The Awkward Mutant

CHAPTER 1

Dr. McNeil sat nervously in her office. She tapped her fingers on her desk as she stared at the clock hung above her door. With the minute hand only two marks away from the six, McNeil realized that as every second passed, her pulse steadily increased into a rapid heart beat. She decided to focus on it, the rapid fire beats of her pulse, out of fear of letting her mind wonder and delving on her own thoughts. Out of fear of fully comprehending all she was was giving up. Out of fear of fully recognizing the consequences that will come from her actions.

67...68...69...beats focus she couldn't let her own thoughts scare her out of making her choice. A choice that will hopefully have more of a positive repercussion in the long run, then the negative ones that will immediately take place.

The minute hand landed on the six and at the same time the footsteps could be heard outside the door. Three or four people rushed down the hall before abruptly stopping in front of her office. Dr. McNeil straightened her back and adopted a stoic expression trying to look as confident and stubborn as possible, but when the door slammed open her mask expression faltered.

Two androgynous individuals stood center in the doorway, silent and waiting, their bodies covered with white plastic suits. Suits that were used in the lab to protect infection in general bloody surgeries. It didn't take her long at all to piece together why they were in her office. Her hands started shaking. They were there just in case things went wrong, just in case things got messy, just in case she said no, like she was planning to, just in case they were told to take care of it.

Correction: Take care of her.

They were- if the situation demands it for them- her future killers.

Dr.McNeil placed her trembling hands in her lap and tried to choke back a sob. Her tough expression deteriorated as she heard the high heeled footsteps of their boss walking at a calm pace towards her office.

.....

Alicia Jones stood outside of Highland high school shivering. She stood waiting at the carpool area for her mother to pick her up. She looked down at the watch on wrist...4:25 pm... and no messages. Her mother was about an hour late. She groaned as she looked at the empty lane. Why is she so late? She promised it wouldn't happen like this again.

The school bell, or rather robotic beep, rang behind her signaling the end of school clubs. Maybe she thought I was staying after today? And she left her phone off so she didn't get my messages. Honestly, Alicia didn't care for the why as much as the when.

It was freezing. Her nose and ears were becoming numb and cold like ice while her teeth chattered. Alicia looked back at the open entrance and couldn't help but notice that the staff member who kicked her and the rest of the carpool kids out of the school lobby was sitting cozily behind their desk in the front office. She really despised the new school rule that no students could stay in the lobby once the final bell rang. She especially hated that they decided to enforce in the winter of all the times. Ever since then, the school has been infested with all types of sick teenagers. Alicia seethed a bit as the staff member took a sip out of what looked like a steaming mug of something. Was the faculty evil or something? Did they only agree to work here so they can torture teens, who honestly were victimized enough by puberty and their own piers?

"Ugh, I'd do anything for a cup of hot chocolate today." Aquincia stood next to Alicia, her backpack held in her right hand, gazing at the same staff member.

Whenever Aquincia came around Alicia couldn't help but feel her own insecurities were emphasized when compared to her. Aquincia had to be one of the smartest people in school. Often being the one who has the top grade in every honor and AP class, including Calculus (the subject where even the teacher, Mr. Smithe, is just about as clueless as the students). She even did good in Ms.Reynold's English class, a woman whose name often struck terror in every student eye's because of her habit of frequently assigning ten page essays, with no double space mind you, and expecting them to be done in a week time with college and scholarly level language. Which resulted in her grading the papers harshly, and needless to say, resulted in many students failing her class because why would a high school student know how to write like a fucking scholar?