“What kind of science fiction are you cooking up in your lab now? And will it cause us to flee to a hotel again?”
“That only happened once, and you know it wasn’t my fault.” A few years ago, one of the lab assistants had monkey-napped one of the monkeys we were testing on. He was a member of one of the animal activist groups and we didn’t realize it until it was too late. He’d leaked our personal information to the activists and released all the animals throughout the building. It was chaos. When the group realized I was heading the research, they started harassing me at home. They had thrown rotten fruit at my windows, and had even spray-painted my car with vulgar expletives, all in the name of getting me to halt research. It got so bad, I was worried about them finding out where Ash and Katie lived, too. I had asked them to stay at a hotel for a few weeks, until things calmed down again.
“Security has gotten a lot better since that happened. And it was just some rotten fruit and spray paint. Not a big deal at all.”
“Right.”
“We have some new medications we’re testing. If all goes well, it should revolutionize the way we treat people. Genetically specific medications, isn’t that crazy?” I knew she could appreciate this, it had been my passion since graduation, and I was finally able to start working on it. “It’s another reason I’m having doubts about this vacation. We finally have the green light from our boss, and I’m leaving. We’ve been isolating different codes to see how manipulations affect the specimen. In another decade or so, we should have genetically specific treatments for patients suffering from anything from cancer to the common cold. It’s groundbreaking work, and I’m just supposed to waltz off in the middle of it?”
“It sounds great, Tash, but it also kind of freaks me out. I am glad it makes you happy though.” She yawned. “You’d think it’d be easy for me to stay up all night, every night, being a night nurse. As soon as I get home, though, I’m done. You should try to get some sleep, too.”
I nodded absentmindedly. I wasn’t going to sleep tonight, and we both knew it. I would, however, enjoy a nice, hot bath. I slowly uncoiled myself from the couch and stretched. A bath would be wonderful. I’d always loved the water. I found it unbelievably soothing. It was a wonder that I lived in the desert.
After my bath, I stretched out on my bed, the warm water had soothed my muscles, and despite my nerves, I drifted off to sleep. I’d had a recurring dream since I was a child about a strange land where people shimmered as though their skin was lit by something within. It was similar to the bioluminescence that deep-sea creatures have—an evolutionary trait that lures prey into a false sense of security before death. Everyone in my dream is beautiful, with their slight, simple glow. I’m never a part of the dream, always an observer.
Each time I’d had the dream it was the same. I’d feel myself drifting off, and suddenly I’d be standing next to a table in a large room. There are always many people walking around, giving the table I stand near a wide berth. Seated alone at that table is a man with long, inky hair, hunched over. He’s engrossed with what he’s working on, and never looks up. I walk around that table, trying to figure out what he’s working on, or to see his face, but all I ever see is the top of his head. Then I wake up.
THE NEXT morning Katie and Ashlyn walked into the kitchen as I was making breakfast.
“You ready for your trip, Tash? I still can’t believe I’m going to miss your 30th birthday.” Katie combed her fingers through her hair. “You need this though, and I’m so excited for you.”
“I think so, but I want to check my stuff again. I feel uneasy, like I’m forgetting something. Are you sure you guys will be okay while I’m gone?” I handed her a plate of egg whites, wheat toast, and organic OJ. She was such a health nut.
“I’m sure you have everything. You’ve been packed for days now. And stop worrying! We’ll be fine. Have fun!” She smiled and kissed Ashlyn on the forehead. “Hey pumpkin, eat up so we can take Aunt Tash to the airport. I don’t want you any later for school than we’re already going to be. What did you two get up to last night while I was at work?”
“Auntie Tasha made up a really lame fairy tale and told it to me. But we had cookie sandwiches and they were so yummy that they made up for the bad story,” Ashlyn explained.
“Ash, you stinker! That was supposed to be our secret.” I stuck my tongue out at her and crossed my eyes, she giggled.
“I hope you left some for me. You make the best cookie sandwiches. What time is it?” Katie glanced at her watch. “Crap. Ashlyn, go brush your teeth. Tash, do you need help putting your bags in the car?”
My sister and I are so anal retentive, we made it to the airport with plenty of time to check my bags, and make it to the security gate. Somehow, we managed to do it all without crying. I gave Katie and Ashlyn both hugs when they dropped me off and felt a mix of sadness and exhilaration. I wiped a tear away from Ashlyn’s cheek.
“None of that, I’ll be back in one week. I’m going to miss you both so much, but I’ll call when I arrive in Miami.” I kissed Ashlyn one more time and made my way to the line through security. They both kept up waving
