Guilty

Chapter 2-Blue

The first day was short. I was home before lunchtime, cleaned up, my body showing no evidence of the twisted place I'd just escaped from. The next day would not be as easy. They told us to pack for a week; they needed to monitor our bodies and run more tests. And so it began, a summer camp of medication and artificial lighting, where my body was a toy for the world to probe.

My parents were silent when I left, solemn as if the sidewalk led to my grave. I was the pallbearer of my own funeral. It was weird that they acted this way, since the laboratory actually saved my life, gave me a chance to live. After what Rush had said, I'd done my research, and maybe they had too. My prospects were grim, whether I survived this mess or not.

The bus ride there was too short. I wanted it to go on forever, to take me anywhere but where it was supposed to. But I passed the Golden Tower as the sun rose, the towering skyscrapers of downtown, and into the quiet suburbs. The woman at the desk handed me a hospital gown as soon as I stepped inside the door, and pointed to the bathroom for me to change. The others already sat inside, bags under their eyes, goosebumps prickled from the chilly air. Smiles no longer on their faces; ghosts replaced them in the early morning. I sat down on one of the two empty beds in the room, ending up across from nobody and next to Alain. Rush was on the far end, and with Rosie across from him and Jill across from Alain. The empty bed was the closest to the door.

Soon, Dr. Killdridge entered with several nurses and a girl in a hospital gown. She was a tiny mouse of a girl, with thick black hair falling across her face and sprawling down her shoulders. The hospital gown billowed past her knees, almost midway down her calves. She fearfully hurried to the last bed, her body an earthquake from the haunting glare of Dr. Killdridge.

He paced up and down the aisle between the beds, looking us over, a lion observing his prey. "Children, listen up," I exchanged glances with Alain about the children comment, but quickly averted my eyes when he began to snicker. "Yesterday, I didn't give much explanation on how daily activity will occur here. Quite honestly, you have no right to know, since each of you belong to the government now, and have no individual control or need for knowledge. However, I believe that it will make things much smoother if I provide some information. Mostly rules that might not have been covered. First of all, after this week, each of you will be given a strict diet. You will follow this to a T, and if you fail to do so, the government has the right to revoke your right to live at home and you will spend the remainder of your sentence in the lab. This goes for breaking any of the rules. Secondly, do not take any medications or drugs or see any doctors unless I give you specific permission. Any and all medical concerns will be addressed to me. From now on, each of you will be driven to and from the lab by a nurse to ensure your safe traveling, and to make sure you show up. You may be required to stay overnight on occasion, just as you will be doing for the rest of this week. You are not allowed to refuse any medical treatment that any of the nurses or doctors here give you. Because you are now property of the government, you will be tracked and monitored at all times, which is what the metal teeth each of you received yesterday are for. Anything that is said or done in this lab is strictly confidential and cannot be told to anyone outside of these premises, including your parents and other family members. If you are found breaking any other laws, you are subject to your sentence being lengthened without trial.