Confessions of a Lab Rat

Chapter 19

We stop at what Beech proclaims is a "gas station" a couple hours later. Beech shows me to a public bathroom with some real clothes and a pair of boots. Lillian must've been thinking ahead.

I close the bathroom door and wrinkle my nose. I'm suffocating in here. Everything at the lab was so clean and calculated...even our deaths.

I can feel the grit from a thousand pairs of boots underneath my bare feet. Is the rest of the world this dirty, I wonder?

I slip on the pair of jeans. I have to do it twice because the first time I put them on backwards. They're rough and chafing compared to my free floating hospital johnny. Nevertheless, I pull the huge flannel shirt over my head and leave the hospital gown in the trash. There's warm socks for my feet and a black hat for my bald head.

I meet Beech outside and give Paprika a turn in the bathroom.

"Hey there, Pepper Rat," he says. "Looking much better."

I smile, feeling weird in these huge clothes.

"I've never worn anything like this," I say.

"You'll be used to it in a flash," he says.

Unlike me, Beech looks comfortable in his jeans and boots. His black jacket fits across his shoulders perfectly. Suddenly it dawns on me. Beech-my Beech- is actually kind of handsome.

"You've got that look on your face again, Pepper Rat," he says, smiling.

"What look?" I ask.

He shrugs.

"That look that you get, as if you've discovered something phenomenal."

"I think maybe I have," I say, but I don't tell him what.

As much as I know it's silly, I don't want Beech to know he's handsome. We're in the real world now. There are a ton of girls here, and if Beech thinks he's handsome, he might not want to be with me anymore.

Paprika emerges from the bathroom. I can see he's purposely messed up his red hair to make it look like Beech's. Everybody loves Beech.

I go check on Sugar while Beech and Paprika buy food in the store.

Her forehead is hot, but she's shivering.

"Pepper?" She asks.

"Right here, Sugar," I whisper, stroking her forehead.

"Pepper, I don't want to breath anymore."

"Hush," I say. "Don't talk like that."

She lets out a shuddering breath.

"We're not in the lab anymore," she says.

"No," I say. "We're free."

"Freedom is coming," she tries to sing, but her voice is too weak and it cracks.

Another car pulls up on the other side of the gas pumps. It's much different from our van. It's small and long and black and it has strange blue lights on the top.

Just then, Beech and Paprika come out of the store.

Beech's eyes widen when he sees the other car.

He pulls his hood over his face and grabs Paprika's hand, pulling him to our car quickly.

The driver of the black car gets out, passing by Beech and Paprika as they walk from the store.

Beech gives a frantic look my way. I don't understand why the man in the strange car is disturbing him so much, but I hop into the front seat and turn the keys in the ignition.

Beech nearly knocks me over trying to get into the car. He doesn't even give me time to buckle before he drives away.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"That was a police man," Beech says.

"Like the people who took Lillian away?" I ask.

"Exactly like that," he says.

I watch as the gas station disappears in a flurry of snow.

I understand why Beech is worried. It won't be long before people start searching for us. And what of the other lab rats? Who's going to rescue them?

"Here," Beech passes a bag to me. "These are for you."

"What are these?" I wrinkle my nose as I pull something out of the bag.

Beech laughs.

"Those are French fries," he says.

I hold one up to my nose and sniff it.

"It's not going to bite you, Pepper," he chuckles.

I take a nibble. It's strange and almost too salty, but it's also warm. I hadn't realized how hungry I was.

I eat a few and then save the rest for Sugar. The next time she wakes up she'll be hungry.

"This is a strange world," I tell Beech.

"No, Pepper," he laughs. "It's only you who is different."

As hard as I try, I can't grasp that concept.

It's as if the world is upside-down, but rather the world is right-side-up and I am the one who is upside-down.