Lucifer

II

It was a melody only I could recognize, a conflagration only I could discern, and a perturbation only I could undergo. Nightmares and reality were the same. No one would be able to fathom what had gone through my head, or what I endured and lost. There was no possibility of anyone hearing my conscious, or perceiving my angst. The foreboding I suspect would still alarm me, but not startle them, because it so happens, it's all an illusion.

And after much contemplating, I realized prison was the same. I pondered whether or not to grasp onto the teeny bit of hope left inside of me. There was only one thing at this point that kept me going-- Luke. He's shown much hospitality ever since Anamalech's explanation of the rules and regulations. He did not have a cellmate, and I didn't bother questioning it. Every experiment had one, mine being No. 3, but Luke had a solitary cell. I didn't mind it- it had been two days since the "incident", as I call it, and since then he had always sneaked me into his cell. I'd gotten to know him better. He had a pretty average, fulfilling teenage life. His mom being a lawyer, and dad a physician, they weren't lacking in money. He had a younger sister in primary school, and an older brother who always looked after them when their parents were gone. He never shared too much of their personalities. I quietly listened in silence, not giving any responses. All Luke did was resume talking, and I appreciated that. It allowed me to get my mind off of things, but only for a short while.

It was lunchtime and Luke was telling me a story that I was half-listening to, too busy lost in my thoughts. "It was one of the worst-" Luke was cut off by an announcement, instructing all inmates to head to their cells. "You better get going, they're doing a cell check, I heard." I nodded, like always, not uttering a word. He didn't seem to be disturbed by it, and it made me glad.

This friendship most likely wouldn't last long, that I knew. We were going to start activities tomorrow. Luke told me he wanted to get into the school here for precocious prisoners. I wasn't planning to continue spending my life here. I knew they didn't capture us for nothing; they were planning something. Along with the strange setup, nobody was actually hostile. The fact they didn't put us in handcuffs, keep us under control, meant that they knew we were faultless teenagers who wouldn't hurt a fly. However, with that said, I won't try to figure out the master mind behind this.

"I will not use my time to save other unfortunate souls," I muttered to myself while scrupulously walking down the long hallway, passing by cells and rubber rooms. Wait, rubber rooms...?

There was never a questionnaire when I reached here. Only an identity check along with fingerprints and all that. Never a mug shot, nor a testimonial. This was surely illegal. But, why a rubber room then?

I shook my head. It doesn't matter--I need to get to my assigned cell. 

Finally, I reached my destination, gripping the rusty steel door and yanking it. I saw Experiment No.3 in his bed shifting uncomfortably for a better position. They didn't even bother to convince us that it was an average prison setting by pairing us in a cell with the same gender. 

I sighed and took a seat on the dirty floor, not spotting the pile of ants hastily sprinting away into a hole I hadn't noticed earlier. I noticed one ant was twitching on the ground, unable to move. I gazed at it for a while before deciding to put the insect out of its misery, smashing it with my hand. It was then that I realized, sometimes silence could become violent.

Shortly after, the cell opened with a quiet creak, and before me stood a scrawny boy with long neon-green curly hair, violet eyes, and a grin that would not falter. 

"Checkmate."