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Chapter 4

Chapter 4.

“What the ell?” I squeal, running around the table to push him away from Brian.

“He needs to calm down somehow!” York says heatedly to me. I turn around and see that Brian looks calm. He suddenly sits on the bench.

“I did it Ricki, I can read a lot more than one person's miond at a time. I read everyone in the facility. I know Mia was thinking of changing herself to look like June and getting with Luke tonight.” Mia blushed a deep red, her big wavy brown hair falling in front of her light green eyes.

“And Vaughn was eyeing Alexia.” Alexia glanced, surprised at Vaughn, who looked bewildered.

Then I hear him in my head, “And the doctors can’t be trusted.”

By the shocked faces surrounding me I gather he’s in their heads as well. “Yes, I’m broadcasting to the whole lot of you. The doctors will know I freaked out, but not over what. Not if I tell you like this.”

His face is concentrating on the table, his hands gripping it tightly, and his knuckles turning white. “I heard them thinking. Thinking about our genes.

"Some sort of splicing. They… They’re selling them to terrorists or private buyers, or planning to. It’s not about advancing the human race, it’s about increasing their wallet size.”

Everyone looks more shocked than before. Devin looks skeptical though.

“How do we know you’re not lying? Come on!” I shush her, but Ella speaks up as well.

“Yeah, I’m not one to agree with you, but he could be making this up.” Now everyone looks unsure.

Brian thinks again, “You have got to believe me. Something sinister is happening here. We can’t stay here. We need to leave and get out.”

Now Cal speaks up, “What is gene splicing? What does that mean?”

Brian shrugs, “I’m not too sure, I’m not a scientist. And I didn’t stick around in their heads long enough to find out and I’m not going back in, I’m never ever doing that again.”

His face is red with frustration, “They’re taking our genes and giving them to others, there is no telling what those people will do with them.”

He stops concentrating and turns to face everyone, his emotions undetectable. “If you don’t believe me that’s fine, but we were told we could leave at any time.

See if you can leave. Ask, tell them, see what they do, or see what they say.”

He stands from the bench and stalks out of the room, storming down the hallway and slamming the bunk room door behind him. We stay silent, some of us trickling away.

I just sit down. It’s only lunch time by now and I’ve got half a day of tests ahead of me that, now, I’m really not looking forward to.

Eventually everyone leaves, but me, leaving me to sit alone with my thoughts. I want to believe Brian. I don’t want him to be a liar or a fool, but I don’t want what he said to be true.

I came to the company on a spur of the moment decision. I can still remember the day the first letter came in the mail. At first I was scared, some body, some how had figured out what I could do.

Then I was excited, I could possibly get answers from whoever it was. Then lastly, I felt guilt. How could I ever think of leaving my parents? I was their only daughter.

I replied to the letter with a no, though I didn’t tell my parents. Then, when they sent another letter, persisting I accepted. I just had a gut feeling I should have done it.