Randolph had his team of scientists assembled in his office and adjusted his tie as he prepared for their briefing. “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. As you are all aware, our next trial is aiming to take place in two weeks’ time. I wanted to reiterate the importance of your work, and what our goal is, as I’ve heard there have been some concerns raised by junior staff recently attached to the project as we have expanded after our last successful experiment.
“To put things simply, we aim to stop the murders from a supernatural force, as in bring them to a complete halt. Unfortunately, to do this, we must first understand the causes and requirements for Subject Omega. In that regard we are close to having narrowed in on the requirements and will be selecting three POI, or test samples, as a control group, and one with the objective of triggering him as a target of the blessing. If we’re successful, our current hypothesis on what causes Subject Omega to manifest will be proven true. Second, we aim to gain actual footage of the attack, so that we can better understand the mechanics of Subject Omega. This may lend us some understanding of the cause. Thirdly, and most importantly, we believe that for a short period after the third termination of the test samples, Subject Omega is vulnerable to capture. If this is truly the case, our upcoming trial may prove the perfect opportunity to put a stop to the meaningless deaths permanently.
“As far as we know of the current situation, this is the only way to save lives, and will require the sacrifice of at least three more test samples, something I know a few of you have struggled with. If you need separated from this project due to being a conscientious objector, I have authorized you request to be a removed from the project with a one-million-dollar NDA and transfer to another division within the company, and if unable to support that, an additional one-million-dollar stipend while you are laid off to hold you over while you seek new work. I cannot emphasize, however, the importance of this upcoming trial to reduce the amount of lives loss and pray that you reconsider the consequences of not staying with us for the upcoming weeks.”
Brandon Reese slouched in a chair in the administrative room of his high school while he got ready to talk to the principal regarding his third time getting caught with contraband in school, weed. He didn’t particularly care that he broke school policy, it made going to the classes bearable, and it’s not like it mattered if he smelled like a stoner.
Since he was already here, he had pulled out his beanie, which also broke school code, and pulled it over his head and eyes so that he could take a nap. “Take that off,” the administrator said from behind her desk, an old, portly woman with glasses who looked at him with irritation.
“Oh, come on!”
“You should be reflecting on your actions, not trying to take a nap, young man.”
“You should reflect on taking a diet.”
“Excuse me?”
“Just saying, you’re all worried about me, but from my point of view you should take care of what you put in your body, before you worry about what I put in mine.”
She glared at him, and then busied herself with whatever pointless work she had on the computer. Brandon rolled his eyes, but pocketed his black beanie anyways so she wouldn’t bother him and crossed his arms over his matching hoodie.
It wasn’t like school mattered, just a legal obligation his parents had to follow, and they didn’t even care. Hell, most of the time they were barely present, out partying getting high on something way worse than weed, yet here he was about to be lectured from some prune. Standard issue lecture too, probably just say they were ‘disappointed’ in his behavior, they’d have to ‘contact’ his parents, a meaningless effort when they wouldn’t even answer, and he’d be ‘suspended.’ Oh no! What a terrible thing, to be given a free vacation from school! Probably complain about him ruining his ‘future’ while he was at it, stupid old prune.
The principal’s office door opened, and a gentleman in a sweater vest stepped out, sighed, and then said, “Come in, Brandon.”
Brandon complied, and on his desk was set up the chess board. Weird thing that this guy would do, he would set up a board and play the game while talking with him, and he always lost. There were two chairs across from the principal’s desk, and there was already a woman in a conservative dress and a clipboard sitting in one. “Have a seat,” the principal said gesturing to the free chair before walking around his desk to sit in his fancy and cushy office chair. “You’ll be black today,” the man said before putting his center pawn forward two spaces.
Probably going to be a long conversation, Brandon decided to open with the Queen’s Indian Defense, and they played the game as the principal began his talk, “I really didn’t want to see you in my office again, Brandon.”
“Hm.”
“Brandon, I need you to take this seriously. We’re taking action to call CPS on your parents.”
“Wait, what? Why?”
“Your behavior has gotten you to the point we have to send you Juvie, and your parents have consistently refused to work with the school to correct your behavior. As it is now, your bright future is about to be squandered.”
“What bright future? Not like I have good grades.”
“I thought last time you said grades didn’t matter?”
“They don’t, but the rest of the world seems to think so.”
The principal sighed, “The thing is I know you’re smart. I’ve never once been able to beat you at chess, and you were captain of the chess club in middle school. We just want to help you get on the right track so that you can be successful in life.”
Brandon gave the woman next to him a sideway glance, “Who’s we? Check.”
The principal furrowed his brow as he looked at the chessboard. “Brandon, this young lady is a representative from Lamb, and is here to offer you an alternative.” He moved his queen in position to defend his king. Brandon could either retreat, or trade queens.
“Since when do public schools take offers from private businesses. Check.” He took the trade. Possible checkmate in four.
“Since they sign an agreement with the government to offer state of the art facilities to help struggling youths get their lives back on track.” He took Brandon’s queen.
Brandon smiled and moved his bishop. Guaranteed checkmate in three. “Check. So let me guess, if I don’t sign this than I’m going to Juvie, my parents get CPS called on them, and I get thrown into the foster care system.”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“That’s the gist of it,” the principal scratched his chin and moved to block his bishop.
Brandon moved his knight. Checkmate in two. “So, I take it she has some paperwork I need to take home and get my parents to sign.”
The principal looked down and sighed, but there was a smile on his face as he tipped his king over, “That’s correct. I’ll let the young lady explain it for you.”
Brandon looked down at the chessboard and then to the woman. Fine, he’d play this game too. Once they were done, he could get his parents to sign whatever waiver or contract they needed to, and he could light up and forget his worries.
“Father, I’ve been accepted to Berklee.”
“Hm.”
“I, uh, thought you would like to hear that.”
“And?”
“Father?”
“Do you think I’m supposed to be impressed? Proud? Of course, you got into Berklee. I’ve been paying for private lessons for you your whole life, if you hadn’t gotten into Berklee at least, then the last seventeen years of your life would have been a complete waste of money.”
“Yes, father.”
“What about Juilliard? Have you received an acceptance letter from them yet?”
“No, father.”
“I swear if you squander the opportunities me and your mother have paid for, I will be removing you from both our wills. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, father.”
“I don’t think you do. I’d like to remind you that your younger brother, despite being four years your junior, already plays two more instruments than you, and is considered as proficient at piano as you are. You’re already failing to meet your responsibilities, and I will not have you be an embarrassment to the family. Don’t think for one second that I won’t cut off all funding for your future if you fail. You didn’t have to waste time applying for scholarships thanks to how well off our family is, which you should have used that time practicing. Clearly, you did not. If you are not willing to put in the effort that your family has put forth in you, then don’t think I won’t kick you out of the house when you turn eighteen, understand me?”
“Yes, father.”
“Now what else did you call me for, I’m sure you didn’t call just to waste my time over an acceptance letter I already knew you would receive.”
“No father, actually we had someone come to the school and offer me a music program for the gifted this upcoming winter, free of charge.”
“Who was that?”
“Someone from Lamb, I guess they’re making some investments in today’s youth.”
“You guess?”
“My apologies, father.”
“Fine. Send me the paperwork, and I’ll decide if this music program is good enough to cancel your lessons during break for.”
“Yes, father.”
Melanie Madison sat by herself in the cafeteria, while the other students whispered about her. She quietly ate her sandwich, made by her single father, who had been making them for her all her life for school meals. It was boring at this point for her, but anything but bland, being made with fresh meat from the butcher, homegrown tomatoes, lettuce, olives, vinaigrette, and a secret sauce that he had perfected himself. Every day she would receive an equally delectable sandwich, and he did switch out the bread, meat, and veggies for her frequently. Still, there was only so much you could do with a sandwich, and part of her was envious of the better variety her peers had with the school meals, even if they all claimed it tasted like cardboard. It at least smelled good.
She heard one pair of freshmen as they walked by and pointed, saying, “That’s the girl!” She was indeed, ‘the girl.’ Melanie had been one of the cheerleaders, and had been dating Kyle, the quarterback. She had ended up getting pregnant, and he had immediately ghosted her, a difficult affair when attending a public school. There had been a very public confrontation with his parents and her father, where it was revealed that she was pregnant for the whole school to gawk at, not that it wasn’t going to become very apparent very quickly as her belly grew in the coming months. Her father had asked if she wanted an abortion, and she had said no, which he respected.
Since the news had broken, her girl friends had broken off with her, made worse by the fact that Kyle spread rumors that she was a slut, and he probably wasn’t even the father. A bold-faced lie considering he was the only one who she had ever slept with, only after they both turned eighteen, and they had only had sex the one time. Frankly, she was absolutely disgusted by his behavior, though her heart still longed for him. Even with as terrible a break they had; a two-year relationship was not so easily forgotten. However, with his absolute failure to behave as a father, and her having been raised by a single father with an equally cruddy mother, Melanie was confident that the best course of action for the baby was to cut him out of her life, even if it hurt.
Despite all this she struggled to feel any joy in her pregnancy, having been abandoned by her friends, and become the laughingstock of the school. Even grosser, the slut rumors had resulted in some less than stellar peers in her grade to come forth to try and sleep with her, thinking that somehow now they stood a chance for a quick score. It made her feal demeaning, but she would weather through this if she needed to. That didn’t mean her grades weren’t affected. They had plummeted from all A’s to struggling just to pass as she found herself crying herself to sleep most nights, unable to focus on homework. Her biggest worry? She would become as horrible a mother as hers had been.
“Melanie Madison, principal’s office.” The whole cafeteria became quieter as every eye fell on her, and the pretty, blue-eyed blonde packed up her sandwich and made her way to the entrance, trying to ignore the stinging eyes that wore into her, and failing completely as the rumors already started to spread.
“I heard she got caught sleeping with Jake in the bathroom.”
“What a slut.”
“Did you hear what she did to Kyle?”
“How awful, she didn’t value their relationship, at all.”
She managed to hold herself together just enough that the tears didn’t start silently dripping down her face until she exited through the doors. She would not dignify them with her tears.
Mary and Ally were having an emergency parent-teacher conference due to how badly Ally’s grades had plummeted, and Ally stood outside the meeting room while they discussed what they were going to do to rectify the situation. After some time, the door opened, and her mother asked her to come in.
She stood at the end of the meeting table, and each of her teachers talked about how she just stopped putting in work half-way through the semester and had become distant while losing all interest. Ally sat through it, and noticed there was a single woman, mid-thirties and in a conservative blue dress, who she did not recognize. She carried a clipboard and had a sadness in her eyes that seemed out of place, before making eye contact with her and hiding it with a smile. Odd.
It was the vice principal who spoke, “Mary, Ally, our concern is we believe Ally may be struggling with depression, and possibly a fear of failure. Luckily, we have received an offer from Lamb to pay for state-of-the-art treatment at one of their medical research centers.”
“Lamb?” Ally asked.
“Yes, they’ve been investing in youth programs to help those struggling to help them with the future, and this is part of that program. What they’re offering are doctors and experts, as well as a three-week trip to one of their facilities designed to help.”
Mary glanced at Ally, and then said, “Honey, they’ve shown me pictures of the facilities. It’s quite lovely, and you’ll be with other kids your age dealing with the same struggles, so you won’t be alone. They even have therapy dogs and cats available twenty-four/seven. I think this might be what’s best for you.”
Ally turned inward, feeling numb to the whole surreal situation. They continued to explain some of the facilities, and Mary asked her if she was willing to give it a try. Ally looked into her mother’s pleading and desperate face, and found herself unable to say no.
The strange woman with the fake smile stood up and brought them a clipboard with some paperwork. “Don’t worry Ally, we’re going to do our best to help everyone we can. If we’re all in agreement I just need some signatures from you and your mother. A couple of waivers and a contract agreeing that you will participate in our treatment, to the best of your ability, and that Lamb Inc. is allowed to use data collected during your stay to further research.
“Of course,” Mary said, and signed through the paperwork swiftly before handing her pen to Ally.
Ally took the pen, and sighed, before signing a dozen waivers and the singular contract.
Ally woke up sharply in her bed and sat up in stunned silence, causing Lily to lift her head in the dark and look at her in concern. “Wolf in sheepskin. Lamb… Crap!” It was amazing how weeks of waiting for a prophecy to come true could make you complacent.