I turned around, startled. Who was it? I was sure no one had seen me.

It was India. "What are you doing here?" she said, her eyes narrowed. Luckily I was used to being caught, because when I was scavenging in the wreckage of New York, I sometimes got caught. Rarely but I had been caught enough times that I had become a good liar.

"I was lost," I said quickly,"And I thought this was the kitchen." India pursed her lips. "It says "Keep out" on it,"she said, pointing out the obvious. Fortunately I had thought of that too. "I'm dyslexic," I lied,"It's really bad. Can barely read a thing." India didn't looked fooled. She opened her mouth to say something. I got prepared for her scolding.

"I see,"she said,"Well, I don't want to see you down here again. You're not allowed in there." I nodded and rushed off, my heart in my mouth.

I lay down in my bed. That had been close. Too close for my liking. Why wasn't I allowed in there? My thoughts drifted back to the old woman. She could've been right. Right now, I believed her more than ever. India acted really suspicious when she saw me at the door

I didn't like this place anymore. It seemed to be perfect on the surface, but underneath it was wrapped in secrets. Secrets and lies. Just like everything in this place.

My door banged open. It was Dominic. His manner was stiff and emotionless as usual, but he had a icy fire in his eyes.

"What was the one thing I told you not to do?" he said, calmly but I could see his anger,"The one thing, Annabel! One thing!" "Look, I'm sorry," I apologized. "Sorry is just a meaningless word. It does nothing!" Dominic said, harsher than his usual tone.

"Why?" I asked. My curiosity was going to kill me some day. Dominic looked at me. "Why what?" he said,monotonously. "Why amn't I allowed in there?" I asked. There must be a reason that he was telling this.

His face fell. "I don't know," he said, looking hopeless. "What?" I said, incredulous. He had to know! "I don't know," he repeated,"I don't know why I am trying to stop you. "Dominic this isn't funny!" I said angrily.

"I told you, I don't know!" Dominic whispered harshly,"And keep your voice down, they'll hear you." He put his finger on my lips. "Why don't you know?" I whispered, confused by him saying, 'they'll hear you'. Who would want to listen to us?

"Genetically-Modified Humans have frequent mind-wipes,"he whispered back,"At least, that's what I think. I haven't figured it out yet, but it's the theory that makes the most sense. There is something the government doesn't want us to remember. I get fragments of memories, every now then. Then they call me for a mind wipe. I haven't had one in forty-two years. They change your identity, I think, and it's as if you have become a new person. I don't know if this is correct, it's just theories. It would explain why I didn't know the reason I told you not to go near the door."

I didn't say anything. Maybe our government was hiding something. "Now, I'd better leave you, they will get suspicious if I stay for too long."
Dominic left my room, leaving me with a million thoughts floating around my head. I didn't know what to do.

I knew the government was up to something. And I wanted to know what. My curiosity wasn't always an asset. I lay in my bed, my thoughts centred around the government and the old woman. She knew about the government. She knew more than I did anyway. When this was over I was going to find her.

If I got through this. I was scared. Fear felt like ice in my veins and it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. But fear is a self-defense mechanism. I wasn't going to fight my fear. I was going to use it to my advantage.

I walked downstairs. I grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl in the kitchen and bit into it. The sour juice dripped from my mouth and I savoured the taste. I hadn't had an apple before. Because they were from Psainia (formerly known as Spain) and were difficult to get and expensive to buy, only the rich had them.

The cook shooed me out of the kitchen again. I had my apple though and that was mattered to me at the moment. I shoved my scared, suspicious and bleak thoughts into a dark corner of my mind.

The loud speaker started up. It didn't crackle like the ones in the town square and in the shops. It opened up smoothly and quietly, and a beautiful musical female voice came from it. But my thoughts were on the words that left the woman's lips.

"Could Annabel Bendis please come to floor 79 and go to room 476. Thank you."

They were going to do something to me. They were going to experiment on me.