BORROWED [Watty Awards Finalist/NEWLY EDITED!]

Chapter Twenty-Three

Sylas clears his throat. "Yes, this will be interesting to explain, indeed."

"Well?" I say.

"I wanted to create the perfect human genome. This consists of 23 pairs of chromosomes which are synthetic."

"Synthetic?" Walking over to Kyler, I stand next to him, sharing the space along the front of Julian's desk.

"Yes, synthetic is another term for artificial," he explains. "The case with you and Kyler, both of you were my prototypes. During your growth in the lab, I detected abnormalities. It was disheartening to know that you both are defective."

I say, "So we need to control our rapid aging for the remainder of our lives?"

He sighs, again. "Yes, however, you both can live the same lifespan as any human can."

"We're the original Seraphim then..." says Kyler.

"It's the new species on Earth. Brilliant, isn't it?" he says, hope rises in his tone of voice.

"Most humans will not accept us into society," I point out. "Did you think about that?"

He laughs. "That's why they need to fear me, and fear is what I've been creating. The Endless War has been a great distraction, sending Draftees to fight the United Colony was just the beginning."

I stare at Julian, who consistently wears a childish smirk. "What about the girls selected to become a Borrowed? I don't understand why you chose certain girls. Already, I'm realizing that you weren't just sending people with genetic abnormalities to war, but anyone you wished to go. Was the genetic gig just another scare tactic, Sylas?"

"Yes and no," he answers bitterly. "I know firsthand the feeling of suffering. My body is deteriorating constantly, and I'm always replenishing it back to good health. It's tiring, but I've found a way, however, it's not perfected...yet." Julian looks back and forth between me and Kyler. There is something mischievous about his eyes, the way they glisten when Sylas speaks of his health.

He has a hidden motive, doesn't he? I glance at Kyler, who looks at me questionably as well.

Twirling my silver strand of hair, I continue probing, "Tell me about the Borrowed. Why did you feel the need to make me believe I would become one?"

"I needed to test your emotional ability. How you would develop mentally around humans. I had to know if you were numb, or like Kyler, simply matched equally to a human as far as his development skills progressed."

My heart thuds loudly, the pulsation drums repeatedly inside my ears. "It's just me then, my own fault, just another part of my creation that's defective."

"Yes," says Sylas, "but you're still special to me." Silence follows. I glance at Julian, again. He pats a lilac colored cloth on top of his perspiring smooth head.

Kyler walks beneath the Voicomm. "That's it? Is that all you've got? She needs answers, you bastard!"

Sylas breaks his silence and laughs, "Protective of her, aren't you?" Rolling taps echo from the Voicomm, like fingers drumming against a hard surface in a rhythmic beat. "I plan to tell her what she's after."

"Keep talking, Sylas," I say. "More about the Borrowed!"

He claps his hands together cheerfully. "Ah, yes! Well, you see there's nothing special about those girls. Yes, they're easy on the eyes, like you, but the only thing I need from them is their ability to host an individual Seraph."

Shaking my head, I walk to the cooler to wet my dry throat. "They have no relation to Seraphim?" I say, and take a gulp of water.

Sylas says, "There is no connection between the artificial DNA and the Borrowed. She is simply a vessel for my creation. It's a beautiful process. The first cycle was a huge success." I roll my eyes with disgust as he continues, "Once a newborn Seraph is removed from the Borrowed, it's immediately transferred to be wired into a Mother Chamber. There, inside, it will proceed to grow at an alarming rate no human could withstand. It's miraculous! I've found a way to age them without harming their internal organs or brain function. Like you, and Kyler, once their body has progressed that of a ten year old, I will remove them from the chambers. This allows their bodies to adapt to their surroundings."