Convergence - The Last Science #2.2 - Heroes and Villains

B2: Chapter 22 - In Her Image - V

  Natalie slept on top of the covers, after casually sliding the bed back to its proper place. Her pillow and blanket from her bag were more than enough to keep her warm, and she had a couple changes of clothes packed away too. When she woke up, she checked her phone—and finally she had responses from all the people she'd messaged the night before. Only now, in the daylight streaming through the bedroom window, Natalie didn't really want to read any of them.

  The only messages she did read (besides the endless stream from Kelsey that she skimmed over) were from Quinn. A few short sentences that Natalie read curled up on the couch, with a blanket held tight to her shoulders, her eyes flicking over the glowing lines of text over and over.

  Quinn: Kelsey texted me.

  Quinn: She was worried about you but wouldn't say why.

  Quinn: I saw the news. Is everything okay?

  I saw the news... Quinn was too smart. He was telling her that he knew she was connected to the big story of the weekend. He was offering to help, like he always did, even though he was busy with his family a thousand mile and more away.

  Jenny: talk monday?

  Quinn: OK. Before or after school?

  Jenny: before. meet you at the library?

  Quinn: Sounds good.

  Natalie put her phone away. She couldn't bring herself to explain to Quinn from such a long distance what was about to happen. If the book came out on Tuesday, she'd at least have the whole day to tell Quinn all about who she really was.

  Better you than the book. That way, if he doesn't want to be friends anymore, you'll know. You won't get blindsided.

  "He'd never do that," Natalie murmured.

  She got up and went into the kitchen, retrieving the doughnuts she'd bought the night before for breakfast. Reluctantly, she did end up pouring herself a glass of orange juice from the Kincaid's fridge, but she promised herself that she'd buy them a new jug. She could afford it, after all.

  The sunlight, combined with her suddenly healthy, strong and agile body, seemed to portend a good day ahead. She'd checked the news while she ate, and there didn't seem to be any new developments. Nothing to panic about yet. Natalie wondered who was the person doing it—putting out a book like this—but she didn't really have a good idea. It didn't matter, anyway. If the story was accurate, she couldn't ever show her face in public again. She had to get used to that idea fast.

  Unless I don't look like me anymore.

  Her weird dream flickered back into her mind. She still had no clue how to get rid of the scars on her face, but there were plenty of other things she could do. After she'd made her arms stronger the night before, Natalie had moved on to other things. She boosted her legs to match, since it just seemed obvious, and now she could run and jump like an Olympian. And I'm from the Olympic Forest, she realized with a giggle.

  After looking up some articles on human anatomy online, Natalie decided to experiment a little more, making her hearing a little better and her vision perfect, just by changing the shape of the muscles inside ever so slightly. It felt strange as it shifted around, but she felt the improvements almost instantly, and there didn't seem to be any drawbacks. She was most proud of an an improvement that touched on her brain. It was the very last thing she'd tried, well past one in the morning, but Natalie had felt confident in her research. Despite the risks, she delved in with four amethyst crystals, eager to make exactly the sort of subtle enhancement that no one could see.