The P. P. A. Project

Chapter One - Classified

Chapter One: Classified

Pandora Paige Alexander is the name I have been living under since I was born. That was nearly 93 years ago. I am currently attending Middleton High School as an eleventh grader pretending to be 17 yeas old. How can I pull this off, you ask? It is simple. I was born with a disease that makes me age 5.4 times slower than any other human being.

The government and guardians are the only people that know about my condition. I have graduated from high school 12 times over the years and lived in nearly ever city in the country. Every Friday evening I travel to whatever hospital is designated for my tests and I am studied. This study is officially known as the P. P. A. Project. Highly classified.

Some of the doctors have told me I held the cure to eternal life. Others would call me a freak. It didn't matter. I didn't know any of them long enough to care. I didn't get the chance to know anyone long enough, that included my original parents. They died not long after I was born in a plane crash as every guardian after that has usually taken the fortune they were able to accumulate during a two year period and vanish.

I can choose to give up their help at any time and stop the testing but that would leave me all alone to try and explain to people why I am dawning on a century of life and have the face of a child. I figured their help was inevitable for me to get by day to day and not worry about being burned or shunned because of my incredibly rare genetic disorder.

Although, this doesn't mean I don't give them hell from time to time.

"Pandora? Come on, this isn't funny. I have to run my tests. I am gunna be in big trouble if the captain comes in and I am holding a big pile of nothing."

Liam Wilcox is the only scientist who wasn't brushed off of the project after the two year mark because of how insanely smart he is. He is only 29 years old and already has accomplished as much as many do in their lives, scientifically. Due to the work he has done just on me he has made huge medical advancements in the fields of Cancer and Hepatitis.

He was also really funny. I requested that he be able to stay on as long as he like with the project because he was the only white coat who didn't seem to have a stick shoved up his ass. After all, this was a government run project. So far he has been here for four years.

"Come on, Pan-Pan. You know you want to."

I poked my head out from the vent above, my long, dark hair like a curtain falling before him as I gave an obnoxious smile.