Welcome to The Human Experiment 2! I can't believe that I've begun writing this and that I'm about to publish the first chapter. It feels kind of nerve-wrecking actually because the first book got such great response and I'm almost afraid that the second book won't be as good as the first one - but that doesn't mean I won't try to do it just as good or even better.
Anyhow, I hope you will enjoy it nonetheless and leave wonderful comments as you did with the first book. Now, I want to you to lean back, grab your tissues (just kidding) and enjoy The Human Experiment 2 - chapter one!
Enjoy!
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October 23rd, 1997
Sankt Petersburg, Russia.
It was a dark and cold night. The wind was howling across the empty streets, showing just how abandoned the city was these times of the year. It wasn't going to take long before the first snow fell and the whole city would be covered in a pristine, white blanket.
But it wasn't all charming and cozy when the snow fell. That's when the homeless truly feared for their lives and having nowhere to go – many of them did die from the blistering cold that Russia had to offer.
"I-I can't feel my fingers," I hear her mutter behind me. I turn around and meet her blue eyes that seem even more icy out here – away from the fluorescent lights and the dark rooms we're so used to.
"It's almost like the cold is seeping inside my bones," I tell her, my teeth chattering. I try to clench my teeth shut to stop them from chattering but it's useless. It's freezing! We have no clothes on – except for the thin shirt and pants – that was the only thing we took with us from that horrid place - and the horrifying memories.
"Where is he?! He said he would be back soon but look how much time have passed and he's still not here. What if he left us? I wouldn't be surprised..." says Natalia, crouching next to me, her whole body shivering. I wrap my arm around her and pull her body close to mine, but two cold bodies doesn't make a warm one – instead we sit there, shivering together like two scared animals.
"He wouldn't," I say, my confidence low in what I'm saying. After all, he could! Who's stopping him? He's free. He has the curse to keep him warm. Why would he spend time with us, the people slowing him down by always freezing and can barely walk a few steps without feeling like they're going to die from the cold.
"H-how do you know?" Natalia mumbles, curling in on herself, her shivering increasing by the minute. I'm starting to fear that she will get sick or, even worse, die from the cold.
"I don't," I say, shaking my head at my stupid answer.
Some time passes when we finally hear running footsteps coming toward us. I look up and sigh in relief when I see Yuri running at us, holding several items in his arms. I nudge Natalia who must have fallen asleep. She jerks awake and looks around before remembering where she is, breathing out deeply.
"Are you cold?" Yuri asks us with a grin. I roll my eyes at his lame joke and stand up shakily, my legs barely having any strength in them.
"Did you-" before I even have the time to ask him, something is thrown my way and I barely catch it – what with my fingers being frozen and all. I look closely and it seems to be some kind of fluffy bread with something inside it. Yuri throws another one at Natalia who catches it swiftly and tears open the plastic cover before shoving a large piece inside her mouth.
Yuri and I stare at her as she wolfs down the entire thing in less than a minute.
She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand and stares back at us. "What?"
We shake our heads and answer her simultaneously, "Nothing."
I tear off the plastic cover and take a bite from the bread and chew happily when the taste of cheese hits my tongue. I had this once, back in the asylum. It was after I did well on one of the experiments and Dr. Valkov wanted to "reward" me. But it never tasted this good!
I take another bite, this one bigger and chew away happily. Yuri gives each of us a small box containing something called milk. What's milk?
I look close at the small carton and read the words that I can understand, but it's not much so I ignore it for now. I take off the plastic straw and stick it into the opening and take a careful slurp.
It tastes weird.
Kinda watery but not. It's white and slightly thick. What is it?
I take another slurp along with a bite of my bread and find them good together. I watch as Yuri sits down next to Natalia, their shoulders pressed against each other. Natalia immediately curls up closer to Yuri. I ignore the pang of whatever it is that curls up inside my stomach. She's only sitting close to him because he's warm – that's all.
But is it really?
I grumble to myself and finish the last of the bread with angry chews. I drink the rest of the milk and crush the package between my fingers, before throwing it aside.
"Is something wrong?" Natalia asks me, pulling her knees close to herself. I just shake my head at her or else my tone would have given me away. Yuri has also finished his food and milk and is staring me right in my eyes before shaking his head and patting the ground to his right.
"You look cold, sit next to me so I can warm you up." he says with a grin and I know that he knows.
"I don't need your curse to keep me warm. I can keep myself warm!" I argue, wrapping my arms around myself in a futile attempt to warm myself.
It doesn't work...
Soon after, I start shivering again and I can't feel my feet. Natalia has fallen asleep again but this time she's curled up against Yuri – her head leaning against his strong shoulder. I can't help but glare at them.
That's because they look happy together – without you.
No!
They don't!
I turn away from them and sit down on the wall across them, curling up on myself in a pitiful, small ball. I hide my head between my knees and ignore the salty tears that make their way across my cold cheeks.
Just do them a favor and leave. They would be so much happier with you.
No...
You're lying!
I sob quietly to myself, my whole body shaking both from the cold on the outside and the cold growing inside my heart.
You deserve this. You betrayed them both by liking them at the same time.
Maybe I do, but I didn't mean to...
"Aleksandr!"
I wake up with a start, looking around wildly before my eyes land on the familiar red hair.
"W-what?" I mumble, rubbing my eyes to remove the blurriness. I look behind Yuri and find Natalia laying on the floor, asleep.
"You were shivering a lot. You scared me." says Yuri, his eyes giving me nothing but concern.
"You don't have to be scared. I'm fine. Go back to sleep with Natalia – I'm sure she would love it." the words spill from my mouth before I stop them.
"Are you-" Yuri begins. I shake my head at him.
"No! Just go! Leave me alone." I growl, turning my body away from him. But Yuri is still crouching next to me, his gaze focused on my face.
Stop looking at me!
Before I know it, I feel his arms around me, enveloping me in nothing but warmth. It's like I stepped inside a warm house and I never want to leave.
It feels like home...
I wrap my hands around Yuri's arms and pull him close. His face is pressed against the back of my head and I can feel the warm puffs of his breath against the back of my neck. Suddenly every sense in me is heightened when I feel him press a kiss to the back of my neck.
"Y-Yuri-" I whisper, my heart beating too fast and my breathing almost erratic.
"Hm," he says and presses another kiss next to the one before and then another one and then another one. Each kiss is leaving a trace of fire after it and soon the kisses are on the side of my neck.
"Don't stop," I whimper, leaning my head back so it rests against his shoulder. I can feel Yuri smirk against my skin as the kisses increase and so does the heat. I take on of his hands in mine and intertwine our fingers tightly together.
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