Creature of Unknown Origin

34

“How’s Delia?” I asked when there was no more cereal to shield me from the conversation

I knew bore down on both our minds.

“She’s good, insisted on driving herself home, but that’s Delia for ya.” Spencer shook his

head, rubbing the back of his neck. “How are you doing?”

I shrugged, avoiding his gaze as I got up and placed my bowl in the sink. “Fine. My

memory’s pretty much back, so…”

“That’s great!” I didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that Spencer’s enthusiasm was

stiff and barely genuine. “Do you need to call someone, or—”

“No, no, there’s no one to call… at least I don’t think so.” I took a deep breath and steadied

myself at the kitchen sink before I turned and faced Spencer head-on. He needed to know the truth,

or what I thought was the truth. “I don’t think I’m from here.”

“ Well, that’s okay, I don’t mind helping you home or meeting someone halfway or

whatever you want t o do,” Spencer started, but I stopped him with a shake of my head.

“No, I mean I’m not from this world — universe — u h, whatever. I’m not from here. You

saw… I may not be a monster, but I definitely don’t belong here. Those people, Dr. Richards, they

brought m e here. I don’t know how or why, but I know it.”

Spencer stared at me, unblinking. Seconds ticked by in silence before he finally said

something. “Then how do we get you back home?”

“I don’t know. All I remember is standing in my living room and then waking up like I’d

fainted, except I wasn’t in my living room anymore. I was…” I paused, trying to force the

memories to clear, but they didn’t. However they brought me here must’ve done more damage to

my mind than I’d previously thought. “I don’t know where I was. From there, it’s a little fuzzy

until I broke out of where ever that was and started running.”

“Howie knows where the ‘lab’ is, maybe there’s something there that could help us, maybe

we can even figure out how to get you home again,” Spencer offered hopefully.

“I don’t know if I want to,” I said quietly, a vague notion I intended to keep between myself

and the kitchen floor.

“You don’t… you don’t want to go home?” Spencer sputtered, leaning forward in his chair.

I shrugged again, biting my lip. My eyes fluttered shut for only a heartbeat, but when they

opened, I found a taken aback Spencer studying me intently. “I mean, yeah. I like it here, in this

world. It’s… safer… and calmer and there’s… I like it here.”