Paris Radioactive

Chapter 18

That night ended with laughter and joy. The first good emotion i’ve felt from people since i’ve gotten this gift. Once we woke up, the grey men were back. Death radiating off of them in waves.

Not again, i thought to myself. I crawled under my bed and condensed myself until I could not be seen. To my surprise they never entered my living quarter. Instead I heard them speak to Andrew, asking him to go with them. Their footsteps receded and I crawled out of my hiding space.

“See Paris I told you they wouldn’t come for you. I believe they went back to their normal schedule.” Adly laughed at an unspoken joke. “Natalie must have given them all a good beatin’. You look petrified! Sweetheart it’s ok.” I glanced around the blank space. Searching for the familiar honey colored being.

“Natalie?” I asked. “Sorry hun’ haven’t seen her since yesterday, but there is food she left for us. Told us to hide it. Here i’ll get ya some.” Adly looked different today. She was her normal color, but she had a grey spot just above her left eyebrow. I shrugged it off as she returned.

I was handed a bowl with something in it that smells like rotten eggs. My nose wrinkled as the aroma touched it. “Ugh, what is that?” “That’s cake. She left us some.”

I poked my fork into the slush filling my bowl. It certainly wasn’t cake. “Adly is this some kind of joke.” “No. If you don’t want it i’ll take it!” She snatched the bowl from me and scarfed it all down in one gulp. “I don’t know why you wouldn’t eat it. It was chocolate flavored with strawberry flavored icing. Mmm So good.”

I gave her a look of disgust as she left. Had she gone crazy? That obviously wasn’t cake. She did seem different today. A small rapping occured on the bubble plastic behind me. I turned to see a look of worry on Natalie’s face.

Dread began to seep into me as I walked to the makeshift door. I would have left ages ago, but the door could only be opened from the outside. Natalie was completely distraught. “Paris, something’s very wrong.”

“Well Natalie we are trapped in a plastic bubble. We also have super powers, and evil grey men using us as science experiments. I’d say there is a lot wrong.” She didn’t seem happy with my sarcastic tone. “No it’s more than that. It’s something I should have told you guys a long time ago.”    

I was taken back by the seriousness in her voice. The smile fell from my face: quickly being replaced by a forming frown. “Natalie. What are you talking about?”

“I am talking about you and your friends. You are in danger.” I interrupted with a laugh. “I can tell. I almost died twice!” I continued to laugh. Her hand collided with my face. “Paris, please listen to me. We have to get you out. It will take a couple of months to prepare you for the outside world.”    

“None of this make sense. Why do we have to leave? What do they plan to do to us?” My pitch rose higher as I spoke.  The horror of what could happen formed in my brain. “Well, you are not the only kids we’ve brought here.”

She looked down to the floor as the color zaffre swirled through her. Penetrating all of her honey personality. Shame radiated off of her. It wasn’t long before she was covered from head to toe in the blue gray color.

“What did you do Natalie?!” “It wasn’t me! It was Dr. Renagerd. There were other kids like you. With… powers. We can not figure out why.” “ Y’all told us why. Over exposure to radiation.” “That was a lie. We believe it is a genetic mutation. It is occuring in most of your generation. All of it is different. Some have mind powers like you and your friends. Some have elements, like Payton or Azra. Some strength or speed, like Felix and Siera. Some can shapeshift or breathe underwater. It is all very confusing. Dr. Renagerd will stop at nothing until he gets his answer. I’ve managed to get some out. Like Payton and Siera.

“Give them new lives. They will remain safe as long as they don’t use their powers. Others i was too late to save. Like your friend Ericka. She didn’t die in the fire. She woke up before you and the others. She wasn’t given time to recover and was killed during the first experiment. I’m sorry but I believe I can get you out.

“It would also be good for your friend Adly not to use her powers anymore. I’ve discovered that her power, the psychedelic effect, acts a lot like the psychedelic drug. Causes hallucinations to the person she uses it on, and herself. It is slowly driving her crazy.” “That explains her behavior recently. But how will you get us out? I still don’t understand.” “I can’t tell you anymore right now, but I will explain once you are out. Because this time I will be leaving also.” A smile broke out across her face in triumph to finally leaving this wretched place. We would soon be leaving, but for a horrible price.