Adapt

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Pride and Virtue

" The Fool doth think he is wise, but the wise knows himself to be a fool." - William Shakespeare

         " No! Stay there, Miles!" I scream out into chaos.

         " If you weren't so focused on yourself and your image at school..."

          " Get bent, Serena."

         " Pop? What is all of this? What have you done!"

        " Well, Miss Hill, you certainly took us by surprise again. It is quite incredible how smart you are for your age."

        I wake up with a jerk, my chest falling and rising from my nightmare... or I guess, my memories. My neck begins to ache. I try move my head back and forth, but it does not releasing any of the pain. My throat feels dry, thirsty for nourishment.

          I drag my aching body to the bathroom sink. I gulp down some water, my throat and body satisfied. I splash some on my face, cooling down from my heated nightmare. My head reluctantly looks up at the mirror.

          The mirror shows a lost girl, who feels out of place. Her hair is a mess, falling out of her low ponytail. Her pale skin, looking as if it's getting lighter by the second, but the bags underneath her eyes are getting darker. Her bones seem to be right underneath the skin, not any meat between. Just a small, pale and scared girl.

          I look at my pajamas and wrap my arms around my waist. My pajamas feel small, and they don't cover a lot. I'm wearing a silk, pale blue outfit, with really short shorts and an undershirt. But the lady who gave me it called it a tank top? I shake my head at the weird word. I've seen it on tv a couple of times, but never on a girl, and certainly not for leisure. Yet, it's so comfortable.

           After I drink an entire glass of water, I walk back into my small room. The lights are still blue. Is there any way to change that? I look around the room for some sort of light switch. Yet, the walls are smooth, no light switch.

            " How do I turn on these darn lights?" I ask myself out loud.

           " You wish to turn on the lights, Miss. Hill?" The voice pops out. I nearly jump out of my own skin and fall to the floor. I will have to get used to the voice soon or I will be a dead body again.

          " Um, y-yes please." I say to the voice as I stand up. The lights turn on, making the room bright white instead of blue.

          " You simply state outloud, wake, and the lights will turn on for you. If you want to turn them off, you simply state, sleep. Do you understand Miss. Hill?" I roll my eyes. Great, even the voice thinks I'm stupid.

          " Miss. Hill, I do not think you are stupid." Heavens to Betsy. My eyes go wide. Did the voice just read my mind? My hand instinctively reaches for the back of my neck, remembering the sharp pain when I got out. What did they put in me?

           " I wouldn't call it reading of the mind, Miss Hill. It's a very long complicated process from brain waves to our advanced human technology." I try to wrap my head around the fact that the voice could read my mind. Which means that she knows that I have most of my memories back, so why haven't they let me out yet?

            " For that question, I unfortunately don't have an answer. The lead scientist will have to answer why he is keeping you in the safety of your room."

            " Is there any way for you to not read my mind?" I ask sheepishly, hoping to not get in trouble.

          " Of course, you can just tell me the words private. However, after a limited time, it will turn off." I nod my head, telling her to go private, not quite accepting my fate with my freedom.