Freak of Nature - By Julia Crane Page 0,3

Professor Adams had a TV installed at Lucas’s request. He thought she could learn about human interaction through watching movies. For some reason reality shows and the news were off-limits,which made no sense. Wouldn’t she learn more from a reality show than make believe?

She peeked her head around the door. “Ms. Kaitlyn, may I come in?”

“Yes.” The blinking red light in the corner of the room was an ever-present reminder that her room was monitored, so she had to watch what she said and did. That usually wasn’t much, anyway. To say her life was monotonous was an understatement.

Quess dropped her bucket down on the floor, breaking the silence, and pulled out an old rag. She started dusting around Kaitlyn’s room—not that there was much dust. The room was sparse. Kaitlyn watched as Quess’s small pale hand efficiently wiped down the white dresser, and then moved over to the windowsill. Her unruly copper hair looked like fire in the sunlight.

Neither spoke a word. Kaitlyn wondered if the way she stared—robotic, silent, almost as if she were a statue—bothered Quess. Kaitlyn could sit for hours on end, unblinking and with nothing to do but stare at the four walls around her. But Quess never complained.

After Quess finished dry mopping the tile floor, she turned and looked at Kaitlyn with a mischievous glint in her hazel eyes. “Ms. Kaitlyn, would you like to walk the grounds with me? Grandpa Adams suggested you might want some fresh air.”

Walking the grounds was Kaitlyn’s favorite thing to do, but she kept her face stoic. She didn’t want to show any emotions to the camera. They’ve already taken so much from her she wouldn’t allow them to take anything more. “If Professor Adams thinks I need fresh air, then I will go.”

“I thought you might.” Quess picked up her bucket and waited for Kaitlyn to follow.

Anything to get out of this white, stuffy little room and away from the endless testing, Kaitlyn thought. She gracefully stood from her bed, smoothed down the front of her dress, and followed behind the young girl.

She remained silent throughout the maze of hallways, past the dark, quiet labs and the even darker cafeteria. Cameras were everywhere: posted in high, shadowed corners, hidden behind black-glass windows. Kaitlyn lived her entire new life—or half-life, as it were—under scrutiny, like the science experiment she was. Except on the rare occasion she went out with Quess. Even then they didn’t have much privacy.

They stopped by the supply closet and stowed Quess’s bucket before Kaitlyn pushed through the heavy metal door that led outside into the afternoon sunshine. The cool air against her skin was a nice sensation. Being locked away made her appreciate the little things.

Where the lab and dorm were sterile and white, outside was a mini paradise. Kaitlyn believed the compound was remote, being surrounded on all sides by thick forest and absent of any sounds beyond that of nature. A glance towards the distant front gate—hung with barbed wire and electronically locked—showed it was being patrolled by its usual armed guards.

Scanning the area, she was relieved to see the courtyard was empty as they made their way down the stone path flanked by dogwood trees leading to the woods. Sometimes staff members would sit at the picnic tables for lunch or dinner, or gather around the back door for a smoke break. Kaitlyn always felt awkward on the rare occasion she crossed paths with staff members who were not assigned to her. They either gawked at her like she was a freak or avoided eye contact completely.

Kaitlyn watched with curiosity as Quess spread her arms wide and twirled around laughing. Her head tilted up towards the sun.

“It’s so beautiful.” Quess gave one more twirl and linked her pale, skinny arm through Kaitlyn’s.

Kaitlyn found human contact very strange. She could feel the warmth from Quess’s touch, but she didn’t understand why the girl would want to touch her. It made her uncomfortable.

She looked straight ahead and focused on putting one foot in front of the other. With her heightened sense of perception, she could hear wild life scurrying in the distance. A mother deer and her baby were grazing on the open field four hundred and twenty-two meters to their left. A persistent Pileated Woodpecker tapped away at a tree. Only a few feet away a squirrel jumped from one branch to another.

Once they passed the large birch tree—their normal point of safety from prying eyes—Kaitlyn looked at Quess and smiled dropping