Sanity By Jo Lockett

Chapter 4 ; Touched

I looked at the Headmistress in utter shock.

"B-but," I stutter, my hands shaking from the revelation, "I-I... it can't... b-but it's only until you're-"

"Sixteen years of age, yes," the Headmistress interrupts, smiling (a bit forcefully). "But, on some rare occasions, matches before the age requirement can be made, and we have observed that you, Miss- Grace, have a fully integrated prefrontal cortex."

My mind goes blank.

"Wait, what?"

The Headmistress giggles, and puts a hand to her mouth, as if she's embarrassed.

"Whoops," she says, hiding a smile, "I forgot you are nothing but a year 12, pardon me."

Still confused, I cock my head to the side, and furrow my eyebrows together.

The Headmistress straightens up.

"Pardon me," she apologizes again, putting her hands firmly on her desk. "It simply means that you are mature for your age. Your brain molecular activity and biology is highly advanced compared to the other students. We haven't seen such a progressed brain since my- Sataina's time. You have the brain of a sixteen years old, that's all."

"Oh," I drop my voice down. The whispers are coming back again. But I start thinking.
Maybe the reason that I'm experiencing all of... this, is because of my... what do you call it? The profontal cortex?
The prefrontal cortex, you stupid stupid, the whisper echoes in my head.
I immediately close my eyes, and envision what Mother said to me.
Colors, filling up all the spaces in my head, swirling in bright arrays of light... red. Orange. Purple. No, it was supposed to be green after orange. No? Wasn't there something before that? Red, orange, green... no, that's-

The Headmistress clears her throat, snapping me back to reality.

"S-sorry," I stutter, twisting my hands, "it's something I do when I'm..." I pause, at a loss for words, the space in my mind going blank again.
Suddenly, the face of the Guy In The Running Away Cap fills my mind.
Brown hair, red, full lips, a cap, slunk over his troubled blue eyes, the corner of his mouth turning up into a half-smile, that, nonetheless, looks sad, his sideburns uncut and wild.
The image alone makes me smile a bit, and I look up at the Headmistress, calm and confident again.

"So," I say, smiling a bit at the Headmistress, "will I be able to meet my.... match?"

The Headmistress smiles, and nods.

"Yes, well, in fact," she says, smiling back at me, "we have him here right now. Would you like to see him?"

My heart is pounding in my ears, and I feel my cheeks turn slightly pink, but I stay calm. At least, on the outside.

"Yes, if you please," I say, trying to keep the nervousitement out of my voice.

The Headmistress smiles, and presses her hand on the intercom.

"Angela," she says, looking up at me and smiling, "bring Grace Illusion Adams' mate, please."