Test Subject 529

Chapter One. Caroline.

I stand next to five college boys, every muscle in my body tense. A paved strip of field loops around in an oval a mile long. At the explosion of the starter pistol, we all shoot off. I gain an advantage from the beginning, my feet pound on the pavement. I approach the first hurdle, glaring at it. I'm barely four feet tall, so the hurdles always bother me. With the hurdles averaging at 2.25 to 3.5 feet, they're obviously my least favorite part of running. I jump headfirst and tuck into a ball, rolling onto my feet. I repeat the move several more times, clearing all of the hurdles with ease.

"Come on, come on." I can hear the track coach shouting. I pump my arms and run faster. I'm so far ahead, I could walk the last quarter and still win. As I near the finish line, I spring into a flip; somersaulting through the air, my hands and feet hitting the ground, pushing me up. I touch down next to coach Nelan, not even out of breath. "My God, you've done it again. Those poor boys are going to die from embarrassment. Another record blown to bits, without even breaking a sweat, you big show off. Really, a flip?"

"I know, I'm amazing." I say as he pats my shoulder. The pat turns into a head slap, which I immediately return.

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Two hours later, I'm sitting in my apartment with a bag of popcorn and a movie.(Gremlins.) After the race, some of the teams went out to dinner. It was really fun, just a lot of elbowing and dirty jokes. I was the only girl, but that didn't bother me. It just helped me brag, a thirteen year old girl beating the crap out of a bunch of college students. You're probably wondering, what's a thirteen year old doing racing a bunch of college students? Well, once Nelan realised I can run like a deer, he started having me run against harder teams. I participate in a LOT of sports. Football, basketball, baseball, wrestling, swimming, volleyball, and soccer, as well as track. I'm also a serious mathlete, horseback rider, artist, dancer, leader of the chess club, and an honor roll student. I know, that's a lot. I'm glad to be super busy, it beats being in a large apartment all by myself.

After the movie, I take a shower and change into my pjs. I pull a brush through my snarled ebony curls, glancing in the mirror. A small girl with pale skin and amethyst eyes stares back. I weave my now silky curls into a braid, my mind wandering. I slip my lucky bracelet- a gold chain studded with amethyst, my name engraved on the largest piece of the stone- onto my right wrist. I rub my fingers against the letters C-A-R-O-L-I-N-E. Leaving the bathroom, I slide into my bedroom, the purple walls decorated with gold streaks of paint. Sleep pulls at me, and I succumb to it.

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When I awake, my head spins. Why did I wake up? It's too dark to be time to wake up. The floorboards groan and the door to my room, which I closed before going to sleep, squeaks. Oh my God. There's someone in my house! I roll out of bed, grabbing my baseball bat off the ground. I swing and hear the wooden weapon connect with bare skin. A thump tells me that I've knocked the bastard unconscious. Before I can react, someone grabs my arm and I feel the prick of a needle in my arm. As I begin to lose consciousness, the last thing I think is I don't want to die.