Thirteen Minds

Prologe: The Scientist and The Home

"Come for dinner girls!" Dr Martin yelled.

"Coming Papa!" said the girls.

Each girl made their way down the creaky wooden stairs towards the small kitchen in a straight, army-like formation. They all filed into the dining room and stood behind their designated chairs at the dinner table while Dr Martin stood watching them like a hawk.

Each girl took their seat and before Dr Martin took his seat, he looked around to find that one of the twelve girls in his home was missing.

"Girls..." Dr Martin said slowly. "Where is Nine?"

Every girl at the dinner table froze in their seats and developed a nervous expression on their faces. Not one girl said a word. Dr Martin knew that he could pressure one of his girls into telling him, and he knew exactly who.

"Six...where is Nine?"

All of the girls looked at Six while she lowered her head to look into her lap acting as if she is guilty.

"Six I need to know where your sister is. You are not in trouble." Dr Martin stated calmly.

The other eleven girls stared at Six. The look they all gave said "don't do it six...don't rat her out..."

"Sorry guys...Papa already knows Nine is gone...why lie to him?" The 10 year old took a long, nervous breath in preparing herself for the secret she was about to tell.

"Papa, Nine snuck out and went into town to spend the allowance you gave her. She was supposed to go to the ice cream shop that is 5 minutes from here and be back in time for dinner...sorry Papa..." Six confessed quietly.

As soon as Six finished her confession, everyone at the dinner table went silent. Everyone sitting at the table had a disapproving, disappointed look on their face. A moment later the creaking sound of door hinges were heard. Nine came running through the corridor and into the dining room.

Dr Martin took the 13 year old girl by the shoulders. "Nine! Why did you leave?! You know you are FORBIDDEN to leave unless I say so!" he yelled.

"I'm sorry Papa...I just needed to get out of this stuffy, crowded home for a while. I knew you wouldn't approve, so I snuck out..." the 13 year old girl stated quietly. "But Papa!! You will never believe what I saw while I was at the ice cream shop!! There was this girl sitting at one of the tables in the shop and she was moving things like us Papa! You said that we were the only girls in the world that had these powers, but we aren't! I was going to talk to her but I realized that I was already late for dinner, so I didn't get a chance to..." Nine said excitedly.

Dr Martin pondered the information he just received from his 'daughter'. "Could you recognize this girl if you saw her again?" he asked.

"Of course I could! She had brown, curly hair and green eyes!" Nine proudly stated.

"Alright then...girls stay here and eat your dinner. Two, you are in charge while I am away with Nine." Dr Martin then turned to Nine. "Let's go and find this mystery girl. We will pick you up dinner on the way."

With that, Dr Martin and Nine walked through then corridor and out the mahogany coloured, wooden door to find this mysterious girl with mysterious powers.