Experiment 228 (short story)

"Mom?! What's happening to me?!" Octavia yelled.

What I thought I knew about myself, was all wrong. I thought I was my own person, but apparently, I'm more than that.

I was having one of my good days today. I layed on the beach as the waves surrounded me. I felt at peace with myself. I've been having more good days lately. I used to get these strange feelings that would make me shut down and just want to be a recluse. It's that feeling like there's something inside of you that wants to come out but is too nervous and scared. My mom took notice and brought me home some personalized pills she made in her lab. They help tremendously but I have thoughts about what my mother actually does at her lab. I have to push these thoughts out and just focus on myself. I'm happy and I'm free.

I made my way home and started cooking up dinner. It's usually just myself eating because my mother normally stays late at work a lot. My mother isn't a very open person. She's there, but she's always into her work. She won't talk to me about it. I've asked her to take me with her to work since I was 8, I'm now 18 and still get the same answer "no". After I eat, the pills normally start to wear off but I just have to deal with it until bed because I have daytime and nighttime pills. They help me sleep through the night. I normally would chill out after dinner but today I felt different. I wanted to go for a walk and just be one with nature. Before I knew it, it was midnight. I had just gotten home when my mother pulled up. She hates when I go out at night. She strictly forbids it. I find it kind of odd but I just go out when she's not here. I tried making myself look like I've been there the entire time, but she knew the truth. She walked in and didn't even speak to me, just a death glare as she sets the alarm for the night. I make my way up to my bed.

As I lay here, all I can hear are the waves crashing against the rocks. It normally soothes me to sleep but right now I just feel kind of out of place. I finally get to sleep around 2 but something just feels off.

I jolt up around 4. I'm burning up and sweating but I'm also freezing cold to the touch. I run to my bathroom. Something isn't right. I feel like I'm about to get sick. I've never actually gotten sick before, my mom just says it's because I have a good immune system, I find it kind of strange but I listened to my mother. I sat there on the bathroom floor, crying. I start seeing odd colors that just make me more nauseous. My entire body feels limp but I find enough strength to pull myself to the toilet. Something isn't right. "Mom?! What's happening to me?!" I yelled with my last bit of energy before I black out.

I awake in an almost hospital-like room, except there's more updated equipment. Some of the things are basic monitors but I'm hooked up to some sort of machine. I think there's something hooked up to my stomach but I feel too weak to get up. I managed to press the call button for help before I fell back asleep.

I wake up once more but this time, my moms in the room looking at some papers. I'm hooked up to more machines than I was before. I feel odd. I managed to mutter and get the attention of my mom. She walked over to me and handed me a glass of water. I can tell something is off with her but I want answers first. "Where am I? What's wrong with me? Why am I hooked up to all of these machines?" My mother helped me sit up a bit but it hurt too much so I layed back down. She told me we were in her lab and that she has some news she has to tell me. In my mind, I'm thinking that she's going to tell me I have some sort of disease that can't be cured. To be honest, I'd probably rather have that than what she actually told me.

"Honey, I've kept a secret from you for some time. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I didn't even think I'd ever had to tell you. When your mood swings came about, I knew I would have to tell you sooner or later. I work for a top-secret genetic engineering government program. Before I started working for them, there was no chance of me being able to have a child. My body just wouldn't allow it. Octavia, you were created in this lab 18 years ago. It took me over 3 years to find the perfect collection of cells that formed into you. The perfect match was experiment 228. My body was not able to carry a child so you grew in an incubator for 9 months. Since you were hooked up to machines the entire time you were in the incubator, your organs and blood cells started changing. Your blood cells kept fusing together making different types of other cells. Your organs began to grow in odd ways. When it was time for you to come out of the incubator, your organs and blood cells kept changing so we knew that you needed surgery. To get everything right in your body, you needed nanotechnology to be embedded into your veins and organs."