Subject Me To Love [Book Two]

Chapter Seven

*Not edited* Not proofread*

Chapter 7– Believe what you want:

My eyes feel heavy as they open, blinking a few times to clear the hazy fog that obstructs my vision. I hear a distant noise but I can't make out where it's coming from or what it is. It sounds like a rhythmic clinking of some sort, but I don't know what would be making that noise.

Rolling myself off of my back, I let out an abrupt hiss of pain, feeling the rough dirty ground against my open wounds and shifting my ripped shirt so it pulls against the dry pieces of blood and sends a shooting pain through my whole body.

"Welcome back," a light voice teases. I recognise it. Nine. "You've been our for while. How are you feeling?"

I understand what she says but I choose to ignore it as I slowly and painfully push myself to a sitting position, my body aching and my back screaming in protest. I look around the dark cells until I spot a dark silhouette in the cell opposite mine. "Qué hora es?" I rasp out, my throat desert dry and excruciatingly sore.

"Lights out was about two hours ago. So maybe eleven?" She tells me, sounding unsure. I nod my head and move myself back so I'm leaning on the wall. It hurts my back as I rest against it but if I didn't then I was going to pass out. "Are you okay, Harlow?"

"Si, estoy bien," I decide to reply, knowing she wouldn't stop asking until I gave her something to ease her worries.

"You didn't have to do that for me, you know?" She informs me, causing me to grunt at her. "Seriously, I know you're looking out for me, but I can handle it. I've come to terms with the fact that my dad isn't coming to save me. Whatever they want to do to me will happen sooner or later, so might as well get it over with."

"Tu papá vendrá," I wheeze out, trying to take my mind of the stinging in my back. "Solo tienes que esperarlo un poco más."

"Do you really think so?" No.

It's been a little over a month since she's been here. She's still in the testing stage, waiting to be told whether she's physically or mentally stronger so she can be transferred to either the training wing or the experiment labs.

I first started out in training; because I was so young, I wasn't eligible for any experimenting. Now that I'm older, though, they're re-resting me. We've been in this together for the past few weeks, me and Nine, ever since I met her just before the testing started. A lot of subjects have died, we're one of the only few left. She's done fine up until now, but the final testing is the hardest and even if she does survive it, I just know that whatever she gets cleared for, she won't last even a week.

But she doesn't need to know that. She just needs to believe her dad is going to come for her and take her to this home she always goes on about, so I tell her what she wants to hear.

"Claro. Si lo que me cuentas sobre él es verdad, estará aquí en ningún tiempo."

"You know, when we get out of here, you're coming with me," she sounds determined. "My parents will love you, you'll se—."

There's a sudden loud buzz before the creepy red light above the even creepier door switches to green and the automatic lock system is shut off. Nine stops talking straight away and her open demeanour becomes closed off and frightened.