The Memoirs of Charlotte Hamilton

Chapter 3

In the very center of the room was a steel table with a body tightly strapped down on it, the leather binding both feet, arms and neck. On the opposite wall was a counter with a small, steel sink, and cabinets above. Drawers were below the countertop as well as more cabinets. A small refrigerator and freezer sat in the corner, slightly transparent. Charlotte could make out brown and clear bottles for injections in it. To her left along the wall sat various monitors and an IV stand. A bag with clear liquid hung from it.

"What is this place?!" Charlotte gaped, looking around, her eyes resting on the person lying flat on the table. The sight of her was shocking She was a young girl with hair the color of gold and dark blue eyes that looked at her, terrified. Several freckles dotted the upper part of her cheeks, standing out against her pale face. A white hospital gown covered her to the knees and her feet were bare.

"I already told you Charlotte," Cody answered distractedly as he lay the clipboard onto the countertop. "Hello Anne, I trust you're comfortable," he addressed the figure strapped to the table in a slightly mocking voice. She turned her head to look at him, but remained silent.

"B-but what do you test for?"

"More like test on, experiment," answered Cody, looking at Charlotte, bored. He sighed, realizing that he needed to be patient until she got the hang of things. "She's an Outcast."

Charlotte had heard of the Outcasts, strange people who had special powers to access worlds in their minds. They were dangerous to the government's cause and they were constantly being hunted. Those who were caught were never heard from again. Charlotte swallowed hard.

"She's a threat Charlotte. I'm not going to kill her, at least not today. She must first be experimented on and punished. She'll be begging to die after awhile." A little smirk appeared on his face.

The girl on the table suddenly seemed to have found her voice. "P-please!please I'll do anything. Just let me go!" she begged in a thin voice as the rate of her breathing increased rapidly.

"Not just yet lass," Cody answered her as he washed his hands, the water pouring over them. He dried them on a white towel and motioned to the sink for Charlotte to do the same.

Almost numbly, Charlotte thrust her hands into the water, wetting them and then scrubbing them with foamy white soap that did not smell very pleasant at all. Quickly she dried them and took the black rubber gloves that Cody handed her, his pair already on.

"Wh-what are you going to do?" Anne spoke up again, her body trembling now in obvious fear.

"Whatever it takes," Cody answered, glancing at his clipboard. "Says here that you are sixteen. Good, you might last longer."

It didn't seem possible for the girl's face to get any paler, but it did. Charlotte felt a twinge of sympathy for her. "What did she do wrong?"

"She's an outcast Miss Hamilton. It's not about what she did, it's about what she is. We must find out how to stop this enemy."

"I'm not an enemy! And I'm not a threat!" Anne retorted, bursting into tears that ran down her cheeks like rain.

"Oh hush," Cody reprimanded sharply. "Lucky for us to have caught you so young. Saw your body disappear and waited for you." He sighed. "Wish they were all that simple. Charlotte, bring that IV stand over here would you?"

"What are you going to do?!" Anne's voice was rising higher as her panic increased.

"Light sedative, it'll just make you a bit more cooperative," Cody answered.

Without a word, Charlotte grabbed the cold, metal stand and rolled it over beside Cody and the table. He nodded his approval. "Thank you."

Turning around, he opened a drawer and pulled out a plastic package with a needle and a small square pack with a square towel drenched in alcohol. He tore it open and rubbed it on the girl's arm above her wrist though she struggled desperately. The bonds were so tight though, that she really couldn't move enough to do anything. Cody smiled at her helplessness.