24

Chapter 1.

                 The clouds look beautiful today. The clouds look beautiful every day. The detail today is crisp, delicate; Wonder how long it took to create this one.
I'm not awake yet, they must have set the duration of my being in suspended animation for 8:00 today. They're probably weening me into the proper time of consciousness for my age. No matter. I'll just try to go to bed earlier tonight.

       My brain is fuzzy when within suspended animation. It makes everything unclear to if it is a dream or not. I hear a faint clicking noise of the ID card sliding through the door lock, or did I? My breaths are deep and my heart rate is slow. I really want to go back to sleep, but then, my body jolts up like I had had a nightmare, and my pulse quickens.

"Rise and shine, interviews start in an hour. I've picked some good ones, I think you'll  like em'."

     Anna folded back the covers and opened the shades as she talked. I pulled myself out of bed. Anna's my personal nurse. The doctors picked certain nurses with the perfect balance of traits that I won't die from. Anna was their first pick. She's a tall woman with light blond hair, and her face always has a smile on it. She wears a science jacket, except she always takes it off when she gets in my room (she doesn't want me to think I'm a science experiment). Her hair is in a high pony tail, and on of her hands has a ring. I hadn't noticed that before.

         "Where'd you get the ring?" I asked, slipping off my nightgown.

"Oh, it's just a silly old thing, found it in the attic. Pretty huh?" She said, admiring it.

"No, tell me the truth. Where'd you get it?" I said, giving her a disbelieving look. Her eyes drooped with sadness.

"Your not going to make me feel left out! If you got engaged, you better tell me all about it! You did, didn't you?"I said.

"He's a great guy," she began, "his name is Tyler, and we've been dating for two years now. He finally asked last night. I thought of you when I was giving him my answer, and I almost said no knowing you wouldn't be at our wedding,  but I didn't say no, and I'm not saying anything more. I don't like telling you about things you'll never get to experience." She said, handing me my clothes.           

"What if they find a guy with the perfect traits for me! Then they'll have to let me meet him, and then it'll work itself out from there! I'm telling you, I'll find someone eventually. And who cares If I'm at your wedding? The pictures are the best part." I said getting dressed. I pulled on my leggings and a shirt, and I began tying my shoes.

"I'm glad your not upset. Ethan made some breakfast for you. Whenever your ready, it'll be heated up for you." Anna said, and she left the door open a crack behind her.

      I wiggled my other converse on and grabbed my hair brush. Anna did well with the braid last night; my black hair was slightly wavy as I brushed through it. I then pulled it into a long ponytail. Don't wanna look like I don't care for the interviews today.

        I slipped out of my room and down the hallway. I've lived in what the nurse's call Safe Haven ever since I was first born. It's a house with technology and nurses to keep track of me. It's my home. It's all I've ever know for my entire life, and I've come to like it here. The walls are blue with white metal frames, and the stairs are long and heated. The rooms on the top floor are like hospital rooms. There's my bedroom, like a hospital room, decorated with my things. Then there's the bathroom, with medicines, machinery, random hospital stuff for myself. Finally, there's the testing room. The nurses take turns doing verbal and simulation tests on me, trying to find cures or at least stepping stones to them.

     Downstairs, it's like an average house. A kitchen, with white metal counters and fridge, and blue shelves and cabinets, a living room, with a big 3D Flatscreen and a long orange couch, and a dining room, with a long table decorated with seasonal dinnerware. My nurses aren't always in the house keeping tabs on me, so they left me with a robot chef named Ethan and a Great Pyrenees/Shepherd mix named Bella for extra company. She's the one thing I do everything and anything for.