Read Online Teen Frankenstein by Chandler Baker - Free Book Online

can there?”
    Owen rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I don’t know. I mean, twelve hours ago I might not have thought any of this was possible. We’re kind of dealing with the definition of uncharted territory here. How do you feel right now?” he asked. The boy’s brow lowered and his chin dimpled. “For instance, are you sad?”
    The boy touched the back of his hand where I’d pinched it. “I don’t know. I’m not sure.” His jaw changed shape, teeth grinding beneath the surface, but otherwise his features remained impassive. Empty .
    â€œThat could just as easily be the lack of memory, though,” I figured. “Without memories, what’s there to be sad about, you know?”
    â€œAmazing,” Owen whispered, and we both stood for a moment, he and I, basking in the secrets of the universe that the two of us had unlocked. “He’s truly a blank slate. Like a newborn baby in a teenager’s body.”
    â€œFor some reason I don’t think we’re going to be able to hire a babysitter for this one.”
    â€œSo then what?” Owen asked. “We can’t exactly hide him here forever.”
    â€œWe don’t. Hide him, I mean.” I held the vial and deposited the contents of the syringe into it, then capped it with a rubber plug. With a marker I labeled it Day 1 . “You’re about our age, right?” The boy looked from side to side as if he wasn’t sure I was talking to him. “Right, stupid question. What I mean is, he comes to school with us.”
    I stepped back and studied the two guys in the room. Compared with Owen, the strange boy was about four sizes bigger. His chest swelled where Owen’s caved inward, but the boy, I thought, could pass for one of the athletes. Maybe.
    I rubbed my temples. I was suffering from severe caffeine and sleep deprivation. If this ended up being a horrible plan, I could blame it on both.
    Owen sighed. “He needs a name if we’re going to make this work. I repeat, if .” As though we had another choice. “You want a name, don’t you, buddy?”
    The boy cracked his neck. The popping of bones sent shivers down my back. “What kind of name?” he asked.
    â€œI don’t know. Whatever kind of name you like,” I said, depositing the blood sample onto a test-tube rack.
    â€œYou can’t use Owen,” Owen butted in. “That’s taken.”
    â€œLike anyone would want it.” I rolled my eyes. “Open your mouth wide.” He obeyed and I swabbed his mouth with a Q-tip, which I deposited into another vial for later testing.
    The boy smacked his lips when I had finished, and I could practically see the cogs turning. Finally, once I’d shifted my weight several times over, he spoke. “Victoria, could you please choose?”
    A pocket of air bubbled inside my chest. I couldn’t swallow, and just when I thought I’d refuse the honor, it came to me like a vision. It was inspired. It was biblical. It was hard proof that I hadn’t quite slept through all my Sunday school classes and that, occasionally, I listened to my mom.
    â€œI’ve got it,” I said, breaking into a broad smile. “Your name, I think, is Adam.”

 
    NINE
    Preliminary test results taken within first 24 hours for processing: red blood cells uniform in size representative of 40% of total blood consistency; white blood cell count normal; blood serum—colorless, clear, without parasites or other bacteria; saliva pH—6.5
    Conclusion: Safe for general population; will proceed with next stage of the experiment
    *   *   *
    Adam had now been alive—or dead, depending on how you looked at things—for over twenty-four hours. The previous day had passed with preparations and another near-sleepless night as I fretted over the details of my plan to take a corpse to Hollow Pines High School.
    â€œOne last