TITLE: THE NURSERY

AUTHOR: Roark Arnett

AGE CATEGORY: Adult

GENRE: Speculative Thriller

WORD COUNT: 82,000 words

PITCH:

When Kenleigh Maize learns a mysterious DNA sequence is the cause of her infertility, she’s invited to participate in a misleading clinical trial. It won’t treat her infertility but may explain the origins of life.

FIRST 250 WORDS:

Twin boys playing beside a toy bin in the clinic’s waiting room reminded Kenleigh Maize of her haunting discovery. She and her deceased mother were identical twins. Part of her wished she hadn’t found her mom’s cryptic journal entry stowed away in her jewelry box, so none of these family secrets would’ve ever surfaced.

Kenleigh couldn’t resist the urge. She opened the photo library on her smartphone and reread her mother’s entry from May 5, 1992.

The pregnancy tests came back positive. All ten of them!
How the hell did I get pregnant without having sex? I found
one possible explanation, but it’s disturbing.

“Kenleigh,” the receptionist called from behind the counter.

Phone off, she followed the woman into the doctor’s office and braced herself against the door.

Her confidential medical records were pinned to Dr. Sahoo’s office wall with thumbtacks and pushpins, connected by zigzagging bands of red and yellow string. The shrine looked similar to an evidence wall used by detectives in crime shows. A couple sticky notes adorned her MRIs; others were pinned to her intake forms and prescription history. It should’ve been an alarming sight, but Kenleigh couldn’t help admiring the abstract features of the medical wall. There was an unintended artistic quality to the arrangement, like the color splatter on a painter’s apron. The meticulous nature reminded her that Dr. Sahoo’s examination of her medical condition, as unorthodox as it may seem, was, indeed, an investigation. Maybe today’s appointment was more than just a consultation.