Nobody knows how it happened or even why.  It was all so unexplainable how people from different parts of the world went missing all at the same time; some even vanished in broad daylight.  My name is Sarah Peterson and I happen to be one of those people.  I lost twenty-four hours of my life for no reason.  I have no idea where I was or even what happened to me.  I was a nurse working the night shift.  I was getting off my shift when it happened and the only thing I remember is a bright white light.  That’s all anyone remembers. 

My life was pretty ordinary before it happened.  Thirty-seven year old mother of two teenage boys and loving wife.  Not so loving as my marriage had been crumbling apart.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Richard but the magic that we shared seventeen years ago just wasn’t there anymore.  It wasn’t that I turned into some sort of fat cow or anything.  I was anything but.  At a petite five foot two I took care of myself.  I went to the gym three times a week.  I had minimal gray hairs that I didn’t bother dying because my blond hair hid them quite well.  I had a few laugh lines but that is to be expected when you’re pushing forty.  Richard was a big man that lifted weights diligently.  He stood a whole foot taller than me with salt and pepper hair.  Richard worked for a security firm as a private investigator.

Stable life, stable home with two good paychecks coming in.  You would think things were peachy between me and Richard but they weren’t.  I worked the night shift while Richard’s job had him working all sorts of crazy hours.  We were either too tired or we would fight every time we saw each other.  Then I became one of what the media called, ‘The Missing.’  Life changed after that fateful night three short months ago.  Little did I know that I would be missing my old life?

Here I am, running on a treadmill next to Ben with sensors all over my body wearing nothing but a sports bra and running shorts.  My long hair tied back in a ponytail.  My hair used to never be so long.  Ben is wearing only a pair of running shorts with the same sensors attached to him.  We felt like lab rats while a man with a clipboard stood nearby.  Computers blipped and beeped.  Ben looked like he had something to tell me but thought better of it.  Both of us were taken away from our old lives and carted away to this secret government facility.  From my understanding all ‘The Missings’ were.

“Okay Mrs. Peterson, that’s enough for now.  I need to get your measurements,” said the lab tech.  Ben and I decided it was best that all these people remain anonymous to us.  We made no small talk with them or anything.  We just did as they asked.  Most of them were afraid of Ben anyway and some of the women techs were afraid of me anymore.

“Five foot seven inches and one hundred forty five pounds.  No changes since yesterday,” the tech tells me.  Most of the time they never even bothered.  “I need Mr. Harrison’s measurements.”

Ben did as the man asked.  Ben towered over the tech.  Ben is nothing but muscle from head to toe unlike when he was first brought here.  Thick wavy black hair and piecing blue eyes, Ben is nothing like the guy they hauled in here three months ago.  That guy was bald and doughy.  Ben’s wife wouldn’t recognize him now.  Hell, my own husband and kids wouldn’t even be able to pick me out from a police lineup.

“Six foot five inches tall and two hundred ten pounds.  No changes since yesterday for you either.  You two can get cleaned up.  Lunch should be ready by then,” the tech said as he dismissed us.

It has been three months since Ben and I have seen our families and three months since we first started noticing small changes.  It started out slow and slowly for the past three months we have been either growing or becoming stronger in more ways than one.  The government took us from our families to study us.  Everyday it’s the same thing, run on the treadmill and blood test.  At one time I heard one of the techs tell another that the protein in our blood keeps changing.  I don’t know what any of this science mumbo jumbo means but I have my guesses.

I shower and shave.  I’m surprised they even allow Ben and I razors but they do.  I change into the usual t-shirt and track suit.  Ben and I both wear the same powder blue tracksuit so we can be picked out from the crowd.  Here soon, in another three months it won’t be so hard to do that.  I meet Ben out in the hall and we walk side by side to the cafeteria.

Ben sits across from me at the table.  We used to sit in the booths until it got too uncomfortable for Ben.  The cafeteria workers are told that we were on a special diet.  We come in here six times a day instead of three and every time we would end up eating a little more each time.  The food wasn’t particularly good.  Hell, some of it looked like dog food but when you always feel like you’re starving, you will eat anything. 

“I wish they would at least let us see our spouses.  I miss Judith,” Ben tells me and shovels some slop into his mouth.

“They probably wouldn’t believe it’s us,” I tell Ben.  This stuff is disgusting but I’m so damn hungry I can eat a horse.  Hell, this shit probably is horse for all I know.  All that damn running and weightlifting they make us do.

“You’re probably right Sarah,” Ben looked disappointed.  In the three months I’ve gotten to know Ben I’ve come to one conclusion, this man is madly in love with his wife.  Ben told me that he is forty-five years old and worked as a loan officer at a bank.  He looked all of forty-five when he was hauled in here but the man looking at me now looked all of twenty years younger than that.

“If she does believe it’s you Ben, she’ll most definitely likes what she sees but if she loves you as much as you love her, she’ll know it’s you,” I said as I reached over the table and took Ben’s hand.  Ben gave me a smile that melted my heart.  His gaze still seemed heartbroken by the fact Ben couldn’t be with the woman he loves.

“Do you think they’ll ever let us out of here?” he asks me.  Ben knew my answer as he stared down at his slop.

“Highly unlikely,” I said as I played with the puddle of goo on my plate.

“Why did this have to happen to us Sarah?” A tear escaped the corner of his eye.

“I don’t know Ben.  I wish I had all the answers but I don’t,” I said as I reached over and wiped the tear from his eye.  I still can’t get over the fact that my reach is much longer than it was three months ago.  Five inches longer to be precise but I don’t dwell on that at the moment, right now I’m more worried about the big man sitting across from me.  Ben began to cry.

“Will it ever stop?  Will we ever stop growing?  This isn’t normal Sarah.  I don’t feel normal.  I feel like a freak,” Ben sobbed.  He still ate despite his sadness.  That was another thing I noticed.  Used to be when I was upset, I lost my appetite but lately my appetite seemed endless despite my mood.  Same could be said for Ben.  Our bodies never told us to stop until we felt somewhat full.  We would only eat what we were given but each time we would eat, the workers would keep making the portions bigger.  Each and every time no matter our moods, we would easily eat every bite no matter how much we hated it.

Ben yawned after he downed the rest of the slop.  That was another thing too, the workouts were never really tiring but for some reason our bodies have been requiring a lot of sleep lately.  I used to be a light sleeper before this happened but now I sleep like the dead and wake up completely refreshed.  My body had so much vigor these days.  My grays and laughs lines all disappeared.  I felt like a new woman just as I’m sure Ben feels like a new man.

Ben and I walked back to our dorms.  I gave the big guy a hug before retiring to my room.

“Sarah,” Ben said my name as he reached for my hand.

“Hmmmm.”

“Do you feel it?” Ben asked.

“Feel what?”

“Tomorrow is going to be different.  We haven’t grown in a while.  Do you think we’re going to be taller tomorrow?”

“I don’t know?  Probably,” I said as Ben looked down at his sneakers.

“I don’t want to grow anymore,” Ben mumbles.  I reach up and caress his cheek.  Ben just looks at me sort of puzzled.

“You’re not alone,” was all I could say before retiring to my room.