NaLu: Just Experiments

CHAPTER 9: Answers

(Wendy's POV)

The school day flew by. One minute we were in it, and the next I was waiting for the rest of the group under the giant oak tree. I had a fun day. It is such a new feeling when you suddenly know way more than even your teacher. I can't lie, it feels kind of good. I look up the tree I'm standing under and start to wonder. Where is everyone?
     My question is soon answered though when Lucy and Natsu come running up. "Hey guys, were you together the whole day?" I ask. "Yeah," Lucy answers, "I thought we would switch partners every class, but I just hung out with Natsu all day. Where's Gray and Erza?" "All three of us were together all day," I tell her, " but Gray was talking to someone and said he'd meet us at the tree. Erza said something similar. She wanted to look around."
     No sooner had I said that then Gray, followed by three people, came towards us. "Hey," he said, "I met a few people you might like to meet. This is Gajeel, Romeo, and Jellal." After all the introductions, the boys all started talking. I could tell they were becoming friends very quickly and I knew they would only get closer.
Right as Lucy and I started to get bored, Erza came up to us with four people close behind. "Girls," she said, "This is Levy, Mira, Lissanna, and Juvia. I met them while looking around." Soon we were all talking in our own little huddle, similar to the boy's.
     Eventually, the bus came and we all piled in. We kept talking all the way home and got to know each other better. I sat next to Romeo. He's my age. It was actually really fun. We reached our house and we all said goodbye, getting off the bus. Mom was there to greet us at the front door. She asked a million questions.
"How was it? Did you follow the rules? Was anyone mean to you? Did you make any friends? What are their names?" she asks nervously. We tried our best to answer every question saying, "Good, yes, no, yes, Jellal, Mira, Romeo, Lissanna, Juvia, Gajeel, and Levy." After a few hundred more questions, the conversation ended in a group hug.
We all sat in the living room, anticipating the next few moments. Lucy was going to read the information about The Indigo Project that she took from the guards mind. Soon, our questions would be answered.
"Well, here we go." She said, "The Indigo Project: a top secret organization built by the multi-millionaire Mr. Ronald Highmore. After his death, the lab and his fortune went to his only son, Zayn Highmore. The function of the lab is to genetically modify ordinary humans using the highest advances in technology and science. These carefully selected humans will live at The Indigo Project and be kept there until successfully completed. When completed, said experiments will then be-" I look up as Lucy stops in horror. "Lucy, what's wrong?" Natsu asked worriedly. She just shakes her head and buries her face in her knees.
     Mom gets up and says, "There, there, honey. Everything is alright. Um, kids? I think I'll go make her a cup of tea." She slowly walks to the kitchen, leading Lucy as she cries into her shoulder. "What do you think it said?" Gray asks what we were all thinking.
     "While we wait, we could talk about what we learned." Erza suggests. "We barely learned anything." Gray says, frustrated. "Not quite." Erza says, "There were little details that I think definitely arouse some questions." "Like what?" I ask.
     "Remember when she said, 'these carefully selected humans'?" Erza asks, "What if, they watched us? What if, every time you played outside, every time you went to school, some one was watching you? They watched us from the beginning. They decided they would take us long before we were actually taken. They were just waiting for the right moment." She leans back in her chair, deep in thought.
     "That's really creepy, you know that? I think you just ruined my entire childhood." Gray complains. "Well technically they ruined your entire childhood." Natsu points out. "It makes me feel uncomfortable." I say. They watched us. They watched us.
     "Okay, did you hear her say 'until successfully completed'? I guess there really is some sort of goal they're trying to achieve with us. Now the question is, what?" Natsu asks. "She was about to get to that, but then she shut down. Whatever she read, it wasn't good." Gray adds, sadly.
     "Maybe we shouldn't of read it." I say, startling everyone, "I mean, we were happy. We have friends, we're enjoying school, life has been pleasantly normal. Maybe we should have just forgotten about-" Natsu stops me by grabbing my shoulders and looking me straight in the eyes. "No," he says, "we deserve to know the truth. We need to know the truth. I refuse to let them keep us in the dark anymore with stupid riddles and vague answers just to get us to shut up. We're free, living beings with the right to know all the answers to every, single question." He lets go of my shoulders and playfully adds, "Besides, I'm your older brother and what I say goes."
     "Hey!" I say, playfully jumping on him. We fall to the floor, making everyone laugh and start play wrestling. I was no match for Nastu and he eventually picks me up, upside down. My legs are slung over one of his shoulders and my long hair is touching the floor. I start laughing and he sets me down gently.
     We all sit on the floor, making small talk and waiting for Lucy to return from the kitchen with Mom. If we weren't a family before, we certainly are now. Natsu and I are literally related and everyone else are my foster siblings. I know we made that up for the lie, but it really is true. They were orphans, and now they live with us as part of the family.
     Lucy breaks my train of thought as she enters the room, with a cup of tea in her hands and my mom right behind her. They sit down on the floor with us and Lucy looks at us shyly. She doesn't say anything, like she's debating whether or not to speak at all. We all just sit there, waiting for her to answer our questions.
     Then she speaks up. She doesn't give an explanation, but instead picks up where she left off, starting the sentence over again. Her voice is quiet and sad as she says, "When completed, said experiments will then be sold, to the highest bidder, to be used in whatever way the buyer sees fit." She then bursts into tears again.