I try to push him since it’s very embarrassing and is so out of line to cry in front of a Sire, but instead he holds my back tighter and pushes me against his chest even more. “Don’t” he whispers. “I don’t think I am capable of letting you go anymore, so don’t push me away.”
I don’t know what he means, or if it means something at all. All I know is that I feel relieve that he’s here by my side. I feel his hands run to my hair. He is stroking my hair gently. “Thank you.” I say softly. His actions are too comforting that I didn’t mind him touching my hair.
The bell rings, then he releases me in an instant and smiles at me. “From now on, I will take care of you. If you feel blue don’t hesitate to call me. I’ll be flying to get to you.”
I smile and tears flow again. But this time it’s not because I am hurting, it is because I’m glad to have a good friend like him.
I walk back to the dormitory, but I don’t feel like going to our room so I went to the underground laboratory. It took a lot of convincing before the Venturian guard lets me. I walk down the stairs really quiet this time; I don’t want to disturb Professor Wood since he doesn’t expect me at this hour.
“Your body can’t handle any more chemicals. We should stop testing it on you.” argues Professor Wood.
“We cannot stop, Professor. I can’t. I won’t.” argues a man back. I recognize his voice. I know who it is even without seeing his face, it’s James.
“But I can’t let you do this anymore; it’s too dangerous for your health.”
“If we stop, it will be dangerous for my health too. I can’t die at eighteen. We should look for cures.” He cries.
What is he talking about? Why is he going to die? Cure for what? And why and how did he know about this place? I don’t understand. As much as I want to reveal myself and ask them personally, I know I can’t. James will only make some lies and be mad at me just to divert the topic. I hide at the stairs in the dark and wait for my brother to leave. After hours of waiting, I don’t hear him anymore. I may not see them from where I am standing, but I know when my brother is at the perimeter, I always feel his presence. I wait for another hour just to make sure his not around and then I walk straight down and look for Professor Wood. “What’s with my brother?” I storm out.
He doesn’t respond. He ignores me even.
“What’s with my brother?” I demand for answer. “Please Professor, I need to know.” I plead. I am so nervous with what’s happening to my brother. I’ve never heard him cry before, not even when our mother died.
“Okay” Professor Wood sighs deeply. “Your brother is working as my assistant. It’s been two years since he first helped me with the project that I’m sure you already know, about the mutation. But six months ago a leak happened at the beasts’ quadrant and your brother got locked inside and was exposed to the harmful chemicals. He inhaled the chemicals and his left leg was scratched by one of the contained beast. That’s how the infection got in and made his condition worst. There are at least five chemicals that leaked in the quadrant, so we still don’t know what really triggered your brother’s health to collapse. We’ve been doing all sorts of experiments to formulate the right kind of antidote, but as of now, nothing’s been effective.” He explains.
“But he’s perfectly fine when I left Sapius.” I contradict him; I try to refuse to take in his explanation.
“Are you sure about that?” He asks me. “Sometimes he suffers from dizziness and lower heart rate but sometimes it’s the difficulty of breathing, on and off fever, mood swings, bruises, nose bleeding and sometimes his vision becomes blur.”
I cry. Why didn’t he tell me this thing? I hate my brother for keeping such thing. “Why did you have to stop the experiment?”
“The more we put chemicals in his body, the worse he becomes. It’s because of the different kinds of chemicals fighting in his system. If it goes on, he might die. If we don’t find the right antidote, he might also die.” He says apologizing.
“He is the person you made promise with?” I ask him. He nods. “What if it’s me?”
“What?” he’s confuse.
“Test the chemicals in me first before giving it to James. If there are side effects then we’ll know and stop it; jump to another chemical experiment until we find the safest antidote for him.” I offer.
He disapproves.
“Dr Penelope Ford tested my blood composition once and she found something odd about it, making my immune system stronger than any other human being.” I burst, vomiting the secret that I have.
“Why did she check your blood?” He asks me, ignoring everything I said about my blood composition.
“Sire Alexander used his powers with me and it didn’t hurt me.”
He doesn’t look so surprise but agrees eventually with my proposition. “If we start testing chemicals on you, there’s no going back. Are you sure you want to continue with it?” He asks seriously.
I sigh deeply. “This isn’t going to be a normal experiment, right?” I ask him. He only nods. Again, I breathe as if it is my last breath. “I’m sure. This is for James.”
“Just be prepared for the pain.” He says.
I nod. I know what I am doing. This is for James. Everything I am doing in the first place is for my family. What’s the sense of my future success if I can’t share with my family?
Chapter Twenty-Two
Start from the beginning
