It felt like the first time I watched the family at the dinner table. Every day was different. One day, Jesse had a broken ankle, and one day little Sammy was going to the little league. There was always something new.

I listened in from my position behind the picture frame. Tonight, the family was eating pizza with onions and peppers.

“Jesse, did you pass that test?”

“What test?” he mocked to his mother Melissa.

Their voices boomed in my ears. It was time for my dinner too. Usually, I would just scavenge every crumb I could get my hands on, but I had extra from yesterday.

My name is Dakota. I’ve been living in this house my entire life. But it’s not mine. I am one of the last escapees of the government’s research experiment. Our escape was silent, however. If the human population knew that the government had let out a test subject on accident, there would be an uproar. Most people don’t know about it. Most people are left in the dark.

I have hidden my existence from this family for my entire life. By developing bulletproof, yet semi-dangerous maneuver techniques, I have remained in the shadows. Each night, I sleep in the basement. I created a home out of tossed fabric and made a roof with gum wrappers. All of this lies in a hidden  It sounds luxurious, right?

I made a zipline that I climb back and forth from the kitchen to the basement. These two rooms are the only ones I go in, even though I’ve lived here for the past 7 years, I’ve never seen any other part of the house.

“The mythology test,” she replied, annoyed.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jesse was one year older than me. He was 17, with shoulder length brown hair. His eyes were large, and his mouth matched proportion, full and lush. He had a narrow nose and pale skin. He looked to be in shape, but slightly too thin.

His sister Sammy was like his twin, but younger. She was ten, and inherited the same nose and eyes, but her lips were undefined and narrow. Her hair was always back in a ponytail. The parents ordered her upstairs to bed shortly.

Their parents were Melissa and Dave, worlds happiest couple. They went out to dinner very often and would celebrate every holiday with a trip to some sort of romantic venue. The kids weren’t quite neglected, but they were lonely.

Then there was me. I was 6 inches tall and had short, cropped black hair. It couldn’t be long, otherwise it could get pulled on the zipline. I cut it once a month with a glass shard that Sammy broke. I had high cheekbones and bright eyes. They were also large, but mainly with determination or fear. My nose had a slight unnoticable bridge, and my lips were naturally dark pink. I created an outfit out of an old bra. YES, I know what you’re thinking! But no, it was not like that. It was that or my birthday suit.

I had a black tank top...sort of thing. The creation was rather long, to my knees exactly. It was rather revealing under my arms, but in the front, the fabric had a rounded neckline and pulled together at my waist due to a belt. I’d created the belt to have some sense of mobility. Without it, the shirt/dress would fall off.

As Sammy went upstairs to bed, I decided I’d hang out for a bit longer. It was always refreshing to hear outside conversations. I really did love this family.

“Don’t be a smart alec,” Dave mumbled, taking another sip of his decaf coffee.

“It was a stupid test. Why do we have to know this stuff, anyway?” Jesse asked, throwing his bangs aside.

“When are you going to bed?” Melissa wondered, evading the question.

“What, am I still a little kid? Just because you two want to bang or something?”

“Jesse!” Dave shouted.

Melissa supported him, “You will go now!”

“Whatever.” Jesse stayed still.

“Fine,” Dave sighed, “let’s go, Mel.” The parents sat up and left, annoyed. Their footsteps rattled my small body. When they left, Sammy tip-toed back downstairs.

“Don’t tell!” she whispered, reaching for the cookie jar a few feet away from me.

This was one bad thing about my position. Whenever Sammy sneaked downstairs for cookies, she’d always end up uncomfortably close to me.

“I don’t care. But you’re going to get fat,” he stated nonchalantly.

“Shh!”

I shifted my legs under my butt carefully. The frame shook slightly. I was prepared to lunge for my zipline if anything went wrong. Fortunately, nothing has before.

After Sammy stole a cookie, she began nibbling on it before she ascended the steps again.

“Wait Sam,” Jesse said abruptly.

“What?”

“I...I don’t know, never mind.” He sighed and allowed his hair to fall into his face again. To get a better view, I decided to peek behind the frame.

This was a mistake. I knew it was. He was going to tell Sammy he saw something. I could tell when I saw his blue eyes staring into mine.