I have to admit that when I heard the old stranger mention they would be conducting complete tests on me, I ignored his words. Of course, the phrase “complete tests” stirred some thoughts, but I decided not to dwell on it. Deep down, I knew it would be difficult for them to hurt me.
Sure, my body felt like jelly, but hey, I had an incredible regeneration ability and felt no pain whatsoever. Plus, I could always escape by using my power to move through shadows. With all that in mind, I dismissed the possibility that the next day they would try to conduct bizarre experiments on me.
Unfortunately, the next day arrived. I was peacefully lying in my bed, watching some morning shows, when the door to my room, which also served as a containment room, swung open. The first thing I saw was Laura coming in, carrying a glass aquarium.
Laura approached me, wearing a guilty look on her face. As soon as I turned my gaze to her, I noticed her remorseful expression intensified; she quickly turned her face away. Although I wasn’t sure why, I suspected it had to do with what the old guy said yesterday.
“Uhhhhh... Sorry, Ms. Anomaly, but you’re practically invincible, aren’t you? I’m sure you’ll be fine, even if they’re a bit rough with you... right?”
No, she didn’t need to ask that, since she knew I wouldn’t respond in any way—after all, I can’t speak. By the way, Laura had put some candies inside the aquarium, the ones I had consumed the most since arriving at this place. However, I found it curious that she thought I could be convinced just by candies.
I knew I would get into the aquarium, not because the candies were enticing, but because things could get complicated for Laura and Emily if I didn’t. It’s important to clarify that my decision wasn’t about them.
Laura began pushing the aquarium. To be honest, I wasn’t particularly nervous, even knowing that I would probably undergo some uncomfortable tests. After all, I wasn’t even human anymore. Plus, I had confidence in my abilities; if things got really serious, I would just run away.
“Is she? This is the first time I’m seeing her in person. I heard the director is quite interested in her... what was her name again?”
“I don’t think they’ve classified her yet, and we’re not sure about her danger level either”
“Anyway, I sincerely hope she’ll be okay. To be honest, spending so much time surrounded by these bizarre anomalies that completely defy logic makes me question whether humans are truly the dominant race. Sometimes, I have nightmares that, from my perspective, are worse than death”
“I know how you feel. I still tremble when I remember the containment breach of [Shadow]. I don’t know if it’s good or bad not to remember anything that happened back then”
“Who knows? As they say, sometimes ignorance is bliss”
As Laura led me through the facility’s hallways, conversations flowed naturally as we passed scientists. In fact, this wasn’t the first time this happened. Although I don’t want to brag, I’m pretty popular here.
Even though I hadn’t encountered any other anomalies besides that shadow—because honestly, if I started snooping around, I’d probably cause some disaster—this awareness kept me from randomly entering other anomalies’ rooms. Getting back to the point, the fact that my appearance closely resembled that of a cute girl made everyone in the facility feel comfortable around me.
Of course, Laura was the only exception who really got physically close to me. Most of the scientists actually tended to observe me only through the clear glass. Although I didn’t like to admit it, I had become a sort of stress reliever for the scientists and staff.
Setting that aside, we continued down the hallway until we reached a huge reinforced metal door. To be honest, I hadn’t paid much attention to the path up to this point, as I was focused on the candies. However, I knew this place was relatively far from my room.
The door opened with a bang, interrupting my thoughts. Honestly, the scene looked like something out of a sci-fi movie—were we entering Area 51 or something like that? Jokes aside, Laura led me inside. The space was enormous, probably three times larger than my already spacious room. However, despite its size, the environment was bare, with nothing but empty space.
In the end, Laura just took me to the center of the room and opened the aquarium for me to get out. After that, she walked to the exit and disappeared, leaving the door to close behind her. I, on the other hand, stayed inside the aquarium for a few seconds, processing everything, before finally getting out and looking around, confused.
(And now? What happens?)
Despite trying to maintain a positive mindset, Emily couldn’t smile and say she would have a good day. Today would mark the start of intensive tests on the new anomaly discovered in the forest, a procedure that she should have initiated as soon as the anomaly was identified. However, various factors piled up, forcing Emily to delay these tests.
Emily wasn’t hypocritical; her work as a researcher gave meaning to her life. Discovering and studying anomalies was the only way she felt at peace with herself, especially considering that the tragedies of that day were inevitable.
However, Emily wasn’t ungrateful. Although she didn’t know if the little anomaly’s goal was truly to save her, it was undeniable that, on that day, it kept her from a fate worse than death. Of course, Emily still intended to conduct more intensive tests, albeit with caution. Unfortunately, the director had very different ideas about that.
In the end, Emily just prayed that the little anomaly would manage to get through the tests without major issues. Although she knew that in the past she would have found it funny if someone told her she would be worried about an anomaly, what could she do about it? The human heart was intrinsically complicated, and in many ways, it could be described as an anomaly.