Dr Erica Bloom (Class 2) and her daughter Lucy (Class 1)

Dr Erica Bloom was running late. She’d promised her daughter Lucy that she’d pick her up from cheerleading practise at 5:00, and seeing as it was 4:50 now and the school was 20 minutes from the lab, she already knew she wasn’t going to make it in time… again.

Erica had always struggled with her work-life balance; her work as a virologist at Silverlake lab was demanding, but sometimes it felt like a breeze compared with being a single mother to a high-school senior. Erica had gotten pregnant with Lucy at 20, and remembered how difficult the early years had been; Lucy’s father had skipped town as soon as he’d found out and she had been left studying for her doctorate and looking after a new-born at the same time.

Somehow she’d managed it, and at 38 Erica was now a senior virologist at Silverlake lab, one of the most prestigious research centres for disease control in the world.

Her heels clicked on the lab’s tiled floor as she grabbed her coat and lanyard and started heading for the door, her eyes constantly checking her watch and trying to keep herself focussed exclusively on the exit, hoping to avoid any further interruptions…

“Sorry, Dr. Bloom? Um… can you just take a look at this for me?” Tammy, one of Erica’s research technicians called to her from one of the smaller technical labs as she tried to hurry past.

“I’m kind of in a hurry Tam, can it wait until tomorrow?”

The technician glanced between Erica and the computer screen in front of her, wincing guiltily, “I’m sorry… Please? It’ll only take a second?”

Erica checked her watch impatiently and then sighed, stepping inside the smaller room and glowering at the computer screen over her junior’s shoulder. It was clear that Tammy had been running samples on a virus of some kind though Erica couldn’t really scan the numbers fast enough.

“Ok… what am I looking at?”

“Ok, so, Dr Wilson asked me to run some tests on strains C1, C7 and C13. C1 and C7 came back normal, they’re inert, localised, pretty standard no-threat viruses. But C13…” She swallowed nervously and pointed to the data, “C13 is different”

Erica frowned, the numbers Tammy was showing her didn’t make any sense, she pointed to two different cells in the spreadsheet, “You added an antigen agent to both samples of C13?”

Tammy shook her head, “No, that’s the weird thing, I added an antigen agent to only one sample of C13, and both samples reacted to it, like it communicated without physical contact”

Erica scoffed, “There’s no way that’s possible, it’s got to be contamination, run it again.”

Tammy looked up at her anxiously, “I did… twice…”

Erica checked her watch and stamped her foot, this was the last thing she needed right now. “Ok, run the test again” Erica held up her hand to stifle Tammy’s protest, “If you get the same result this time, run a structural analysis of it and email me what you find. I’ve never seen anything like this before, so let’s proceed carefully ok? We’ll go over it tomorrow”

She gave the technician a pat on the shoulder and quickly headed for the door, wanting to escape this distraction as fast as possible. Tammy went to say something else but Erica just spoke over her, giving her a forceful wave over her shoulder as she hurried for the exit, “We’ll talk about it tomorrow Tammy… I really have to go. Email me!”

The tires of Erica’s SUV screamed as she skidded into the school parking lot. She spotted Lucy immediately, stood in the shade of one of the large trees out front in her purple and white cheerleading uniform. Her blonde hair was up in a ponytail and the girl was holding her bag and books in one hand and furiously texting on her phone with the other. Erica gave her a sheepish wave.

Both mother and daughter shared the same dirty blonde hair and strikingly similar features though separated by their ages. They shared a similar hour-glass body shape, and while Erica was certainly attractive, Lucy was absolutely stunning, like someone had perfected the design.

Lucy glanced up in annoyance at the sound of the car pulling into the lot before she sulkily strode over to the passenger door and threw it open. Erica started but barely got a word in, “I’m sorry I lost tr-“

“You’re late! Again!” Lucy yelled throwing down her books into the foot-well before she climbed in and pulled on her seat belt in frustration, her eyes staring daggers out the car window.

“I know and I’m sorry, but it was only 15 minutes” Erica said defensively as she started to pull the car away.

“Yeah, 15 minutes I had to stand outside the school looking like a total idiot” Lucy hissed.

“Something came up a-“

“Something came up at the lab, yeah mom, I know… you say that every time!” Lucy said in a mocking tone, causing Erica to lash out,

“Well maybe if you put a little more focus into getting your license, I wouldn’t have to pick you up” Erica said, earning a frustrated squeal from her daughter.

“Really mom? Really? You’re going to say that to me now?” she folded her arms angrily, “It’s not my fault you’re always late!”

Erica winced, Lucy was right, it really wasn’t fair to try and turn her lateness around on her daughter, she was the one in the wrong here and she knew it. They drove in awkward silence for a while before Erica sighed, “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for…”

Lucy huffed and crossed her arms, staring out the passenger window, “I am trying to get my license…” she protested with a sniff.

“I know, I know…” Erica paused, deciding she should try to lighten the mood by changing the subject, “How was practise?”

“Fine” Lucy sulked, not turning her head from where she was staring out the window.

They drove in silence a little further.

The car pulled up to a stop light and Lucy let her eyes wander throughout the crowd of people walking by on the sidewalk. She watched a guy walking his dog, some cute little puppy that looked super cute… She blinked in shock and confusion when she caught sight of… there was a naked girl walking down the street!

Lucy sat up and stared at the girl in total disbelief, at first she thought the girl was covering herself with her hands but she realised in almost immediate horror that the girl wasn’t covering herself for modesty… she was playing with herself! In broad daylight! In public!

Lucy’s eyes bulged as she scanned the crowd totally stunned at what she was seeing, she expected to see cops, or people pointing, laughing, screaming… but… nothing. No one was reacting, and Lucy rubbed her eyes, trying to work out if she was imagining the girl or not.

“Mom!” She cried, turning to Erica and pointing out at the girl, “Look!” but when she turned back there was nothing there. Lucy’s head whipped around in a daze, trying to spot a sign of where the girl had gone, but it was like she’d just vanished into thin air.

“What?” Erica ducked her head slightly to look under the rear-view mirror to where her daughter was pointing, but she couldn’t see anything that should draw her attention. “What am I looking for Lucy?”

The cheerleader stuttered and dropped her pointing finger, shaking her head in a daze and trying to clear her mind. Lucy couldn’t think of anything more humiliating than trying to explain what she thought she’d just seen to her mother, had she imagined it? It was totally crazy….

“What did you see Lucy?”