Results of the Last (sorta) Contest

Many moons ago I commanded you to write me a story. Here was the prompt:

A young girl commits an act so horrible that she is locked away in a mental institution. As the extended family gathers to comfort the girl's parents, it occurs to an uncle that the situation is suspiciously similar to an event involving his two brothers thirty years before. His youngest brother died as a result, and his other brother, the girl's father, was the only witness. Did the girl's mental instability come from her father, did this instability cause him to kill the youngest brother, and what might happen if a concerned uncle brings the subject up after the rest of the family has gone to bed?

You might also consider the wider implications of the genetic madness. Does the patriarch of the family also hide a dark side? What about the uncle, does darkness lurk in his soul, waiting for the right moment to take control, or has it done so in the past only to be buried in the deepest reaches of his subconscious memory by his better nature? Think about it, play with it, and see what you come up with.

With one exception, your answer was a resounding "No!" Now I give you the the fruit of that one exceptional person's labor.

Mutiny

Wendy Berndt
Anne was laying on the psychiatrist’s couch, looking out the window. Her brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail that she was chewing. She was wearing a pair of ragged old jeans with a black t-shirt that had a skull and cross bones on it.

Hearing the door unlock, she turned her head and saw a new doctor enter the room. She had been through two yesterday and she didn’t have high hopes for number three.

As the new doctor sat in the chair, he pulled the glasses from the top of his head so he could read her file. After a few moments, he looked over the top of his glasses at the girl on the couch. “You started a mutiny at the homecoming assembly?” Dr. Jon Benson asked and looked down at his notes again. He rubbed his forehead and looked back to the girl on the couch. Shaking his head, he repeated “A mutiny?”

Anne, who was really getting tired of this question, replied tersely, “Yep.” followed by a deep sigh.

“How did you do that?” Dr. Benson asked as he put down the file to give his full attention to Anne.

Sighing again, Anne replied as if repeating a lesson she had memorized, “I jumped out of the bleachers, took the microphone from the gym teacher, cried ‘Down with Homecoming’ and half of the senior class followed. Then we tied up the principal and teachers.” Anne said all this with little enthusiasm.

“Um, yes” Dr. Benson cleared his throat. “About tying up the teachers, they weren’t the only ones you tied up, were they?” Anne was looking out the window, trying to ignore the Dr. “Anne?” the he repeated.

“Nooooo.” Anne prevaricated, looking down at her hands. Dr. Benson just kept looking at her. “We also tied up the cheerleaders.” Anne said. She grinned and looked up at Dr. Benson. “That was the fun part!” she gushed quite excited now.

Dr. Benson looked at her over his steepled hands. “Can you tell me why that was, Anne?” he asked.

“Cheerleaders are annoying, and I don’t like them,” she said, scrunching her face up. “I don’t like assemblies either. I really don’t like assemblies.” She repeated.

Dr Benson, looking very confused, asked, “If you don’t like assemblies, why did you go to this one?”

A laugh escaped from Anne. “Dr. Benson you are too funny!” Anne exclaimed. “Like I had a choice!” She laughed again. Looking at the Dr, she tried to explain, “I have to go to school, right?” Anne asked. When Dr. Benson didn’t answer, she repeated the question, “Right?”

“Yes Anne, you do have to go to school.” Dr. Benson answered shortly.

“Well,” Anne explained, “I skipped the assembly last year and I was given in-school suspension as punishment. The suspension was a big old waste of time.” Anne said rolling her eyes and shaking her head. “Anyway, I decided this year I would try to have fun at the assembly.” She shrugged her shoulders. “It seemed a simple enough plan at the time, but I sure didn’t see this coming. I was figuring on suspension again.” Almost under her breath she added, “How do you commit someone like this, honestly?”

“Well,” Dr. Benson agreed, “The best laid plans of mice and men I guess…” He flipped to the last page of her file, “Since we were unable to get in touch with your father, we got a hold of your grandfather.” Dr. Benson said looking up to see her reaction.

A big smile lit up her face. “Really, granddad” she said looking at the doctor. “He’ll get a laugh out of this one!!” she crowed. Laughing to herself, she rolled over on the couch and looked out the window.

Dr. Benson got up and locked the door behind him as he left the room. He stopped at Dr. Reed’s office and knocked on the door.

“Come in” Dr. Reed called from behind his desk, turning in his chair to face the door as Dr. Benson walked into his office. “Jon” he greeted, “please have a seat!” Jon sat down.

Looking uneasily over at Robert, Jon blurted out, “Is Anne really your niece?”

Sighing, Robert looked over at Jon. Finally he answered, “Yes.” Taking off his glasses, Robert pinched the bridge of his nose. “Anne is my brother’s daughter.” Shaking his head he added, “She definitely takes after my dad’s side of the family.” Not knowing what to say, Jon just looked at Robert.

Robert smiled at Jon. “Don’t get me wrong, Dad and Eddie are smart. They are just a bit, odd.” Wanting to explain the situation better, Robert got up and walked around his desk to sit on the edge nearest Jon. “It’s like this,” Robert tried. “Dad has always been interested in pirates. When he was a little boy, his parents took him to see an exhibit on Blackbeard, you know, Edward Teach. Dad has been obsessed with pirates ever since then. He went to medical college and graduated with a degree in DNA studies. Dad believes that, no matter what any of the circumstances are at your birth; the decade, your race, your gender; when you are born, your genes dictate who or what you will become.”

“Specifically, Dad thought, and still thinks, Blackbeard would have been a rebel in any society, not just the early eighteenth century. To prove his theory, dad needed a child with Edward’s DNA. Unfortunately for dad, cloning is illegal, so he had to create a fetus in the lab. It couldn’t be an exact match, so he modified some of the DNA to match Edward’s. He used a surrogate to give birth and then raised Edward as his own son. A few years later, he met and married my mom and I was born. As we grew up we both knew what Dad was trying to do. When we got older, we both decided to study science. I went for psychiatry but Ed is truly his father’s son and followed in Dad’s footsteps. Ed’s daughter, Anne, was modified in the lab just like Ed was, but other than being female, she has the exact DNA of Edward Teach.” Robert finished up.

Looking around, Jon said with a half smile “Okay, you got me! Where is the hidden camera?” After a few minutes, Jon smile started to slip. “Is this for real?” he asked, still waiting for the film crew to jump out from behind a door. “Robert? Are you serious?” Jon asked, not quite able to believe what he had just heard.

Robert nodded his head. “Yes. If you get right down to it Eddie and Anne are science experiments. Ed is just as fascinated as Dad with the DNA studies and was able to expand on what dad started. Anne is my dad’s granddaughter, but she is also a close copy of one of the most notorious pirates in history. Dad and Ed will be pleased that she started a “mutiny” at school. She doesn’t know she has been genetically modified and therefore doesn’t know her real family history.

“Wow” was all Jon had to say. As he was opening his mouth to ask another question, the door was opened and Dr. Charles Reed entered.

“Robbie!” Charles cried out, “Come give your dad a hug!” He engulfed Robert in a bear hug. “Was I right? Is she evil? She gets it from her father!” he exclaimed, smiling. “I guess you could say she gets it from her grandfather too, but we’ll give Ed the credit for this one.” He winked over at Jon like a proud new papa and let Robert go. “Are you going to introduce us?” he asked looking over at Dr. Benson.

Rob came over and said, “Jon, this is my dad, also a Dr. Reed. Dad, this is Dr. Jon Benson, he just came from talking to Anne.” Jon said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you sir. You have a smart son here.” Charles shook Jon’s hand not really listing to him.

Looking from one to the other Charles asked, “So, how is Anne holding up? Where have you got her?” He waited for his answer.

Jon cleared his throat, “Well Dr. Reed, we have her down the hall, locked in a room for observation.”

Robert added, “The boarding school called the police when they couldn’t reach Ed, and they decided to bring her here. She has put quite a number of students in danger with her stunt and the authorities have had her committed until she can be evaluated to determine if she is a hazard to herself or others.”

Charles looked at his son in a kind of shocked awe.