“Yes,” Gunn said, not noticing my sarcasm. He clicked away at the computer, zooming into another part of the human blueprint. “Here,” Gunn said, pointing to what looked like a layered cake. “This line right here is an extra layer of epidermis. I don’t know its purpose, but there must be one. And over here,” the doctor continued, moving the cursor down and clicking, “are ovules that are being released by the millions. I’m concerned because this doesn’t tie in with the rest of the changes.” Gunn clicked on the laptop’s keys. “And look at this.”
David and I exchanged a glance when the screen filled with a series of numbers and letters.
“What are we looking at?” David asked, with a furrowed brow.
“These are my calculations for when the physical transformation will be completed. You do know you’re changing, don’t you?”
“We know.” David’s hand squeezed my shoulder.
“You’ll be different. A whole other species.” The doctor’s sparkled with excitement. “And it won’t be long now.”
“How long does she have?”
“One second.” Gunn said.
“What?” I shriek.
“Oh no, no… I meant, one second while I calculate.” The doctor squinted and stared at the ceiling as he mumbled numbers and counted with his fingers. “As of today, nine days.” He clicked the computer. “And twelve for you, Mr. Chios. You’re changing too, but I’m sure you knew that.”
“Is there anything you can do to prevent it from occurring?” David asked.
“I’m sorry.” Gunn shook his head. “It’s like trying to prevent a caterpillar from transforming into a butterfly. It’s nature. There are laws that can’t be broken.”
“Doctor Gunn,” I sighed, “this change that’s coming over us, it’s not a good one.”
“Although I find this transformation extraordinary, I guessed that it wasn’t pleasant when you asked for my help. And I know that you were hopeful that I’d find a way to stop it. But your body has created new organs. How does one reverse that? You simply can’t. The change is too advanced. It’s like terminal cancer. This is the last stage. There’s nothing I can do.”
I wiped the tears that had formed in the inner corners of my eyes. “What about David? Can you help him?”
Gunn’s face was contrite as he spoke. “The changes in David are different from yours. David’s blood—this superhuman blood of his—it’s weakening and his blood cells are being replaced by two other types: Isis Cells, the ones present in your blood stream, and normal human cells. With this change going on in his body, it could cause his entire system to go into shock, like when the wrong blood is used for a transfusion.”
“The reason for the seizure a couple of days ago,” David said.
“Most likely.” Gunn tugged on his lightning bolt earring. “That will continue to happen until one cell type has won, and right now it looks like the Isis Cell is winning.”
David paced the room, both hands behind his head. I sat on the couch hugging myself.
“Are there any internal changes in me—extra organs, like in Isis?” David asked.
“Not yet, but…” The doctor clicked on his computer and turned the computer around toward David. “This here—” He pointed to the screen. “It’s the beginning of the formation of the membrane in your sphincter. Your body is working at such a rapid rate that I wouldn’t be surprised if you collapsed while it completes the change.”
“I have to bring Galen in here,” David said, rubbing his forehead. “He needs to know about this, and we need a plan to get that file back from Carboné.”
“Your brother?” Gunn straightened his back, and placed his hand on his chin in thought. “If Mr. Galen is truly your biological brother, does that mean that he’s also a superhuman being?”
“No,” David said. “I’m the only one that’s like this.”
“David, there’s no point in lying. He’s trying to help us,” I said.
David stared at me and thought for a moment. He walked to the wall, unhooked the portrait that hung over the credenza, and handed it to the scientist.
“This is my family. They’re all like me.”
“Amazing.” A smile formed on Dr. Gunn’s lips, his eyesight bouncing from one Chios member to the next as he viewed the picture. “Mr. Chios, I think I can help you.” He shook the portrait between his hands. “I think I have a way.”
David excused himself so that he could call Galen into the den before Dr. Gunn explained any of the details of his plan. I took it as an opportunity to question the doctor in private. I closed the door and faced him.
“How sure are you that you can stop David from turning into—whatever?”
“Good question.”
Gunn dug his hand in his coat pocket and produced a scientific calculator. I couldn’t decide if that qualified him as a total geek or a true professional. He tapped the keys on the instrument, and then held it out so that I could see the display.
“Eighty-three point seven percent,” he said. “That’s the likelihood of success.”
I felt the last droplet of hope evaporate when I heard the factor of probability. “So it’s not the full one-hundred?”
“It’s a high number,” he said, trying to sound reassuring. “His odds are favorable.”
“But that number isn’t high enough.” I paced the room. “There’s still that chance that it won’t work at all.”
“I understand your concern. The problem is I only have four potential donors for the transfusion—a blood transfusion is what Mr. David needs, but I’m a person short.” He took a deep breath and exhaled. “And to be honest, I don’t know what to do about you. I want to help you, but I…” He dropped his shoulders.
“Forget about me. You know as well as I do there’s nothing more to do. Focus on David and help him. Please.”
“I intend to. That’s the main reason I became a doctor—to help people.”
“Thank you,” I said, leaning on the desk. “So this plan of yours involves a blood transfusion from his family?”
“Yes,” Gunn nodded. “But I have to do it as soon as possible, before that extra organ and the extra layer of skin develop any further. Are all of Mr. Chios’ family members in Athens?”
“His dad isn’t here, but I’m sure he’ll come as soon as he’s told the news.”
The door to the den swung open. Galen walked in before David and charged toward Dr. Gunn.
“No! No! Galen, wait!” I said, pushing the scientist behind the desk and using it as a barricade. Galen placed both arms on the desk, and then slammed his fist on it, leaving a visible dent. Gunn’s blinking tick kicked in at warp speed.
“You imbecile!” Galen snarled. “I told you not to leave any trails. What kind of moron makes paper files in an age when we rely on computers?”
“Galen, calm down.” David held his brother back by the shoulders, and then dragged him a few steps away from the desk.
I took the scientist’s shaking arm, more for my benefit than his. Galen looked a lot bigger when he was angry, but I drew up courage and defended the poor doctor.
“It’s not his fault,” I said. “He was assaulted. Look at his eye.”
“I can do better.” Galen raised his little finger, stepping toward us. “I can pry his eyeballs out with my pinky.”
David tugged at the back of his brother’s shirt.
“Stand down,” David said. “You promised Mother you’d never do that again.” David took his brother by the arm and pulled him away from the desk. “Now, stop harassing the man. He’s here to help.”
“I am.” The doctor blinked. “I t-truly, truly am at your disposal, as I’ve told you before,” he said. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to help you.”
“He says he can help David,” I said. “Dr. Gunn says David needs to have a blood transfusion as soon as possible. You need to call your dad and tell him to come to Athens right away.”
“I’ll need a liter of blood from ea
ch family member,” Gunn said. “It’s imperative that we act quickly.”
Galen took his cell phone from his back pants pocket and used it to point at the scientist. “You’d better start praying, Gunn. My father isn’t as forbearing as I am.”
Gunn’s eyes twitched. I felt sorry for him. The poor man had no idea what he had signed on for when he accepted the proposition that the family had extended.
Galen began to punch numbers on his phone, but David whisked the phone from his hands.
“What are you doing?” Galen glared at David, but David ignored him.
“Before we do this, I need to know something,” David said. “Dr. Gunn, can the same procedure be executed for Isis?”
Gunn turned to eye Galen before he answered with apprehension.
“I’m afraid it’s too late for her,” Gunn said.
“Then I won’t do it. “ David looked at me. “I can’t.”
“You have to. This is the only way,” I stared intently into eyes, as if that would force a positive answer from him. “I need my dream boy, not the boogie man.”
“I was thinking more along the lines of Frankenstein,” David said. “At least he has a bride.”
“You’re serious? You’re throwing it all away.”
“I’m doing this for both of us.”
“No! You don’t get to pick us anymore. You do this for your mother who’s already suffered enough. Do this for your brothers that have protected you since the beginning. Do this for your father who has put everything on the line for you. Aren’t they worth it?”
David tightened his mouth.
“Answer me. Will you do it for them?”
“Don’t make me choose between you and my family.”
“Then choose what’s right for you.”
“I already have.”
I stared at him for a second. “So you’re not going to go through with the procedure?”
David shook his head. The back of my eyes began to sting. My face filled with the warmth of both rising anger and frustration.
“But, Mr. Chios, if you—” Dr. Gunn began.
“No,” David said. “My decision is final.”
Galen let out a grunt of irritation, took his phone from David’s hand, and shoved him by the shoulder. “We’ve done everything in our power to protect you, you selfish, ungrateful ass. Our family has stepped over the laws of the Doctrine of Deus, knowing and accepting that the Council will have our heads as soon as this is over. Haven’t you had enough of Mother’s suffering? Are you even aware that Father will lose his position on the Council and be tried for conspiracy?”
David said nothing, but stood immobile, watching Galen.
“You claim to be oh-so-in-love, but the truth is that she,” Galen’s chin jerked in my direction, “might care for you more than you care for anyone except yourself, and that my brother, is sad. A half-witted Creatura has more sense than you.”
As offended as I wanted to be, Galen was on my side, and I appreciated it.
“He’s right,” I said. “There are five other people in your life that would go to the end of the world for you, but you—you only care about your own happiness. And that’s just so messed up, David.”
David blinked once. I walked past Galen and him and headed for the door.
“Isis,” Gunn called out. I had forgotten he was there. “Is your species called Creatura?”
“Yes,” I sighed. “This is what you get when you cross a human and what they are.” My eyes landed on David who looked like he was struggling to keep his emotions stable. “I don’t know what I’m turning into. But I do know I shouldn’t exist. If you have any questions, Galen and David are the ones to ask. Thank you for your help, Doctor.”
Without looking back, I walked out of the den and into the hallway where I saw Eryx leading the policemen out the door. Nyx and Paulina were sitting on the white sofa in the living room. Nyx held Paulina’s hand while Paulina half spoke, half wailed into Nyx’s phone.
Nyx turned her head to look at me with reddened eyes. I couldn’t tell if it was from lack of sleep or crying. Maybe both.
“You don’t look well,” Nyx said, trying to keep her voice down as Paulina continued her phone conversation. “Are you feeling ill again?”
“I feel fine. But none of us are really well, are we?” My voice broke.
Paulina rose from the couch with the cell phone in her hand and walked away from us.
“No.” Nyx shook her head, watching as Paulina used her apron to wipe the thin streams of tears that fell down her pained face. “We’re far from well and very near hell, if you ask me.”
“I know I’ve said this before, but I’m sorry.” I tried to blink back my own tears, but they were stronger than my will. “I did this to your family. I ruined it.”
“No one blames you. Why do you insist on blaming yourself?”
“Because David won’t accept the opportunity he has to save himself.” I sat next to Nyx. “Dr. Gunn says he might be able to help him stop the change, but he won’t do it because of me. Because Dr. Gunn has no cure for me, and he won’t go through with the procedure if I can’t be helped.” I reached for Nyx’s hands. “You have to talk to him. He won’t listen to me or Dr. Gunn or Galen, but you—you’re his mother. He’ll listen to you.”
“The doctor guarantees this?”
“He said there’s a very high probability that if he does a blood transfusion, the change won’t happen.”
Nyx sprung up from the sofa. “Are they still in the den?” I nodded. Nyx reached for my arms and lifted me up from the sofa. “The chances of David listening to me aren’t as great as you think.”
“No, don’t say that.” I said, feeling that somehow Nyx was jinxing the odds of having David change his mind. “He has to listen to you.”
“My dear, I may be his mother, but there’s one factor that makes him inflexible.”
“He’s stubborn, I know.”
“No, Isis.” She sighed. “David’s in love with you. You don’t need to be empathic to see that his world, his life, they revolve around you. When he looks at you, he’s a lost cause. I’m glad he found you. Everyone deserves to love and be loved. And if his choice is to go forward with you in this change, then as much as it hurts to resign myself to lose him, I can’t obligate David to give up his happiness.”
I bit hard on my bottom lip to stop it from quivering. Nyx was my last resort, but she was on David’s side. So what if he loved me? I loved him too. But I wasn’t going to stand for more bloodshed.
“I’ll talk to him,” Nyx said, putting an arm around my shoulder. “You should rest while I do. You’re tired, I can sense it.”
“I will.”
I watched as the porcelain-skinned goddess walked toward the foyer and vanished around the corner. The odds that David would change his mind about putting a stop to his own transformation were next to impossible. There was nothing else I could do for now, so I walked up the staircase, taking each step at a sluggish pace. When I reached the second floor, I stared at my bedroom door, but didn’t go in to rest as I had told Nyx that I would. Instead, my feet led me down the left corridor, my pulse quickening as I set one foot in front of the other. I reached my destination and held my breath. I closed my eyes and felt my heart objecting, sinking deep into my chest. I didn’t want this, but I didn’t have a choice. It had to be done. Before any internal conflicts could surface between my heart and my brain, I turned the knob and walked into the room.
“I accept,” I said.
Eros lowered the newspaper that was in his manicured hands and grinned. He walked to the door and closed it.
“My sweet, Isis.” He placed a chaste kiss on my cheek, and I turned away. “Why be so cold?” His French accent was starting to irritate me. “You’ll grow to love me. You’re already on the brink.”
“Before you get any ideas, I have conditions,” I said. “First, you have to take me to find my father, like you said.”
Eros place
d one hand on my waist and tipped my head up with the other so that I could look directly at his eyes.
“What else, my sweet?”
“You have to keep your promise.”
“I promise to take you wherever you desire,” Eros said, and then he kissed me, long and hard.
I had felt shocks of delight the first time he had kissed me, but now my lips felt dead against his. I was nothing more than a piece of property, an addition to Eros’ estate.
The satin pillowcase was dampened with tears of regret, anger, and impotence. It clung to my cheek like a second skin as I lifted my face off the bed and reached for my phone. I dialed and cleared my throat while the line rang, then took in a deep gust of air and held it to settle my breathing.
On the fourth ring, I heard a smile in my mom’s voice when, instead of the typical hello, she said, “You forgot you had a mother, didn’t you?”
It hurt to hear her voice. It hurt to know that I would never see her again. But what hurt the most was that I was going to leave her alone in the world. Who would take care of her?
“I can’t forget you. You’re the woman who potty trained me.”
“The way you associate me with toddler poop is both disgusting and endearing. Now, tell me what you’ve been up to that you haven’t had the time to call the woman that spent hours upon hours in labor with you.”
I loved that my mom made me smile even when I felt like I was drowning in an emotional sea of acid.
“Blatant lies. You told me you were in labor for under an hour—that I was eager to come into the world.”
“Oops,” Claire laughed. “Forgot about that. So c’mon and tell me what you’ve seen so far.”
“Lots of old things.” Deities. “Ancient statues and temples.” Those were built for them.
“Yeah, there’s a lot of history in Greece,” Claire said. “Did you get over that cold?”
“Yup,” I said. “I saw a doctor.” He told me I was turning into a monster in nine days.
The line went quiet for a moment.
“Honey, is everything okay? You sound kind of down.”
Aside from the monster morphing, I’m in shock because a woman killed herself yesterday for my sake. “Well, I just got over that cold and all, and there’s that other thing.”