The Human Experiment 2 (BoyxBoy) [COMPLETE] [WATTYS2018] [WATTPRIDE]

Chapter Thirty Five

Did he just...call me cute? I giggle and bury my face in the pillow, desperately trying to hide how much his words affect me. This is not good. He is probably just doing this to manipulate me into thinking he's friendly and likes me.

"Why are you here?" I ask him instead, sitting up slowly despite feeling slightly dizzy. He must have seen me swaying and reaches over to hold me steady so I don't fall off the bed.

"Dr. Valkov sent me to disinfect your wound and examine it to see if it's healing the way it should. And I'm glad to say that it is, thankfully." he reaches over and picks up two glass-like things from his bag and hands over one to me. "This is a mirror and it allows you to see a reflection of yourself. I want you to see what Dr. Valkov did to your neck..."

Why does he want me to see? And why is he speaking so kindly to me?

"What?" I simply say, confused my everything happening. Vladimir sighs deeply and helps me hold up the mirror until I see my whole face clearly. Then he takes the other mirror and places it behind my head.

"Twist your mirror until you see your neck in the mirror I'm holding," he instructs me. I try to do as he told but it's difficult to get the perfect angle, but with some help from Vladimir, I begin seeing the extremely red and torn flesh until the whole thing is visible to me.

What...?

I almost drop the mirror but Vladimir is quick to catch it and once again, he holds them up so I can see clearly what Dr. Valkov has done to my neck.

#001

He has burnt in my number at the back of my head...so I will never forget what I am or where I came from. The skin is flaming red around the burnt flesh, and the numbers are engraved into my neck.

"It looks horrible now but when the skin is healed, all that will be left is a white scar with your number. Almost like a tattoo...or a reminder..." Vladimir says softly, putting away the mirrors back into the bag along with everything else he brought with him. He closes the bag and groans loudly, rubbing his face. "I'm so fucking sorry, Aleksandr! I tried to stop him, I really did...but he never listens..."

"Did you just...?" I mumble, not quite believing what he's saying. It's all a lie...don't believe a thing he's saying!

"Every time I'm forced to use your number I feel disgusted...I never knew this place to be so sick..." he says, his eyes landing on the black moving object; now focused solely on us. "Let him hear...he knows where I stand with this. I know my time is running out, but until then, I will do all I can to make things easier for you and the other kids."

"Vladimir," I whimper, clutching at his robe helplessly. He sighs and strokes my cheek for a small moment before moving away and out of the room in quick steps; the door shutting automatically behind him.

"You can trust him..."

"Alexandrei?!" I gasp and quickly realize my mistake. Are you all right? I think and wait for him to pick up my thoughts.

"No...I am going through an experiment soon, but I just wanted you to know that I am alive...and fairly well...I hope to see you again, Aleks...I love you!"

Suddenly the connection is cut off, like somebody cut a rope holding two objects together. I lean back against the wall and close my eyes for a few moments to process everything going on around me. It feels like my head is close to exploding with everything happening. I just hope Alexandrei will get through this with minor wounds, both physical and mental.

"Prepare to be escorted by the guards to the common room for one hour of free time."

My body involuntary shivers when I hear Dr. Valkov's deep voice. I hear the door open and a guard is standing by, waiting for me to exit, which I do quickly before he gets angry. He escorts me down the same way we came yesterday until we reach the double doors. The two guards standing by opens them and allows me entrance along with the guard escorting me. He takes hold of my elbow and directs me into my – what I think to be – designated spot. I wait patiently until I hear the doors open once again and Boris is placed next to me except he's not looking at me, or even acknowledging my presence.

Is he avoiding me?

Before I have time to dwell on it, the doors open again and the sound of a young whimpering boy almost has me turning around, but I know better, this simple act could easily get me punished. I glance to the side and see Nikolai sobbing quietly, his small shoulders shaking from holding back his cries.

What did they do to you?

"They punished him for not passing the water experiment," I hear Alexandrei's voice in my head all of the sudden.

What happened? I glance back at Nikolai and feel the strong urge to go over there and hug him and just comfort him through all of this. He's so young and innocent, having lived all of his life in a small orphanage with a horrible mistress...

"Daddy wanted him to breathe while his head was submerged in water but he couldn't, so he kept his head pressed underwater until he almost passed out from lack of air."

Are you serious? I almost scream out the words instead of thinking them, but manage to hold back my rage despite feeling it growing inside me like a wild fire.

Fire...

Yuri...

He would have burned Dr. Valkov for performing such a horrible experiment on a young child.

"Can you tell me about Yuri some day...he sounds like an amazing guy..." I feel my jealousy flare up but I immediately push it down; now is not the time to get jealous. They will probably never meet and even if they do, Yuri said he would always love me, not my clone who is too nice and understanding in most situations...and really cute because he has beautiful, fluffy hair and I'm hairless and ugly...and insecure and...

"Disperse!"

I look around and find the guards back at their places near the exit and Boris is once again sitting by the table, drawing on a piece of paper. I look around for Nikolai and it takes me a while before I spot him; huddled in the very corner of the room, shaking violently. I cast the guards a last glance before walking over quickly and kneeling down in front if him. It's not a surprise when he flinches and tries to pull away at first but when he sees it's me, he immediately uncurls himself and jumps into my open arms. I hold him tightly and let him pour out all his fears in forms of crying and whimpering heavily.

His body is cold...

"The experiment was done to him today, so his body is still in shock and the water they used on him was cold so..."

Monsters!

I bury my face in his wet hair and wait for his sobs to subside and the tears to stop soaking through my shirt.

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