• Chapter 7: Picture Perfect
    I was walking to the park when I caught my boyfriend with a girl cuddling and kissing. I felt the tears come to my eyes as I ran over to them. It was my best friend and my boyfriend both together. “W…h…how could you do this to me?” I cried. They didn’t say anything they just looked up at me. Sarah my best friend looked up with tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry” she whispered so she wouldn’t cry. I glared at her and forgot that my cheating boyfriend was even there. I jumped at her and pulled her hair as I slapped her with the other hand. She cried in pain and tried getting away but I wouldn’t let her. A crowd was formed and I soon realized…I was beating up a motionless body…
    I was walking down the stairs to say bye to Andrew before he left for work and saw Max sitting in the guest room with his hair messy and to my surprise….boxers…I couldn’t help but notice the amazing muscles that were never there. He looked at me and smirked. I came in and sat down on the bed as he took his headphones out and straightened his hair down. He sat up and looked at me. “When?” I asked poking his stomach. He grabbed my hands and pulled me close to his face. “Before I came” he whispered. I looked into his eyes and saw that the door was still open and I heard Andrew coming up. Max looked around in a panicked way and crashed his lips to mine. He was lost in the kiss and Andrew found us. I finally broke free and saw his face as he looked hurt. I got up and ran to Andrew who was already leaving the door. “It’s not what it looked like!” I cried. I touched his arm to try and grab him but he shrugged it off and glared at me. “Don’t you dare ever touch me again you cheater.” He said with acid dripping off his words. He walked to his car and I watched in tears as he glared at me and drove off. I ran into the house where Max was and he was chuckling to himself as he came closer to me. I backed up and he touched my face. He took me to the mirror and held me to his side. We looked in the mirror and he whispered in my ear. “See? We belong together…we’re picture perfect.” I looked at him and was disgusted since he had a girlfriend and I had a husband. I tried to slap him but he wouldn’t allow it. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into another kiss. I kicked him where the sun doesn’t shine and he moaned in pain as he fell to the floor. I looked out the window to see his Girlfriend walking inside after getting the paper. I took a breath and walked outside to tell her what happened. “Um…Stacie?” I asked as I came up to her. She looked up. She had already put her first coat of eyeliner on. “Well…Max kissed me…and Andrew saw it” I said looking down. “So that’s why he ran out of the house upset.” She said looking at the paper in the news section. I looked up and felt pain as she slapped me silly. “You no good dog!” she screeched. “You took him away from me! You kissed him and now he likes you!” she finished. I looked up at her with tears in my eyes. “You can’t go around slapping the victims! It’s his fault! He decided to kiss me I didn’t want that!” I screamed back. She looked at me and went inside as I heard yelling and crying and she came back out with her things in her hand and walked to the car and drove off. I stared at the empty driveway spot and went back in.
    Andrew came back and I was crying when I saw him. He came over to me and sat down. He looked at me and I broke down. “Andrew you need to listen to me! He grabbed me and kissed me! I told his girlfriend and she hit me and ran out on him! I hurt him because he tried again but I didn’t want to Andrew I love you not him!” I cried hysterically. He looked at me and hugged me tight. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you” he mumbled on my shoulder. I looked at him and got up as I made my way to Max’s room. I closed the door and he looked at me seductively. “Back again are we?” he said. I walked over to him and threw him to the ground as I slapped him and punched him and bent his fingers. He cried in pain and I got up and kicked him several times. And then I noticed he…wasn’t breathing…I was beating up a dead corpse. I looked at his face which was bruised and covered in red. I started to cry when Andrew came up. His eyes widened and he slowly came over to me as he held me tight and had me look away. He couldn’t bleed and never seeing blood until now made him realize how scar things like this could be. “I never realized how precious a human life was” he said stroking my hair. “I didn’t mean to kill…kill him!” I cried into his shoulder. I looked up at him and saw that he looked upset. I looked at the cold lifeless corpse now bleeding from the head. “If I had a knife I would have gone for the jugular vein instead.” I whispered under my breath. I heard Andrew laugh as he heard me say this. I looked at Max again and thought I was going to hurl.
    We ended up burning the body and getting rid of the ashes to make sure there was no evidence what so ever. I looked at Andrew and he looked back at me. “I want a child.” He said. I nodded. It was impossible though…unless we literally constructed one. She wouldn’t age but we could make her at a reasonable age. We went into the basement and thought about a teenager being the perfect age. Of course we wouldn’t be able to have grandchildren unless we went under the same progress. We designed her to be pale like her father. Black hair like him. Freckles like me and green hazel eyes like me too. We started to build her and found this was pretty complicated and that it would take some time to get finished. We got her figure done and were working on her details. He was working on her body and I worked on the head with the hair and such.
    Days went by and we eventually finished her. We felt a brother the same age would be good too so we made another but as a boy. When they were done they immediately started to converse with one another. Andrew and I smiled at each other as we saw the most beautiful teenagers in the world.

    Chapter 8: Mix of Confusion and Trouble
    I was downstairs at the table in the kitchen drinking coffee when Samara came downstairs. “Marrow! I said you can’t wear my jeans! Your butt is too fat for them!” she hollered upstairs. “Why can’t I? My butt looks better than yours does in these! Tight jeans fit me better than a flower fits a pot! If that makes any sense!” he hollered back. I smiled to myself and looked over at Samara who was glaring at me. “If you would be so kind as to stop laughing and make him give me back my jeans that would be ever so helpful” she said looking confused on how to word it. I looked at her. “What?” I asked confused by the mixture and amount of words she just used in one sentence. She sighed heavily and looked away for a minute and then back at me. “How can a middle aged FEMININE FEMALE be so stupid and ill minded at a time when her offspring is in need of her clothes?” she said. Samara was a wordy, big word using girl.
    I saw on T.V. about how it was wrong to date siblings and how if siblings made a child it would have some deformity because of two of the same genes in some parts of the body. I was telling Max about this when he noticed that I was creeped out a little by people even thinking of doing something that revolting.
    I walked in the living room a week later and found Samara and Marrow KISSING on the couch. What? How? Why? They’re related! They can’t do this! They looked over at me and smiled. “We love each other mom!” Marrow exclaimed. I looked at them “you will NOT Date your sister.” I growled. They backed up as I approached them slowly. Andrew walked in and looked at what I look like. He rushed over and grabbed my arms as I was about ready to slap the sense back into my kids. “Easy Marni!” he yelled as I yelled at how wrong it was. I looked at him and was about to cry. I turned around and cried into his shirt but remembered he could get shocked. His mind developed into a middle aged man but his body would stay 17 forever. I looked at the sick twisted lovers and scowled at them. They backed away worried about what I was capable of doing to them. I walked in the bedroom and found myself pacing around the room rambling on about things. “We could kill one and make another Andrew!” I exclaimed. He looked at me and nodded no. What was I thinking?! Kill my own creation?! How could I even think of that?! I walked over to Andrew and hugged him tight. “What do I do about this Andrew? We can’t let them think its ok and be the strange family on the block.” I said with shaky words. He looked down at me. “I think it’s a little too late for that Marni” he said. I slightly smiled and then the memory of my kids came back to my mind. I was furious with them as I sat on the bed. I looked towards the door and got up to walk out to the living room and see what was going on with those two. When I went out there I found them playing a video game on the couch as if nothing happened. They looked up at me and sneered as they looked at each other. What was going on? They said they were in love? Now they hate each other? They looked at me and Samara came closely to me. I backed away at first but then she put her hand on my shoulder. “Mom…we’re related and it’s gross. It was just a miscalculation in our hard drives so we didn’t know until dad fixed them.” She said calmly. I sighed and hugged her and waved Marrow to come over and join in with me and Samara as Andrew came in to join as well.
    Chapter 9: Reality Check
    I woke up and found I was in my old bedroom and I heard my step dad and mom downstairs fighting and screaming…I was seventeen again. I shot up and ran to my door but it was locked from the outside. “That thing is going to kill her!” my mom screamed. I decided to get up and see what was going on. I took out my key and picked at the lock until it I heard the familiar click noise.
    I looked down the steps and found that Andrew was by the door to the basement. He looked the same as before but there was no smile on his face and his eyes were not the same light blue I imagined they were.
    His eyes were a dark endless pit of blue that I could get lost in yet they seemed intimidating. His hair the same but not as smooth; His eyes looked towards my direction as they said be afraid I got the message and went to my room as I locked the door. I never thought I’d be afraid of someone I thought I loved. I started to cry when I heard a knock on my door. I went to my window and my mom’s car was gone. “How could she” I whispered. “How could she leave me like this?!” I screamed. I pounded my fists on my window sill but soon regretted it as the hard peeled off paint scratched my skin. I was outraged as I threw things that cost so much money off of my shelf and dressers. Without realizing it at first I threw my jewelry box that had encrusted initials of my name and vine in silver ivy with a glass heart on top. It shattered to pieces and I immediately fell to the floor looking for all the pieces and hiding them under my bed to prevent more trouble. There was another knock on my door “c coming” I stuttered with muffled tears. “Please open the door, my creator would like me to come in and I cannot deny his request that is achievable.” Andrew said well more like printed out. I started to have an anxiety attack. I quickly got up to the notice alert of another knock on the door and opened it. He was glaring at me and he quickly came in as I backed away he was on my heels or I guess I should say he was on my toes as he backed me to a corner in my room. His face was an inch from mine as his pupils turned red and he looked up and down my body. “No weapons detected, now I am ordered to stay in here with you until my creator is done with his errands.” He said in a bland tone. I was shaking and stayed in the corner until he turned around and then I followed fearfully down the hallway as I watched him look at the family portraits and scan them into his data file and program more traits to be human. I sat down on the couch and turned on the TV as he sat down next to me he watched to small screen intently making sure to get every action that appeared. There was a scene with a couple holding hands and he grabbed mine as he watched. I felt nervous about this. He could copy a murder scene and kill me. I immediately let go and scooted away from him. “I need a human to experiment actions on. Please let me proceed” he said looking me in the eye. I got up and walked to the front entrance and grabbed my cell phone from my jacket and looked through my contacts until I found Max’s number. I called it and his mom picked up since it was the house phone. “Hello” she answered. “Is Max there” I asked wearily. I heard her start to cry on the other end of the conversation and finally answered me once more. “No sweetie, Max died about 2 days ago from a beating” she sobbed. I felt a lump come to my throat and I felt the tears well to my eyes as well. “T thank you for l letting me k know” I stuttered out before I hung up. I looked towards Andrew and he glared at me once again. “When were you created?” I demanded to know. “A week ago I’ve been downstairs ever since.” He stated. “Have you been outside” I asked. He nodded “only to do something for my creator” he said. “When” I demanded “2 days ago” he finished. I felt fury coming to me and I immediately ran towards him to beat him up until he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder as he carried me to his room and locked the door. I was crying and panicking by now as I looked up at him and scooted to the back of the couch against the wall as he came closer. “You killed him” I sobbed. “I did what I had to do” he stated. I shook my head and closed my eyes as I tried to stop crying. He put his pointer finger to my lips. “Shh…don’t cry, as much as I’ve seen it I cannot stand when gorgeous woman like you cry…please don’t” he said quietly. I stared at him behind blurred tears as he tried to calm me down. “W what” I stuttered out of breathe from the shock. He smiled and sat down next to me. “What is it like” he stated. I looked at him “what” I asked confused. “What is it like to be human” he stated again. “Oh um I don’t know” I mumbled. He looked at me and took my shoulders and started to shake them. “I must know Marniella, it is in my data slot as a category for mature technology and I have yet to find the information needed.” He explained. I grew wide eyed and pried him off of me as I got up to glare at him. He looked puzzled and got up too close for me to handle. I pushed him away and went to the door to unlock it and leave. But he blocked my way and wouldn’t let me through. I tried to push him but he stayed in his spot. He glared at me and pushed me back to the couch’s corner. I started to breathe heavily and quickly. I was having a panic attack almost as I started to cry hysterically.
    “Get up!” he spat in my face. I struggled to do his will but he kicked me to the ground again. I cried hysterically as I begged for my mom to come to the door. The front door was locked and I tried to inch away but he grabbed my legs and pulled me back. Just then the lock clicked and Simon rushed to my side as he immediately beat himself to a pulp in a matter of seconds before the door opened to show a very horror struck middle aged woman. I quickly went to her and she looked rapidly from me to Simon. “What h happened!” she asked airily. I couldn’t talk. “she was using drugs and started to hurt herself but when I tried to help her she went into an outrage and beat me up as well…I suggest sending her away….please” he cried. I turned from sad to scare to mad all in one as I stormed to my room and started to pack to run away. “If she wants to send me away then fine! It’s better than here!” I screamed.
    I shook with fear on the bed as the memories came rushing in my head. I looked up and found Andrew glaring at me as usual and he sat down on the bed. “Listen, Miss Marni, understand that the last thing I am willing to do is hurt you, I will if I don’t get answers though. Please tell me so I can refrain from doing harm to you.” He said seriously. I looked at him with a look that may as well fit better with a sign on my head that said ‘stupid’ he made a slight laugh and then we both relaxed…well I relaxed…I looked at him and stared a little until he glanced at me then I snapped my head back down. I watched curiously as he walked out of the room and heard the steps creek and I made my move to go to my room instead. I locked my door and sat on my bed…I looked around at the missing jewelry box that had once been on my shelf. I laid on my bed silently and cried myself to sleep soon enough.
    I was home alone after school and decided to look around for a list of what I would get for my birthday. I walked in my mom’s room and over to my stepdad Simon’s drawer. I opened it and what I found made me almost gag with disgust. There was a plastic bag of what looked like cocaine. I took it out and soon flushed it down the toilet quickly as I heard a car pull up. I ran downstairs and sat down on the couch as I saw Simon walk in and go to his room. I looked up the stairs as I got up quickly to hear him rush down the steps. Rage filled his eyes as I backed away. “W what’s wrong?” I asked innocently. He came up quickly and smacked my face. Leaving a burning red stain on my cheek. “You worthless little brat!” he said with anger filling his eyes. I cried as he walked around the room looking for something. “Where is it? Where’d you put it?! If you don’t give it back right now you’re going to be in a world of pain!” he screamed as soon as he got into my face. I backed away when I felt an immense amount of pain come to my jaw. I felt warm blood flow from my face as he smiled and then turned serious. “You’re just getting what you deserve. I’m preparing you for life that’s all…when you get married your husband will be so fed up with you I wouldn’t be surprised if he killed you.” He spat inches from my face. I cried more when my mom finally came through the front door. I ran to her and she gasped. “W…what happened?!” She said worried. I smiled since I was finally going to be able to show that he was terrible. She looked at him and I turned to look as well when I saw him with a very dark serious face. “Carry…I found her like that in the bathroom…she was hurting herself…I don’t know why I mean we give her everything but…it must be something she’s hiding…I’ll call a doctor and have her to the hospital if you really want to help her.” He said faking every word of it.
    Little bits and pieces of my former past and dreams started to come together once more in my mind. I shot up and looked out my window. She still wasn’t back. Anger filled my heart and body as I found myself once again tearing my room to shreds. I grabbed my sheets and threw them to the floor as I took a house key I had and started to rip apart my mattress and pillows. Feathers flying everywhere I grabbed the key and started to scratch on the wall. When I was done I looked back at my work. ‘In here forever and no one cares’ it read in big bold letters. It was then that I heard a car pull in. I gasped hoping it was my mother. I ran to the window and to my surprise…it was Simon…I started to cry harder and slipped to the ground and huddled in a ball. “door, greet Andrew, ask where I am, huff, grumble to self, walk up steps, go to my room, bang on door, yell, hurt.” I whispered his routine to myself and overheard everything from when he got out of the car. “Hello Andrew” he greeted. “Hello” Andrew said. “Where is she” Simon asked or more like demanded. “In her room” Andrew answered. “10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…” “Marni! Open this door right now!” he yelled. Then he threw his fists against the door. “2…1…” I finished and the door opened. I was still in a ball and only looked my eyes in his direction as a felt a boot kick my side. I flinched but didn’t whimper. “Cry you little brat! Cry!” he yelled in my face. I simply pointed to a tear rolling down my face. He smirked. He kicked me again about 3 more times. “Okay if you want to play smart then whimper while you cry okay” he said. I ignored him and he kicked me to the neck. I groaned. He smiled widely and left the room. I started to whimper and cry now. I heard a muffled laugh from downstairs and got up silently to get a piece of stationary paper. I started to write viscously with my pen.
    Dear whoever gets this,
    I’m done, I haven’t really decided whether to run away or just plain go and die. If I choose to die I will do it with pride and run away to do it. I will NOT stay here in this place I used to call home. Goodbye forever losers.
    -Marni