The Anomaly Project

CHAPTER FIVE

AUTUMN

By the next morning, the agonizing pain in my arm has subsided to a weak throbbing. I feel around my forearm, trying to find the spot where my bone is actually snapped. About three quarters up my forearm, there's a little gap in the bone. When I press on it, a whine of pain escapes my lips.

Noah glances over at me sleepily. You doing okay there?

I grit my teeth as the pain fades. Yeah. It's almost fully healed.

Genetic enhancement at its finest. Noah pushes himself up into a sitting position and rubs the sleep out of his eyes. He opens his mouth to say something when we hear the steel door at the end of the hall clang open.

Two guards walk down the corridor toward us, carrying two metal trays. When they arrive our cage, they don't say anything, they just slide the trays under a little opening at the bottom of the cage bars. The trays are identical - they both hold a tiny Styrofoam cup of water, an undercooked egg, and a burnt piece of toast.

"A meal fit for royalty," I say, sarcasm dripping. I pick up the black toast on my tray and make a big show of taking a bite, chewing, swallowing, and then patting my stomach like I'm satisfied. "Wow. That is truly delicious. My compliments to the chef!" I hold up two thumbs up to the stoic guards, nodding enthusiastically.

Would you quit? Noah scolds me irritably. My constant sarcasm can get on his nerves sometimes.

Can't. It's in my blood. Not my fault you didn't get the smartass genes.

He rolls his eyes and picks up an egg with his thumb and forefinger. "Aren't we going to get cutlery or anything?" he asks the guards. They shake their heads in unison.

"Of course," he mutters, taking a bite of the egg, gagging a little bit while trying to swallow it. I eye the toast with loathing. The last thing I want to do is eat it, but I have to get some food in me. My nose wrinkles as I take another bite. I hate burnt bread.

When we finish, we slide the trays back through the opening, and one guard walks out of the hallway with them while the other guard, a bald man with an abnormally large nose, stands and stares at us. I catch sight of Noah staring back at him strangely, in a way I've never seen Noah stare before. It's almost like he recognizes this guard, but that's impossible. If Noah had seen him before, I definitely would have as well.

After the second guard returns empty handed, the first one pulls out a set of keys and unlocks the cage. Noah steps out first and I follow. Immediately we're each seized by a guard and forced to walk.

Noah tries to jerk free. "We know the way," he snaps.

Noah's guard, the one with the big nose, shakes his head. "We're not going to the testing room. Director Forrester has arranged a new schedule for today," he says in a low, gravelly voice.

"What schedule?" Noah asks. Big Nose glares at him and says nothing more.

What's happening? Where do you think we're going? I think to my brother. He presses his lips together.

I don't know, and I'm not sure I want to know.

Well. That's encouraging. I decide not to ask any more questions.

We all walk in silence down the hallway. Big Nose throws open a door and shoves Noah through it. I'm pushed in roughly after him. I gasp as the guard twists my injured arm, and Noah looks up.

"Hey! Be careful. She's got a broken arm, alright?" Noah snaps.

The guard holding Noah, Big Nose, smirks and nods at the one holding me. He twists my arm again and I yelp in pain. Noah starts to come to me but Big Nose yanks him back. "Next time, you just keep your mouth shut," he hisses in Noah's ear. "Got it?"