Drew began to tell Reece of how he met a beautiful young lady in the lunchroom at this same maturity center. He and her became great friends, and when they turned 18 they left the center and married. They had twin girls, both taken to the center right after birth. One died of the airborne virus that plagued the world for decades after the crazed science experiment, immediately. The other went on to the center and lived a good life, but he lost track of her after she had left. By then he was working as a doctor here with his wife, who had recently died.

“And she never got to live the legacy.”

Reece frowned, “what legacy?”

“Let me show you. Stay here.” The ancient man strode out of the room. He walked past the guards lining the halls, and into his office. He unlocked a drawer at his desk and pulled a brown, leather book out from it, dust trailing from its cover.

Reece sat on her bed waiting for Drew, then he came in holding a very old looking book. He sat on a chair near her bed and opened the thick book, it’s tattered pages as white as fresh, factory paper. He took a pencil from his pocket and began sketching. Reece looked on with one eyebrow lower than the other, mouth gaping in wonder. He began with a simple, black dot, then branching out from under it a long oval that stretched far longer than the first dot.. On the left side of this he drew a rounded wing, under it, another but smaller and circular. He did the same on the other side. The butterfly began to take shape, adding antennae and intricate patterns on the wings. He finished the sketch and put the book down. Reece and Drew met eyes.

“Wha-” Reece stammered

Drew hushed her, and laid his hand over the drawing, connecting energies. When he removed his hand, the butterfly had full color. Reece wondered in awe. The paper began to twitch, spring with life. One brittle wing lifted, up and up, followed by the rest of the delicate creature. Its body was peeling off the paper like a sister piece of paper, it stood on the paper for long minutes. It’s wings pivoting up and down as the two people awed at its small beauty. It lifted with a thrust of its wings and began spinning around the room, fluttering around the ceiling. Drew shooed it out of the room though an open window.

“So, how would you like to learn how to do that?” his gruff husky voice spoke. “It runs in the family”