feel any different? Is the transformation process painful?”
I raised an eyebrow. “That’s 2 questions. You’re lucky they go hand in hand. Yes, I feel different. I feel awesome. Stronger. More flexible. The feeling is indescribable but in a good way. As far as the transformation process goes, the only painful part is the tiny prick of the needle when they inject the serum into you. You don’t feel anything else except for the feeling of getting stronger in the following days to come. But as you’ve pointed out, I’ve only had two injections. I don’t know how I’ll feel after my third or fourth injection. I’m assuming things may change dramatically. Next question.” I glanced at Gabe and Cassidy to see who’d go next.
Cassidy cleared his throat before asking his question. “Why do you have such blind faith in Sergeant Ramsey and do everything he demands of you without question?” Cassidy’s tone of voice wasn’t accusatory in any way, he was honestly curious and puzzled as to why we were so loyal and respectful to our unit leader.
I took a minute to consider his question before answering. “What�
��s the alternative? I know why I’m here. I take full responsibility for the actions that landed me in this place to begin with. I’ve forgiven myself and come to peace with the fact that I can’t change the past, nor do I want to. In no way do I view myself as a victim in all of this. I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’m considered “government property”. Yes, we are part of an experimental project, but don’t forget that we are all expendable test subjects. What do you think is going to happen to you if they decide you’re not fit to be in the program anymore? They saved our lives and gave us all a second chance, but what makes you think they can’t easily take it all away if they decide someone is too unstable or unfit to continue? So, yes… I’m loyal to Sergeant Ramsey because he saved me. He took a chance on me. And he gave me a new family when he introduced me to Gideon and Sam. Because of that, I’m not alone anymore so I can’t help but feel anything other than grateful and respectful to my unit leader. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I’m perfect for this program because I had nothing left to lose in my old life. No way in hell do I want to go back to the way things were before I arrived here. The past is the past. My new life is here and I intend to make the most of it.”
The Mess Hall was completely silent as they contemplated my answer. Cassidy seemed satisfied with my response though, because the corners of his mouth twitched as he regarded me with admiration.
“Last and final question,” I said as I looked towards the youngest member of the trio. Gabe looked torn, so I assumed there was more than one question he wanted to ask. Grinning, I teased, “Tick Tock. You have five seconds to ask your question or forever hold your peace, because I’m going back to sleep whether you like it or not.”
The other two chuckled, as they waited to see if Gabe could spit his question out in time. Logan gently shoved his shoulder, as he urged, “Hurry up!
“Fine! I’ve got one! Do you miss anything from your old life at all?” he said.
There was no hesitancy on my part as I answered with complete honesty. “Not one bit because everyone I love is gone. There’s nothing and no one left worth going back to. I’m happier here than I have been for the past year in my previous life. That’s the truth.” There was a few seconds of silence on my part before I quickly re-iterated my earlier statement. “Oh wait! I’m sorry, I lied. I do severely miss Thai food…like, with a vengeance. Last week, I had a crazy craving for chicken pad thai, fried calamari, and thai iced tea. Oh, and coconut ice cream for dessert. I eat pretty healthy here but I’ll always have love for Thai Food.” I grinned at Gabe, seeing the disappointment on his face at my answer. I knew he was referring to whether or not I missed things from my life, but I didn’t feel like dwelling on my past so my answer to him was purposely obtuse.
Trying to placate him a little, I added, “In case you wondered what I don’t miss, I’ll run down a little list for you. I don’t miss afternoon traffic on the commutes home. I don’t miss having to worry about parking tickets when I go shopping in Seattle. I don’t miss driving in the rain or snow, because where I come from, during inclement weather the roads get packed with all the stupid drivers. I never have to worry about Jury Duty ever again! That’s cause for celebration right there by the way. I don’t miss paying taxes, and I don’t have to worry about paying bills ever again! No more student loans to pay off! What’s not to like about any of that? If you want my opinion, I think we’ve got it pretty good here. Does that put things in perspective for you a little?” I smothered a grin as I saw three slack jaws. They seemed riveted on me as they listened to my little speech.
“Times up. Going back to bed now.” Abruptly rising from the table, I picked up my cup of water and turned to head back to my room, calling over my shoulder, “It was nice meeting you guys! I’ll see you three tomorrow in the Gym. Make sure to bring your A games. No half-assing it either. I will be watching.” As I walked away, I saw that all three guys were grinning at me with expressions that looked close to adoration. Hmmm. I think I found my Fan Club.
As I walked quickly back down the hallway, I estimated that I couldn’t have been gone for more than 20 minutes but I wondered why none of the sergeants or so-called “Security Detail” had arrived to herd us back to our rooms. I knew we were being watched in the Mess Hall because I distinctly heard the whirring noises of the cameras panning in our direction. I had done a subtle camera count and saw that there were at least five cameras placed in various positions throughout the Mess Hall. Reflecting back on the guys I just met, I decided that I liked them. They were cute and charming, but I had to watch out for the flirty ones for fear of unintentionally leading anyone on. I wasn’t in the market for any illicit romance. To be truthful, I was still pretty pissed over the situation with Kyle and didn’t feel like I could let down the barriers around my heart any time soon. My wounds ran deep and I considered myself “damaged goods”. I did, however, concede that I was perfect “buddy material” and I felt satisfied that I may have made three new buddies tonight. Nevertheless, it was too early to tell whether or not I could trust them.
As I placed my hand over the scanner and let myself into the room, I saw that one half of the room was flooded with a soft light. Glancing up, I saw that Kyrie was sitting up in bed rubbing her eyes. As she heard the click of the door closing, she looked up and I saw the worry in her eyes. “I got up to use the bathroom and saw that your bed was empty. I was worried and didn’t know where you went, Teagan!” she complained. Yawning widely, she struggled to keep her eyes open as she regarded me with a little fear in her eyes. “I was afraid you weren’t going to come back.” Hmm…she’s a little too old for separation anxiety, isn’t she?
I sat down on the edge of her bed, careful not to spill any of my water on her comforter as I tried to reassure her. “Why would you think I wouldn’t come back, you silly goose? I was just thirsty and went to get some water. See?” I held up my purple plastic cup so she could see how full it was. “Go back to sleep, sweetie. I’m sorry you were worried about me but don’t be afraid. I’ll always come back, okay?” I set my cup on her nightstand in order to tuck her comforter around her shoulders. She smiled briefly in contentment as her eyelids drifted shut.
Picking up my cup, I swallowed another few gulps of water as I walked to my dresser and carefully set my cup on top of the ceramic tile beside my jewelry box that served as a coaster. I brushed my fingertips gently around the edge of it with fondness, remembering the fun time I had painting it with friends from my high school days. We had gone to one of those ceramic painting places and had all decided to paint tile coasters just for the heck of it. I had designed my name using a deep, rich red in the middle of my coaster with a fancy elaborate script. In the same script but tinier, I used black paint to delicately write my last name “Tyler” in a continuous loop to form a border along all four edges. Four little red hearts decorated the corners of the tile. I didn’t consider myself to be overly artistic but I was extremely proud of this one solo piece of art I created. A warmth flooded my chest as I appreciated how great it felt to be surrounded by my favorite things and my most prized possessions. I sighed in happiness before heading back over to Kyrie’s lamp to turn it off, plunging the room back into darkness. Sliding off my bunny slippers, I crawled back into bed and snuggled beneath my duvet. Inhaling the clean scent of the fabric softener on my sheets, I felt myself relax completely. I was asleep again before I knew what hit me.
11
The shuffling noise of Kyrie performing her morning ablutions is what woke me up the next morning. I was thankful for the unintentional wake-up call, because I probably would’ve kept on sleeping if I had the choice. Snuggling in my bed was a favorite pastime of mine after all. Glancing at the clock on the wall, I saw that it was already 7:15am. I jumped out of bed and started rummaging around in my dresser for my old workout uniform of sweatpants and a tank top. I couldn’t wait until my new exercise clothes arrived. I swear, I wasn’t trying to impress anyone…but sweats made me feel frumpy and unattractive. N
ot only that, the sweatpants were baggy and probably did not help with the aerial moves I did with the A-frame balance bar. I was hoping we’d get a chance to work with it today since it was one of the first things I practiced on when I realized I could jump higher and farther.
The bathroom door swung open and out skipped Kyrie, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. When she saw that I was awake, she squealed happily and said, “Yay! We’re all going to be working out in the Gym together! It’s so exciting!”
Internally, I wondered what Kyrie was so happy about. According to yesterday’s meeting with the sergeants, the other participants were going to be worked harder this week than they ever had thus far. There was bound to be some griping and moaning within their ranks. Maybe Kyrie wasn’t aware of this yet. Not wanting to burst her bubble, I kept the knowledge to myself. I hope you like to exercise, Kyrie!
Darting for the vacated bathroom, I called, “Wait for me! We’ll go to breakfast together, okay?”
“Sure!” Kyrie started making her bed, as she waited for me to finish my morning routine.
My hair was a tangled mess, but it didn’t matter since a hot shower was always part of my wake-up routine. Even though I knew that I was only going to be drenched with sweat within a few hours… I never felt ready to tackle the day unless I was fresh and clean. When I got out of the shower, I twisted my damp hair up into a tight bun on the top of my head, making sure that it was really secure so my hair wouldn’t get loose and cause problems while I was working out. After brushing my teeth and applying lip balm, I was all ready to go.
I sat on the end of my bed to put on my socks and yank on sneakers. I grinned at Kyrie as I was lacing up. She was sitting on the side of her bed, swinging her legs while flashing her dimples at me. Her good mood was contagious, and I chuckled as I snatched the empty purple cup from my dresser. Eyeing her outfit as we both headed out, I saw that she was wearing black sweatpants and a pink t-shirt. Hmmm…. I wonder how much pink she has in her wardrobe? Her hair was separated into two buns on either side of the back of her head. Very cute. Slinging my arm around her shoulders as we walked down the hall, I glanced down at the top of her head and noticed again how short she was. I began to speculate if she would sprout up in height the way Sam did if she agreed to have her next DNA shot.