Missing Pieces

“I always knew it was a risk. Erskine told me right from the start that it might happen, but… I didn’t care. I sort of figured I was already in that boat to begin with. At least after the serum I’d be healthy.” Stephanie frowned at her fingers, laced together firmly in her lap and trembling ever so slightly as she spoke. She could feel the slick sweat of her palms almost as keenly as the flush burning her face. “They were offering me a second chance, a clean bill of health and a better life. When you’ve practically got one foot in the grave, you don’t put much thought into the future.”