Experiment

Prologue: How it all began

Laura had always known her parents were odd, but until that fateful day, she never thought they were wicked.

And who would have guessed?

They were both genetic scientists that worked at the same lab, and were generally well thought of for their trim lawn and prim manners. But over the years, they mostly kept to themselves. Not a crime, most would say, but to Laura, their little daughter, it was everything. They didn't just begin to avoid the world the year she turned seven, they began to avoid her.

Every day, they would seclude themselves in their little basement and work (because they had the luxury of working at home), and ignore her almost completely.

Sometimes Laura would try to sneak into the basement, but the door always stubbornly refused to open, so the only thing that went in and out of that room were her parents, some food, and some boxes that were delivered to their house.

Every week or so, the postman would deliver big boxes with holes in the sides. Laura knew they held animals, but she never got to see them, though she asked over and over. She secretly tried many times to find out who sent them, but there was never a return address, just a stamped black symbol that had the initials, F.A.H.

She noticed that something changed the year she turned seven, but she was never sure exactly how. They somehow were different. Even though they took care of her, there was a distinct difference in the way they spoke to her, and they were always distracted and distant and she often couldn't get their attention. They showed little emotion and seemed rather robotic.

One day, when she was nine, she asked her father,

"Daddy?" she said, looking up from her dolls.

"Yes, Laura?" he said, looking up from his newspaper.

"What do you do with all of those animals in the basement?" Innocent eyes blinked up at him.

His face darkened as he looked away. "Don't ever ask about that again. And do not go in there."

And that was that.

Sometimes she got glimpses through the door of the basement when her parents went in and out. It was very messy, with beakers full of chemical concoctions and fur and feathers everywhere. But that was only a glimpse that just whetted the appetite of her curiosity. She wanted to know what the whole room looked like.

When she was twelve, she summoned enough courage to ask her mother about it, thinking she might give the answer her dad wouldn't.

"Mother?" she asked.

"Yes, dear?" Laura's mother replied absent-mindedly as she washed the dishes.

"Why are all those animals in the basement? I really want to know," she pleaded. "You're not hurting them, are you?"

For a moment a look of anger appeared on her mother's face. "Sweetie," she spat out the word as if it tasted bad. "remember how Dad said not to talk about that?" she sighed and composed herself. "Why don't you go and clean your room?"

"Okay." She mumbled disappointedly.

They won't ever tell me anything! she thought angrily.

Finally, at fifteen, Laura just couldn't take it anymore. She was tired of days and dinners spent alone, the furtive glances they gave each other, the secrets! She had to know. One early morning, before her parents awoke, she slipped downstairs to see what was in the Room. She tiptoed across the floorboards, careful to avoid the ones that creaked, until she was in front of the basement. She held her breath as she unlocked the door and it swung open.

She heard the sighs of sleeping animals as she crept down the stairs. Laura slipped around the corner, past the untidy tables and boxes. She gasped as her eyes took in the horror of the scene before her - a lizard with bat wings, a sheep with the face of a chimp, and a deer with large fangs were only a few of the atrocities she saw that used to be normal animals.

Shaking her head in disbelief, she backed slowly toward the open door as a heavy hand fell upon her shoulder. She shrieked and spun around, and sure enough, her father was there, glaring down at her.

"Why . . ." she swallowed. "Why would you do this? This is where you spent all of your time? I deserved to know!"

He took a deep breath and his face hardened, like stone. "You knew coming here was forbidden. Now you must face the consequences."

She backed away from her father. "What do you-"

He pulled a sack over Laura's head. She screamed a muffled cry.

And I suppose this is where our story begins.

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Hello, there, possible reader! First of all, I want to thank you SO much for reading this chapter, and I hope you like it enough to go on, and if you would vote or comment, I'd really appreciate it. ^.^ Thank you!

_pure_imagination_

(picture is of Laura)