Letters From Someone Long Gone (Closed)

[Anja Drake]

19 months ago. August 1^st
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The wind blew a loose strand of chocolate brown hair across her face as yet another taxi zoomed by for the millionth time. With her free hand she eagerly pushed the strand behind her ear but her attention was focused on the device in front of her.
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The small digital pad was a gift for her birthday; the functions were simply amazing. Designed specifically for blind people, the purpose of the pad was to allow the handler to write a letter, paper, note, or anything of that sort. Every letter written on the pad was repeated by an electronic voice recorded by the designer. When a word was completely spelled out, the voice would state the letter sequence, and if correct the user would double tap on the writing pad of the device and a space would be inserted. This would allow the user to continue writing. And after the piece was finished, there was an option to print the letter or send it over the e-net.
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The last few weeks at the Cullen’s Institute had been quite difficult, her body was tired and her mind was very exhausted; she had consulted a few people and decided to take a small vacation. For the next two or three months, she was going to be home and hopefully reconnect with her mother.
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Anja Drake waited as she sat on the concrete ground just outside the Venice International Airport, her suitcase rested undisturbed next to her. She was waiting for her mother to pick her up, she also had a tendency to be late; however, Anja loved her all the same. Belongings close, earphones in (as to not disturb the other people around her with her device), she wrote swiftly over the pad. She had gotten quite good at using the device and her motions continued unmarred.
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She was writing to Professor John Rhee. The girl had promised that she would write twice a week to give him updates and assure him that she was all right. The letter was a short and simple one…
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Dear Professor Rhee,
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I wanted to let you know that everything went effortlessly and I am here safe. I have all my belongings, I managed to get a few hours of sleep on the airplane, the food was not as horrible as I thought it would be, and the flight was more or less smooth; after all, you never know what will happen in the skies.
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I was lucky and had a nice older gentleman sit next to me on the flight. His name was Henry, a very nice man; none too chatty but made a normally uncomfortably long flight a tolerable one. He told me about his life, he had been a English professor at a small university in Canada. He had three children and about seven grandchildren. He had a wife also, but she passed away not too long ago. I told him it was alright, I knew what it was like to lose someone you love…He informed me that he was on his way to visit his wife’s family here in Italy. I have to admit, he was a very lively old man. I think you would have liked him, Mr. Rhee.
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Anyway, I have just arrived in Venice and I am to wait for my mother. It already feels good to be home but it isn’t all that I remembered it to be. There is a lot of hustle and bustle in this city, and it is much too loud and chaotic compared to the Institute. I have to say…I miss the sound of others my own age already. I miss the security. But I know I have nothing to worry about, I am feeling quite at ease despite all the activity. It will take a few hours for my senses to get used to all the people. Hopefully, when I reach my home, the country will treat me better.
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Well, I hope to write to you again later this week.
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Until then, Ciao Mr. Rhee,
<o></o>
Anja Drake
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The young woman finished her letter. She pressed the button to print and the device jumped to life. She chuckled to herself, she thought it be better to send the letter personally rather that in an email; after all, Mr. Rhee had an awful time with technology. She folded the freshly printed sheet into three sections and slipped it into a ready envelope. She calculated the areas of the letter and placed the necessary stamps in their places. Standing, she walked the three paces to the mail stand. Anja slipped the letter into the drop box and turned to returned to her things…
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A car horn sounded and Anja looked behind her with a startled expression. Her senses flickered as she turned and focused on the car. She smiled brightly; she could never forget her mother’s aura, it was a heavenly glow amongst a gray dull world. Moments later she found herself found in a bear hug; her mother was a small woman but she had some power behind her slight frame. Her mother held her at an arms length after a moment, she looked hard into her blind eyes…
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“Anja, my baby! I have missed you so much! Have you been eating? You look way to skinny. How is the school? What are the other students like? The professors? I want you to tell me everything!” Anja, still smiling, was about to respond when the passenger side door opened and a different aura became present. A very dark ghastly hue framed the figure of the strange person…a strange man. Instantly, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. The tall, towering figure came up behind her mother and put a large hand on her shoulder. Anja located questioningly at her mother, her brow pulled down in confusion.
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“Anja, I know this is sudden but I would like you to meet someone.” Her mother beamed and her grayish outline glowed…happily? The man stepped forward and extended his hand. “Hello Anja. My name is Gino.”
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Anja shook his hand politely, she recoiled quickly after…his hands were like ice and his voice very low. Her stomach flipped, this man was unnerving.
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“Anja,” her mother chimed. “Gino is my boyfriend. We have been seeing each other for about three months now. I know I should have wrote and told you about him, but I rather you meet him in person!” She moved around Anja and picked up her bags, taking them to the car. Anja stood stiffly rigid in front of the tall man.
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He smiled at her and opened the back door for her. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you, Anja. Your mother is a wonderful woman and I’m sure you are just as interesting.”
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Anja moved around the man, adding some distance between them. “She is a wonderful woman,” she stated blandly.
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She entered the car and couldn’t help but feel that coming home was a bad idea all of a sudden. The man and her mother got into the car and pulled away from the curb. There wasn’t any turning back now.
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[Anja Drake]

Monday, August 4^th
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It felt wondrous to be home. The Drake household in the country near Genoa was still as she remembered…
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A decently sized two-story house was a lightly pink painted house and it was nearly three times as long as it was wide. Brown shutters framed scarcely placed windows. Porch railings, long trim and the house roof were also an earthy brown. All together, the house was very simple but with an elegant touch by being placed in the country. A stony garage with a workshop built above it had been added to the house nearly six years earlier. The back of the house included a porch that projected from the second story. The porch was open to the beautiful Italian country air except for a shingled cover roof and a few dark red curtains draped from the roof; a stair well led down to the back yard. Underneath the porch a small cut out patio, decorated with wicker brown chairs and a small stained glass plated table.
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Beyond the open back yard, a tiny garden of several types flowers lay half hidden among the hilly green pastures that flooded the countryside. To the right of the stone garage, a dense forest sprang up against the house like a towering wave of water. The house was a moderate expression of simplistic beauty in a scene of even more naturally beautiful dwellings.
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The inside of the house was nothing spectacular. Again, it was simply elegant. White walls, not headache white, just the perfect to give a lovely look to a welcoming home. Furniture was not over abundant, but just enough to fill spaces that would be otherwise empty. Dark red cushions padded hardwood chairs and couches. Crimson red linen curtains often blew softly in the breeze that flowed through the open window.
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The breeze barely kissed soft, lightly tanned skin and the fine hair on her arms and neck stood on end. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, but the sensation sent shivers down her spine and her breath left in a hurry. Her mind had been preoccupied with the calmness of her home and the sudden gust startled her. It had been a long time since she had been home; she had also thought it was safe in her home and the security had returned to her somewhat…despite everything though, there was a lingering evil at the back of her mind.
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Sitting out on the curtained porch, Anja was just finishing up her second letter to Mr. Rhee, she wanted it to be sent out that same day and the mail carrier would be there in a hour or so.
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Anja wrote in detail about the talks she had with her mother, after about three days, Anja had managed to update her mother on everything.
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I have to say, when I found out my mother had moved on from the loss of my father and was not seeing a new man, I was very shocked. I do not mind that she has finally moved on from what happened, but this new man…his name is Gino Delavoni. I am trouble, Mr. Rhee. I do not know what it is, but this man makes my skin crawl. He is very nice to me and has never done anything to contradict his caring actions but I’m nervous stil. You know, I am never one to trust my senses; I think this time may be different. My powers are restless when he is around. I may be overacting…that’s probably it. I just have to get used to this new man, I trust my mother’s judgment. She is afterall, an adult.
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She went on to described her house in the country to him from the details her mother gave her several times during her life and told him how nice it was to be home for a change.…
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…it is beautiful here, Professor. I am feeling happy again; I have not been this happy in a while. Please, don’t get me wrong though, I am missing the Institute very much. But there is a certain security that I have here and no matter how hard I try, it is not the same anywhere else. I hope that makes sense to you. I have always assumed that you would know what I am saying, you seem to understand me a lot more than others do.
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She smiled as she wrote. The letter continued with detail about the things she had planned for the week ahead; going to the coast, watching her mother fix the garden, long walks through the country or the quiet forest, learning to cook a few new meals…
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I finally get to rest. I have been sleeping a little bit better and my body seems to be less stressed. My powers seem to be resting as well; it feels like my “other” half seems to enjoy the serenity of home as much as I am…
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I am hoping everything back at school is going well. I will write again soon, Professor.
<o></o>
Your student,
Anja Drake
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The sound of multiple wheels on the gravel driveway could be heard in the distance and Anja briefly stopped her writing. That couldn’t be the mail carrier already, could it? Her hair on her arms stood on end again…it was not just the mail carrier. The wheels stopped in front of the house and the sound of two male voices could be heard; a hard knock came from the front door. Her mother had been in her bedroom and she called for Anja to answer the door for her.
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Cautiously, Anja made her way from the porch through the kitchen and down the front stairwell, putting her freshly printed off letter in a pre-stamped envelope as she went. She answered the door and a nauseous feeling entered her stomach.
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Gino stood in front of her. He flashed his very Italian smile and greeted her. Anja returned the greeting uneasily and let him into their home. She called to her mother that the door was for her, while Anja slipped past the lumbering man and met the mail carrier at his colorful van.
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“Ciao Bella.” The mail carrier beamed. “What can I do for you today?”
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Anja laughed softly at the compliment and gently handed him the letter in her hand. “Please send this letter off for me. Grazie.”
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The mail carrier bowed his head and turned to leave. Anja then piveted on her heel and started toward the house. Her stride faltered as she focused on the open front door. She could tell Gino was still standing there, his attention on her…was he watching her?
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Before Anja could even think, her mother’s excited voice filled the air. In an instant, Gino was not watching her and his attention was on her mother. How strange. The young woman turned toward the vehicle Gino had parked in front of the cozy home; it was a small black car, one built for speed, one built for stealth, secrecy…it seemed to go with his demeanor. Anja was very unsettled, however she made her way slowly back into the house. Gino and her mother had gone upstairs into the kitchen. Their voices carried throughout the house and suddenly Anja did not feel calm anymore. She closed the door and immediately was overcome by a sense of suffocation…
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She turned her face upwards toward the kitchen, her heart pounding harshly and her blood running like ice through her veins.
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This man should not be here.
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[Anja Drake]

Friday. August 8th
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My mother and I went to the coast today, the weather was not the greatest but it was nice to be around the sea again. There isn’t another place on this earth that makes me feel so restless and calm all in one. I can hear the waves run up the shore and I can feel them splash against my feet, it is a wonderful feeling. It is windy today as well, I can smell the salt from the sea fill my senses, regardless of what some people think, the smell is unbelievable. I only wish I could share sensation with you Mr. Rhee, it is a unforgettable place.
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We plan to stay the whole weekend here. It will be nice to relax a little bit. I only wish I could see the sun rise and set, my mother always told me it was the most spectacular sight, especially over the sea. My mother swears that in the right light from the sun, you can see the horizon of Corsica (but I secretly think she is lying, she has a brilliant imagination).
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…Gino came along as well. It seems like he is always around now. I am happy for my mother regardless of how I feel about him. The two of them seem good together; however, I am not one to know much about relationships.
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Oh, we talked today. Gino and I. My mother insisted that we try and get to know each other, I’ll never be able to say no to that woman. The two of us went on a walk. He asked me about school. I didn’t tell him much, just I got to a special school in New York. For the most part, it was a very normal conversation, but after a while he asked me suddenly about my blindness. It really is not an odd question, to be honest. I have had several people ask me about it. But he wanted to know more and more. He asked me ‘how I can get around the way I do’…again, that is not an uncommon question, but he asked me to describe everything, I felt very uncomfortable. I did not tell him anything; I managed to avoid talking much about myself. I made up a story about not feeling well and he walked me back to the shelter we rented for the weekend.
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I tried to avoid him after our walk; I kept making up excuses to be alone. My mother was getting angry, I could tell, she is not happy with my behavior toward Gino. She does not understand. I would not go as far to say that I am afraid of him, Mr. Rhee, but I do not like him. He is a very strange person and I do not want to be around him.
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I have only been here a couple of days and I already want to leave. My heart just about stops every time he comes around. My powers boil in my stomach; I try to isolate myself to avoid any accidents with my transformation. But as the days go by and he is around, it gets harder and harder to handle myself.
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I wish the days would go by faster.
<o></o>
Anja Drake
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[Anja Drake]

Thursday, August 14^th
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The night was cold, colder than it should have been this time of year and despite Anja’s best efforts, she couldn’t get warm. Shorts, sweatpants, a long sleeved shirt, and two extra blankets did not diffuse the cold from spreading down to her very core. Anja shivered for the third time that minute and pulled the cocoon of blankets closer to her. The wind blew harshly outside and an eerie whistle ricocheted around the upstairs, through the rafters of the house. The trees around the house shook angrily in the wind and a small branch occasionally scraped across the window next to Anja’s bed.
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Anja closed her eyes and tried to shut out all the noise, but once again, her attempt was a failure. The young girl opened her eyes and sat up her in bed, the air was bitter cold. She untangled the blankets from her legs and stepped onto the cool wooden floor. Across the room, she found her adobe and pulled out a sweatshirt to add to her already extensive attire. Crossing to her desk near the end of her bed, she sat in a padded wooden chair.
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On her desk sat her electronic letter writer. It had been a while since she had written a letter to the professor, but she had just been too busy. After the weekend at the coast, Anja’s mother took her half a dozen places; Monday, the two of them went to the market place in Genoa, Tuesday and Wednesday, her mother took her on a over-night trip to Venice in order to go to the opera. She loved going on trips with her mother, she didn’t mind being dragged along, especially since it was just the two of them.
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Anja picked up the writing pointer and moved the pad in front of her.
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Dear Mr. Rhee,
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I am sorry, it has been a few days since I’ve been able to write. After the weekend at the coast, my mother took me all over northern Italy for a few fun trips. We went to the market one day, I always loved the market place when I was younger; the people, the fresh smell of everything, it is always a busy place, especially around this time of year. Then after that, my mother wanted to take me to Venice again. We went out for a nice dinner and also went to the opera. I have missed the opera, Professor. It is one of those places were you can feel every emotion and know the secret story line without even seeing what is happening. My mother has had tickets to this specific opera for nearly two months now; I have not seen her so girlishly happy before, it was like she was going to something she missed from her childhood.
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I do not have a lot to tell you about the last few days, although I have been a few places this week I would like to tell how I have been feeling, I have not been feeling like myself lately.
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I can not seem to escape this sense of uneasiness. I have a feeling in the pit of my stomach that will not leave, I feel sick. I can not eat very much, I try but I never feel hungry. Instead, I have that feel that tickles at the bottom of my gut. It feels like a pressure is building inside me…it does not feel like I will transform, but it is an awful feeling Mr. Rhee.
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I have been very tired lately too, although I can not sleep. I find myself dozing in and out of sleep during the day and then tossing and turning during the night. I do not think I have eaten anything strange either. I am confused.
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I hope this is just a minor phase. I will end for now Professor, after all it is very late here. I will write again and let you know if I am feeling better.
<o></o>
Ciao, Professor
Anja Drake
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The young mutant put down the pointer and printed the letter. In a few hours she would send it off. Until then, she climbed back into her bed and curled up among the blankets; the wind still battle fiercely with the trees outside and the quite tick tick tick of the branch against the window continued throughout the night. The morning would hopefully bring a new day.
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[Anja Drake]

Monday, August 18^th
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The weekend had past relatively slowly; the weather had been beautiful and Anja spent much of her time outdoors. For a few hours, she helped her mother in the garden; the flowers were just in the middle of blooming. The scent of the fine flowers were unmistakable, the sweet lingering smell with a small touch of bitterness mix in. As they picked the dead-heads off the blooming plants they talked endlessly, about schooling, about her mutation, about boys…anything. It was a good time, it was the bonding Anja had been expecting the first week she came back, but it was always better late then never.
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She still was not sleeping well, nor really eating a lot. She couldn’t help it, every time she would try to have a meal, the food only made her feel sick; although she did not tell her mother about either situation. She thought it would be better not to tell her mother.
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Now, Anja busied around the kitchen. It was her mother and Gino’s “whatever” month anniversary and Anja thought it would be nice of her to cook something for the couple. A traditional pasta dish was to be the main entrée, along with a meat sauce of savory spinach and basil seasoning. Earlier that weekend, she had bought an expensive bottle of finely aged Barolo wine especially for this occasion.
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Her hair was up in a loose bun high on her head and a navy blue bandana kept the remainder of her hair out of her face and more importantly out of the food. The penne noodles were at a constant simmer on top of the stove, the wine was chilled to perfection in a steel tin surrounded by ice, and Anja’s nimble fingers worked to cut fresh garden tomatoes to put into the meat sauce. The kitchen was much hotter than the rest of the house, despite the windows and door to the porch being open; Anja reached above the stove to turn on the fan…
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Right next to the switch for the fan, she felt something else, a small extra notch that she had never noticed before. Using her nails, she carefully pried the object off the underside of the fan lip. Turning away from the stove, she clasped the object in her hand.
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She brought her thumb gently over the surface; the object was small and the top of the object was smooth, where it had been attached to the fan. On the underside, the object had a grill like pattern, and small holes were scattered around the area. Anja had a puzzled look on her face, but the sound of water boiling over caught her attention. She quickly turned, set the object on the counter and tended to the noodles.
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She brought the pan to the sink and strained the water from the noodles. She heard her mother come down the stairwell with busy feet.
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“Baby, thank you so much for this.” Her mother came up beside her and watched as Anja shook the remaining water from the noodles in the strainer. “Gino will love it.”
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Anja tried to smile sincerely; she wasn’t doing this for him, she was doing it for her mother. “It is not a problem. When will he be here?”
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“Any minute now.”
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Anja felt for the cabinet, opened the door and withdrew two plates. She set them near the sink and began to place a heap of noodles onto both of the plates. She bustled around the kitchen, primping here, cleaning there, finishing up with the meal…all the while, she knew her mother was watching here.
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“Anja, are you alright?” Her mother finally asked. “You seem on edge lately. Are you feeling okay?”
<o></o>
Anja did not stop her mission and she proceed to bring out two Waterford crystal wine glasses that the Drake family had got on a trip to Ireland several years earlier. “I am fine, Ma. Just tired is all. I do not sleep well and I am tired.”
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Her mother was about to answer her, but was distracted. Anja could sense her reach for the object she had left on the counter. “Anja was it this?”
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She turned, looking at her mother. “I found that under there.” She pointed to the fan above the stove. “I was going to ask you if you knew what it was.”
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Her mother frowned. “I have no idea what thi-“ bing bing The bell at the door chimed…
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Before Anja even registered what had happen, her mother was hurrying toward the door. Her aura was flared with excitement. Gino was obviously at the door. Her heart beat rapidly and she instinctively focused on the object from earlier…she felt the need to hide it now. Weird.
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Without another moment past, Anja moved to the stove, picked up the sauce and drizzled it over the noodles. She could hear her mother and Gino talking in the welcome hall down the stairs to the front door. She placed the finished plates on the small table she had prepared and lit two small white candles that she had found laying around. She moved the wine to the table, along with the wine glasses…she could hear the voices getting closer.
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“-and Anja made us dinner.” Her mothers voice echoed up the stairs as the two came up and into the kitchen. Gino had his hand on her mother’s waist when Anja turned around. She smiled slightly and waved to him.
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“Thank you Anja, this was very gracious of you.”
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Anja backed to the counter and picked up the object behind her back, her heart fluttered…she felt weird, she hated feeling “weird”. “It was no problem at all, really.”
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She turned the fan off and moved around the table. “I will leave you now, I hope everything turned out as well as I planned” This was her poor attempt at humor as she tried to hurry past her mother and Gino.
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Gino stopped her though. “Wait, please join us Anja. You worked hard and you deserve some of your own meal.”
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She turned but continued to walk the other way. “No, really. I made the meal for you. Happy Anniversary.”
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She turned on her heal and bolted up the stairs, the object still tight in her grasp, she soon heard her mother speak again. The couple’s voices filled the main floor of the house, but they faded as Anja emerged onto the third floor of the house. She moved swiftly to her desk and pulled out her letter device. Anja set the small black object on the desk next to the device, she felt she needed to tell Professor Rhee. A strange feeling tugged at her heart and her skin grew hot…she expanded her sense around the room. She swore she could hear a soft ‘swooshing’ noise, something like radio static, but much much softer. Anja focused harder, but could not find the source.
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She sat down hard at her desk and began writing about the object she found…at the end, she placed the device inside the envelope as well. The next morning she would send the letter off, first thing. For the mean time, she placed the letter inside her desk drawer.
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Finally, as the drawer clicked shut, Anja was able to breathe. Her skin cooled slightly as she stood and plopped onto her bed. She shut her blind eyes and sighed into her pillow. Her muscles relaxed and she settled into her pillows. She could still hear the faint voices of her mother and Gino drifting up from the kitchen, the silverware clinking and laughter was the last thing she heard before she fell into slumber.
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[Anja Drake]

Deep in the forest, beyond the reach of anyone or anything, and definitely out of range of her own home, Anja sat idly in a clearing she had discovered many years before. It was the only place of pure solitude that she knew of; however, even this place, which was so far from everything else, seemed so crowded and disturbed. She had never felt so suffocated in one place before, it felt wrong.
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Her head hurt and her sense was off. She brought her hand to her head and began to rub her temple. There was a boiling sensation in her stomach and it was quickly spreading through her skin. It had been weeks since she had expressed her “other” side and with all the pressure around her, it was getting harder and harder to suppress her power. A year at the Institute had been very good for her, more than good, it had taught her a measurable amount of control. She was taught that the more practice she had with transforming, the more comfortable the process will begin to be; she needed to embrace her power, not fear it. Most of all, she had realized that her “other” side was not another being at all, but just a projection of her pent up emotions of mostly pain, anger, jealousy, regret, and fear. Throughout the year she was forced to admit that she was the same person, in her human form and in her transformed state. She had always knew that she was not possessed by some demon, just never aware that her feelings had been pushed into another bodied form.
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Presently, now that she was aware of this fact, life had been a bit easier to handle. The hardest part, however, was that she had to learn how to feel all of her emotions all over again. It was like reliving her childhood; over a year it had been and still was a hard process. From time to time, she would still revert back to her old ways of breaking down and shutting everything out, but overall, she felt much more comfortable about being a mutant. For a fact, she knew that she would not accidently hurt anyone anymore. For that, Anja was very thankful.
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The wind blew aggressively through the tree branches around her; quick gust would blow across her skin, making the fine hair on her arms and neck stand on end. She left the air out of her lungs slowly and let her mind drift into a peaceful state; she shut out the pressure she had been feeling for days and focused on simply mutating safely.
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Her skin turned pale, nearly paper white, the melanin seeming to melt away from her skin and draining into nothing. Nails turned to talons. Chocolate brown hair charred to black and hazel eyes disappeared into red, fire lined iris’. The hushed whoosh of long, wings emerging from smooth skin spread throughout the clearing. Anja’s pulse raced, but she knew she was still in control.
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She sat there. Fully transformed. The beast mutant stayed still, unmoving for what seemed like hours. On the outside, she seemed calm, serene, even for a monster. But on the inside, Anja’s emotions were flying. Everything anyone could feel flew left and right across her mind. She let herself feel all of these things. That was the difference. Feeling what she was meant to feel was much less destructive than bottling up her feelings and letting them destroy her.
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She breathed and left her “other” form shrink away. And when she returned to normal she smiled. Mr. Rhee would be proud of her control, she would write him later about the subject.
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But until then, she continued her pose and control. She would need to learn how to become her mutation in the blink of an eye without losing control. She knew she was a long way from learning that much control, but in her heart she knew she would achieve her goal.<o></o>

<o>---------------

</o> Barely two miles away, a van was parked. No movement inside. No evidence of anyone inside except for the click…click of a computer. Heat signals appeared on the monitor…and the device picking the signal up was faced into the woods.
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[Anja Drake]

“Anja!” Her mother’s voice came from downstairs. Anja heard her even over her music. She pulled off the headphones and stopped in the middle of her letter to the professor. “Baby, could you come down here, please?”
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“Sì, Mama. One minute!” She pushed back from her desk, saved her letter and began to walk down the stairs. Before she hit the bottom of the stairs, she could sense the excitement in the room below. Anja bounded into the kitchen. “Ma, what to you nee-…”
<o></o>
Her mother stood broiling with joy; she was nearly jumping out and down. Her hand was extended toward Anja, fingers pointed downward. “Baby!” her mother nearly squealed. “He proposed to me. Gino asked me to marry him!”
<o></o>
SILENCE
<o></o>
Anja’s heart had skipped a beat and her jaw dropped open. Her mother’s smile beamed and the floor shook slightly as her mother tapped her feet with excitement. Anja reached a hand to her mouth as she tried to recover. “M-mama, are you serious? You have not even known him that long.”
<o></o>
The happiness began to fade from the room, Anja knew she should not have said anything. “I love him, Anja.” Her mother’s voice had lost all excitement and was now completely serious. “I have never met anyone since your father that makes me feel the way Gino makes me feel. I think that is a sign, don’t you?”
<o></o>
Anja shook her head in disbelief and reached for her mother’s hand. She took it tightly in her hand and squeezed it gently. “Ma, I love you. And I would never try to block you from happiness, you know that. “ Anja tried to find her mother’s eyes.
<o></o>
“But I cannot help but feel that Gino is not the man for you.” Anja felt her mother try to pull away but she held her hand tight. “I-I just get a bad feeling around him, mom. I am sorry.”
<o></o>
Her mother sighed and sat down next to her daughter. “He makes me feel wonderful, Anja. He has done nothing wrong and I do not see how you cannot like him. I have noticed your agitation around him but you never said anything.”
<o></o>
“Because I never wanted to hurt you, ma. Seeing you happy is one of the best feelings for me in the world.” Anja burst out. She faced her mother and narrowed her eyebrows in a certain pain. “I want you to be happy. But why him?”
<o></o>
Her mother didn’t say anything for a while. Anja searched her mother’s face, questioning…wanting to know.
<o></o>
“Baby, he came to me like a dream. You were gone and I was alone in this house. He filled the void and made me happy again. I love him and he loves me. I want to marry him.”
<o></o>
Anja looked down at their clasped hands. She squeezed her mother’s hand, she felt the ring on her mother’s finger. “I am glad you are happy. But I am sorry. I still do not like him. I will try and get to know him….for you.”
<o></o>
She sensed her mother’s smile return and took it as a sign to dismiss herself. She retreated up the stairs, halfway up she turned back to her mother. “Ma, that ring is really beautiful. Congratulations.”
<o></o>
Her mother beamed brighter. “Thank you baby.”
<o></o>
She continued until she was in her room. The chocolate haired girl pulled the seat out at her desk and sat down; she set her head in her hands and took a deep breath. She hadn’t expected this to happen. And it was making the sinking feeling in her stomach even more unbearable. She knew she couldn’t keep her promise she had just made to her mother; the man had something wrong with him.
<o></o>
After a moment she put her hands down, her mind spinning and trying to sort out her opinions. Finally, she picked up the pointer for her letter and placed it on the pad for her writings.
<o>
-------------------------------

</o> Mr. Rhee…I just found out in the last few minutes that my mother is engaged to Gino. I… I do not know what to do. I cannot approve of this decision. Gino, there is something off about him; like he is trying to find out everything about my mother’s life. I cannot stay here much longer; that may sound selfish of me, but I cannot be here if my mother marries him. I will be coming back sooner than I thought…than anyone thought I suppose.
<o></o>
I will purchase a plane ticket back to New York within the next week. This will be my last letter in the meantime. I will see you soon enough. I have much to tell you when I get back.
<o></o>
See you soon Professor.
<o></o>

Much love,
Anja
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[Anja Drake]

September 1^st. Last documented day.
<o></o>
Anja Drake was awaken by the sensation that she was being suffocated. Abruptly she sat up in her bed, gasping for breath, her hand at her throat trying to rub the feeling away. The nightmare that had consumed her moments earlier still held a feeling a fear in her. The young women tried to catch her breath and relax, but she only seemed to panic a bit more when she realized that she could not sense anything outside her room. She struggled out of her sheets and stumbled onto the floor; the lack of her senses was causing her to be off balance, she could barely keep her footing. Something was not right.
<o></o>
She instinctively gathered up the device on which she wrote her letters, although Anja was not quite sure why she felt compelled to carry the device with her.
<o></o>
Cautiously, the mutant made her way to her bedroom stairwell; she stood a moment to balance and noticed the house was abnormally quiet. She couldn’t hear the wind against the siding or the noises from the kitchen appliances…complete and utter silence was all to be heard. And she immediately felt a sense of undeniable dread sweep over her as she began to descend down the stairs. As she went, she clutched the device to her chest so hard she thought she might break the device; she did not notice that her constant clutching caused a tiny red light to start blinking on the device.
<o></o>
Anja had never felt so blind in her life; blind to the world and her sense was confined to only a few feet in front of her feet. Uneasily she tip toed down a hallway to her mother’s room, maneuvering around furniture as best she could with the unknown reason for her handicap. Everything was a dark gray for her as she tried to find the doorknob to her mother’s room. Trying to be as quiet as possible, Anja opened the door…
<o></o>
Despite her efforts, the door creaked loudly, causing the young woman to flinch. Nevertheless, she stepped into her mother’s room. “Ma.” She said barely above a whisper, trying not to startle her mother out of her slumber. “Something is wrong with…”
<o></o>
Anja had pulled the blanket back from her mother’s bed and was immediately overwhelmed by a horrible stench. Anja screamed suddenly and back peddled across the room until her back hit the back of the door, causing it to slam shut. “No.” Anja fell to her knees, dropping her writing device in the process. The mutant cried out again in unbelievable pain. The room began to fill with the awful smell; it caused Anja’s stomach to turn, she had smelled the scent many times before. The smell of blood…lots of it spilled into her senses, soon followed by the inevitable feeling of death.
<o></o>
Anja’s hands clutched at her chest, the pain was overwhelming. She yelled out in disbelief, fear, horror and anything else she could muster. How did she not sense this happen. Her strength was leaving her as she sobbed harshly; tears were being wrenched from her eyes. Slowly, she crawled to the end of her mother’s bed, this couldn’t be true. The smell was so horrid, it caused Anja to gag. She managed to find the edge of the bed and she began to feel her way to the headboard. The young woman didn’t make it far before she felt ice. Her mother’s hand lay extended over the side of the bed, cold as ice. Anja gasped out a sound that barely seemed human. Her vocal cords constricted as sobs racked through her core and came out in pitful cries. Anja grasped the dead woman’s hand desperately, trying to will her back to life. It took her a moment to realize that the hand she clung to so harshly was damp with a dark substance. Anja placed her head against her mother’s hand in her glasped hands. God, why? How?!
<o></o>
Blood now covered her hands and forehead, her mother’s blood. Through all her commotion and cries, the young mutant did not hear the several vehicles pull up in front of the house…
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[Anja Drake]

Minutes past and Anja finally began to quite her sobs; her eyes were swollen, chest sore, throat coarse and her spirit felt shattered. The house was quiet, deathly quiet; the only thing that could be heard was the thump of her own heartbeat. The faint tick of the old grandfather clock the Drake family had past down from generation was also heard from downstairs. Anja drew a shaky breath in and swallowed the lump in the back of her throat.
<o></o>
Reality hit her. Her mother was dead and someone had killed her; she dropped her mother’s stiff, icy hand. She had to call the police.
<o></o>
Quickly she stood and stumbled around the bed to the other side; she picked up the phone at her mother’s night table. She brought the phone to her ear and her heart stopped. There was no dial tone, nothing at all.
<o></o>
That’s when she heard them; foot steps on the stairs, lots of them. Time slowed down; the phone fell from her hand and she turned…the doorway was already several men flooding into the room. Flashlights found her figure in the darkness and held her steady; the bright blur that invaded her senses caused her to bring her arms up to shield her face. She couldn’t breathe; the sound of cocking guns filled the room and the moment seemed to stand still.
<o></o>
She heard shuffling from the doorway and a familiar aura enter the room…
<o></o>
”…you…” was the only thing she could choke out. There stood her mother’s finance, Gino, amongst nearly ten other men in the room, men with guns.
<o></o>
“My dear, I see you found your mother.” Gino’s voice was like a gun shot itself. “Such a waste, but very much necessary.”
<o></o>
The look of confusion on her face must have given him an urge to explain. “I have always been after you, Anja. You are the special one in this family; the people I work for could learn so much from your disease. I can assure you that the labs we have will be kind to you.”
<o></o>
She lowered her arm from the lights; taking the blasting light with full force. “You killed my mother.”
<o></o>
Her hands shook with rage; her mother didn’t deserved to die, not for her. “Anja, listen. We will not hurt you. Just come along and there will be no more heart ache for you. We can help you.”
<o></o>
Again, she heard more shuffling and two men began to advance toward her. The young girl clasped her hand into fists; this couldn’t be happening. Before she knew it, the two men were within arms reached. She backed against the wall, pulling as far away as she could.
<o></o>
Not like this. Not like this.
<o></o>
--------------------------------------------------
<o></o>
“Sir, evident transformation!”
<o></o>
“Anja, stop now!”
<o></o>
Talons slashed everywhere and anything; walls, floor, bedding, armor, men’s flesh.
<o></o>
“ARHH!”
<o></o>
“Shoot her now!”
<o></o>
“Switch to darts.”
<o></o>
“Roger.”
<o></o>
Anja was in full transformation and in full rage. Even though she knew deep down that she would not escape this, she had to put up strong resistance.
<o></o>
The shrieks of a pained, angry mutant filled the air, along with a chorus of gunshots…before a sudden silence fell upon the isolated estate…
<o></o>
Soon…vehicles started and sped away from the broken home. The outside was hauntingly perfect. The inside looked like a war zone…and where the war was first set in motion, a small device lay abandoned. A red blinking light still persisted…even in the evident death that was once the Drake home.
<o></o>
BATTERY LIFE LOW. POWER SUPPLY NEEDED.




END
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