Generation Infinosil

Chapter Twenty Three

Chapter Twenty Three - Kaitlyn

2050

My heart thumped wildly against my ribcage- hard enough, it seemed, to fracture them.

I was entering Shane's house, I was about to meet his parents, and I was terrified. I had an awful feeling that they would hate me.

His Mum walked into the hallway from the kitchen, holding a tea towel and a wine glass, clearly in the process of drying it. When her eyes met mine, the glass slipped from her grip and shattered as it hit the wooden floorboards.

His Dad came rushing into the hallway, asking what was going on.

"Uh- sorry, I'm so clumsy!" She apologised, looking sheepish.

"No you're not, you're the least clumsy person I know," Shane said, walking over to his Mum with a concerned look on his face, "what's wrong?"

"I didn't get much sleep last night, that's all." She assured him.

"Well go get some rest then." He replied, firmly but not unkindly.

I found it very attractive that he obviously cared a lot about his Mum. But my smile faded when I looked towards his Dad, wondering if he was always so quiet, and saw his glaring eyes staring right back at me- with absolutely no sign of a smile on his face.

His Mum walked over to the living room, presumably to relax on the sofa and his Dad followed her. He closed the door behind him and the last thing I saw before it shut were his cold eyes.

I didn't know whether I was being paranoid or not, but I really felt a vibe of hatred emanating off of his Dad and towards me.

Shane jogged up the stairs and, when he realised I wasn't following him, turned back to ask "aren't you coming?"

"Yeah, sorry." I said as I walked up the stairs.

He stepped into his room and held the door open for me. Once I was inside, he grabbed some clothes from a set of drawers and turned towards me. "You can wait in here if you like and I'll get myself cleaned up in the bathroom."

I nodded and tried to smile but something about being left alone in this foreign place made me want to curl into a ball and hide. Maybe it was just because it was a reminder of how I felt when I woke up from my accident and didn't recognise anything.

A look of sadness washed over Shane for a moment, as if he could tell I felt uncomfortable.

"What's on your mind Penny?" He asked.

Him calling me Penny made me smile, "My name's not actually Penny you know."

"Shhh that's supposed to be your code name, what's the point in a code name if everyone knows it's not real?" He winked.

I couldn't help but laugh and that seemed to reassure him that I was fine and that he could leave me here while he got changed.

"I'll see you in a bit then." He said, patting the pile of clothes that draped over his arm.

"Yeah, see you in a bit." I said.

When he left, I had a chance to take in my surroundings. I felt a feeling of uneasiness as I looked around and saw that everything was alien to me.

Memories came flooding back of when I woke up in hospital with no idea where I was...

***

What's this I can feel on my arm?

A hand.

Someone's got hold of me. I have to escape.

I'm trying to open my eyes but I can't. Everything's too bright. There are artificial lights shining right down on my face.