Riddled.

Chapter Two.

The nurses carrying the child were appalled by the color of his eyes and how much he smiled. His fate wasn't as shining, though. Innocence radiated from him, not a trace of this dark world had approached him, yet. He didn't know evil; he didn't know how to manipulate people or how to bribe them. He was different than the other babies though, and looked just like the ones who do commercials and appear on TV. He was close to perfect, and if perfection existed, he would have been.

"Catherine, do you think he'll make it out alive? Out of the house?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, he should, there's much more to life than just one place. I hope they let him out and give up on red X-Rays. I don't think researches will prove anything soon."

"What if researches are done, but they don't want anyone to know about them? I mean, we only know Ansel by the name, and we know his power, but we're not supposed to know more. 'Or else.'"

"I don't think about that much, to be quite honest with you. I'd rather stay in my lane."

"Will they let him out?"

"I don't think so, but that's none of my business anyway. Will you be coming to my party next weekend?"

"I'm not sure I can make it."

"If you miss it I'm not talking to you again." Catherine smiled, trying to hide her face, tilting her head to the right.

"Yeah, seems like you'll be really mad." Smiled the other nurse playfully.

"Oh come on! You always miss them! Just come one time, to see what your best friend's parties are like. There is no party like a Catherine Roland party." She closed her eyes proudly.

"Okay. I'll come, just this one time. But I'll stay next to you all night. You know how good I am with social events."

"That's my girl. Don't worry, you won't regret it. Maybe even your prince charming will be there!"

"As if I want one." Her laugh echoed in the small car.

"You never know what happens."

Both stared out the window, each travelling to her own world, the one she made up in her head, and each having her own thoughts and each thinking about something that mattered to her. They both were tired of the long road, and they were tired of the sight of the ambulance, and the medical tools it held. Staring outside the window during long trips made people think about so many different subjects, planning for the future, solving a problem or even daydream. And after a while, the thoughts in the nurse's mind came out of her lips.

"Do you think he's dangerous?"

"Most definitely is. 'stay away, do not touch, do not speak to' and all those rules, I think, haven't been put up for nothing."

"Well, he looks normal."

"There's much more to a person than what the eye meets."

"That's deep. Where did you learn that?"

"I read it somewhere."

"That's true, everyone knows that, but they judge you anyways."

"That's how society has always been. Everyone wants change, but we can't change, because if you're different you won't be accepted and you'll be marginalized."

"Different is good though. Nowadays everyone is the same."

"Yeah."

"If only we accepted each other the way we are; nobody would pretend to be something they're not. But your looks, sometimes, determine the way people treat you, and your social status does too. Everyone wants to hang out with rich people because they're rich, even if they're not nice. I don't get it. Everyone wants to hang out with 'cool' people and good looking people. John Green says 'That's always seemed so ridiculous to me, that people want to be around someone because they're pretty. It's like picking your breakfast cereals based on color instead of taste.'"

"That's a line from Paper Towns."

"How do you know? I found it on Instagram as a quote."

"I read a lot. That's how I know."

"I wish things would change, but they don't."

"Life my love. That's life."

And they kept chatting along the road. They were really good friends since a young age, but sometimes, they got separated by their shifts in the hospital. The ambulance kept making stops, and the driver, who kept asking pedestrians for directions, lost the road. And the car suddenly stopped, making Catherine fall and clutch her seat. She went down to see what happened, but when her eyes met the man, his brain had melted, and it came out of his mouth. Blood was everywhere; on the seat, the steering wheel, and even on the metal that was above his head. It was such a disgusting thing to look at. His eyes were directed to the top of the car, they were lifeless. Many thoughts took over her mind: did he commit suicide? But how? No. Who killed him? How did his brain melt? There was no one around and no weapons near the car, they were in the middle of nowhere. If anyone saw the scene, they'd think she killed him, but she was innocent. She wanted to scream for help but no words came out of her mouth. She pointed a shaky finger towards the body, and tears came out of her eyes. She wanted to stare elsewhere, but her eyes wouldn't budge. Her mouth stayed open, and she couldn't breathe properly. The other nurse came out of the car, robot like, and pushed the baby onto the girl's chest.

"Carry him and get inside."

Catherine stopped blinking.

She then carried the corpse and threw across the road like it was an object, and mentioned for the girl to climb in. Her hands were full of blood, and her clothing was tainted in red.

"Catherine, are you serious? You just threw the man? Why aren't you scared?" her voice was shaky.

"Just get inside."

"No, this isn't right. How are you dealing with this so easily? We need to call the guards. I can't go on like this."

And then she was no longer able to move. Horror took over her features, and she was lost. She stood, shocked not knowing what to do. She felt her brain freezing, and it soon melted, just like the man's.

"Told you to get in. You're too smart and you ask way too many questions anyway." Catherine muttered, carrying the baby and placing him in his seat. She then drove, making no sound, dropped the baby off and went her own way. Nobody heard of her after that day. Her parents asked everyone about her, but then they were paid, and told not to ask anymore and to continue their lives normally. The mother didn't accept, calling it barbarity, saying that her daughter was worth the whole world and that she didn't want money. But she was causing trouble and had to choose between not talking about it anymore or being forced not to talk about it anymore.

Ansel didn't want anyone to know who he was or what his powers were, even though there was no harm in that, and his fear pushed him to rule the world cruelly. But he didn't feel bad doing so, and maybe things were meant to go that way. He was the dominant brain, and everyone had to do what he said, or else they'd regret it. He was responsible for everything, and his power had no limits. It was in his blood, and he took the risk of not marrying and not having children to keep it to himself. But the Gauchard family had a child that was a threat to him, and he soon regretted his decision. It would now be easier for them to take the power, since he made the mistake of not having children. He chose to use it his own way, and he chose never to lose it. He chose to live forever, no matter what it took. A century of power wasn't enough for him, he wanted to be immortal and everlasting, even though he knew he wasn't. He couldn't kill the baby though, who would later be the dominant brain, but he could torture him and push him to kill himself. There were many ways he could get rid of him, and he had eighteen more years to think about it.