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Chapter Five
"Excuse me, could Cammie please come to the conference room with me?"
Everyone jumps about a foot in the air, whirling around to see... the guy who I met after Tiffany that first time. He's smiling cockily, and I feel the need to wipe that grin off his face, but Leon puts a hand on my shoulder, knowing what I'm thinking.
Leon steps in front of me, keeping a firm grip on my arm. "What for?"
The guy smirks. "Neil has someone he wants her to meet. Only her, for right now."
I step back. "I'm not going." Leon pulls me back up. "Yes you are. Don't worry, we'll be here when you get back, and you can release all your anger out on me. Now go."
Glaring at him slightly, I follow the guy down the hall. He turns to look at me, giving me a once over. "So, you've accepted Leon and the others as your friends I see. My name is Jake by the way."
I don't answer; I don't even look at him. He stop, turning around fully to face me.
"Listen, why don't we forget about what happened this morning? I wasn't being perverted, I was just doing my job."
"What is your job," I sneer at him.
"I have to make sure that all of the subjects- all of you guys are okay when you wake up. I have to make sure that they're not feeling weak or tingly, or have any serious defects that aren't normal. I'll admit, I should have told told you what I was doing, but you seemed so upset that I just didn't think you'd listen to me."
I squint at him, trying to figure out if he's sincere. He looks sincere enough. I nod, still not trusting myself to talk. He keeps walking, until we reach two big yellow doors. He walks in, but I stay on the outside, scared. What does Neil want? I really don't want to meet anyone. Not after that crazy guy I met in the pool.
Jake walks back out and looks at me sympathetically. "Come on babe. Nothing to be scared about." I want to correct him on calling me babe but he pulls me in before I can say anything. I stumble slightly, then right myself and look up, instantly freezing.
Sitting around a big oval table, one on each side, sits Neil, one of his men, Jake sits down, and... the guy from the pool. He's dry, and clothed now, in all black(how surprising). He looks up at me, giving me a slow once over.
"Cammie! Why don't you have a seat?" Neil seems genuinely happy to see me.
I eye the creepy guy. "I think I'll stand, thank you."
"No really, please sit; we have things to discuss."
The only seat left is next to the creepy guy. I pull it as far away fro him as possible before plopping down in it. He rolls his eyes.
Neil folds his hands on top of the desk. "Well Cammie, I see you've met my son, Tony. Say hi, Tony."
Oh, his name is Tony.
He doesn't say anything; he doesn't even look at me. Neil's face hardens.
"Tony," he says warningly. "We talked about this already..."
Tony loses it.
"Why should I have to babysit her?! I'm fine just by myself, and she'll be fine too!"
"Obviously," I mumble.
He turns to me. "What?"
I don't back down from his glare. "I said obviously. You have absolutely no reason to be upset. You tried to drown me, not the other way around."
"If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be alive right now to be able to say anything. How in the world can you not know how to swim?"
Neil slams his hand down on the table, startling us both.
"Enough! This is a very bad start for two people who will be spending hours together every single day."
"Whoa what?!" I jump up. "I'm going to be spending who know how many hours with this... this delinquent?! You've got to be kidding me. What in the world is gonna be actually good about being in this project?!"
The mugs on the table shake slightly. Beside me, Tony throws up his hands in frustration. "Here we have yet another person who thinks I'm a criminal."
I sneer at him. "By the way you act and the way you dress, it shouldn't be a surprise to you what people think of you."
He jumps up. "Yeah? Well by the way you act, people must think you're a saint! But obviously not if they all hated you and you actually tried to kill yourself! How stupid is that?"
I can't help it. I rear back and ram my fist into his jaw.
His head snaps back. He looks so stunned that I actually feel sorry for him for a minute, but then he slaps me; hard.
My rage builds up until I feel like I'm going to explode, but instead, the multiple mugs on the table start rattling like crazy, seeming to be actually vibrating.
"Get down," Tony yells at Neil and the others. They all duck under the table just as each of the ceramic mugs explode, one by one, in front of my eyes.
I squeeze my eyes shut, but none of the pieces hit me. I open my eyes, to see Tony, a hand raised towards the pieces of glass... that are now suspended in midair, frozen. He meets my eyes, and it seems that he's almost praising me, before he moves his hand towards me and motions for me to hold out my hands. I do, and he moves the pieces above them, relaxing, and letting them fall into my hands.
I look up at him, stunned.
Neil and the others come up from under the table to sit back in their seats. I sit, putting all the pieces on the table, suddenly feeling drained, and Tony does the same. The room is silent. I look at Neil.
"W-was that...?"
He nods. "That was you Cammie.
Putting a hand to my cheek, I feel the sore spot from where Tony slapped me. My eye is caught on my arm, and I gasp, lifting up my sleeve. The marks that Jake showed me this morning are glowing. My gaze goes to Tony's arm, and I see his glowing as well. He smirks at me, not exactly nice, but not to be mean either.
"I hope you two have learned that violence doesn't solve anything. I think you owe each other an apology. Make a truce."
Tony looks away, silent, and I'm silent too. Neil looks between us a few times. "Well?"
I look him dead in the eyes. "I don't owe anyone anything. Your stupid project turned me into a freak. Did you not just see what I did? That's not... I'm not..." I look down at the marks on my arm again, lifting it up to show it to him. "This is not me. Cammie is gone. I don't know who I am now, but it's not Cammie anymore. I'll apologize when I figure myself out."
I stand up and walk out of the room.
Everyone jumps about a foot in the air, whirling around to see... the guy who I met after Tiffany that first time. He's smiling cockily, and I feel the need to wipe that grin off his face, but Leon puts a hand on my shoulder, knowing what I'm thinking.
Leon steps in front of me, keeping a firm grip on my arm. "What for?"
The guy smirks. "Neil has someone he wants her to meet. Only her, for right now."
I step back. "I'm not going." Leon pulls me back up. "Yes you are. Don't worry, we'll be here when you get back, and you can release all your anger out on me. Now go."
Glaring at him slightly, I follow the guy down the hall. He turns to look at me, giving me a once over. "So, you've accepted Leon and the others as your friends I see. My name is Jake by the way."
I don't answer; I don't even look at him. He stop, turning around fully to face me.
"Listen, why don't we forget about what happened this morning? I wasn't being perverted, I was just doing my job."
"What is your job," I sneer at him.
"I have to make sure that all of the subjects- all of you guys are okay when you wake up. I have to make sure that they're not feeling weak or tingly, or have any serious defects that aren't normal. I'll admit, I should have told told you what I was doing, but you seemed so upset that I just didn't think you'd listen to me."
I squint at him, trying to figure out if he's sincere. He looks sincere enough. I nod, still not trusting myself to talk. He keeps walking, until we reach two big yellow doors. He walks in, but I stay on the outside, scared. What does Neil want? I really don't want to meet anyone. Not after that crazy guy I met in the pool.
Jake walks back out and looks at me sympathetically. "Come on babe. Nothing to be scared about." I want to correct him on calling me babe but he pulls me in before I can say anything. I stumble slightly, then right myself and look up, instantly freezing.
Sitting around a big oval table, one on each side, sits Neil, one of his men, Jake sits down, and... the guy from the pool. He's dry, and clothed now, in all black(how surprising). He looks up at me, giving me a slow once over.
"Cammie! Why don't you have a seat?" Neil seems genuinely happy to see me.
I eye the creepy guy. "I think I'll stand, thank you."
"No really, please sit; we have things to discuss."
The only seat left is next to the creepy guy. I pull it as far away fro him as possible before plopping down in it. He rolls his eyes.
Neil folds his hands on top of the desk. "Well Cammie, I see you've met my son, Tony. Say hi, Tony."
Oh, his name is Tony.
He doesn't say anything; he doesn't even look at me. Neil's face hardens.
"Tony," he says warningly. "We talked about this already..."
Tony loses it.
"Why should I have to babysit her?! I'm fine just by myself, and she'll be fine too!"
"Obviously," I mumble.
He turns to me. "What?"
I don't back down from his glare. "I said obviously. You have absolutely no reason to be upset. You tried to drown me, not the other way around."
"If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be alive right now to be able to say anything. How in the world can you not know how to swim?"
Neil slams his hand down on the table, startling us both.
"Enough! This is a very bad start for two people who will be spending hours together every single day."
"Whoa what?!" I jump up. "I'm going to be spending who know how many hours with this... this delinquent?! You've got to be kidding me. What in the world is gonna be actually good about being in this project?!"
The mugs on the table shake slightly. Beside me, Tony throws up his hands in frustration. "Here we have yet another person who thinks I'm a criminal."
I sneer at him. "By the way you act and the way you dress, it shouldn't be a surprise to you what people think of you."
He jumps up. "Yeah? Well by the way you act, people must think you're a saint! But obviously not if they all hated you and you actually tried to kill yourself! How stupid is that?"
I can't help it. I rear back and ram my fist into his jaw.
His head snaps back. He looks so stunned that I actually feel sorry for him for a minute, but then he slaps me; hard.
My rage builds up until I feel like I'm going to explode, but instead, the multiple mugs on the table start rattling like crazy, seeming to be actually vibrating.
"Get down," Tony yells at Neil and the others. They all duck under the table just as each of the ceramic mugs explode, one by one, in front of my eyes.
I squeeze my eyes shut, but none of the pieces hit me. I open my eyes, to see Tony, a hand raised towards the pieces of glass... that are now suspended in midair, frozen. He meets my eyes, and it seems that he's almost praising me, before he moves his hand towards me and motions for me to hold out my hands. I do, and he moves the pieces above them, relaxing, and letting them fall into my hands.
I look up at him, stunned.
Neil and the others come up from under the table to sit back in their seats. I sit, putting all the pieces on the table, suddenly feeling drained, and Tony does the same. The room is silent. I look at Neil.
"W-was that...?"
He nods. "That was you Cammie.
Putting a hand to my cheek, I feel the sore spot from where Tony slapped me. My eye is caught on my arm, and I gasp, lifting up my sleeve. The marks that Jake showed me this morning are glowing. My gaze goes to Tony's arm, and I see his glowing as well. He smirks at me, not exactly nice, but not to be mean either.
"I hope you two have learned that violence doesn't solve anything. I think you owe each other an apology. Make a truce."
Tony looks away, silent, and I'm silent too. Neil looks between us a few times. "Well?"
I look him dead in the eyes. "I don't owe anyone anything. Your stupid project turned me into a freak. Did you not just see what I did? That's not... I'm not..." I look down at the marks on my arm again, lifting it up to show it to him. "This is not me. Cammie is gone. I don't know who I am now, but it's not Cammie anymore. I'll apologize when I figure myself out."
I stand up and walk out of the room.
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