THE TEKULA PROJECT

▪12▪

DAY 36
B.E.A.R. LABORATORIES
LEVEL 5
12:34 PM

"Sir, you can't be serious! This is my life we are talking about!" I say, throwing my hands in the air, causing Dr. Vanderwall to stop mid-stride and turn towards me.

His lips twist up in a snarl as he speaks. "Do you wish for your precious lycan to die, then? The thing will die without you there, so it is our utmost concern to make sure that doesn't happen! You will be residing in the lab permanently, and that is final," he says, leaving me standing alone in the hallway as he stalks back to the elevator.

He is right, though. I don't want Theseus to suffer at my hands, but living here? I feel like I, myself, am now an experiment. In essance, I am. What with my strange connection to the beast, I am now being observed just as much as he is. This unlawful and against my fundamental human rights as a person, but what about Theseus?

▪▪▪

DAY 39
B.E.A.R. LABORATORIES
LEVEL 5

It has been over a week since I moved into the lab. And what a week it has been. My mother freaked when I told her I was moving into B.E.A.R. Labs. She thought I was going to end up as some lab rat--that they were going to perform harmful experiments on me and she would never see me again. It's funny how close to the truth she actually is. For obvious reasons, I was not allowed to tell my family of the nature of my new home. Thankfully, I am allowed 5 hours outside of the facility every day. Though I must be on call for emergencies at all times.

Theseus' old cell and the observation room have been repaired, now serving as our separate living quarters. There is a bathroom as well as a bedroom of sorts on Level 4 that I have been using as my own personal apartment. Granted, I spend most of my nights in the room next to Theseus'. He sleeps better when he can see me.

I am currently sitting on the small cot that faces the glass wall separating me from Theseus. This just so happens to be one of the nights he can't sleep. He is allowed to request my presence at any time--a benefit he has hastily taken advantage of.

Theseus watches as I sit cross-legged on the cot, clad in a pair of capri leggings and an oversized T-shirt. I was just getting ready for bed when one of the guards told me Theseus wanted to see me. Hence my underdressed appearance.

"Why not here?" He asks, gesturing to his room on the other side of the glass.

I sigh sleepily. "I can go in there, but when it's time to sleep, I have to come back in here." I rub my eyes and brush away a stray strand of hair that slipped from my loose bun.

He frowns. "O-okay."

I sluggishly exit my room and enter his. Theseus sits on his bed, his back against the wall with his legs splayed out in front of him. I slump down beside him, not really sure what it is he wants me to do. Normally, he asks me questions, like, once he asked me if I had any siblings. Another time he asked me how the lights worked. Apparently there was no such thing as electricity last time he checked. Today, however, he is quiet. An awkward silence settles around us.

"Can Mate s-sing?" He whispers, breaking the silence.

I bark out a laugh at his silly question. "Me? Sing? Bah! I am a terrible singer." He opens his mouth to object but I cut him off. "No. Unless you want your ears to bleed, you don't want me to sing."

"B-but I like Mate's voi-voice," he says solemnly.

"Sorry, bud, but I don't want to embarrass myself," I say, bumping his shoulder with mine to cheer him up. He just continues to sulk. Maybe this is important to him? His downcast mood weighs on my conscious.