Project Alpha

Chapter Eight

I held the lined paper like it was a treasure map.  In many ways, that's what it was to me -- one of a kind, curious and riddled with clues. The treasure, in this case, was the donor who gave me life. She'd left a note for my parents to share when my truth couldn't be contained in our carefully constructed lives anymore. Somehow she knew I'd need to hear from her, even though we'd never met.  

Hey, Snowflake.

Hope you don't mind if I call you that. If you're reading this, I guess that means you've found out about my small part in things. Your life, I mean. Your incredible, amazing life. I'm in awe of you and we've never even met. Maybe someday. I told your parents you can contact me when you turn eighteen if you're interested. No pressure. Until then, you're a minor and my donation was nothing compared to the journey your parents took to get you here. So, if you're ever thinking of pulling some "God, Mom and Dad, you don't love me!" teenage bullshit, just don't, okay? Because you're loved. You were loved before you even existed.

Someone was knocking on my door. Scrambling, I folded up the note and stashed it under my mattress. I wondered what she was like, the donor who helped Mom and Dad have me. She wasn't my parent, not exactly, but she was a part of me. Along with the letter, she'd left me a delicate silver locket. I'd pulled it from the envelope the first time I'd read her words, and clasped it around my neck. I'd worn it every day since. I wasn't sure why, but feeling its slight weight against my chest made me feel a little less alone.

Gracie was waiting for me in the hallway. She was a cool blonde looking down from a billboard. She was an "it" girl on the red carpet. She was a Victoria Secret angel come to life.

"Howdy, neighbor!"

She was wearing a pair of yellow plastic novelty teeth that gave her a considerable lisp.

Spitting out her teeth, Gracie flashed a smile. "Wanna go find Opes and grab some dinner?"

A small ball of joy bounced around in my chest and I tucked the invitation inside my heart where it glowed.

"You bet!" Grabbing my room key and Mendel student pass, I closed the door behind me. "So, how did move-in go?"

"Oh, you know, Mom and Dad gave me puppy dog eyes and said 'you're growing up too fast' about a zillion times. I'm going to miss them though." Gracie's lips turned down for a second before she brightened again. "How 'bout you?"

"Same." I took a breath and a chance. Was it okay to confide in her? "I only found out about ... all this stuff ... like, six months ago. I mean, we've talked about it nonstop since then, but I can't really believe I'm here, or that they're not staying ... you know?"

"Yeah, I do."

A couple of kids passed us in the hall. Our eyes skipped together briefly before they bounced apart again and I shivered a little. Ever since things changed, I wasn't used to being understood. It was a nice change of pace. 

"I found out by mistake." Gracie trailed her finger against the wall as we walked.

"By mistake?"

"Yeah, when I was twelve. My parents have always babied me ... for various reasons ... anyway, I was trying to find proof that Santa didn't exist. But instead of presents, I found a box in the back of my mom's closet."

"Yikes. What was in it?"

"Oh, a bunch of stuff. My birth certificate, a baby book, and a big envelope marked Project Alpha."

"Project Alpha? My parents always call it the program." I made air quotes with my fingers.

"Same diff. Anyway, Mom caught me snooping, so we hit two birds with one stone that day — turns out Santa came from my parent's credit card, and I came from a test tube."

"Ha." It wasn't a real laugh. It was more of a reflex. "It's weird, huh? I don't care that my parents needed help. I'm glad they got it — obviously — otherwise I wouldn't be here. It's more about ... what do their choices mean for me? And do I get a say in anything?"

"Tell me about it. I've been there. Maybe Meta will be our first step to finding that out." Gracie shrugged.

"Yeah. I guess so." Scanning the doors along the hall, I spotted Watson 3B. We'd arrived at Opal's room.

"Gonna put in your teeth?"

"You betcha." Popping the yellow plastic into her mouth, Gracie tested out her smile. "How do I look?"

"Hideous."

"Fanks!" Wiggling her eyebrows, she thrust out her arm and banged on Opal's door.

A wave of music hit me in the face and I staggered backward as a flash of hot pink, purple and gold washed across my mind.

"Oh, shit. Sorry Moth!" Opal vanished into her room as quickly as she'd appeared. The music stopped, making the colors behind my eyes swirl and drain away.

"Uh, you ok, Marin?" Gracie grabbed my shoulder, a ripple of concern settling between her brows as I shook my head to recover.

"She's a syn. A new one. I'll have to be more careful not to blast my tunes if I know she's coming. At least until this stage passes." Opal pursed her lips.

"This stage?" My cheeks burned. I was grateful for Opal and Gracie's attention, but playing the role of naive newbie was irritating. Especially when it seemed they knew more about my situation than I did. "What do you mean, stage?"

Opal blinked. "Oh. I told you I know some Syns."

"And?" My voice was sharper than I meant it to be.

"And they can do some pretty cool stuff. Everyone's different, so I don't know what to tell you, but the music is what kicked things off for all of them. Look, I'm fuzzy on the details but Meta will sort it all out. When they're back at school I'll introduce you some time; I promise. Deal?"

Sighing, I coaxed out a smile smile. "Deal."

"Good. And listen, it'll get easier, ok? Soon you'll know as much as Gracie and I do. Just give yourself some time." Clicking her door shut, Opal slipped her Mendel pass in her pocket.

"Well, maybe she'll know as much as you do, Opes, but I'm kind of a genius so good luck to both of you if you wanna catch up to me." Gracie popped her novelty teeth back in and crossed her eyes.

"Gawd, you're a weirdo." Pushing her playfully, Opal's laughter warmed the hall. "Come on. Let's eat — I'm starving." Grabbing Gracie and me by the arm, she pulled us in close and marched us down the hall.

***

How would you feel, on the eve of Meta, if you were Marin?  What do you think of Opal and Gracie? If you liked this chapter, or have some feedback, please comment, vote and share!