The Lost Genome | Teen Ink

The Lost Genome

January 27, 2015
By Brelaw67 PLATINUM, Evansville, Wisconsin
Brelaw67 PLATINUM, Evansville, Wisconsin
48 articles 8 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
My own experience is that once a story has been written, one has to cross out the beginning and the end. It is there that we authors do most of our lying.
- Anton Chekhov


Prologue
The first civilization of modern day humans, Homo sapiens, started around 65,000 years ago. Since then, humans have been living in mostly peace, never specifically changing features.
That is, that we know of.
Look around you. Look to the person coughing beside you, the genius raising his hand in front of you, the diabetic kid slowly taking deep breaths. Now, most importantly, look at yourself, the skin on your arms, and the hair on your head. You are all special, everyone is. Your parents tell you are special, that there is no one else out there like you.
What would you do if I told you that all of that was true? Now, humor me just for a little while longer.
Every cell, every string of DNA you have is different, unique, or my favorite word, special.
Now, do you remember me mentioning the never evolving species of Homo sapiens, or modern humans, as we call them? Listen up.
The government has been keeping secrets, and yeah, I know, this isn’t new information, but it is more serious than we could’ve expected. The theory of Evolution? Yeah, that exists, but so not what you expect.
They’ve been hiding it from us; they’ve been hiding the change in DNA and have hunted down each individual that carries some sort of new gene. They’ve been looking for the perfect gene in the perceived “evolved” people. The evolved weren’t the kids with no wisdom teeth or no tailbones. The evolved were much different. They have no idea how wrong they were.
They have been looking for their evolved species, but that doesn’t exist, not in the places where they are looking. They must be found in special people. People like me, but just like the Florida panthers have their genetic flaws, so do we.

 

Chapter One
“Dominic McCann,” a sweet, soft-spoken voice called out in the front of the room. I opened my eyes, sucking in a deep breath as I tried to block out the calls of the others.
My head was killing me and I knew it didn’t have anything to do with my light brown, neck length haircut. It wasn’t heavy nor was it long enough to cause any damage.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to face the already balding man. His stubble grew out shaggier and turned greyer these past few months. His dark green eyes forced a grin with his mouth. Dad had been there for me without the help of Mom. She’d abandoned us two months ago after the problems had arose.
Did it still count having a deadbeat parent if you were sixteen when it happened?  I thought about this for a moment and clutched onto my already shaking right wrist.
“We’re going to figure this out, Dom. We always do,” he forced a grin.
Easy for him to say, he didn’t have to deal with ten different problems, which all seemed to be caused by different things.
“Dominic?” the voice asked.
I glanced up into mesmerizing, light blue eyes. Dribbles of grey danced through the sea of blue. It was beautiful. She wore pink scrubs, the sleeves rolled up past her pale elbows. Her face was also very pale, splashed with freckles. She had dark brown hair that was pulled back in a messy bun.
“Dr. Knoll is ready to see you. Maybe he’ll find something useful,” she said, whipping out one of those grins that melted your heart.
I twisted my head in frustration as I tried shoving the voices out of my head for just this once.
I wanted to do this for my dad. I wanted to do this for her. I wanted to do this for me. You don’t know how hard it is to live with a disease that makes everyone else superior to your abilities, you don’t know how nine plus diseases affect your life. I hated it. I hated my stupid DNA. I wished I had been born differently, or not at all.
“Definitely dangerous thought. Perhaps you should think of something else,”
I dug my nails into the palms of my hand and gritted my teeth, trying to get the voice out.
“Dom, let’s go, now,” Dad commanded.
I opened my eyes, gazing into his eyes. They calmed me instantly. The memory of the voice in my head disappeared for at least a little while.
“They’re back, Dad. They’re back,” I mumbled, tears of frustration filling my eyes.
He rested his hands on my shoulders and stared into my eyes. His face morphed into a frown.
“We’re going to get through this. We’re finally here, Dr. Knoll is going to see us, so take deep breaths and let’s go,” he soothed.
I nodded and braced myself. This visit was going to be very important and I had to be sure to be on my best behavior.
“I’m ready, let’s go.” I said. He smiled and turned to the nurse, her expression unchanging.
We began walking into the office, with the slip of paper. A paper with my name on it.
This was my last chance. Dr. Knoll was my last chance.
I rubbed my eyes and sat down on the cheap leather seat. I was quite surprised at my surroundings. Dr. Knoll was a world-renowned doctor, famous for solving mysterious cases that only he chose. So why was it that the clinic’s offices were tacky?
The chairs were a light brown, easily ripped and the carpet was an ugly orange color that stood out from the rest of the room. Even the wall paper was horrid with a light pastel pink that reminded me of the cheap Hubble Bubble gum.
The only source of modern day was the computer attached to the wall and the infamous rolling stool used for the doctors.
I often wondered about what the doctors did with the chairs during free periods. Did they just carry on with the day, not taking a second look at the chairs? One thing was for sure, if I were a doctor, the chair would not be left alone for a second without my bouncing around in it.
A smile rose on my face just thinking of this. How fun would that be? I could just see the look on Mom’s face.
“I see that you’re a little nervous. How about you tell me what’s going on,” the nurse suggested, her eyes peering up from the computer screen.
I nodded slowly and tried to keep from choking on my own spit. The mucus on the back of my throat was so caked today. More than usual.
“The gist of it is that I feel insane. The voices, oh the voices, they’re terrorizing me. I know it sounds crazy, I know it does, but it isn’t—it’s different.” I explained.
She cocked her head and raised a brow.
“Um, could you explain?” She asked, utterly confused. I could see that on her face.
“It’s day and night, consistently entering my head, hallucinations, moments of odd sensations, nausea and most importantly, dizziness. I don’t know what to do. I must be becoming insane. That’s the only explanation, but the doctors say otherwise,” I expounded.
Her face softened, the shadows shrouding her nose in darkness and leaving a mystique look to her.
“I’m not sure what to do, I’m so lost! I can’t stand it anymore, please, I need your help,” I cried.
The loneliness and loss of hope was eating at me. What did I do? What could possibly be happening to me?
“I’ll send Dr. Knoll in. He’s ready for you. Don’t worry, he’s an excellent doctor. If nobody else, Dr. Knoll will figure out what’s going haywire. He always does.” She replied.
She smiled abruptly, trying to show faith in my future, but I knew she wasn’t sure what to think.
I watched as she walked across the room and the door shut. She had been sulking as she left, probably because of the lack of information on what the heck was wrong with me.
I looked over at Dad. He had been sitting in the chair quietly. It was quite the change from a normal day.
He had his hands crossed, fingers beginning to turn completely white with all the strength pushed into it.
It was clear that he was tense with the anticipation of our last chance. Granted, it was a very small percentage that we would find out what was wrong with me, but it still gave us hope.
“Just think; we could finally figure out what’s going on. We could go back to the way of life we were at before,” he mumbled.
I swallowed hard, trying not to get emotional. This really could change my life. What would happen when we figured this out? Would Mom come back?
My heart soared at the thought. I knew she had abandoned us, but I still missed her. She was my mom and I loved her. It’d been about a year ago since the last time I saw her.
“Hello, Mr. McCann, it’s very nice to meet you,” a voice echoed behind us.
I turned around, awaiting the surprise of Dr. Knoll’s presence.
Dad stood up, greeting the tall man standing just a few inches in front of the door.
He was an average sized man, average build, and average height. What surprised me was the luscious, unkempt black hair that laid on his neck. Bright grey eyes caught his gaze on me, smirking.
His regular white jacket hung just below his knee caps, usually used for doctor apparel. A stethoscope hung around his neck, as he held out his hand.
Like I said, regular stereotypical doctor apparel.
“You’re Dr. Knoll then? Can you help us,” Dad questioned.
The man stood up straight. The horizontal wrinkles started to take over his face, barely there, but noticeable.
“I do believe so, but that remains to be seen. This is Dominic, yes?” the man replied.
I gulped and held out my hand. This could be the man that changed my life for the better.
He turned all his attention to me. A shiver ran up my back. Why was I so nervous all of a sudden? Perhaps it was due to the possible outcomes of this appointment.
“The nurse tells me of your peculiar symptoms. I must say that when I first read your case I was very excited. Dominic, I can tell you what’s going on with you, but I need you to do a few things for me,” he told me.
My heart rose, my mind fully aware now. Was I dreaming?
“What? What must I do to change this?” I questioned.
He held out his hands, motioning for me to calm down.
“I must know for sure that you are dealing with what I think you are, so, you need to do some tests for me,” he answered.
I stood up, pacing back and forth. I was so close to figuring out what was going on!
“Dominic, sit down and let me explain this to you.” He ordered. I nodded slowly, trying to calm myself. I needed to listen to the famous doctor.
Once he sat down on the chair, he rolled across the room to about two inches in front of me.
“Your symptoms are dizziness, hallucinations, voices, nausea, and odd sensations, right?” He asked.
“Yes, they are,” I raised a brow.
Was it just me or had he just smirked? Why was that wonderful news? This doctor was definitely unusual.
“I want you to recall the first time you heard the voices. Tell me about it,” he demanded.
I thought back to this, my eyes twitching and my mind streaming through the different memories.
“It was a Friday, the year 2020 and I was at the middle school in 8th grade,” I started.
Three years ago: Friday
“…the year 2020…in 8th grade,”
I sat at my desk in math, listening to the video on the Pythagorean Theorem. Suddenly, a voice echoed through my ears.
I peered around the room, looking for the source of the voice. Mr. Yorke would throw a fit if he heard someone talking during a video. His infamous line was, “I rarely give the privilege of videos, so when I do, you’d better listen. When I was in school, we didn’t get to watch movies. We had to take notes the whole class…”, blah…blah…blah.
“Stop looking around; you’re making yourself look like an idiot,”
I jumped slightly, my heart freezing. What the heck was going on?
I turned around, gazing at Mr. Yorke, whom seemed to be busy typing on his keyboard.
Justin popped his shoulder and yawned as the screen turned black. The room filled with moans.
“Mr. Yorke, wake the screen, we can’t see anything!” A girl exclaimed to my left.
Mr. Yorke looked up from his keyboard and frowned, wiggling the mouse until the face matched with the voice.
“You’re waking. Be prepared for a world of confusion and depression. Soon, everything will go chaotic,”
Bright blue flashes scrambled in front of my eyes, catching me off guard. My breath caught on something, evading me momentarily.
“Who are you? Where are you? Come out, you’re freaking me out!” I hissed.
Suddenly I had the urge to throw up. I clutched onto my stomach and held back the vomit that crept up my throat.
I closed my eyes, cringing and opened my eyes again. My heart stopped. Everything was in orange! It was as if someone had taken us all in put us in orange Jell-O!
A man appeared in front of me, and not Mr. Yorke. I gulped, and studied the man. He was encased in orange like the rest of the room, but more than the others. Dark brown eyes cut through the Jell-O to me. That was the only thing I could see. He was hidden in orange shadows.
I was hallucinating now?
“Don’t worry about the orange. This is just the beginning. I’m here to help you, Dom, you’re needed.” The voice returned.
My head started to spin. This was not right! Someone must’ve slipped something into my lunch, but why did they want me to be tripped out on pot?
“I assure you this is not marijuana,”
Next thing I knew, I found myself on the floor. A few seconds later, a circle started around me. That was the last thing I remember from that day.

 

Present Day
Dr. Knoll’s face sprouted a gigantic grin. I cocked my head, watching as he jumped up from the stool and grabbed onto my arm, and pulling it up. He pushed the stethoscope onto my chest and listened.
What was all this about? All I did was tell him of the events that took place that day!
“Take a deep breath as I count down,” he commanded. I nodded slowly. I still wasn’t sure what this had to do with my problems.
“What are you doing?” Dad exclaimed.
Dr. Knoll put a finger up to his mouth and shushed him. A few seconds later, he pulled away.
“Great news, I know what you have.” He said, suddenly.
My heart lit up. Could this really be it? Could this be the end to the reign of terror and depression?
“What? What is it? Spit it out!” Dad exclaimed.
Dr. Knoll eyed me, sighing. He sat down on the stool again. His shoulders relaxed and chest quieted. He licked his lips, just barely wetting them.
“We don’t know the cause of it, or even why such a small portion of the population is affected by it. We’ve been calling it the Evoris, for the properties it leaves behind.” He started.
Okay, Evoris. Check. What else did he need to tell me?
“Sadly, we have only just begun figuring out what exactly this is, but not all of this is bad. There’s this place, the Base, is what we call it. This place is where we are keeping people just like you. They go through all of these problems together.” He finished.
Was he really saying what I think he was saying? He wasn’t trying to get me to leave, was he?
“No, absolutely not!” Dad exclaimed, jumping up from his seat. I opened my mouth, about to protest, but I wasn’t quite sure what to do.
This could be the only chance I had to fix myself. To become renewed. To live like I used to, but if I did, I wouldn’t see Dad.
Dr. Knoll studied me as I squirmed in my seat. I could see all of the information filing into his head.
“I understand your  protests, Mr. McCann, but this is for Dominic to choose. This could be his last chance at figuring out what has been terrorizing him.” Dr. Knoll said, his eyes never leaving my face.
Dad’s eyes dropped. I’m sure he felt ashamed for his overreaction. I probably would have been. The thing was that I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to leave my family.
“What do you think, Dominic? Do you want to join others like yourself?” Dr. Knoll asked.
I gritted my teeth. Why did this have to fall on my shoulders? I sighed.
“Can my dad come with?” I asked. He shook his head, boring down at me.
“We find that parents become too distracting to the patients, and sometimes disrupt the trials. So I’m afraid, the answer is no.” He explained.
This really put a damper on my leaving.
“Can they at least visit?” I asked, frowning. Dad was in a state of complete calmness. His face had not obtained worry or anger. This surprised me. He was leaving the decision up to me.
“I’m afraid that is only allowed during holidays. Again, parents provide to be too much of a hassle.” He answered.
I shook my head, my brows furrowed. If my parents weren’t allowed to come, I didn’t want to go. This could be life changing events and they deserved to be there too. My life reflected theirs. Or just Dad’s.
“I can’t let you turn this down, Dominic. We’ve been searching for these answers for years. If I let you turn that down, what kind of dad would I be?” Dad argued.
I cleared my throat, ready to protest. I wanted to figure this out, no I needed to figure this out, but I didn’t want to leave Dad in order to do it. He’d been with me for these years when Mom abandoned us. He had been there for me in my weakest points.
“Oh, great. Believe me, this is very beneficial for your son and there is no expense. All you will have to do is send him to the airport and they’ll pick him up.” Dr. Knoll said.
I whipped around, turning to Dad with a frown. He was really going to let this happen?
He stood there, straight up, not meeting my eyes. I had the feeling he wanted to stop this from happening, he wanted to make everything okay, but he didn’t want to keep me from figuring this out.
“They know you’re coming. They are preparing an interception.”
I bit down on my lip, frustrated. Did they really have to come at a time like this?
Dr. Knoll cocked his head, meeting my eyes. He was calculating, trying to perceive as to what was happening. Lucky for me, no one could hear my thoughts. Or my voices.
“It’s been a pleasure meeting you Dominic, but I must go now that we have figured things out. So what day do you want, tomorrow or Wednesday?” he replied to my thoughts.
My heart stopped. The breath drained from my throat. He was really doing this. He was really pushing me off to this place. He was pushing me away from him.
I couldn’t lie, my heart sank. I was disappointed. I was hoping Dad would change his mind, that he would just find some other alternative, I wanted to believe he was Superman. I wanted to believe that he would save me from the darkness.
That was impossible. Dad wasn’t Superman. He was just a regular guy and it wasn’t fair to him to hold him in such high regard.
“Okay, tomorrow then. I had a ticket ready just in case. The flight will leave at nine in the morning. He’s going to California.” Dr. Knoll said.
I cracked my knuckles, trying to oppress the heartbreak. I had endured much heartbreak in these past three years. I wish I just wouldn’t feel anymore.


Chapter Two
“I love you, Dom. I’m doing this for your own good. I’m doing this for your wellbeing. Don’t take this to heart. I want you to feel better.” Dad’s voice cracked.
Tears rushed down my cheeks, tearing my sleeve away from his grip. He was dumping me off to someone else. He was leaving me to fend for myself like Mom did. He wasn’t going to come back.
“Dominic McCann, I love you. Never forget that,” he hollered.
I pulled the headphones over my ears and boarded the plane. His voice was tearing away from my soul. He was washing away the peace I had left in my heart.
Maybe it was better living without the pain of the thorns in my side. Perhaps it was better to fend for myself. I couldn’t get hurt then. I couldn’t lose another part of me.
As I walked into the plane, scanning the plane for my seat, I spotted a man in dark clothes. Goosebumps rose from my arms. The man wasn’t just suspicious looking, but he was also looking at me. His eyes never left me as I walked by. His dark black hair, clinging to his neck, those dark sunglasses watching me. His pale, muscular body hidden under a grey Old Navy sweatshirt and black khakis.
Why did these things have to happen to me? I had to be just hallucinating again! This had to be this condition I had. It had to be.
“Do you mind? You’re blocking my seat,”
I turned around, my eyes meeting those of a young boy. He couldn’t have been much older than I was at about sixteen. My birthday was just in a few weeks, but it might as well have been months away.
“Um, yeah, sorry. It was just…nothing.” I replied, rubbing the back of my neck and scooting out of the way.
The boy’s red hair swayed on his forehead as he pushed through the seats to sit down. I realized that he was scooting into my seat. This was my seat! He wasn’t going to his!
“Hey, that’s my seat!” I exclaimed. The boy looked at me startled. His green eyes widening.
“What? My seat says B236!” He protested.
My brows wrinkled into a glare. That wasn’t true! My seat was B236! He grabbed my ticket and glared down at it. Instantly, his face morphed into a smile.
Before I could protest about him taking my ticket, he handed it back. What was all of that about?
“Dominic, this isn’t your seat. Your seat is up in first class. You’re 14. They’re just telling you about a general seat number for example as to how this is organized,” He said.
I stared at him blankly. Trying to hide my embarrassment.
“Newcomer?” He grinned.
I glanced down at the ticket again, sheepishly. How could I have been so stupid?
I bit down on my lip and pulled my bag down from the cabinet above us.
“Um, sorry about that. Yes, this is my first time in a plane,” I sighed, finally able to force those words out my mouth.
He pushed his hand out, hand cutting through the wind, gesturing that it wasn’t a big deal.
“I’ve had my fair share of those moments. Heck though, if you’d rather switch seats…” he replied, his yellow stained teeth peering out.
“Hmm, maybe,” I replied, thoughtfully.
I owed him an apology and didn’t feel the need to move to some fancy schmancy seat. Then I remembered the man and my heart stopped.
I spun around on my heels, searching for the man. He wasn’t there. I sucked in a deep breath.
“Um, I’d better go. I’m sorry again, next time I’ll check.” I forced out. There was no way I was staying in the same cabin with that man.
The boy looked at me with a frown; he seemed a bit lonely.
“Uh…” his eyes drifted to the floor,” have a great ride.”
I raised a brow, the boy had something else to say, but it looked as though he had chickened out. I decided to let it be, and simply walked away. There was nothing more I could do.
A Few Hours Later
“May I help you sir? Sir?” a shrill feminine voice questioned from behind me. I rolled my eyes, turning the music up louder.
People were so irritating! I couldn’t get a moments rest without the bickering and annoying nasal voice of the attending stewardess.
“Sir, you are not allowed back here! Sit down!” the stewardess yelled louder. Annoyed, I finally ripped my headphones out of my ears and snapped my head around to see the commotion.
The man. My blood froze. Why was he coming back here? Why was he coming towards me?
I gulped, watching the events play out.
The stewardess looked down right anxious to get the man out of there, but the man stopped and shot the woman a glare.
“I need to speak with someone ma’am. You do not want me cross with you. Do yourself a favor and sit down.” He growled.
Suddenly, the stewardess didn’t seem too keen on stopping the man. I closed my eyes, slumping in the leather seat.
Please, oh, please don’t be coming to me. Please, don’t be coming to me. Please!
Despite my pleas, I heard the plopping of someone sitting next to my seat. My heart sank as I opened my eyes and realized all of this wasn’t a dream.
“I warned you! Don’t trust him! Don’t trust him!”
The throbbing in my head had only begun to make things worse. I had hoped that the voices could have left me alone for at least this trip, but no such luck. I clenched my jaw, my neck twitching as I tried pushing the voices out of my head.
“Dominic McCann. I’ve been meaning to talk to you. After all you’ve been through, I’m sure you have some questions.” The man said, crossing his legs.
Intrigue held my tongue back, leaving me speechless. How did this man know about my problems? Was it a coincidence?
“Speechless, I knew you would be. We’ve been…watching you, I guess you could say. Just listen to what I have to say. I’m sure you’ll be quite interested,” he continued, his deep voice lingering on quite.
I shook my head, snapping out of the shock of it all. I didn’t want to talk to this man! He was nothing more than a bully! He bullied his way through here! Why would I want to talk to him?
“You can’t know what’s going on with me! I don’t want to hear what you have to say!” I snarled. The anger scorched my heart. The nerve he had to make me feel like someone could heal me!
The man smirked, momentarily, sitting up in his chair. Just the sight of his cockiness angered me. The arrogance!
“I don’t think you would say so if you knew what I know, Dominic. I know about the voices, and the nausea, the headaches. I know it all, and if you’re smart you’ll listen to what I have to say,” he replied.
My anger stopped in its tracks, descending into ashes, each tiny pellet disintegrating as my heart thumped against my chest.
How could he possibly know that? How could he know something like that?
The man chuckled, “you think you’re the only one that’s been through this. That can’t be further from the truth, Dominic. I know why all of this is happening to you, I know why the doctors can’t figure out why you’re so screwed up.”
I took a deep breath and thought about this for a moment. If what he was saying was true, then I could finally figure this out. I wouldn’t have to go to this place so far away from Dad. I lost my breath just thinking about this. My heart was beating far too much for my lungs to keep up.
“Explain this to me. Help me out then!” I exclaimed. I was excited, too excited at that.
The man’s smirk grew larger. He knew he had me wrapped around his finger, longing to do anything to get the information. He knew.
“There are others like you, Dominic. We can help you get through this and in a short amount of time. All you have to do is come with me. Come with me instead of going to California.” He replied.
My shoulders dropped. I knew it was too good to be true. I knew that there was a catch.
For the first time since I had met the man, a flash of concern had risen on his face in response to my look. The man really wanted me to come with him. He expected me to come with him.
“If you came with me, you’d know what’s going on, you’d be able to go back home to your father. Your mother would come back,” he assured.
For the first time since talking to this man, a thought occurred to me. How the heck did he know all of this about me? About my parents? About my life?
I certain distrust flickered on inside my brain. My decision finally felt right.
“No, I won’t come with you. You’re only a fraud, a liar. I’ll take my chances. If you don’t mind, I’m going to listen to my music now.” I blurted.
The man’s face hardened, his muscular body clenching in either fury or frustration. He stood up and bent down an inch away from my face.
“You won’t be on the plane forever. There are harder ways of going about this. You have chosen the harder way.” He said, stepping away from me, leaving me alone.
My eyes widened as those three sentences ran through my head. Was he threatening to kidnap me? How could that have escalated so quickly?
I gulped, trying to shake his words out of my mind. I couldn’t become so stressed again. Finally, a few minutes later, I had managed to forget him. They were just threats right?
 

I didn’t know how long after it had been when the captain’s voice told us we could get off the plane, but I was still on the plane. The stewardess had to finally usher me out of the cabin before I got off. Fortunately, looking around, I couldn’t see the man.
All sights were clear and I could get off believing that I wouldn’t be kidnapped. I didn’t know why I believed I could be kidnapped right under the noses of airport security. Just the little kid fears, right?
Looking around, I trotted around the airport, searching for the signs bearing my name. I almost laughed at the thought. Just like in the movies.
“Excuse me ma’am, do you know where I could find the bathrooms?” I heard off to my left.
Listening, I suddenly had to go to the bathroom too. How hadn’t I noticed before? It was funny the way your brain worked.
I followed closely behind the man that had asked the important question. He veered off to my right, immediately zipping through a giant crowd of passengers getting ready to board a plane.
I almost lost him through the middle of it, but caught sight of his bright blue hat. I really hoped that this man was going to the bathroom.
A moment later, I was relieved to see the sign above me on the wall. Men’s restroom. I scurried into the bathroom, dashing into the nearest stall. Good thing I had found it in a time. The leak and sprung and left fast. Only a few seconds later, I was done. Quickly, I zipped up my fly, just when I was about to open the door.
Then I jolted back, pushing up against the wall. The door pounded back towards me, someone banging down on the door.
“This stall is taken,” I squealed.
The pounding returned, harder this time. My heart stopped, everything slowing. This wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought it would. Something told me that whoever it was wasn’t there for the toilet.
After a minute or so, it completely stopped. No noise protruded my ears. I unlocked the door cautiously and peered out. The room was empty. Only the stalls and sinks were left there with me.
I stepped out, sighing. But I hadn’t waited long enough. My back smashed against the wall, cracking in my ribs making me cough. My heart began beating faster than a hummingbird’s wings.
A giant man, glared down at me. His dark brown eyes began to ignite into fire.
“This is your destiny. You are coming with us.” He bellowed into my ear. I grimaced, pushing my face into the wall, trying to keep my eyes off him.
The man scared me, but this wasn’t the guy from before. He was different.
“Don’t worry, we already have a room prepared for you. Even plane tickets.” He said, dragging me to the floor.
I dropped to my back , landing with a cough. How nice of him to drop me!

"Let go...of me!" I gasped through struggles. The man just smiled thinly through crooked teeth.
"In time I will, though, now is not the time." He said.
I couldn't believe this! He was going to kidnap me and in the airport!
Soon, I heard the opening and closing of the heavy set, creaky door.
"Get your nimble fingers off that boy! He's taken already!"
My heart dropped and I turned to face the dark, deep voice of a man. He glared at the man holding him, as though he was trying to burn daggers through him.
"If he's taken then why is he in my hands now?" The man spat.
I looked between the two, unsure of what to do. I didn't think that either of the men were going to let me go easily. That just didn't seem possible.
"He's one of us! One of the missing link!" The man holding me shouted.
"We gathered the data on him first! Our guy collected him! We got him here!" The other man argued.
"You're only going to study him! With us, he can learn! He won't be prisoner in that dreadful school of yours!"
"Oh, you're the one to say! Yours are only allowed to move around inside their rooms without supervision!"
I was starting to get a headache from all of this. My mind was spinning. One of them? School? I thought I was going to a research facility!
Before I knew it, I was whipped across the room, the man yelping from behind me.
I skidded into the wall, the air evaporating from my lungs. I sat there for a good minute before the sign of struggles ended and was pulled up.
The man that was next to the door gazed down at me, holding his hand in front of my eyes.
"I'm sorry about this, Dominic. When you wake up, you won't remember any of this." He said, light flying from his hands. Rays of a bright white UV light blinded me.
I took a deep breath before everything disappeared.
 


The author's comments:

The Lost Genome was created in Biology class after we started talking about genetics and how they're inherited. After that, I started thinking about what genes we could have gotten without anyone knowing. What if there were actually evolved humans? That was how it was born. I hope you enjoy!


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