Gifteds: And Then There Were None

Chapter 3. IX

Kal was still trying to comprehend the series of events that had just occurred. He was stuck with nine imbeciles in an odd mansion with a very mysterious host.

"How peculiar," he muttered gazing at his name chiseled into a plaque on his door.

He turned the knob to inspect his living quarters. Its contents perplexed him. He had expected to only have a dresser and bed, but it appeared more as a university science lab than a dormitory. Though it may not have every element known to man, there was enough for Kal to conduct his research. "What a pleasant surprise" Kal proclaimed as he went to the to polished counter covered with test tubes, all labeled with various chemicals. Potassium, cyanide, sulphuric acid, Fluoride, Chloride, diarsenic trioxide; pretty much any chemical or material required to conduct his research and further expand his knowledge, at least for the time he would be here. Wait. How long are all of us going to be here? He didn't give it a second thought as he returned his attention back to the elements, pondering what experiments he would conduct first....

As he was organizing his materials to conduct his theory, Kal noticed a test tube out of place. As he reached out to grab it, he realized it did not have any chemical in it, just a piece of paper. How intriguing he thought has he removed the parchment from the test tube. As he unraveled it, he was shocked to see what was on the paper:

Two dead, eleven injured in lab fire.

What started out as a simple experiment turned into a huge dilemma at the widely respected Dr. Kal Narongsha's Laboratories. A fire started when an assistant accidently set fire to a beaker of chlorine. For more information, please turn to page 3.

Kal began to shake. No, no he thought. They cannot discover what happened. It would ruin my reputation, and they would never accept my scientific breakthrough once this vacation is over! Kal mixed a couple chemicals together, and promptly dropped the entire newspaper article in it, watching it dissolve into the liquid. He turned back to the test tubes, only to find a small note on the table. It must have fallen out when he destroyed the papers. Written on it was a short note:

Only a fool would be so careless.

Now he was really worried. He shoved the note into the beaker, along with the remnants of the newspaper clipping, burning his hand in the process. He hissed, and made quick work of his hand. After he disposed of the acidic liquid, Kal decided that he could use a walk to clear his head, and also to give him time to stop shaking. It's not my fault. It was the assistant, not me. He thought desperately, but he knew that he was just as much to blame as the assistant. Even more so if you thought about it. He shook his head and left his lab.