Subject 23:59

4. A new colour

"Oh well...I guess that's that..." the mouse, disappointed, went to a corner of his cage. "I'm just going to take a nap..."

The turtle went back to eating his meal. Surprisingly, the food seemed to contain a lot more flavor than the one he had eaten a few days ago. It was only then did the turtle spot a few tasty morsels that did not seem to be part of the original food mix. The turtle chewed on them slowly, enjoying the blissful burst of flavour from the morsels.

When he was done, the turtle settled down on the hard and cool metal floor. The silence of the night was almost unbearable. It made him feel alone in the darkness, lost and unwanted. The only thing that gave the young test subject the reassurance to sleep, was the dim lights of the laboratory from above. It was the only thing that kept him from the fear of his recurring nightmares. Images. Flashes. They came in so many vivid splashes of colour, many beyond his imagination. As a result of these haunting him every night, the poor turtle suffered many sleepless nights. He could only stare at the lights on the ceiling, begging for it all to go away. It was haunting, yet every one of these many images he had, brought a sense of familiarity. That scared him.

The turtle closed his eyes, a sense of peace calming his nerves. After a while of sleepless darkness, he opened his eyes and let them roam the quiet room once more, his mind still active and awake. The turtle's eyes fell once again on an empty enclosure.

"Emerald?"

Almost immediately, the light green snake showed itself, its dark eyes glistening as it reflected the dim lights.

"I... I can't sleep," the turtle took in a deep breath, confiding in the snake without a second thought.

"Me neither," Emerald replied, her eyes twinkling a little, "The stars are beautiful tonight aren't they?"

"I guess... They look fine..." the turtle did a brief glance at the sky.

He had barely bothered to observe it as his mind already held images of various detailed night skies. He knew what it looked like, having been staring at it for the past few days since he was stuck in the lab, between various rounds of testing. The night sky would just be pitch black, with some stars here and there anyway, the turtle thought inwardly.

"You didn't look," came the passive and emotionless reply from Emerald, still staring motionlessly at the sky.

"What?"

"Look again."

The turtle closed his eyes, slowing his heartbeat and setting his mind at ease before glancing out of the window. He opened his eyes, drawing in a deep breath.

The scene outside the window was tranquil. Although it was dark outside, the stars that illuminated the sky brought out the beautiful highlights of the forest, as the night draped the trees in shadows. The sky was a million shades of dark blue and black, a truly breath-taking sight to behold as the stars twinkled in the night, accompanied by the soft glow of the moon. The turtle closed his eyes, a sense of harmony coming over him. He had never really looked at the night sky in that way before. He had never noticed the beauty behind the darkness.

"It's beautiful, is it not? The sky brings me hope, each star serving as a reminder that something is out there, waiting for me," Emerald breathed, peeling her eyes away from the window.

"Do you really believe that there is something out there? There are stories about escapees but... they never made it..." the turtle, wide-eyed, glanced at the snake," What if there really isn't anything out there?"

"My power isn't limited to only being invisible... I can... feel things... there's something out there. It's waiting, waiting for us to discover it..."

The snake leaned against the glass separating the turtle and her, her eyes still observing the night sky silently, in awe. Her eyes had turned a deep dark blue, longing and mournful. However, the turtle could see the hope sparkling in her eyes, like the millions of stars dotting the sky. Her eyes, like the night sky, captivated him.

"The night sky with the stars are so unique and beautiful... They're like hidden gems out in the open and yet... no one really looks at them closely, just like your eyes," the turtle closed his eyes, sleep finally embracing him.

"Not everyone can see the beauty in the stars," came a soft whisper, but the turtle was already asleep.

Through the hours of the night, the turtle leaned against the glass of his tank in a deep and peaceful sleep. The green snake had curled up on the other side of the glass, awake all night, watching the stars and making sure that nothing awoke the resting test subject. The snake's eyes had changed during the night while everyone slept.

They were no longer blue, but a shade of dark violet.

The sun started rising and the turtle started to wake. He stretched and yawned after a previous night of undisturbed sleep. He looked at the splendid colors that painted the sky. A brilliant splash of orange, pink and yellow. The sun peaked beneath the clouds, giving a soft glow to the trees. He rose from his sleeping spot, realising that Emerald was still sound asleep. He moved silently, making sure not to wake the sleeping Emerald leaning against the glass separating their tanks. Waking up the snake was the last thing on the turtle's mind.

The turtle watched the sun as it rose and imagined the peacefulness in the forest as he heard the chatter of the waking animals around him. He remembered the exact words Emerald had spoken the previous night, the longing in her eyes for freedom. What does it mean to be truly free? The unknown scared him, somehow. Maybe he was afraid of getting caught. Maybe he just was too scared to be out of the cage, facing the possible danger of the outside world. The forest had intrigued him time and time again, its beauty refreshing him each time. Was freedom worth the risk?

"Boy! I didn't know I've slept for so long!" Sqkii yawned, destroying the deep moment of silence the turtle was having.

"Looks like the snake over slept," sqkii grinned, his furry face bright, "The funny thing is, she's always the first to wake up for some weird reason. To me, sleep is the most exciting thing one can do, especially since one is being cooped up all day!"

Just then, the turtle saw a flash of black and orange flying past the window of the laboratory, obstructing his view of the sunrise for a brief moment. This time, the turtle knew he had not imagined it. He closed his eyes, imagining himself in the forest once again, surrounded by trees and miles of nature. He would feel safe.

He would be free.