It was a cold October night as Stacey walked home from college on her own, as always. She was a shy, reserved girl with shoulder-length, blonde hair that she wore in a ponytail. Sporting a pair of thick, round glasses that she always had on, with a pair of blue jeans and a Star Wars tee shirt. Both at college and school, she was always considered a geek with very few friends. At first, Stacey didn't really like it as the other girls at school began to think of her as a freak, but since she had finished school and gone to college things had been different. She was still a bit of a loner, but the other students had just left her alone and not picked on her.
As she was walking past the small newsagents at the top of her street, her mobile phone started to ring. Hurriedly. she pulled it out of her bag and answered it, 'hello, who's this?' She said quietly in a soft voice.
'Hi, Stacey.'
'Hi, Mum,' she replied warmly.
'How was college, sweetheart?'
Stacey smiled, 'It was good, thanks, Mum. The tutor thinks that I should go to university and do a computer science course.'
Her mum smiled, 'That's wonderful, Stacey! Well done. Would you mind doing me a favour please?' Stacey knew what her mum was going to ask, as this happened every day after college finished. 'Would you mind going to the shop on your way home and get me some milk, please? Your brother forgot.'
Stacey pulled a face, 'Yes, okay, Mum, don't worry I'll pick-up some milk.'
Her mum smiled again. 'Good girl, Stacey. I knew you wouldn't let me down.'
She hung up, and the phone went dead, Stacey put her mobile back in her rucksack and made her way to the shop. Once inside, she headed towards the fridge. As she did, she noticed a sign on the shop's door, which read, 'Medical Volunteers Needed to Test a New Serum, Apply now and beTransformed into a New Person.'
Interested, she took her phone from her bag and began taking a few shots of the poster. Having done this, she grabbed the milk, paid for it and began the short walk home, where her mum was waiting for her.
'Glad you're home, Stacey,' she said as she took the milk and placed it in the fridge. 'Thank you for getting that, you're a star. I don't know what I'd do without you?'
Stacey grinned as she looked at her mother. They were similar in height and appearance. Both were five feet six inches tall, but unlike Stacey, her mum had short, light-brown hair and didn't wear glasses.
Stacey opened her rucksack, 'This is the university application form that I've got to fill out, Mum, I was also thinking about this, she said, showing her mum one of the photos she had taken. 'I've saw this advertisement on the shop's door tonight for a medical volunteer. What do you think?'
Her mum's face dropped in bewilderment. 'I thought that you wanted to go to university, Stacey?' she said, confused.
'I do, Mum, but that won't be until next year. I'll need a part-time job until then and this could be perfect. Please, can I try it?'
Her mother looked at her and nodded, 'If that's what you want to do before university, then why not give it a go? But be very careful, Stacey. I've heard bad things about those places.'
Happy that her mum had agreed, Stacey ran upstairs and shouted, 'What could go wrong, Mum? I doubt that they would use anythin
g dangerous on me.'