Strange Light

Mustafa

Ishcate flicked on the light and watched her apartment light up. The lights always buzzed a little when they turned on. It probably went there was something loose in the wiring, but Ishcate liked it. It reminded her of the fluorescent lab lighting.

She threw her backpack on the futon and treaded into the kitchen. She had not been home in three days- there was a sleeping bag in the lab. Cosmo hated that she slept in the lab, but there was nothing he could do about it anymore.

Frozen pot stickers. Some warmed miso, and spaghetti noodles that could be ramen noodles if she didn't think about it too hard. She piled the food into her arms and retreated into the bedroom. The bed was unmade. The window was left open. She sat leaning against the side of the bed and stared out the window. No thoughts. If she thought, she'd get angry. If she got angry, she'd do something stupid.

But it was hard not to think of Anna.

Ishcate's phone buzzed. She reached for it, but realized it was the wrong one. She leaned over to her bedside table, where another smartphone was charging. This was the expensive one that Cosmo didn't know about. She unplugged it and looked at the screen. There was only one person who knew this number, so she knew immediately who it would be.

Sure enough, there was one message. It said:

"Zdravo uši."

Serbian. The first language Ishcate ever knew.

"Hello Ears."

There was only one person she knew who spoke Serbian, and only one person who called her Ears. It was the person who had been raised by her side in the frigid Serbian tundra, who saw her as a little kid with giant ears and no fear. Her original friend, confidant, and the only other person on earth who was like her... as of yesterday, at least.

She smiled and responded: "Slušam Mustafa."

She waited while the dots appeared, and Mustafa typed. They would continue their conversation in Serbian. It was their shared language. After they were rescued at eight years old, Ischate was sent to the U.S. with the military operatives who had broken down the doors of the compound. Mustafa was sent to Germany with the U.N. forces who had supported the operation.

It was explained to Ishcate that they were sent their separate ways so they could get the best care they both needed. Ishcate and Mustafa both knew it was because the goods had to be divided equally among the conquerors.

The difference between Ishcate and Mustafa was that while Ishcate had discovered her purpose in the very lab where she was studied in the U.S., Mustafa had discovered only a hatred for his so-called "saviors". He disappeared from Germany's custody when he was twelve.

As far as Ishcate knew, she was his only remaining link to the world they came from. They had reconnected as fourteen and kept it a secret for years. Several times, she had almost run away to join him on his mindless quest for purpose. But she knew where she belonged, even if it was insufferable sometimes.

Her phone buzzed:

"Uši, I did it."

"Did what?"

"You have to come to me now."

"Where are you?"

"Moscow."

"Russia? Why? You're too close."

"No one knows me here."

"You don't know that."

"I'm safe. You will be too."

"I'm not in any danger here."

"I need your help."

Ishcate frowned. While Mustafa had never ceased to beg her to join him, he rarely asked for help. He was too proud to believe he needed her assistance with anything. Especially anything she'd learned from scientists.

"Why do you need my help?" she typed.

"I figured it out."

"Stop being vague you little shit."

There was a pause, and the bubbles stopped. Ishcate waited patiently. He could get riled up about his plans easily, and he liked the drama of making her guess. She would not guess; it just egged him on.

Finally, he replied: "Uši, I did it. I made one."

"Made what?"

"One of us."

Ishcate's blood ran cold.

"What do you mean?" she asked, but already her mind of racing. There was no telling what Mustafa meant, but considering she had just learned about a girl who was exactly like her, her mind was already there. Could Mustafa have also found another?

"I made one of us. It worked."

"What do you mean? Be fucking clear with me."

"I stole something. I think it's our DNA. Purified, and a lot of it."

"How did you get it?" Ishcate typed, knowing already that Mustafa was capable of stealing anything, even DNA.

Mustafa ignored her question, instead sending shock waves through Ishcate's body when he said: "I gave it to Amir."

"Who is Amir?"

"Our new brother."

Ishcate stood up so quickly she knocked her head on the raised frame of the window. Seeing stars and feeling the familiar numbness that came with pain she managed to type out: "Mustafa, what did you do to him?"

She waited, heart pounding, as Mustafa typed. It was impossible. No, it was beyond impossible- this could not happen twice. It was too strange, too random, too... statistically unlikely-

Mustafa responded:

"I gave him a gift. You must come meet us. Our family is going to grow."