Utopia

Chapter 10: The Northern Tree Clan

So... I finally came out of hiding. Sorry that it always seems to take me months in order to update, but now that it's summer, I'll be updating more regularly. I hope you enjoy this long update, and expect one very soon. 

"How long are you and Jaron going to be away?" Eledina asks me. Eledina and Adrianna were currently sitting on my bed, and helping me finish packing, while I ransacked my closet for my favorite pair of shorts. They've been helping me since ten o'clock this morning, and it's currently twelve; Jaron's probably on his way by now. 

"Um... I think I remember Jaron saying that the duration of the trip depends on how long it takes me to learn everything that comes with my mutation," I explain to them. My hands land on the shorts I was looking for and I quickly grab them and rip them off the hook. 

"Mission accomplished," I whisper to myself. I turn around and fold the shorts before placing them neatly into my suitcase with the rest of my belongings. 

"Well, hopefully it doesn't take you too long," Adrianna voices her opinion and I offer her a warm smile in return. 

"Has Doctor Althia made any new discoveries?" Eledina wonders. Over the last two weeks, Doctor Althia has been running a number of tests on my DNA to better understand the progress of my mutation. So far, only my skin cells seem to be the most affected; however, my internal organs are beginning to show signs of minor mutations, but nothing major yet. The pattern on my skin has become noticeably more visible and it's become a problem for me to cover it up. 

"Nothing new, she's still monitoring the rate at which my mutated cells are reproducing, and making sure that nothing bad is happening to me in the process," I tell them. They both nod their heads as they process my words. 

"How have your parents been handling the whole situation?" Adrianna can't help but question. 

"Well, Danny things it's, and I quote, "super-cool", but I can tell my parents are having a hard time adjusting," my voice lowers as the words leave my mouth. I shake my head and grab a pair of old tennis shoes and wrap them up before placing them in my bag. 

"They'll come to terms with it soon," Eledina assures me and I nod my head. 

"Has the mutation had an affect on your visions?" I shoot Adrianna a quick glare as she brings up the dreaded topic. I had confessed to her and Eledina sometime last week, during one of my many visits to Doctor Althia's lab, that I've been having visions about Jaron. Adrianna was shocked, and a bit hurt that I had negated to tell her, Eledina on the other hand wasn't surprised at all. She confessed that she had suspected it from the moment we met by the way I had reacted when I first met him. 

"Nothing much has changed," I let out a sigh, not seeing a way out of this topic of conversation any time soon. I zip up the suitcase and place it on the floor before taking a seat in its absence. 

"I still think you should tell Jaron that you've been having them," Adrianna pushes, placing her hands up in her defense. I shake my head and let out an exasperated breath. 

"What's keeping you from telling him, Alejandra?" Eledina seemed genuinely curious. I take a few seconds to think about what I plan to say next. 

"I don't like the idea of not having a choice of who I want to be with," I start to explain to them. "It's like the universe is just forcing him on me and I'm just supposed to accept it, but I don't want to. If I ever do decide that what I feel for his is genuine and not because the universe told me so." 

"You feel pressured by the visions then?" Eledina assess what I told her and I nod my head at her response. 

"If I were you, I'd feel lucky enough to be getting visions," Adrianna mumbles under her breath and I can't help but laugh.