Hinder

Prologue

I was running down the stairs, sometimes I skipped one of them which slowed me down a bit, but that didn't matter. Today was a big day my uncle and I were going to his lab, he said he wanted to show me something he had been working on for a while now. Truth be told I was really excited, I didn't know what to expect.

I jumped off skipping the last three stairs making a perfect landing. Dinner was ready and mom was already scolding me, telling me not to jump down the stairs because it could be dangerous. She'd be reminding me over and over of how she fell off the stairs some years ago and broke her leg.

I arrived at the table to the smell of my favorite food, lasagna. I loved when mom cooked lasagna, she made it feel like every bite took you to heaven and back in just a second, but I wasn't really in the mood of savouring every single bite. So i gobbled up my food trying to evade any conversation with my parents, even though I knew it was impossible.

Mom started talking, 'So how was your day at school Harper?' she asked.

"Mom we already had this conversation at lunch". I replied.

She really never knew how to talk to me. I wasn't so close to my mom as other kids were. I was interested in science, she knew nothing about it. I was closer to my uncle since he is a scientist and my role model I spent a lot of time with him. I guess she was just jealous of him and wanted to spend some quality time with her daughter, so I gave her the opportunity.

I started talking "What did YOU do today mom?".  

A smile rose up her face as soon as I asked, she was happy of me showing her some interest, believe it or not, it was an uncommon thing for me to do.

She answered right away, "Glad you asked, today I went to the mall..."

I lost track, I let myself sink into my thoughts, I actually didn't care about what she had done today.

After I didn't hear her voice anymore I knew it was my time to reply.

"Interesting mom, I would love to hear more about your awesome and exciting day at the mall but I gotta go upstairs to do... um.. something".

I rushed upstairs trying to avoid any awkward situation between us. Halfway through the stairs I heard her reminding me again not to run, but it was already a habit.

I got to my room and threw myself on the bed, with my stomach full. I reached for my phone which was at my night table. Five unread messages, four of them were from my best friend Lizzie, she was asking when could we meet, we were on vacation and it had been a while since our last meet up. She had been out of the city on a vacation trip and she needed to tell me everything she had done while she was out. 

The fifth message was from my uncle Sam. It said "I'll be there in 30 minutes, already told your parents, but still coming in for a little chat, then you'll get to see your surprise". I couldn't hold my excitement, without noticing it I already had a huge smile up in my face. I went to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready.

While entering my room after a long hot bath, the cold air hit me. I started to shiver, but the feeling went away as soon as I put on my clothes. I was wearing some jeans, my only pair of tennis shoes and my favorite t-shirt. Went to check my phone again, one message, it said "I'm almost there be ready".

I went rushing down the stairs full of happiness and excitement, suddenly my expression changed, I slipped while skipping one of the stairs. I felt my body hit the remaining stairs over and over until I landed face first to the living room floor. My whole body was aching, I couldn't believe it was happening, not now, it was my special night. My vision was blurry, I could only lift my head to see an undefined person running towards me, I'm guessing it was my mom since I could only hear her screams, after that I passed out.

I woke up to a white room, and an annoying beeping sound that wouldn't stop. I turned my attention to my body now, I felt an extra weight, I looked down and there it was, what I saw, made me think of the countless times mom will and has been reminding me this over and over, a cast. How could I? From all the other times I ran down and up the stairs, this had to be the one, the night of my surprise form uncle Sam.

My mom entered the room, she was all hysterical, she wouldn't stop talking, that got me a headache. She was talking to the doctor, this is what I could catch form the conversation, "Its not that serious ma'am, she broke her leg and had minor injuries on her arms and body". It could have been worse I guess, I could have hit my back and loose my ability to walk or maybe hit my head. I was fine for now. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day I was already walking, with crutches obviously. We figured out that I could still go and check my surprise with uncle Sam this afternoon. I was tired, really tired so I took a bath, making sure I didn't wet the cast, and went to sleep until Uncle Sam came for me.

I had a dream of me falling again, this time from a cliff, I could feel the butterflies in my stomach as I fell, under me there were spikes, really big ones, but I never got to hit them, as if the fall never ended. Then it started to shake, everything in my dream was shaking, the cliff behind me, the spikes under me and the clouds above, I didn't understand.

I woke up to my mom shaking me softly, I still had butterflies which made me feel nauseated but it didn't matter. Uncle Sam was in my room ready to go. I noticed I had drooled while I slept so I told him to wait for me at the living room as I got ready. I changed my clothes and brushed my teeth, then I walked slowly down the stairs, mainly because I was incapable of running at the moment.

At the living room everyone greeted me with a smile, dad as always was working on his computer, mom came willingly to help me walk, and uncle Sam was already opening the door for us. The drive was not that fun as you could imagine, every time we hit a pothole my leg started to hurt like hell, but I kept quiet not wanting to ruin my surprise again. At last we finally reached the lab.

Uncle Sam is rich, so he didn't depend on any organization to get all the stuff he had. It was big and full of graduated cylinders and stuff like that. He spent most of his time here I guess. In the center of the room there was this big capsule, maybe for testing animals or so.

Uncle Sam started talking, "So Harper, ready for your surprise?".

I had been waiting for this for a while now.

"Yes" I said.

"Then let's get started, I have been working on this substance that makes your hair soft and shiny right away, the best part of it is that it stays that way forever."

I couldn't believe what he was saying, but a question popped up right away in my mind.

"Have you tested it already?". 

"Of course Harper, I wouldn't put you through that kind of risk".

I believed him, after all he was my closest family member. He said all I gotta do was enter the capsule and he did the rest. As I did, he locked the capsule door behind me, I was already getting claustrophobic.

"Could you hurry up?" I asked.

I couldn't take it for much longer. Then a green smoke started coming from below my feet. At first it made me feel dizzy and at ease, then I wasn't able to breathe that well.

I tried to scream, but nothing came out, I didn't understand a thing, was thins a secondary effect? I raised my view to my uncle, he had a crazy like scientist smile on in his face, I was starting to get nervous. I tried to escape but the door was locked. I noticed my arm started itching, it had turned red and horrible looking, I was starting to look like a monster! I looked up hoping to see my uncle shocked and full of regret, trying to stop the machine, trying to stop the smoke.

To my surprise he was smiling, he had been all this time. I felt betrayed, I felt angry. Whatever he had done to me it was consuming my body, I was starting to lose my sense. A feeling out of nowhere came to me, I wanted to kill him, but most of all, I wanted his flesh.