[h3][center][color=f6989d]Natalie Willow - Austin, Tx[/color] [/center][/h3][hr][hr]

[color=7bcdc8]"Y'know, life doesn't have to be that hard, Nat.... You make it seem so much harder than it is."[/color] The constant nagging of Natalie's older sister seemed to have been the perfect complement to the shrieks of a two year old as the young mother rushed around her apartment to find a missing shoe that belonged to her daughter. [color=f6989d] "I'm not trying to make life hard though, Jo. I'm just trying to make the most out of my paid day off. Even if it is because of some stupid government testing."[/color] Natalie had gotten up at five in the morning in order to not only get herself ready but to make sure there was enough food made and that she had enough milk in her daughter's sippy cups, plus folding any laundry that she had done the night before. Those few hours were the only ones which were filled with silence and coffee. A match made in heaven. 

[color=bc8dbf]"Baby shark!!!!! [i]Baby shark!!!"[/i][/color]

Penelope's screams pierced through the halls of the complex, of that Natalie was sure. Her daughter's current obsession had stopped playing again through the wireless speaker and she had clearly taken a nose dive off of the tantrum cliff. [color=f6989d]"[b]I'm glad she only behaves like this at home. I could never take her out if she was like that all the time. Oh! Found it!"[/b][/color] With bated breath, Nat walked over to Penny who was already distracted by something else. 

[color=7bcdc8]"You know what, let me take Penny to day care. They already tested her at the clinic Liam was registered to, she doesn't need to go back to that awful genetic bologna."[/color]

Natalie immediately felt a sense of relief as her sister offered to help her out. She felt horrible because it was also Joanne's day off, but she had more to do in order to catch up to the rest of the week than she wanted to admit. Nat turned to Joanne and smiled brightly, yelling at her that she was heaven sent before giving Penny a quick kiss on the forehead and leaving. It was the only way her daughter wouldn't cry or make a huge fuss. If Nat acted like it was no big deal, then Penny would do the same. 

After putting her Air Pods in, Nat quickly pulled up her email on her phone and read it a few times in order to try and decipher the what it might mean beyond a "human genome project". Unfortunately there was not much more to it than just a simple go here at this time message. [color=f6989d][i]'The government sure loves their tests,'[/i][/color] she thought to herself as she pulled out of her garage. The streets of Austin had become desolate, rainy, and cold since the front had moved through central Texas. There was no way that she was walking to her appointment even if it was two blocks away. 

As the young woman drove closer to the clinic, she could see the people that were there to test and those that were there protesting the tests. It was true that this was an invasion of privacy, but with the government taking its time to conduct and email every single person in the country, the risk was too much. Surely there would be major penalties for not adhering. Natalie could only image what would happen if she had refused to take not only herself but Penelope as well. 

As the young woman finished parallel parking, she quickly wrapped a scarf around her neck and mouth in order to make it inside the clinic without freezing. She was never one for the cold, especially being at her small size. Once inside, she let the scarf fall and walked up to the small window where it simply stated 'sign here'. She did as prompted and went to sit down to wait and watch as other people went in before her. About forty0five minutes had passed when a nurse came out through a door and called her in. 

[b]"Miss Willow, please follow me, we'll be going into room number 4."[/b]

Nat smiled and nodded, keeping the same pace before entering the designated room and sitting down. The following was the same as a normal check up that included blood work. Verifying her name, date of birth, and last four before answering a couple of questions that she paid no mind to. [color=f6989d]"I drank plenty of water so y'all could take out as much as y'all need."[/color] Natalie joked around as the phlebotomist prepped for his job. He grinned at her for a brief second before returning to his serious face. needles had never been a problem for Natalie, but they had always been a problem for those that were sticking her. As if on cue, the phlebotomist made a face and took the needle out, apologizing to her that he couldn't seem to find a good vein. She assured him that it was not a big deal, to continue as he usually would. It wasn't until five to six pokes later that they had finally found a vein and were able to get what they needed. Natalie sighed of relief but shook her head when the nurses offered to wrap up her stab wounds from the needles. [color=f6989d]"I'll be fine, not my first rodeo."[/color]

After signing a few release forms, the brunette wrapped her mouth up once more and braced herself for the cold winds. Typically she would have felt a bit dizzy, but it appeared as if she had never had blood drawn in the first place. She left thinking about the situation, but brushed it off as the test not calling for as much blood as usual.