:r h i e n n a h:

I stared at Livia for a moment, but not really at her. At her single hand with its slender fingers, or at her full lips. Mostly, I kept my eyes on her shoulders, though there was nothing particularly different about them in anyway. "Human...." I repeated the word slowly to myself, almost tasting its unfamiliarity. "What is the difference between a Human and a Seven, anyway. Are we mutants? Genetically modified monsters? There was nothing different about Rhovaniah and I, not really. I mean, in terms of looks, I've got these strange wing markings on my back and freaky gold eyes, sure.... I mean, technically I still regenerate flesh after being wounded; but still. I'm right aren't I? Besides, how Human can those scientists be with the things they're doing to us?"

I had to take a minute to breath and I dropped my head into my hands. The light was beginning to irritate my eyes, and I rubbed them to try and quell the oncoming migrane. Of course, this might also have been from the stress of the thoughts in my head. I sighed heavily. "They strip me and expose me to natural sunlight. They've figured out that as long as my major organs — like my brain, heart, and lungs — stay intact, my flesh will heal itself; I can get up and walk away from the table relatively unscathed." I got up and stepped toward the window, pulling the sleeve of my hoodie back to expose my hand and wrist. "Watch."

Almost immediately the skin began to sizzle and flake away, charring, and burning. I bit my lip to make myself look strong; but truthfully it hurt. It was so painful that my eyes welled up with tears. I was just happy she couldn't see. When I began to feel a heavy pulsing in my arm and a good chunk of my skin had burned away, I went and sat next to Livia, shielding the burn from the light with my body. It wasn't that bad considering the clouds, but UV rays still came through. Anyone who had ever gotten a sunburn on a day like this would know that. "It looks gross, huh?" As I said this, the flesh began to regenerate, which was uncomfortable more so than painful. "It never used to get this bad. The burns, I mean. It's faster now, and more serious. It's because of over-exposure, I think."

:r h i e n n a h:

I let out the first laugh since I had been brought in, but only a light one. Slightly amused. "Don't worry. It feels good," I commented, watching the frost on the back of her hand. It worried me, but I didn't care when cold bit into heat, causing a hiss and a cloud of steam to rise. Before long, the skin had cooled and I smiled, withdrawing my hand from hers. "Look, all I know is that my family never treated me any differently than they did my brothers or sisters. If I'm not Human, at least I know what being Human feels like, and I don't like being treated like an animal."

I paused, remembering back to when I was five, sitting in the hospital waiting room with my Aunt Becky, my older brother Haven, and Rhovaniah holding my hand. It was a hot summer night, and we had left so suddenly that none of us had gotten a chance to change out of our bathing suits; the four of us were nervously awaiting the birth of my youngest sister Zoe, which was a quiet and scary time, though I didn't understand why at the time. I turned and asked Aunt Becky where our — at the time — two-year-old sister, Mystique, was. She replied calmly that she was back at home with Grandma and Uncle Tom. I was silent again. Before long, another family came in, one with kids that were older than even Haven, who was seven. One of them pointed at me and whispered to his brother. They both snickered. I looked up at them, quite puzzled, and they froze. Evidently, it hadn't been my eyes they were laughing at. They promptly turned to a man who I assumed was their father and told him to look at "the boy with the tattoos and wierd eyes". Their father told them not to stare, though he gave me a dirty look. As if it were my fault.

I found out later that, when Haven, Rhovaniah and I had gone in to meet Zoe, this man confronted my Aunt and asked why in the world such a young child had those tattoos on his back. She shook her head and told him I was born like that. A birth mark.... Or perhaps a defect. Neither could understand why they were wound in black, constrasting ivory skin, or why they were in the shape of two perfect angel's wings. The subject of my eyes never rose.

Ironically, this was also when I found out that my mother had been diagnosed with uterian cancer, which was why they had performed an emergency cesarian to save both my sister and my mother. Both escaped unscathed, though my mother had to have her uterus removed and could therefore no longer produce children. She told us that it didn't matter — she was happy with the five of us and we were all she needed. Haven told us she was lying to make us feel better. Mom had once told him that she had planned on seven, just like her mother. It was some kind of family tradition for the second daughter or something like that. Which meant that next, it would be Zoe's turn.

Now, Haven was twenty-one and attending univeristy to become a lawyer. Rhovaniah, had just started a band with some of his friends and were getting gigs left, right, and center. Mystique, at sixteen, had ended up pregnant at a party hosted by her boyfriend — who left her when he found out — and had been expecting a girl the last I heard. The baby would be almost a year old now. Zoe was the baby of the family at fourteen, and had been getting most of the attention when I left. She was planning on becoming an actress or a model, even though her brains could have easily made her elligible for several PhDs and stuff. I told her to become a brain surgeon, but she squealed and told me that I was gross. Hey, why not, though? I wanted to be a behavioural analyst for the FBI, but my grades weren't good enough to get into the programs I needed. Instead, I was going to sing with Rhovaniah in his band and play the violin. The latter was more of a joke to me since I had always wanted to play, but had never touched one; but I was sure Rhovaniah was serious.

"I guess though, we were born with traits that aren't typically human. We really are mutants.... I think Seven is just a nice way of saying it, and calling us by our numbers is a way of identifying our cases. I suppose that any other case who had coloured eyes, sensitivity to sunlight, skin markings, and the ability to heal would also be a TWO. I should ask a scientist if it works that way." I stopped for a moment and gave a half-smile. "I get along with them, as much as I hate them. As long as you're polite and well-mannered, they don't act outside of what's necessary to figure us out. They're not so bad outside of the testing rooms...."

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:s e b a s t i a n:

Short session. No results. Being difficult again. What could one expect though? I was no therapist, and I didn't particularily care to understand other peoples' emotions. I liked to keep Eaevian happy, but not at her price. Definitely not at my own expense.

I crept down the halls, headed for the pool where I could relax and take my mind off things. Then, after thoroughly exhausting myself, I'd sit in the sauna for an hour, though it wasn't safe to be in there for more than fifteen minutes. I needed it though. I hated the cold, and winter was pressing in on us hard now. I just wanted to stay warm. No... that wasn't really the reason, true as it may be. The night before, while writing my report, I had eaten a whole chocolate cheesecake to keep myself awake. When that didn't work, I filled myself with coffee and ended up having a two hour nap with my face on the Enter key. Erasing that was the most fun I had ever had.... Not. It was only when I had gotten through half of it that one of my assisstants came in and told me that I should press Ctrl+Z, and it would undo the spaces. Well, she was half-right, because it eventually undid the spaces.... After reviving the ones I had already erased. I'm a scientist, not a computer nerd.

With my clipboard held close, I raced back to my office to drop it off. Next, upstairs to the staff apartments where I grabbed my swim trunks and a towel, and headed back out the door. After a quick cuddle with my cat, Maria. My primary objective was to make it all the way across the facility to the recreational building and into the pool before John Aires could get ahold of me.... He seemed to have some fascination with me, and it made me uncomfortable. Not the way Luka Sven did. He scared me. I could put up with John much longer than Luka, for some unknown reason — but just barely.

:r h i e n n a h:

I laughed again, this time a little harder. Her miniature rant was actually entertaining; but the funniest part was that I had never clicked like this with anyone but Rhovaniah before. It was ironic that two teens condemned to a pseudo-Hell on Earth should meet and get along this well, and make everything seem normal for once. It just didn't seem right that we should have been allowed to find eachother. I looked over my shoulder expecting to see someone withcold eyes watching us. But there was only Colleen, and she was grinning almost maniacly. Admittedly, I didn't like that look, so I waved and looked away.

I decided to change the subject from tests and family. "So, what are you into? I mean... your hobbies. What do you like to do?" It took me that long to word the question right, and I blushed dispite myself. "Your favourite music, animals... I don't know, movies? Let's just not talk about them. I was hoping to take my mind off all this eventually anyway."

:r h i e n n a h:

"Well, I'm a singer and a songwriter; I play a little bit of piano... self-taught. My brother and I were both very musical. We wanted to start our own band; I mean we did techincally, but I was taken away before our first gig. Though, as I've heard, they're getting alot of them. I got a letter from my family a few months ago, but it was the only one I'm being allowed." I stopped and thought for a moment. "I guess, I've never really thought about animals.... For housepets, I like cats, but we could never have one 'cuz my Dad was allergic. Anything more exotic, then I'd have to say penguins — don't ask; it's a long story that ends with me, all of about six, in the antarctic section of the zoo. Umm.... I'll have to go with you on the movies; I've always loved a good horror, especially in the theatre on the big screens. But I was practically raised off Miyazaki movies as well. You know; Spirited Away, Castle in the Sky, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Howl's Moving Castle, KiKi's Delivery Service... um... Princess Mononoke... My Neighbour Totorou.... Ponyo. I was so happy when Ponyo came out." I grinned stupidly, shaking my head as I remembered practically running to the theatre with Rhovaniah, Mystique, and Zoe in tow. I think I was the only one who really wanted to see it, but we all ended up having fun....

"Actually, if you want to cook, I think I can arrange something." I offered after I had been silent for a moment.