everything she tried so hard to hide all these years. Tracing her steps as she moved down the now-silent hallway littered with bodies of Others, I knew it wouldn’t be long before I learned what it was.
Standing before a door marked “Project 9,” Mom pushed a button, tapping her foot impatiently as the door slid open to reveal a large, white, sterile laboratory. Slipping in from behind, my senses were instantly assaulted by a sickly sweet scent wafting through the air. A scent that smelled… wrong.
“What is that smell?” I asked.
“Experiments gone horribly wrong,” Azura responded flatly.
Scowling, Mom’s gaze flickered around the lab, stopping at the ten small capsules inside. The first nine were empty, but inside the tenth, a female baby floated and bobbed weightlessly in a clear, thick gelatine substance with lines of tubes connected to its frail limbs.
I marched around her, staring at the baby. “What kind of experiments?” I asked flatly. Needing to know exactly what type of twisted monsters they created.
“Experiments that morphed Other’s DNA, creating Others that even the Council couldn’t control.”
“The nine are just like me?”
“Not as powerful, but just as important.”
The place was a mess with papers and equipment tossed around the room. It looked like whoever took them was looking for something before they left.
I looked around the room suspiciously. “Where are they now?”
“Scattered like stones in a pond. Hidden from the Council and from you.”
Mom’s face contorted with disgust as she stared at the baby. “What have they created?” She pressed her palm against the surface of the capsule. The baby’s body convulsed, fighting against the thick gelatine. She tapped on the glass loudly, causing the baby’s eyes to snap open, revealing beautiful, bright-emerald eyes. My eyes. Bubbles of air surrounded its mouth as the baby desperately struggled to breath, choking on the fluid.
“Not happening, monster,” Mom barked.
My eyes narrowed on Mom as she took a step back, turning on her heels to walk away. I stood there, stunned. Not believing she could actually walk away, leaving a baby—me—to die. A loud crack ricocheted throughout the room. The baby started fighting wildly, bouncing against the glass with more power than someone of that size should have, causing the glass to shatter and the gelatine substance to ooze out of the capsule, taking the baby with it.
“What the hell?” Mom spun around on her heels and inched closer. She pulled her sword from her back scabbard, watching as the baby hiccupped and whined, sounding like a cross between puppy and human.
“I’m sorry, Mist.” She raised her sword above her head for the deadly blow, stopping abruptly when the baby suddenly stretched out her chubby arm with tiny fingers extended. My baby eyes locked on Mom’s like a lifeline, and as if against her will, she calmly sheathed her sword.
“Message received, little monster. You want to live.” Mom’s eyes narrowed on the baby as if it were a speck of dirt on her boot.
The baby’s chubby arm flayed around, showing a glimpse of an ink-black mark on her inner wrist. Mom crouched down, roughly grabbing the baby’s left wrist, examining the raven wing birthmark on her inner wrist. “So it’s true. They created the key our salvation… and destruction,” she sneered.
The baby gurgled happily, kicking her chubby legs. Hesitantly, Mom touched the baby’s tuft of jet-black hair interwoven with sky-blue strands. A flicker of doubt washed across her face as if wrestling with her conscience.
“I will keep you until the day you and the nine can save my sisters. After that… all bets are off, little monster.” She scooped the baby into her arms, frowning when the baby clutched at her chest, staring up at her with unflinching intensity as if desperately searching for assurance.
“Are the nine my siblings?” I asked.
“Not by blood, but by spirit and
Standing before a door marked “Project 9,” Mom pushed a button, tapping her foot impatiently as the door slid open to reveal a large, white, sterile laboratory. Slipping in from behind, my senses were instantly assaulted by a sickly sweet scent wafting through the air. A scent that smelled… wrong.
“What is that smell?” I asked.
“Experiments gone horribly wrong,” Azura responded flatly.
Scowling, Mom’s gaze flickered around the lab, stopping at the ten small capsules inside. The first nine were empty, but inside the tenth, a female baby floated and bobbed weightlessly in a clear, thick gelatine substance with lines of tubes connected to its frail limbs.
I marched around her, staring at the baby. “What kind of experiments?” I asked flatly. Needing to know exactly what type of twisted monsters they created.
“Experiments that morphed Other’s DNA, creating Others that even the Council couldn’t control.”
“The nine are just like me?”
“Not as powerful, but just as important.”
The place was a mess with papers and equipment tossed around the room. It looked like whoever took them was looking for something before they left.
I looked around the room suspiciously. “Where are they now?”
“Scattered like stones in a pond. Hidden from the Council and from you.”
Mom’s face contorted with disgust as she stared at the baby. “What have they created?” She pressed her palm against the surface of the capsule. The baby’s body convulsed, fighting against the thick gelatine. She tapped on the glass loudly, causing the baby’s eyes to snap open, revealing beautiful, bright-emerald eyes. My eyes. Bubbles of air surrounded its mouth as the baby desperately struggled to breath, choking on the fluid.
“Not happening, monster,” Mom barked.
My eyes narrowed on Mom as she took a step back, turning on her heels to walk away. I stood there, stunned. Not believing she could actually walk away, leaving a baby—me—to die. A loud crack ricocheted throughout the room. The baby started fighting wildly, bouncing against the glass with more power than someone of that size should have, causing the glass to shatter and the gelatine substance to ooze out of the capsule, taking the baby with it.
“What the hell?” Mom spun around on her heels and inched closer. She pulled her sword from her back scabbard, watching as the baby hiccupped and whined, sounding like a cross between puppy and human.
“I’m sorry, Mist.” She raised her sword above her head for the deadly blow, stopping abruptly when the baby suddenly stretched out her chubby arm with tiny fingers extended. My baby eyes locked on Mom’s like a lifeline, and as if against her will, she calmly sheathed her sword.
“Message received, little monster. You want to live.” Mom’s eyes narrowed on the baby as if it were a speck of dirt on her boot.
The baby’s chubby arm flayed around, showing a glimpse of an ink-black mark on her inner wrist. Mom crouched down, roughly grabbing the baby’s left wrist, examining the raven wing birthmark on her inner wrist. “So it’s true. They created the key our salvation… and destruction,” she sneered.
The baby gurgled happily, kicking her chubby legs. Hesitantly, Mom touched the baby’s tuft of jet-black hair interwoven with sky-blue strands. A flicker of doubt washed across her face as if wrestling with her conscience.
“I will keep you until the day you and the nine can save my sisters. After that… all bets are off, little monster.” She scooped the baby into her arms, frowning when the baby clutched at her chest, staring up at her with unflinching intensity as if desperately searching for assurance.
“Are the nine my siblings?” I asked.
“Not by blood, but by spirit and
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