"Aminu! What do you think?" a colleague asks while setting a welcome sign for the new children.

"It looks beautiful, o!"

The girl smiles back. Usually, the dormitory of the Institute doesn't have so much excitement. But with the arrival of the new students, the ones from abroad during this month and the others in August, there are many last-minute details to take care of.

He wishes them to have a better experience than he did. It wasn't like anyone gave him a hard time. Simply, people weren't as comprehensive and available as he thought they would.

Ahktar handed me my schedule for the next months... no summer! Padma texts him and he can't help it but smile.

The thought of seeing her more often always made him happy. If something unpleasant happened before, it would be easily forgotten. If something after tries to unsettle him, it doesn't. Everyone around him keeps shouting, some asking for help, others fooling around. It becomes too much for him. He has trouble focusing on only one thing and becomes overwhelmed. As always, he carries his expensive headphones and plays one of his favorite songs, Eyo by Aṣa.

***

Padma reads Aminu's reply while walking. Her phone is in one hand, a coffee in the other, and several papers under her arm.

Joshua Roberts, a man, and a woman face her. When they pass her by, one of them elbows her, making her drop everything and spill the coffee all over the floor.

"Freak," Joshua says between laughs.

I don't understand you, Joshua Roberts. How can you hate deviants when your own sister is the world's most powerful one. Is that why? Are you jealous that your parents see her as their greatest source of pride instead of you? You act like you are better than us, but that superiority is a lie. You're hiding your inadequacy, your pain, and I pity you. Padma grabs some tissues and cleans the floor.

They keep walking unbothered and stop by the children's playground. A glass window separates them from the room.

Seven children play in there, and three others sit next to an older woman, who finishes reading them a book. The children beg her for another story, but she breaks their heart by saying goodbye. She kisses one by one and promises to return in the next day. They know she'll come; she always does. Her blue eyes are the kindest they've ever seen.

"More are coming tomorrow," the man comments.

"Why are they so well treated?" Joshua shakes his head.

"It's the Council's decision."

"I've never seen lab rats having a playground," the woman laughs.

"They probably think of themselves as actual children." Joshua makes a weapon out of his fingers, points at the children.

"A moment, please," Saif Ahktar enters the room they are in. He straightens his lab coat.

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They all correct their position, pretending to be admiring the children instead. They follow him into an empty room. As soon as they enter, the door opens again. The woman from before and a younger one enter the room.

"Why are we here?" Joshua's arrogance masks his elevated heartbeat.

Saif shows them a video of them mistreating the children. Insulting and even beating them. He fast-forwards it, and fifteen minutes turn into one.

"This seems to be you."

"Sir, there's an explanation for this-" the woman says.

"Have you forgotten the rules?"

"It won't happen again, sir." The man puts his hands together, begging for his understanding.

"Are you on drugs?"

"No, sir," they reply in unison.

"Aymee?"

The younger woman nods and smiles back at them.

Saif shakes his head. How could you be so reckless? He raises his hands, two tiny spears form in the palms and he shoots against them, leaving only Joshua in one piece.

"They would've stopped hurting the specimens. Why did you kill them?!" Joshua's lower lip trembles, and his breath turns shallows. He avoids looking at the dead bodies lying next to him.

"What's rotten can't be fixed," the older woman says in a Norwegian accent. The kindness in her eyes is gone.

"Joshua! Next time you won't be so lucky. Get your act together!" Saif shouts, being fully aware that Thomas would protect his son and there's nothing Saif can do about it.

They leave the room at once and Joshua stays there in tears.

Dinner at eight in my suite. They read the text message and leave together in a car, making no small talk on the way. The car stops in front of a five-star hotel. They keep a low profile and head directly to the elevator. They stand in front of the master suite, without knocking the door opens.

Thomas Roberts, Padma, Madeleine Clark, and several other people are already there. One hour later, the former vice-president, now president, also shows up.

"Everyone, take your seats," Edward Hall says.

He looks at his watch again. Realizing how late it is already. Most people couldn't afford that watch even if they saved an entire year of salary.

Other than the older woman from before and Padma, everyone in that room share the same lifestyle. They never experienced poverty. At least first-hand. If you ask them, they know the struggles of the poor, because they volunteer now and then and donate a fair share of their profits. The suits of the men are tailored. Some bought abroad. Even the now president of the United States of America was born into wealth. Heavily criticized for that during the campaign.

On a big round table, Edward takes the middle seat, and the older people form an inner circle. A smaller second circle has the younger people, whose purpose there is to advise.

"We welcome the new president of the United States of America here today! A longtime friend of our work, finally she's in the position to take us to the next step. Mrs. President, here on my right, we have Saif Ahktar. He runs the department of development and is the head of the lab at the Institute."

Padma sits behind him.

"Next... we have Thomas Roberts! Emily Robert's father. He's our head of the weaponry department."

Thomas smiles right away.

"Next, Laurence Pierce, head of the department of strategy and damage control. Madeleine you know already from the Institute, next to her is Jessica Miller, head of the marketing department here and at the Institute. And last, but not least..." Edward turns to the older woman from before.

She gently looks up, removing the part of her bangs that covered her eye. Unlike everyone else in the room, she doesn't hide her age. Everyone can see the gray mixed with her natural blonde.

"Dr. Marianne Olsen, head of the testing department."

Behind her sits the younger woman, Aymee Ortiz.

***

"Have you found her?" Rachel hovers over Ánh.

She searches on the computer as fast as she can. Diego and Alex keep a certain distance despite their curiosity. Megan, on the other hand, seems to have no interest whatsoever. Instead, draws a landscape on her tablet across the room.

"Here! Marianne Olsen, retired Professor. Is this her, Megan?"

Megan approaches the screen. She stares briefly at her mother's photo and focuses instead on the information. Her eyes wide when she notices that Marianne still lives in the house where they were once a family. Out of necessity, she's sure.

You're not one to hold on to things for their sentimental value. Nothing sentimental matters to you. Not even people.