They See Four

Prologue ~ Cold

It was cold. Sarah had known this before they left, of course. However, that didn't comfort her against the wind that bit into her skin like frozen termites. She sat huddled on an old tree stump as her kid ran about the long-abandoned playscape.

Sarah shifted on the stump, her irritation only growing from the discomfort it caused her every little move she made. She sniffed loudly, watching as her son played by himself contentedly. It was what he was used to at this point, and Sarah never tried forcing him into the awkward situations of playing with other kids. Some people just thrived alone.

Looking up at the sky above them, Sarah adjusted her glasses which always seemed to slide down her nose as if they were egging her to accommodate them. It looked like it would rain. She sighed. Rain meant muddy feet from the playground, although it did have its upsides. The rain would allow them to cover up more, hidden from the cameras that always followed.

Brushing her dark brown hair out of her face, she felt her regret return every time she touched it. It had once been long and wavy: full of life. Now, it just hung limp and straight, cut short behind her ears. She'd told herself it had been for the best, but it still hurt.

Sarah smiled sadly. Everything she'd done the past six years had been for him—her son. He was special. Not just to her but to the entire world. Maybe not in the same way, but there was no denying the unique qualities that had drawn people, specifically the media, to him since his birth. This abandoned park in the middle of nowhere had been their secret place ever since the news began following their every step.

Standing, Sarah grabbed her backpack and quickly put it on. Lifting her hood, she covered her head as best she could. Turning back to the playground, her son had stopped playing and was watching her as if his mother might suddenly take off without him. She stared back a moment as if looking at herself in a mirror.

Sarah waved him over, calling out as she did. "Lucas! Let's get going!"

Lucas grinned goofily back in response and ran towards her with no hesitation. Sarah watched a moment. Being his mother, all she saw was her little boy, Lucas, in all his silly glory. However, to any other person, the first thing they would have seen wasn't his two eyes, ears, legs, or his dark hair.

Lucas had four arms. 

That's what they would have seen first. They looked like any standard kid's arms, except for a tiny detail. Plain as the eye could see: Four.