The Talented and Gifted

Chapter 1

Max
 
        I jolted upright in bed, gasping. My hand over my heart. I couldn’t help but to check my shirt.
        No bullet holes. No blood. I sighed and fell back onto my bed.
        Geez! I hated that dream. It was always the same: running away, being chased by the cops and 6 kids. I always woke up a feeling a second away from death. It was chilly and dark- as always.
        I looked around, my cage hadn’t changed it was still miserable. My cage as just like a normal cage but bigger. I would break out of here but the bars had electricity running in them so if you touch them you get a shock with the power of 100W. 
   I got out of bed and changed into some black sweatpants and a black t-shirt. My cage wasn’t big but it wasn’t small either. It had 2 beds, 2 dressers, and one small shower.
        It might seem big for me ‘cause it was just be but it used to be different.
        There used to be a boy- about a year older than me. I called him Piggy because he ate so much and because he did never tell me his name.         He called me Princess even though he knew my name he still called me that. He always said that I was his princess no matter what. Each time I asked for something or a favor he would always say ‘your wish is my command’. But one day he left.
        I was about 10 or 11. He was the scientist’s slave. They’ll only give him food once every 2 months, so each time I got I’ll save some for him. Once when I cleaned the kitchen I stole some food and gave them to Piggy. All put together it was a bit more than 12 meals, he finished them in less than 15 minutes. 5 minutes later he said he said he was hungry. That was the day when I named him Piggy, before that we called each other by our experiment numbers. My number is 1 and his was 16.
        Everyday the guards that escorted him from place to place threw him into the cage. Whenever he took his shirt off was my cue to turn around so he could change.
        One day when he got to the cage his face was a mask of pain, his shirt was covered with something dark and smelly, and the guards didn’t shove him inside like always. He stumbled onto his bed and when the guards left he screamed with so much pain and frustration I wanted to cry.
That was the first day I had seen him cry. Tears stained his face clean. As he took his shirt off I was about to turn around but I saw it.
        A giant cut from his neck to his belly button. There was so much blood that you couldn’t even see his skin anymore. I went to my dresser and got a few shirts, and some water. When I turned back to him he was already in his short, lying down.
        I got one of the shirts and tore into pieces. I got one of the pieces and damped it with water.
        “This is gonna hurt a bit” I’d said
        He nodded and sucked in breath as I cleaned his wound. After I finished I threw the blood covered clothes in the trash- it would be hard to get all the stains off. Piggy lay on his bed, eyes closed, and breathing heavily. After a while he called me to him. I kneeled down besides his bed.
        “I’m here” He took my hand and made my looks into his eyes. “,what happened?” I turned to his wound.
        “That doesn’t matter, but what does matter is what I’m about to tell you” he took a sharp breath and sat up “I’m tired of Princess. Imma get out of here, I’ll come back for you as soon as I can find a place where we can stay without danger. But----”
        “No. You can’t leave like this look at you” I interrupted
        “I’m not asking for permission, I’m just letting you know that in a few months you will stop suffering form this people.” 
        I looked down and nodded. Once he was up to something the only thing stopping him was death.
He sighed and with a finger made me look into his eyes again. For the first time ever did I realized that he had the weirdest eyes. They were black with strands of red; you had to stare at them for a while to see the pupil.
        “ Princess?”
        “Hmmm?”
        “Before I leave there was something I wanted to tell you. Incase they catch me in the escape.”
        “What’s that?”
        “You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. Don’t let anyone tell you different. You’re beautiful from the inside all the way to the outside. You’re smart, talented, and gifted.”
        “How am I gifted? I was made in lab.” I asked as he brushed my cheek with his finger.
        “That you must figure out when it is time”
        “But----”
        He cut me off “Go to sleep, Princess. Remember the cameras are still watching.”
        “So this is it? The last night I will ever have with you?”
        Nod
        I looked at him and he smiled, I smiled back and stood.
        “Wait” he said taking my hand in mid stroll. I turned to him. “You’re like a sister I never had and I will give my life to save yours, because I love you.” And he closed his eyes.
        I’d tried to say something but nothing came out. That night I did not sleep. I thought of what he said, “I love you”. Truth is he was like a brother to me and I also loved him but I kinda loved him more that a brother.
         Yes, the next day he did not come back. Guards and scientists came to ask me questions but all they got were shrugs for answers. I got slapped by some scientists and punched by guards; but I still didn’t say anything.
        The scientists knew I liked going outside so for my punishment for not cooperating was they fed me half as much and took away the right to go outside. It has been 5-6 years that I haven’t seen the real sun. There was a special light that kept me from going completely pale. I couldn’t be pale because the Boss’s son, Maxon, didn’t like pale girls and he “loved” me. So I had to be perfect.
        I sighed. I all these memories will one day kill me. I laid on my bed remembering other things about Piggy until I drifted of to a deep, miserable sleep, wishing sleep, wishing that I’ll never wake up.