Chapter 2: Genevieve
Yesterday, I made an amazing discovery. I was walking around on our small island when I came upon a small precipice, covered with vines. When I peeled the vines away, thinking that I would come upon a wall of rock, I was instead met with a small hole, just big enough for my fist to fit through it. Curious, I decided to take a look at the hole, because the type of rock that the fist sized hole was in was definitely too hard to be eroded by water alone, and therefore at least a semi-corrosive chemical of some type should be infused with the water that eroded the rock, or possibly the substance was not infused with water at all, and instead it lay in the rock and slowly eroded the rock.
It was very possible that there was a pin-prick sized hole which slowly leaked out the substance and it was also very possible that over time, the back of the hole had slowly thinned out, leaving a good possibility of there being almost a paper thin layer of rock between the substance that caused the erosion to take place. Suddenly, a thought rammed itself into my mind.
My eyes fell to the floor as they looked for a large stick that could be used to dig at the back of the hole in hopes that the chemical would make itself known. Of course, the chemical could just be something that isn’t special at all or the supposed chemical might not even be there, but it was worth a try. Finally, my eyes landed upon the sight of a long, sturdy looking stick which had very dark bark. Picking it up, I made my way over to the hole which I had wondered from in hopes of finding a stick. I poked the stick into the rather large hole and slowly I began to prod at the back of it, hoping that my theory of a paper thin layer of rock was true, because if so, it would be very easy to break the rock and find the source of the chemical.
Taking the stick out of the hole a little bit, I rammed the stick back into the hole with as much force as I could. The rock didn’t break. I tried once more, exerting as much power into pushing the stick as possible, but again; nothing.
“Third time lucky.” I whispered to myself, wringing my hands in preparation of stabbing the hole once more. Taking a deep breath, I pushed the stick hard into the back of the hole.
Suddenly, a small trickle of liquid came out of the rock. Before I could react, a small amount went onto my skin. Alarmed, I quickly tried to scrub it off, knowing that because it was corrosive that a burn would be on my arm for at least the next few weeks. Strangely enough, as I looked down, I noticed that my arm wasn’t in pain at all. But that wasn’t what surprised me most. Instead, what got my attention was the ocean blue liquid matter that balanced on my arm, not falling to the ground. Moving my arm to the left, I was left in utter shock as the small droplets of liquid moved back to the top of my arm, as if they were trying not to fall. Fascinated, I opened my backpack and took out two small vials, filling them to the brim from the small trickle of blue that was starting to die out.
Deciding that I had had enough fresh air for one day, I raced back to the old little shack that I called my home with my new discovery in the front pocket of my backpack.
As soon as I got home, I tested the stuff on small disks, playing with it and toying with it. It absolutely amazed me. When I separated the substance into individual drops, they would move and clot together, and when I prodded the clot with a needle, it wouldn’t penetrate unless lots of strength was used to push it inside, and taking out the needle was even haarder. When I put a vial over a single droplet and block it’s access to the others to stop them from clotting, they became corrosive of their own accord and would join together. The chemical acted like a living organism, but when tested, it showed no signs of life whatsoever. The final test I conducted was a blood test. Taking my blood, I infused it with a single drop of the new chemical. What happened next would be the strangest and most phenomenal action to have ever happened in the history of science.
The chemical started to mingle with the blood, creating a purple colour. The monitors of my computer system were showing that the small tiny merged drops of matter were over 90° Celsius. Then, suddenly, the temperature dropped and the drops began to glow a bright blue, before all traces of blood disappeared and was replaced with more of the chemical. As I once again began to prod at the drops, I found that the needle wouldn’t penetrate at all, no matter how hard I tried. Taking some water, I put some near the drop, and it moved towards the droplet before seeming to drink it in, absorbing it. Intrigued, I tested it for being an organism again. It almost passed.
A thought went into my mind. “I wonder what will happen if I experiment putting the chemical into someone? If everything worked out like it should, then the subject would absorb the chemical, creating a super human. If it worked, the promotion from Biological Weapons Unit would be tremendous! Maybe after working so long on this damned island, they’ll let us go.” There was only one problem with that. As one of the most important scientists on the job, I signed a contract where I am not allowed to test anything on myself. “Ivory.” A part of me whispered. Ivory. My daughter. I had tested many things on her before, she seemed almost happy to help, but this chemical is unknown, untried. She could get hurt. But what if nothing happens? “You’ll be free, Genevieve, and you and your daughter will be able to see people. Imagine that, Genevieve.” The voice says again. “Remember the promise, Genevieve. Whatever it takes.”
The next day…
"Honey, come here!"
The temptation was too strong. The chemical which I decided to call ‘Aeolia’ had to be tested. I promised him, and I would never forget it, and it was now time for me to fulfil the promise I made with Simon all those years ago. The sound of padding feet told me that Ivory was coming over to me. Her petite frame entered my field of vision as the came into the ‘living room’ (if it could be called that). Her long brown hair bounced around her tanned skin which she acquired after playing hours in the sun. Her pretty green eyes looked up at me with confusion, but behind it was her curiosity. So much like her father, I thought.
"Yes, mum?"
Her voice was quiet, filled with innocence as she spoke. She wore a top with some denim shorts, no shoes on her feet. Living on the island all her life made her into someone who absolutely loved the wild. She loved the animals, the trees. She was every bit her father’s daughter. I was snapped out of my thoughts suddenly and I remembered the Aeolia.
"I want you to do something for me."
I saw her worry rush out of her eyes, as if it was sucked away by a vacuum cleaner. A small smile comes to her lips and she looks at me in understanding. Shoe knows that I am asking her for permission to experiment on her, we’ve been together long enough to know almost every thought that goes on in each other’s brain.
"What is it this time?"
Her words are confident, as if she had practiced them. In a way, she has. With experiments happening on a monthly basis, anyone would have been confident in those five little words after saying them for so long. A smile starts to tug at my lips. I knew I could count on Ivory to help me. Motioning toward the bed that was positioned next to the television, I said,
"Ok, lie on the bed for me."
Ivory slowly walked over to the bed and sat down before laying her body on the bed. I started to think that maybe I shouldn't do this, but I had already made up my mind. I had been studying for years on this island, and now that I discovered something with the capability to release us from this prison, I wanted to try it, and see how it works. Quickly, I took the heart rate monitor and clipped it to her index finger. Taking out two needles, one filled with general anaesthetic, the other filled with Aeolia, I walked over to her.
"Alright, I have to give you some anaesthetics to keep you calm in case it hurts, ok?"
"Ok, mum."
I injected the anaesthetic into her shoulder, aiming for a vein that will allow the anaesthetic to flow through her bloodstream. Just as she started to nod off, I took hold of the needle filled with Aeolia.
Whatever it takes.
Taking the needle, I plunged it into her skin and pushed all of the Aeolia into her system. That’s when thing started to go downhill.
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Yo there internet!
I hope you enjoyed! (I swear this took years to edit)
I am trying my best to edit quickly but this takes longer than it looks. Also, I decided to wait until I have finished editing the book to start publishing the next book in the series, because I am currently writing two other books and editing this one, and it is not going to be helpful to add another book that I’m writing to the list. So for now, sadly, I am going to put the series on hold.
Thanks peeps!
~ Missy