DO NOT READ!!! GO AWAY!!! PLEASE!!!
July 27th, 2232I glanced up from the computer screen. Brennan and Liam weren't going to be able to hold them back for much longer. I silently urged my fingers to type faster. They were going to break through any minute now. Any minute now, and then we would all be...I shook my head. Thinking like that would only slow my typing down. I needed to concentrate."Chantal! ...We can't keep this up for much longer!" Brennan's face showed the strain of trying to barricade a door against what was probably a small army. The banging suddenly became louder and more even. They probably had a battering ram now...No, no, musn't think about that right now. Must concentrate."Aha!" I had finished. I pressed "send." I sat back in my chair. Well, now we would all die at least knowing we had finished what we had set out to do. I looked over at Ryan, for what would probably be the last time. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze as the door burst open and the room was filled with screams and gunfire... February 14, 2212Valentine's Day. How appropriate for these scientists, who were hoping their life's love and work were about to finally pay off. The dream had been started nearly 200 years before, according to the textbooks. But these men and women knew that this idea had been around since the first computer. The creation of the perfect human.Of course, another thing not mentioned in the textbooks were the scientists' unconventional methods. The public and science rarely agreed on ethics. But the need for progress forced the governments to turn a blind eye.The Old Test: to see if it was possible to surgically replace the human brain with a computer. This had been accomplished almost 100 years ago. Of course, there were some...side effects. But these had been only minor setbacks. Only a few hundred had been...disposed...of. It was for science, though. For progress.Eventually, the Subjects stopped dying. But they still were unable to fuse body and computer together successfully enough for the Subjects to live normally in society.Then, the Millson Breakthrough came. A few more equations to the formula and they were successfully joined. The first human/computer combination lived to be 103 years old, proving success.But why stop at only giving them great intelligence? For centuries people had wondered if it were possible to create artistic computers. Ones that could think of new ideas, create, imagine. This, too, had become a reality.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------How lucky these scientists felt on this Valentine's Day. They were going to watch the bloom of the seed that had been planted so long ago. They were the ones who would see centuries of work finally pay off.Their Mission: Replace the brains of babies, and see what happened to these crossbreeds if they lived a full life. Going to school, growing up, getting married...none of these things had ever happened to the old Subjects. They had all been suicidal adults, talked into letting the scientists use their shell of a body.Of course, if you want baby Subjects, you need babies. What mother would willingly part with their baby? It was simple. A million dollars to each pregnant teen who was willing to donate their unwanted child to a life of experimentation. Of course, the purchase of babies was kept out of the textbooks. Three boys, three girls. Perfect.And now, finally now, it was time for the experiment.Amazingly, the highest success rate ever enjoyed in these surgeries took place on this Valentine's Day. Ordinarily, only 10% of the people lived through the surgery. Only one Subject had been lost -- one of the girls had died. Poor thing, couldn't handle the excrutiating pain of having part of the skull removed, the brain dug out, a piece of cold machinery shoved in, and having it all sewed together. Poor thing, probably would have survived if they had used some sort of painkiller. But any drugging whatsoever forced the body to reject the transplant. And that was simply not an option.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Abbelyn Jeffords stood over the cradles, admiring the fine work of her coworkers. Now that the surgery was over and the surviving five Subjects were stable, her work began. She was to monitor the Subjects closely. Make sure that they stayed healthy and well. And, of course, make sure no one found out who --or what-- they were. August 23, 2230Dr. Abbelyn Jeffords was sitting in her room, going over files for what felt like the millionth time. The day before school started was always such a pain. Too much paperwork for the Subjects. Or, as the school would see them, the orphans in her small foster home. Of course, most foster homes dont come with the latest in medical technology. And the residents are usually real humans.Dr. Jeffords sighed. Why she had agreed to the Ekilian Project she would never know. How naïve she had been, a newly graduated psychiatrist. It had probably been the money they had offered her. Days of living off of nothing but noodles and frozen waffles in an overcrowded dorm room had made her desperate for something else. Anything else.As she glanced over the pictures or her Subjects, she realized once again the disgust she felt for these
things. She had long since realized that she could never see them as

eople. They were an experiment, a science project. One that she had unfortunately volunteered to work on.But of course, the Subjects didnt need to know how she felt. In their fragile minds, they probably considered her their adopted mother. Dr. Jeffords sneered. As if she could ever be related to such an abomination.But of course, emotions and science dont mix. Progress must continue. If the Ekilian Project were successful, she would probably go down in the textbook as the kind, caring, loving matron of the Subjects. A delightful woman who loved them as her own children. But if the Project was a failure
she shuddered to think what history would write her as. So she would endure them
for now.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------But she had work to do. She should be concentrating. The school must continue to think that there was nothing particularly different about five very special students. The Subjects needed to be talked to, explained to once more how they must act at school. She sighed and continued typing. Today was going to be a very, very long day. August 23 2230I had always hated the day before school. Most people probably do the going to bed early, the knowledge that the joy of summer is over. Of course, I hated all of these things. But what I hated most was the way Dr. Jeffords insisted on giving us the same speech every single year. As she continued to prattle on, I rolled my eyes and tried to think about something else. I glanced over at Shafer, who gave me an eye roll. I gave him a sympathetic smile in return.
Seriously, would she ever stop ranting?And of course, I would like to remind you all that you all need to miss at least one day per quarter, and one extra day of your choosing to make it look less patterned. We dont want them thinking that you have perfect attendance. Its too
unnatural. I noticed how Dr. Jeffords nose wrinkled slightly as she said this, but thought nothing of it. Remember, you may not all skip on the same day. Also, please be tardy at least once a semester. She kept prattling on as though there was no tomorrow. Unfortunately, tomorrow was the very reason for this little speech. Well, at least it was our senior year. We were all seventeen, and would turn eighteen on Valentines Day. Or at least, thats when our minds would be eighteen. Our consciousness. Did we even [I]have[/I] minds?We had often talked about that late at night. Were our birthdays our actual [b]birth[/b]days, or were they the day that we were placed into our bodies? Were we our bodies, or were we our silicon minds? It seemed like none of us quite agreed.CHANTAL! PAY ATTENTION! Dr. Jeffords seemed more stressed than usual. For a woman of only 31, she was very
tense. I mumbled back, Ok, ok, sorry
This was a somewhat insincere apology. We knew the drill! We knew what we were doing! It was very irritating.At least school was starting tomorrow and we would be allowed out of the house, and more importantly, away from her.August 24 2230Bleh.I had tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. I was too excited for school to start tomorrow. I was going to see my friends again. More importantly, I would be allowed out of the house again without Dr. Jeffords breathing down my neck. Sometimes, it seemed like that wasnt a figure of speech, considering how closely she followed us everywhere. She obviously didnt trust us, and that was fine with me. I had long since had my hopes of having her as an adopted mother shattered anyway
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------After what seemed like a short eternity, our alarms finally went off. Kaildra moaned and threw her pillow at the clock. Being half asleep, she missed easily.However, I was glad to see morning come. I bounced over to her bed and shook her. Come [I]on,[/I] Kay! She responded by throwing another pillow at me. I sighed and grabbed a hairbrush from her bedside table. I knew it annoyed her when other people touched her hair. I started brushing her smooth hair, which had just been dyed a sleek black with neon blue tips. She wasnt actually

unk rock, but we all knew Dr. Jeffords hated it when she dressed like it. So, she dyed her hair ridiculous colors and wore bizarre clothes. We all loved the expression on Dr. Jeffords' face when she came home after a shopping trip.I sighed, giving up. She wasnt going to give up easy this morning. I decided to go get ready for school myself. If she wanted to miss the bus, that was her problem.I flounced down the stairs into the kitchen. Ryan and Brennan were already stuffing as much cereal into their mouths as they could. Dr. Jeffords was quietly sipping her coffee, pretending to read the paper while she watched my adopted brothers like a hawk. I leaned over to Shafer as I walked by and whispered, No wonder she flunked out of drama and had to become a scientist and ruin our lives
Shafer stifled a laugh and nearly inhaled his orange juice.Ten minutes later, Kaildra finally stormed down the stairs. Good morning, sleeping beauty, Dr. Jeffords snarled. I hope this lateness does not become a habit. Kaildra rolled her eyes and went towards the cereal. No, Kaildra. Breakfast is for people who are punctual. Im afraid that youve chosen to wait until lunchtime to eat today. Kaildra glared at Dr. Jeffords. For one, anyone who was her friend called her Kay. She hated her full name. Two, she hadnt eaten dinner last night because she had been on the phone for three hours. When she was hungry, she got grumpy.Also, I thought we agreed that we werent going to wear fishnet sleeves anymore, Kaildra. Kay stuck her tongue out and went back upstairs. We all knew Dr. Jeffords didnt like us (although she pretended like she did), but Kay was her least favorite. It was more than slightly obvious that she enjoyed picking on her. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Finally, we saw the bus coming up our street. This was it: we were FREE from Dr. Jeffords for a whole seven hours! Brennan ran upstairs to get Kay, and the rest of us grabbed our assorted bags and binders. Dr. Jeffords was standing beside the door, handing each of us our SBDs on the way out. As she handed me mine, I carefully placed it in a special pocket of my bag, being careful not to pop out the needle by mistake. I hated these things, and I wanted to use it as little as possible.On the Bus: August 24 2230We all sat down in our usual spots on the bus. Kay sat down next to me and immediately started playing with my hair. Even though we were all the same age, it seemed like some of us were the older siblings and some of us were the younger siblings. Shafer and Kay seemed to be the older ones; they were more mature, calm, and took charge when it was needed. Brennan, Ryan, and I seemed to be the younger ones. However, this order was fine with all of us, as far as I knew. Shafer and Kay werent better than we were, and they didnt think they were.Kay started putting my hair up in a ponytail. You know, hon, you would look cute with your hair up. Makes your eyes stand out more. Leave it down, Kay. My hair looks better down, I whined. Kay shrugged and left my hair alone.Ryan and Brennan were sitting in front of us, tossing their SBDs back and forth to each other. Shafer, who was sitting behind us by himself, scolded them. Guys, stop it. Youre going to get poked by those! Brennan laughed and playfully threw his at Shafer. Come on, Shafer, lighten up! Shafer put up his hand to catch it, but accidentally tapped the button on the side of the square. The needle came out of the front, hitting the middle of Shafers palm. Instantly, the sponge that covered the back of the needle started to expand with blood. BRENNAN! Kay had a look of shock on her face. Look what you did to his hand! She started rummaging around her black bag for a band-aid. She handed it to Shafer, who pulled out the needle. It looked like it had gone as far in as the square on the end would let it. Wincing, he handed it to Brennan. Ryan sighed. Look, she makes us have those. Its not our fault she wont let us use normal jump drives like everyone else! Yeah, but no one made you throw it around! Shafer sat back in his seat and looked out the window. I sighed.Finally, the bus pulled up to Ridgeview High. I smiled. We could throw those SBDs in our lockers the minute we got inside. We would be away from Dr. Jeffords the minute we got inside. We could see our friends again the minute we got inside. My smile turned into a grin, and I stepped through the doors. At last, school was starting.March 15, 2212It had been a month and a day since the Subjects had been created. Placed. Born?Terms didn't matter. The Ekilian Project had been officially a "go" for one month and one day. The fact that all five of them had survived for over a month was cause for celebration.However, there wasn't time. The scientists were busy. They would have to wait to celebrate after the Project was completely over. At which point, they would all have the National Science Award, if the Project succeeded. If they failed...well, they had simply agreed not to fail.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Dr. Abbelyn Jeffords was waiting impatiently for Dr. Raillit. He was going to be her assistant in caring for the growing Subjects. However, the Subjects were not going to be told about him. It would contaminate the experiment.Exactly three minutes late, Dr. Raillit walked into the room. He saw Abbelyn looking out the window. He smiled to himself. He knew he had picked the right college student. If only he weren't 9 years older than she...well, age didn't matter.He walked across the room over to the window. "I've never seen anything more beautiful, he smiled. "Oh, I didn't hear you come in! Yes, the view is lovely." "Why, yes...it's very pretty this time of the morning," he stuttered. Inwardly, Dr. Raillit frowned. Either she couldn't get the message, or she was trying very hard to play hard-to-get. Oh well. There was work to do."So, what exactly is it that you're going to show me?" Dr. Jeffords was confused. Dr. Raillit (he insisted that she call him "Daniel") had been bragging about his new creation for days. Exactly what is was, though, he hadn't told anyone."I wanted you to be the first to see it, Abbelyn. Besides, a little patience never hurt anyone. Sometimes we have to wait for things we want." Abbelyn smiled, but was slightly disturbed. Why did he insist on calling her "Abbelyn?" She preferred the formality of "Dr. Jeffords." Also, it seemed like everything he said had some hidden double entendre. No, no, that was silly. He was 9 years her senior, happily married. Besides, science had long since proven that true attraction was impossible unless the feelings were reciprocated. Which, in this case, they were certainly not.Dr. Raillit reached into the filthy black messenger bag that he always carried with him. He pulled out a small container about the size of a matchbox. "This," he said softly, "is the SBD prototype. My engineers estimate all five will be completed within the next six months if we remain on schedule." "SBD?" Dr. Jeffords was unfamiliar with the abbreviation. "SBD stands for StaB Drive. I would have preferred to simply use "SD," but evidently that was copyrighted by a memory card manufacturer back in the 21st century. I realize that the copyright has probably expired by now, but I want my creation to have a new, unused name. Completely free of the tarnish of others." "Stab drive? Why does that sound like either an aerial maneuver or something very dangerous?"Dr. Raillit smiled. "No, no. While it does technically "stab," I can assure you that they are both painless and sanitary. Here, allow me to show you..." He opened the box and pulled out a square-shaped piece of plastic. There was a button on the left side, but other than that was completely plain. He pressed the button and an incredibly sharp needle popped out one end. The lower half of the needle had a thin sponge wrapped around it. "As you know, when the Subjects had their surgery, we placed a wire down their left arms that went into the tip of their index finger. That was placed there for no purpose other than to use my creation." He seemed disgustingly proud of himself for this. "The needle at the end here is placed in the end of their finger and connects with that wire. The end of the square here..." he pulled off the opposite end of the square. "...Is a USB connector. What the SBD will allow us to do is access their memory files through any basic computer. It will also allow us to track them much more easily if we require them to carry these. Also, we can upload information into their minds faster and surgery-free."Abbelyn smiled thinly. She didn't want to insult Dr. Raillit, nor did she want to destroy what were probably years of work. However, she couldn't believe that he expected her to use these horrible things! She had been playing with the babies just yesterday. They were all absolutely adorable, and she almost felt like she was their mother. Sometimes, she could barely believe they were anything but human. And he expected her to force them to hurt themselves? For progress? No amount of progress was worth hurting those cute, innocent, sweet little babies! As their adopted mother, it was her duty to protect them.Dr. Raillit smiled broadly. He could tell that Abbelyn was impressed by his ingenious invention. As her pale blue eyes examined the small piece of machinery, he wondered what it would be like if she were to be his. Her perfect blonde hair framed a beautiful, youthful face. What a contrast to his graying, wrinkled wife Susanna. Dr. Jeffords handed the SBD back. "Dr. Raillit, I--" "Please, Abbelyn, call me Daniel. There's no need for such formality among friends!" He smiled broadly. A bit too broadly.Abbelyn gave him a weak smile, irritated that he had interrupted her. What she was saying wasn't easy to do. There's nothing scientists hate more than having their work criticized. "Daniel, I'm not entirely sure that this is a good idea...hurting the Subjects? I realize this is more convenient than previous methods, but as the Subject's caretaker, I'm going to have to politely decline your offer. It's nothing personal, I promise." Abbelyn winced inwardly. How was he going to respond to this?Dr. Raillit gave her a forced smile. "I'm sorry, but the board has already approved this for use. They've already passed it, and they put the manufacture into operation yesterday. I'm so sorry if this upsets you." Dr. Raillit frowned to himself. He had spent a long time on these. But no matter. She would get used to them, just as she was going to get used to him.
August 24, 2230: At SchoolRidgeview High School. Our favorite place in the world.As we stepped through the doors, we all felt an amazing sense of joy. This was the one place Dr. Jeffords couldnt follow us around, recording our every move.My best friend Katie was sitting against the wall, waiting for me. I ran over and hugged her. I hadnt seen her since school had gotten out last spring! Katie! Howve you been? I hugged her again. I hadnt realized how much I had missed her. Ive been great, Chantal. You? We walked to the office as we caught up on everything that had happened to us over the summer.While we were waiting in line to get our schedules, Katie pulled out her phone and started looking through her pictures. What are you looking for, Katie? I was confused. She wasnt the type of person to suddenly start playing with her phone while she was talking to someone. She giggled and gave me her
I know something you dont! look. Come on, Katie, show me! She relented and handed me the phone. The picture on the screen didnt seem to make any sense. It was a picture of the most beautiful wedding ring I had ever seen. Katie? Did Josh propose to you? No, I wish
this is a picture of the ring Shafer is thinking about buying for Kay! Katie smiled triumphantly. Why did he tell you, but not me? I was a little hurt that Shafer hadnt said anything. Well, he wanted to, but he said he couldnt find a time to tell you when Kay wouldnt overhear. Besides, its not a sure thing just yet. He wants to wait a bit, but hes considering proposing.I couldnt believe it! Shafer and Kay might finally get married! I started mentally planning Kays wedding. We were going to buy her the poofiest dress we could find, and her hair
I giggled.Since we were so close to each other, Kay and I had had a crush on and dated all three of the guys, and vice versa. Nothing had really lasted because it was too much of a brother/sister relationship for anything to really take off. The only exception had been Shafer and Kay. They had been dating seriously for the last 18 months. They had just always seemed to click.Oh, and Shafer said if you tell her, he will hunt you down. I know! I wasnt planning on telling her! I hoped that he would decide to propose, and that he would do it soon!After I said goodbye to Katie and was walking towards my first class, I suddenly thought of something. What if Dr. Jeffords wouldnt allow them to get married? Would she? I dont know why she wouldnt, but then again, I dont know why she
would. I frowned to myself. I needed to ask Shafer if he had cleared it with her
August 24, 2230At last, at last.At last, the Subjects were gone. And they would be gone for 8 hours every weekday. 40 hours a week. 40 hours that the only half-human atrocities would be away from her.Dr. Abbelyn Jeffords smiled to herself as she drank yet another cup of coffee. The air in here almost seemed cleaner now that it was only being used by a
true human, and not some cheap imitation of what nature intended.She opened up the months new issue of
Scientific Progress magazine. Just as she did each month, she mentally winced at the horrible name. But no matter. It was a good read.She immediately flipped to the inside of the back page to see who had been nominated this month for the National Science Award. There was one nominee a month, with the winner being announced on New Years Day. She didnt recognize the name or the face, so she didnt even bother reading the article. All she knew is that one day, she too would be nominated for her work with the Subjects. And, one day, she would win the award.That was about the only thing keeping her going now. How they disgusted her. Really, they werent any more human than her laptop. And she was counting down the days until the Ekilian Project would be declared a success, and they could
end
it all.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A few hours later, Dr. Raillit arrived for their weekly meeting. Dr. Jeffords watched him pull up through the window. Nothing had changed since the Subjects had been babies. He was still the creepy old man he had been then. The only difference was that she knew of his disgusting attraction to her. Why had they decided to assign him to her? Out of all the potential candidates, why
him? She watched as he sprayed on some cheap cologne and then headed toward the door. She hurriedly ran over to the couch, sat down, and opened
Scientific Progress so that he wouldnt realize that she knew how he felt about her. As much as she hated this, she knew it was for the good of the Ekilian Project, and for the good of progress. She would endure a little longer.Dr. Raillit knocked twice on the door, and then opened it before waiting for an answer. Abbelyn! So nice to see you on this fine morning. He smiled widely and sat down next to her. You know, he said calmly, Its much easier to read when the magazine is right-side up. Whoops, silly me
She blushed and quickly set the magazine down on the table.
Shes trying to pretend disinterested, acting like she isnt completely in love with me
how sweet, Dr. Raillit thought.Anyway, how have the Subjects been doing? Anything in particular you want to report? Nothing out of the ordinary, just starting school again. Dr. Jeffords smiled weakly. Its their senior year, correct? She nodded. Good, good, were on the home stretch, then. And youre sure
nothing happened of interest? Im positive, Dr. Raillit. All she wanted was for him to leave, and take the stench of that awful cologne with him.

lease, call me Daniel, Abbelyn. Dr. Raillit smiled in a way that was probably meant in a welcoming way, but had the opposite effect. Sorry, Daniel, Ill try to remember next time. Why wouldnt he leave?Well, alright then. I guess Ill be off. He walked slowly towards the door. Dr. Jeffords mentally pushed him along. Well, this is it. Im leaving now. Goodbye! Goodbye. She gave a very forced smile. Im leaving. Im walking through this door and leaving! Was he never going to leave!? Goodbye, Dr. Raillit!

lease, call me He was cut short when she slammed the door shut. She stood there for a moment, then walked to the kitchen and started making another cup of coffee. This much stress wasnt healthy, and she knew it. The Subjects were bad enough, and Dr. Raillit, or Daniel, certainly wasnt helping things.Was caffeine the only thing keeping her alive anymore?
August 25, 2230Ah, Friday.I loved Fridays. I think it was because of the freedom of them. I didnt have to go to sleep early for school or work. I could stay up and do whatever ever I wanted for as long as I wanted. It was like a holiday once a week. A reward for suffering through school and work all week.As wonderful as Friday always was, this one was special. More special than usual. All of us knew it, too. Except for one lucky person
I was completely awake as soon as my alarm went off. I had been too excited last night to sleep well, and I was glad to be getting up. I rolled over and saw Kay sleeping peacefully across the room. Oh, if only she knew
I smiled.I got dressed as quickly as I could and ran downstairs. I ate my breakfast as fast as I could. I wanted to get to school early today.We got on the bus, arrived at school, and went our separate ways. That is, until fifteen minutes into first block. Shafer, Brennan, Ryan, Katie, Liam and I had all decided this would be the best time to ask for a bathroom break from our respective classes.I grabbed the bathroom pass and headed for the auditorium. How convenient that it was empty during first block today.I had been the last one to arrive. Everyone else was already sitting on the edge of the stage, swinging their legs and waiting. Everyone except Shafer, who was pacing nervously across the empty stage.Well, were glad that youve honored us by showing up, Chantal. Liam mock bowed. Anytime, my not-so-fair subject. You may rise. I grinned.Guys, can we please just get down to business? This is important, Shafer whined. Fine, fine. I hopped up onto the edge of the stage next to Katie. Shafer jumped down onto the floor in front of us.Now, I think we all know the plan for tonight. Kay needs to think that were just going out to dinner, not too unusual for a Friday evening. Liam, its your job to be convincing. Kay doesnt know that you know about
Shafers voice trailed slightly.
what we are. Ask all of the questions that you asked us when we told you. You need to act genuinely curious. She has to believe thats the reason were going out to dinner. Liam nodded, slightly irritated that Shafer didnt think he understood. I know, I know. Youve only told me this about a million times. Only six, Shafer snapped back. The rest of you, except for Katie, need to be recording from the minute that we walk through the doors at the Anello. I dont want anything to be missed. At all. Shafer looked very stressed, which was unusual for him. It was a bit disconcerting, actually. I still dont know why you insist on the Anello. Wouldnt somewhere else be better? Ryan had gotten really tired of the place we ate there all the time. No, no, no. The Anello will be the best place. Its fancy and romantic and all of that stuff, and we get a half-price discount. We are going there. Get over it, Ryan. Brennan stood up. Hey, just because youre a stressed-out mess doesnt mean you take it out on Ryan! He was just making sure you wanted to really go there!Guys, guys, just calm down. Everyones a little worried, doesnt mean we cant act civilized. Katie sighed. Katies right, just relax, I said calmly. Ryan and Brennan had always been very protective of each other. If we were
normal
they probably would have been twins or something. Id never seen two brothers closer than they were.Thankfully, the bell rang, ending first block. I grabbed my bag from an empty first row seat and headed for the exit. See you all this evening! I called over my shoulder.The last class did not end soon enough. I had stared at the second hand for five minutes, just waiting for it to make the school day end. Finally, it ticked itself onto the 12, lining up with the minute hand. I was already halfway out the door when the bell finished ringing.I dashed for the front of the school were we always met after school. I bit my tongue hard to keep myself from grinning stupidly all the way down the hall.We all got onto the bus and went back home. The moment we stepped off the bus, I grabbed Kays hand and pulled her towards the house. I dragged her upstairs to our room and was about to start getting her dress out when she grabbed my other hand and pulled me back. Whats the hurry, Chantal? she smiled. Uh-oh. Did she know?I know youre excited about telling Liam, but hurrying wont make our dinner reservation time come any faster. I smiled. Either she sincerely thought that was the reason for my rush, or she was a talented liar. Or maybe both?Well, ok. Ill go get myself ready
you had better be ready to go when I am! I gave her an over exaggerated stern frown. She smiled and closed the door on me, locking me into our bathroom. Thats how our room was set up we had a bedroom and a large, attached bathroom that had my closet in it. That way, we could get dressed without the awkwardness.I finished curling my hair and tapped the door. You ready, Kay? Yep. Just waiting for you. I opened the door and couldnt help but stare at Kay. Shafer was going to be thrilled. We always dressed nice when we went to the Anello, but she had really gone formal this time. She was wearing a tube-shaped little black dress, and had on the diamond choker that Shafer had given her for her birthday. Our birthday. The necklace had always been interesting on her; the diamonds matched the tiny one in the side of her proud hook nose. Together, they cast an interesting light onto her dark eyes. I smiled, and started recording.
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We watched TV in our room until we heard the horn on Liams car start blaring outside. Well, Katie and Liam were here. Time to go. This was actually it! I swung the door open and almost walked into Brennan on the narrow stairs. Ryan and Shafer were right behind him. Since they would have to walk backwards to move out of the way, I sighed and stepped back into our room to let them pass. After Ryan went by our door, I slid out after him so that Kay could walk with Shafer. Might as well let him panic a little bit longer.
We got in Shafers car, waited for Katie and Liam to get in with us, and headed toward the restaurant. I silently wondered how many times Shafer had gone over his lines, rewriting and rewriting them until they were completely perfect.
So, Liam, I nervously started out. I didnt want Kay to suspect a thing. The reason we are taking you out to dinner tonight is to tell you something that very few people know. Liam tried his best to look wide-eyed and surprised. We were doomed. Really? Gosh, what could you possibly want to tell me that is such a secret? I glanced up at Kay. She didnt suspect anything, or at least, her face didnt say she did. Liam was a horrible actor.
Well, you see, Liam, were not completely human, Ryan said with transparent solemnity. Liam gasped, and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. If Kay didnt see through this, then I think the apocalypse might have started.
Wha
wha
what do you mean, not completely human? Are you guys aliens? Liam laughed, and it sounded more like a bark. Oh, I get it. Happy Belated April Fools to you guys, too. No, were being serious, Liam. Our bodies, obviously human. Our minds? Not exactly, Brennan sounded like he was reading through a script for the first time. This was going downhill fast.
What do you mean? Is this the invasion of the body snatchers or something? No, no. Nothing like that at all. You see, when we were just babies
Ryan started to tell about how the Ekilian Project had begun. Liam would occasionally gasp or smile or whatever reaction was needed at the time. Well, thats amazing! I cant believe you guys are actually computers. Liam didnt sound surprised at all. Maybe we shouldve waited to actually tell him tonight, so it would have been more authentic. So, are you guys just computer programs, or are you self-aware? Though I guess thats kind of a stupid question to ask, are you self-aware. You obviously cant answer no to that question. So youre either ingenious computer programs, or youre very adaptive self-aware computers. Liam was settling into the groove of things a little better now. Well, we are self-aware, as far as we know. I had often lain in bed for hours thinking about that. Am I actually thinking this, or is a piece of code telling me to think it? Is it even telling me at all? Maybe I actually am the code! But then I wouldnt be thinking this. Unless I am programmed to think this
I had gone in circles for hours.
As well as being self-aware, we are, as you said, an ingenious invention. But were not quite as revolutionary as you think. Your state-of-the-art laptop is actually about a century obsolete. But the government keeps the very best technology for itself, for

rogress. Computer companies have their breakthroughs whenever the government does. Whenever they get something new, they give something old to the general public. That way, theres always a buffer zone between them. I paused, waiting for Liam to ask his next pre-planned question.
So, do you guys have any super powers or anything? I let out a carefully calculated laugh. I had to sound amused, but I couldnt overdo it. Nope, no super powers, Ryan said. However, we can do things like take pictures with our eyes, stuff like that. Kinda lame. Ryan shrugged. How do you do the eye thing? Liam asked. Well, if you think about it, you dont truly see with your eyes. Your brain is what sees. Your eyes send signals to the brain that it interprets into what you see. So, our eyes send the signals to our minds, and we simply save them. We remember things perfectly. We all have photographic memories. When was the last time your laptop simply forgot something? Exactly, never. We work the same way, Ryan explained. Liam nodded slowly, as though this was too much to take in at one time. It had been when he learned this, but that had been a few months ago. Katie had known since we were freshmen.
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We pulled into the Anellos parking lot. We walked inside, and to Kays surprise, the restaurant manager was standing in the foyer to greet us. He was a very warm, outgoing man in his early 50s. We all loved him; he was like an uncle we had never had. Kay gave him a hug and the rest of us followed suit. Shafer was funny to watch, I had never seen him this stiff before. Aronne, how nice to see you, I said as though I were surprised. Hi name had originally been Aaron, but he had changed it to make it more Italian. He had gotten really wrapped up in his restaurant, it was his life.
Aronne smiled warmly at us. Your table is right this way,
amici. We smiled back at him and followed. I whispered to Brennan, I see hes started using random Italian words again. Brennan smiled and shrugged. We all loved Aronne, but he was definitely an interesting person.
He led us to our table and we sat down. He had been very generous to Shafer with the table placement. It was next to the giant fountain in the center of the restaurant. The Anello was four stories high, but most of it was just the giant ceiling. There were only two places to eat: the ground floor, and a balcony-like rim that wound around the dome-shaped ceiling. It was cheaper up there because the grand effect of the place was lost when you werent covered by the huge, painted ceiling. The giant, two-story fountain lost its massive effect when you looked down on it. So, of course, that was where we usually ate.
But tonight, Aronne had given us a table right next to the fountain, and since we were in the middle, the beautiful ceiling looked more amazing than usual. I could lean over and see the beautiful fish swimming in the base of the fountain. I slowly looked around so that we could use this footage for the video Shafer was going to make of tonight. My video assignment had been to get all of the scenic shots. Ryans had been to catch all of the funny stuff. He nudged me and motioned for me to look at one of the strolling violinists. Shafer was giving him the evil eye, telling his friend/coworker to not give anything away to Kay. The violinist walked right by our table anyway, interrupting his melody to softly play a quick bar to the tune of Kay and Shafer, sittin in a tree, K-I-S-S-I
then walked off, chuckling to himself. That was gold, look at Shafers face! Ryan whispered. Yeah, but I wish Kay had noticed, it wouldve been funnier.
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Finally, our food arrived. We were just about to order dessert when Shafer stood up. All of the violinists began playing the same song. Liam, Katie, Brennan, Ryan and I all started smiling, Shafer started shaking, and Kays eyes got really big. I held back a laugh; she had obviously just figured out what was going on. Shafer slowly got down on one knee (how romantic) and said, Kaildra Monraines, will you marry me? Hmm, I thought to myself. I had expected something a little more eloquent. Oh well. It was concise, and it made Kay cry. It had been perfect.
Of course I will, Shafer Locke! Why are they using full names? Sounds like a cheap romance novel. Oh well.
Shafer slid the ring onto her finger and the whole restaurant burst into applause. Aronne was yelling, Bravo! Bravo! Katies face was covered in teary mascara it literally looked like war paint. I cheered and clapped with the rest of them. I couldnt believe it had finally happened! It had gone a lot faster than I had thought it would.
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When we got home, Shafer carried Kay through the doorway and we all started clapping again. Dr. Jeffords was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking the cup of coffee she never seemed to be without. She gave us a sour look, grabbed the newspaper, and stalked off to her room. Thanks for the congratulations, Katie muttered. We went upstairs to the boys room and Kay started crying again when they saw it was filled with balloons and flowers. And I mean
filled. Every table, desk, or nightstand was overflowing with flowers. It smelled amazing. Liam came upstairs, carrying a cake with CONGRATS SHAY AND KAY written on it. Shafer hated being called that, but it was catchy when coupled with Kays name.
We celebrated all night long.
September 1, 2230Ah, Friday.
I loved Fridays. I think it was because of the freedom of them. I didnt have to go to sleep early for school or work. I could stay up and do whatever ever I wanted for as long as I wanted. It was like a holiday once a week. A reward for suffering through school and work all week.
As wonderful as Friday always was, this one was special. More special than usual. All of us knew it, too. Except for one lucky person
The moment my alarm went off, I was out of bed. I wanted to get to school early today. We got on the bus, and then went to our classes. Shafer, Brennan, Ryan, Katie, Liam and I had all agreed to meet in the empty auditorium 15 minutes into class. That would leave us plenty of time to sort things out. I asked my teacher if I could go to the bathroom. Teachers always fall for that. I grabbed the bathroom pass and headed for the auditorium.
I had been the last one to arrive. Everyone else was already sitting on the edge of the stage, swinging their legs and waiting. Everyone except Shafer, who was pacing nervously across the empty stage.
Hey, Chantal. Late again? Liam grinned. Im not late. And what do you mean, again? Im never late. I was a bit insulted. My punctuality was something I was proud of. Sure, I was late occasionally (everyone is), but he was acting like it was a common thing.
Guys, can we please just get down to business? This is important, Shafer whined. Fine, fine. I hopped up onto the edge of the stage next to Katie. Shafer jumped down onto the floor in front of us.
Now, I think we all know the plan for tonight. Kay needs to think that were just going out to dinner, not too unusual for a Friday evening. Liam, its your job to be convincing. Kay doesnt know that you know about
Shafers voice trailed slightly. what we are. Ask all of the questions that you asked us when we told you. You need to act genuinely curious. She has to believe thats the reason were going out to dinner. Liam gave Shafer a confused look. Again? Did you forget to record or something? Liam was acting very strangely. Shafer looked confused. What are you talking about, Liam? Anyway, he just reminded me. Dont forget to record, guys. Yeah, because evidently you forgot last time. I think we should just bring a video camera, its more reliable. Katie rolled her eyes. They were both acting funny. Was there a gas leak in here?
What do you mean, more reliable? Camera quality is never as good as the quality of what you see with your own two eyes. Besides, it would give it away to Kay. So no camera, Katie. The rest of you, except for Katie, need to be recording from the minute that we walk through the doors at the Anello. I dont want anything to be missed. At all. Shafer looked very stressed, which was unusual for him. It was a bit disconcerting, actually. I still dont know why you insist on the Anello. Wouldnt somewhere else be better? Ryan had gotten really tired of the place we ate there all the time. No, no, no. The Anello will be the best place. Its fancy and romantic and all of that stuff, and we get a half-price discount. We are going there. Get over it, Ryan. Brennan stood up. Hey, just because youre a stressed-out mess doesnt mean you take it out on Ryan! He was just making sure you wanted to really go there!
Guys! Relax! Why do you keep fighting about this? The Anello is a great restaurant. Its the best in town. Shafer gets half-price because he works there as one of the violinists. Its perfect. Its where were eating. Get over it. This was a change from Katies usual
lets talk it over and be friends and not fight demeanor. The gas leak theory seemed more and more likely every second.
Katies right, just relax, I said calmly. Ryan and Brennan had always been very protective of each other. If we were
normal
they probably would have been twins or something. Id never seen two brothers closer than they were.
Thankfully, the bell rang, ending first block. I grabbed my bag from an empty first row seat and headed for the exit. See you all this evening! I called over my shoulder.
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I was thrilled when last block finally ended. I dashed for the front of the school where we always met after school. After the bus dropped us off at home, I grabbed Kays hand and pulled her towards the house. I dragged her upstairs to our room and was about to start getting her dress out when she grabbed my other hand and pulled me back. Whats the hurry, Chantal? She smiled. Uh-oh. Did she know? I know youre excited about telling Liam, but hurrying wont make our dinner reservation time come any faster. I smiled. Either she sincerely thought that was the reason for my rush, or she was a talented liar. Or maybe both?
Well, ok. Ill go get myself ready
you had better be ready to go when I am! I gave her an over exaggerated stern frown. She smiled and closed the door on me, locking me into our bathroom. Thats how our room was set up we had a bedroom and a large, attached bathroom that had my closet in it. That way, we could get dressed without the awkwardness.
I finished curling my hair and tapped the door. You ready, Kay? Yep. Just waiting for you. I opened the door. Kay looked gorgeous. She was wearing a silky, flowing red dress. It was a halter top, and it went all the way to the floor. She was wearing a necklace made from smooth black stones cut in square shapes. They matched her beautiful dark eyes. I smiled, and started recording.
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We watched TV in our room until we heard the horn on Liams car start blaring outside. Well, Katie and Liam were here. Time to go. This was actually it! I swung the door open and almost walked into Brennan on the narrow stairs. Ryan and Shafer were right behind him. Since they would have to walk backwards to move out of the way, I sighed and stepped back into our room to let them pass. After Ryan went by our door, I slid out after him so that Kay could walk with Shafer. Might as well let him panic a little bit longer.
We got in Shafers car, waited for Katie and Liam to get in with us, and headed toward the restaurant. I silently wondered how many times Shafer had gone over his lines, rewriting and rewriting them until they were completely perfect.
So, Liam, I nervously started out. I didnt want Kay to suspect a thing. The reason we are taking you out to dinner tonight is to tell you something that very few people know. Liam gave me a funny look, but played along as though he wasnt sure what was going on. Had he forgotten our plan? Whoa. Are you guys in the Witness Protection Program or something? Liam was overstressing the wrong words. It sounded like he was in a poetry class and being taught what syllables were stressed. Well, you see, Liam, were not completely human, Ryan said with transparent solemnity. Youre not completely human? Are you clones or something? Liam was still doing the poetry thing. No, you see, our bodies are normal, not-cloned ones. Its our minds that are different
Ryan started to tell about how the Ekilian Project had begun. When he finished, Liam asked his next question. So, do you guys have any super powers or anything? At least now he was sticking to our script. The improvisation from a few minutes ago had worried me. We didnt want Kay to know.
I let out a carefully calculated laugh. I had to sound amused, but I couldnt overdo it. Nope, no super powers, Ryan said. However, we can do things like take pictures with our eyes, stuff like that. Kinda lame. Ryan shrugged. How do you do the eye thing? Liam asked. Well, if you think about it, you dont truly see with your eyes. Your brain is what sees. Your eyes send signals to the brain that it interprets into what you see. So, our eyes send the signals to our minds, and we simply save them. We remember things perfectly. We all have photographic memories. When was the last time your laptop simply forgot something? Exactly, never. We work the same way, Ryan explained. Liam nodded slowly, as though this was too much to take in at one time. It had been when he learned this, but that had been a few months ago. But of course, Kay didnt need to know that just yet.
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We pulled into the Anellos parking lot. We walked inside, and to Kays surprise, the restaurant manager was standing in the foyer to greet us. He was a very warm, outgoing man in his early 50s. We all loved him; he was like an uncle we had never had. Kay gave him a hug and the rest of us followed suit. Shafer was funny to watch, I had never seen him this stiff before. Aronne, how nice to see you, I said as though I were surprised. Hi name had originally been Aaron, but he had changed it to make it more Italian. He had gotten really wrapped up in his restaurant, it was his life.
Aronne smiled at us, but it seemed a little forced. Your table is right this way, my friends. He led us to our table and we sat down. He had been very generous to Shafer with the table placement. We were at the best table, right next to the fountain. If I leaned over, I could see the beautiful fish swimming in the base of the fountain. The ceiling looked very impressive from our angle. It was nice to not have to sit up on the balcony area like we usually did. One of the strolling violinists smiled at Shafer.
Finally, our food arrived. We were just about to order dessert when Shafer stood up. All of the violinists began playing the same song. Liam, Katie, Brennan, Ryan and I all started smiling, Shafer started shaking, and Kays eyes got really big. I held back a laugh; she had obviously just figured out what was going on. Shafer slowly got down on one knee (how romantic) and said, Kaildra Monraines, will you marry me? Hmm, I thought to myself. I had expected something a little more eloquent. Oh well. It was concise, and it made Kay cry. It had been perfect.
Of course I will, Shafer Locke! Why are they using full names? Sounds like a cheap romance novel. Oh well.
Shafer slid the ring onto her finger and the whole restaurant burst into applause. Aronne clapped slowly, as though he wasnt quite sure what was going on.
When we got home, Shafer carried Kay through the doorway and we all started clapping again. Dr. Jeffords was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking the cup of coffee she never seemed to be without. Her face had a slight smile on it, but then she grabbed the newspaper, and stalked off to her room. We went upstairs to the boys room and Kay started crying again when they saw it was filled with balloons and flowers. And I mean filled. Every table, desk, or nightstand was overflowing with flowers. It smelled amazing. Liam had ordered a cake, and he was coming up with it now. It said CONGRATS on it. Very simply, but it got the message across.
We celebrated all night long.
September 8, 2230Ah, Friday.
I loved Fridays. I think it was because of the freedom of them. I didnt have to go to sleep early for school or work. I could stay up and do whatever ever I wanted for as long as I wanted. It was like a holiday once a week. A reward for suffering through school and work all week.
As wonderful as Friday always was, this one was special. More special than usual. All of us knew it, too. Except for one lucky person
Strange. I had thought that I would be up all night from excitement. I had fallen asleep the minute I had gotten into bed. I had been so exhausted
I wonder why? Its not like I havent been sleeping well or getting up earlier than usual. Oh well. At least now I would be well rested for today and what today meant.
My alarm went off. I rolled over and slept for a few more minutes. Then a commercial came on and the irritating music woke me up again. Bleh. I hadnt been this tired for a long time. I was usually the

unctual one who was out of bed right on time. I crawled out of bed, grabbed breakfast, got ready, and ended up running for the bus because I had taken too long getting up. Today was not starting out well.
Things did not improve at school. Shafer, Brennan, Ryan, Katie, Liam and I had all agreed to meet in the empty auditorium to discuss plans for tonight. I asked my teacher if I could go to the bathroom, and he suddenly got really angry. Chantal, Ive let you
go to the bathroom, he made little quotation marks with his hands, twice now. And both times, you did not come back. Why on earth should I let you leave? Youre probably just going to run off again. Youre staying here, missy.
Well, this was strange. I hadnt left his class to go to the bathroom since, well, never. Maybe he had confused me with someone else. But no sense in pointing that out. This teacher could never accept being corrected. Kay had taken his class last year, and she pointed out that he had listed the capital of Arizona as Little Rock instead of Phoenix. He gave her an F on every assignment until Kay went to the counselor and switched out. So I needed a better plan. Which was fairly easy to think of.
I went over to one of the computers and pulled out my SBD. I bit my tongue so that I wouldnt make any noise as I stabbed the needle through the tip of my finger into an artificial nerve. Id used to think that I would eventually get used to it. I had been wrong.
Ignoring the small sponge on the end of the needle swelled up with blood, I plugged the other end into the computer. I opened up a program that Ryan had made for us. It was a note forger, and it did wonders. The monitor instantly displayed the text that I told it to. Computers are so easy to use when you are one. You speak their language. No typing necessary.
I pulled Dr. Raillits signature from a collection that we all kept, and stuck it at the bottom. Perfect. The computer started printing it out. This was good; I probably wouldnt be more than five minutes late to our meeting.
I slowly slid the SBD out of my finger, wincing as it began to sting. I reached into my bag and pulled out one of the tiny band-aids we all carried. They were custom made. Just big enough to cover a needle-sized injury.
Sir? I need to go to a doctors appointment. May I leave? I put on my best angel face. Very funny, Chantal. First you ask to go to the bathroom so you can sneak off again, and now you expect me to believe that you suddenly have to go see a doctor? Yes, I do expect you to believe it. Heres my note. I handed it to him and bit back a smile. Well, ok then. But if you can, hurry back! He seemed a little miffed that he had to let me leave. I smiled widely and headed for the auditorium.
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I dashed through the doors and was surprised to see Katie missing. I was ten minutes late, and she didnt even have a class this block. Wheres Katie? Well, I asked her to come and she just laughed and said she didnt want to play anymore. What does that even mean? She thinks that Im kidding about this? Seriously, Ill only ever propose to Kay once in my whole life. She doesnt think thats a big deal? Poor Shafer. He was ordinarily a very level, stable person. But I could understand his worry. Just then, Liam strolled in. Hey, guys. So, whyre we here again? I sighed. Liam, would it kill you to hurry? Youre the biggest part of this plan. Were pretending that you just found out, and thats the reason were going to dinner. Kay cant be suspicious! I couldnt believe he was acting like this! Didnt they care at
all?Liam chuckled. Come on, guys. We dont need to do this every time. I know the drill by now. By the way, how many times are you planning on doing this? Since Shafer looked like he was probably going to kill Liam, I stepped in before he could open his mouth. Liam, this is very important to Shafer. To all of us! I know that the whole caring thing isnt really your cup of tea, but would it kill you to at least try? This is a once in a lifetime thing. Liam rolled his eyes. Right, right. Once in a lifetime. Funny. Hey, I probably should be getting back to class. My teacher isnt happy that Im vanishing for the third time. Liam turned around and left.
Uh-oh. This day had started rough, and now things were going downhill. Fast.
I ran over to Shafer. Look, we dont need him tonight. We can think of something else. Maybe we could say that you got a promotion or something?

romotion? Im a violinist at a restaurant. How exactly do you promote that? Hey, youre more of a violinist now! Good work! Yeah right. I sighed. He had a point. Brennan grinned. I could break Ryans arm and we could say that were going out to dinner to make him feel better
he started walking towards Ryan. Youre hilarious, Brennan. Really. Ryan swatted him away. Then again, we wouldnt have to actually break my arm to look like its broken. After all, we do know a lot of doctors. We could just borrow a sling or something. Ryan smiled, and Shafers face lit up. Alright, thats our plan then. Lets go pay a visit to Dr. Raillit.
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We pulled up in front of Dr. Raillits house. He wouldnt have full medical supplies unless he was at the office, but he would definitely have at least a sling. We knocked on the door. His front window curtains slid open and we saw him peek out. He held up his hand to signal that we needed to wait a minute. We sat on the edge of his porch to wait. We heard a lot of banging and slamming going on inside the house. Then the door creaked open and he came out to greet us. He firmly shut the door behind him. Well, I guess we werent going inside.
How can I help you? He