Death's Exception

Chapter Thirteen

"Meet me in Titus' office in an hour. I will let you take all of this junk off." He smiles, and bows. "Thank you for amusing me, Ms. Aurora Destiel." I stand.

"Call me Rory." He laughs wickedly, and leaves the room. I sigh, and sit heavily back on my bed. I take off my dress, and slip into some sweat pants and a loose white shirt. I take down my hair, and it bounces back onto my shoulders. I rub my face with water, trying to get rid of the extensive amount of makeup that had been applied for the interview. I am no longer Aurora, scientific phenomenon. I am Rory. Normal, ugly fifteen-year-old girl. I walk over to my painting, and trace the outline of the little bird. The little bird being protected by the mighty owl. I jump when I hear the door open.

"Do you like that painting?" It is Lilly.

"I love it. Every bit of it. It makes it easier for me to get up every morning." She smiles, and steps up beside me. I look at her, and see that she has taken out her dreads, and now her hair falls in smoothe locks past her shoulder. It is astonishing how much younger she looks without the dreads. I reach out and touch her hair, and it is silky to the touch. I wish now that she had never put her hair into dreads. Her real hair is just so beautiful. The purple in her hair isn't bright neon purple. It is soft, and almost silver. It is lovely. "Your hair looks amazing." She blushes and looks at the ground.

"Thanks. Titus told me to take the dreads out. Said it looks unprofessional." I do not want to tell her that I agree with her older brother. If I know one thing, it is that your friends do not like it when you agree with their siblings as opposed to them.

"Well it looks great." She laughs and plops down onto my matress.

"Thanks. So, how was the broadcasting?!" I sit down beside her, and let my legs dangle off the side of my bed. I pick at my nails to avoid eye-contact.

"I have no idea. There was this guy that came and said he could find out about my past, but Dr. Finley looked pretty angry with me." She sighs and starts to braid and unbraid her hair.

"Carter?" I perk up.

"Yeah! How did you know that?"

"Well, he is my brother's best friend. Of course I know him. He is kinda cute, isn't he?" She blushes and looks at me with huge eyes. I want to say no. Not at all. How do you live with a brother like that and think HE is cute?! But I refrain for the betterment of our friendship.

"Yeah, totally!" I giggle to add to my lying effect. She smiles bashfully.

"I have had a crush on him for as long as I can remember- and I have no idea why I am telling you this. Pardon me." I smile sweetly.

"It is okay! Let's go see the boys now, shall we?" We hop up and head to Titus' office. We laugh, and blush on our way. This is the first time I have felt like a girl in a long time. We knock on the door, and hear boisterous laughing behind it. I open the door, and Titus and Carter have beers in hand. They are laughing and pointing at the TV. Titus calms down a bit when he sees me, and Carter throws him an amused glare.

"Want one?" He motions to a mini-fridge full of snack foods and beer. I shrug and grab one. Lilly does the same, and positions herself on the desk next to Carter. Titus walks over to me and stands beside me.

"The best beer in the Universe. It is German. Give it a taste." I must look nervous, because he takes it from my hand and pops off the top. "When I said that the President gave me special permission- I mean that the age to drink is now 16." I open my mouth to tell him that I am not sixteen, therefore I should not be holding this, but he interrupts, "Come on, Rory. You are technically thirty." He pushes the bottle in my face. I take a sip and I hate it. I want to spit it out in his face, but I swallow it down, and force a smile. "Good is it not?" I nod once and try not to gag. I hate beer.

"What are you guys watching?" I walk over to Carter and Lilly who are laughing histerically. I look at the TV and it looks like Dr. Finley and me, but it isn't. They are dressed as us. Dr. Finley is making some shrewd faces, and I look terrified. They are trying to portray us in a joking way.

"It is totally okay to keep her in a cage for a month and a half! I mean we fed her, and bathed her!"

The Dr. Finley says in a croaking voice. The girl who is playing me is now dramatically sobbing. That didn't happen.

"A phenomenon as me shouldn't be treated with respect anyway!" Titus switches the TV off.

"TURN IT BACK ON!" I motion towards the television. He shakes his head.

"No, Rory. You don't need to see that."

"IS THAT HOW THEY SEE DR. FINLEY NOW?!" Titus looks at the ground. "Titus, this could be bad! I could be in huge trouble for making a joke out of Dr. Finley." Carter stands.

"It doesn't matter, Rory. I know how to get you a life. A real life where you aren't stuck in this lab another day!" Titus' face hardens, and he turns away. I see conflict in Carter's eyes as he glances at Titus.

"What-?" I say, but Titus roars in my place.

"CARTER, THIS IS SCIENCE." Carter turns to Titus, his nostrils flaring.

"Dude, what Dr. Finley has been doing can not be justified by science." My eyes are flying in between Titus and Carter in confusion and frustration.

"I do not believe you." Titus says.

"Yeah. I get that." He turns back to me, and puts his hand on the small of my back; guiding me to the TV. He switches it on, and turns it to an interview with the President. He is refusing to answer any questions about me. "Rory, the President is not the only one with access to your past. We can find people. Connect the dots. I have worked with people with amnesia before, but not of this magnitude. You are, well if you were to agree, my newest project." I haven't taken my eyes off of Titus since he has been talking. Studying and analyzing his emotions. He seems angry and helpless. Perhaps angry that he is helpless. Carter takes my face in his hands, and smiles a goofy smile. "What do ya say?"

"What would that mean?"

"That we ditch this place. Ditch the life of beng studied. Come with me, and you can live a normal life." Titus walks to me, and smiles a sad smile.

"You will never have a normal life, Rory. Because you are spectacular. Stay with me. We can figure this out together." My forehead starts to burn, and my eyes water. I look up at Titus' face. Pleading. Don't make me choose this.

"Rory, think about this." Lilly offers. I bite my lip, and bury my face in my hands. Lilly's hands clasp my shoulders; not harshly, but comfortingly.

"I-" I do not want to say this. "I am going to stay here." Carter laughs harshly.

"You are going to do that to her? You are going to make her stay here and live a life of suffering. Dude, that is cold." I look up at Titus' face that is twisted into a sneer. Did I choose the wrong life?