The Forbidden Fruit: An Innocent Murderer (King Staragna)

Isabelle
An Irish girl crossed her arms over her chest and looked up to her father with her eyes narrowed. "Seriously? I can't go see mom just because you think I should be responsible for the new kid?" She asked, her voice carrying a bit of an annoyed tone.

"Yes. The one is actually your age. Maybe you can actually help him feel at home. Become his friend, so that he will cooperate more. You know how hard it is to get some to do as they're told, right? Remember, Cathy?" The brown haired man asked, a sympathetic mask trying to hide his excitement for the new arrival.

"Yeah, we had to sedate her because she tried to harm us after the ink was implanted in her skin. Then something went wrong and she died." Isabelle said as if it had casually happened the other day.

"And we can maybe prevent that if our test subjects had someone they could trust. Being the boy's age might be a good thing for both of you. Since you normally have to talk to middle aged people." A smile came to the man's face and the girl's frown creased further.

She turned around and picked up a tray of food from a counter with a clipboard and pencil underneath. "Is this for number 2067? Can I just bring it to him now, or do I have to actually talk to him?" Her dad sighed heavily and moved closer to his daughter to put his hands on her shoulders.

"You don't have to... but please could you call him by his name? The boy might hate being a number more than being in his room."

No reply left her mouth as she picked up the tray and clipboard and headed off down the hall. Carefully she looked down at the top paper for a name. "David Rossini?" She said allowed. His room was 009 and two doors down from her own room. Great... Her dear father must have arranged it like that. Isabelle huffed and quickened her pace in hopes of getting this whole thing over with soon. Maybe she would even be able to talk the higher ups into giving her someone else to babysit.

Upon reaching the room, the girl took in a deep breath and exhaled. She then opened the door and let her face sink into a more collected expression. "Good evening. Here is your meal for the night." She placed the food on the table that stood to one side of the room and didn't bother to look at the boy. Everything she was doing was routine anyway. "Tomorrow you will have a room better suited for you. For now you will put up with this one. Each day you will have three meals and you will go about certain tasks. I will answer questions about meals at this time. You will get more answers when you go through your first test in the morning." She paused and rubbed her temples. "If you have no questions, I will be on my way. Speak now or wait for morning.

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David
David gave what appeared to be a scowl at the young girl for a split second, and then thought better of it. After all, it looked like he was going to be here for a while and he didn't want any trouble right off the bat. He may even be able to get something out of this young woman. Heaven knew he'd met her type before. He smiled and said in his sweetest voice, "That'll be all, thank you. You've already done enough." He lied on his bed, ignoring both the food and the girl, and slept.

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Isabelle
Isabelle looked to the boy who lied on the bed, a sigh passing her lips as she noticed his breathing slow. Last time someone didn't eat the food given, she was told to always keep something loud with her. Guess now was as good as any other to use it.

Her hand reached into her pocket and she pulled out a whistle. She put the instrument to her lips and blew, letting the annoying and high pitch sound echo through the room. "Sorry, but I must insist you eat before bed. You have a long day tomorrow and you will need your strength to get through it." If she had told the whole truth as she wished to, she probably would have added some sarcasm to her tone. If you eat all your food, you might even avoid waking up early from the pain.She would have said. Her face even twitched at the edges as she tried to keep a grin from appearing on her face.

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David
David opened one eye and smirked. Who was this girl to tell him how he should conduct himself? He sat up and looked her directly in the eyes.

"I don't know you," he said. "I'm pretty sure I don't want to know you. I don't know where I am, but I sure as hell know this isn't prison. Therefore, I have no Goddamn clue if that food has anything unsavory in it. I don't really want to take that chance. I'm not even that hungry. So, here's my proposition. You eat this apple. If you don't drop dead, then and only then will I eat my dinner. Does that sound fair?"

He studied her expression carefully. She didn't seem elated to be here, but she wasn't exactly livid either. It seemed she just... didn't care. This scared him. If anything, the five years he had lived in the gutter had taught him the people that didn't lean one way or another were the most dangerous people of all. He reassessed his original opinion of her. She was not to be trifled with.

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Isabelle
The direct eye contact sent a chill down the girl's back. Sure, she had known this guy was probably going to trouble considering his actions already. He didn't even freak out too badly when he was placed in here! Most kids screamed and whined. The younger ones even clung to her pants as she tried to get out. David was going to spell annoyance out for her in a heartbeat...

"Least you're smart. Good to know you have something in the space between your ears." She commented rudely before sitting down at the table. Izzy shifted a bit in the seat before she became comfortable with her tail wrapped around her leg inside her jeans. "Too bad you might just be too paranoid." She lied, picking up the apple with one hand. "This may not be a prison, but it will hold you for whatever you did for awhile. It even has decent food."

The scientist took a bite of the apple, finding slight pleasure when she tasted the sweet juice it contained. She chewed and swallowed, looking to the boy with an eyebrow raised. "Good enough? Or do I need to eat the whole apple? I do have other work to do, so I would rather you settled with one bite and maybe two minutes extra to show the food isn't going to kill me."

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David
David pondered the girl's dilemma and decided there really was no reason to keep her from her duties other than to spite her, and he had just realized that was a bad idea. He gestured for her to hand the apple back to him, and she obliged. He scrutinized both the fruit and her face carefully and decided there really was no harm intended here. He smiled and set the apple back down on the tray.

He ceremoniously picked up the loaf of bread. "Here's to wrongful incarceration, eh?" he said cheerfully. "You can go. I want to eat my meal in peace." He dipped the loaf in the bowl of tomato soup that was also provided and took a bite. It actually didn't taste half bad, though something seemed...off. He put it down to the fact that he had not eaten in an entire day. This was not an altogether new experience, though he preferred three meals a day. This place might actually accommodate him for a short time, though God knew he didn't deserve it.

As he tucked into his meal, he thought of the trial that had ended him up in this place. Ridiculous charges, of course. The man he was accused of murdering had no connection to David whatsoever. He was insignificant. Rest assured, David had no respect at all for human life. Far from it, he rather enjoyed murder. It made him seem more alive when he saw others that weren't. However, he preferred only killing those he knew. He learned that his thugs would take the blame for anything he did and he would get off scot free.

This time was different. There was no reason to believe he killed the man he was accused of killing. The guy was some corporate asshole that didn't know a shank from a telescope. And yet apparently he had friends. Friends that, for some reason or another, believed David had brought about his untimely demise. When brought to trial it was his word against theirs, and they had a better lawyer. Funny how in the movies the Italian mafia always got the cream of the crop from law school to defend them. Funny how that all goes away as soon as they start interbreeding. Funny how that soup tasted. Funny how his eyes were feeling heavy. Funny how he fell onto the floor. Funny how soft it felt...

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Isabelle
Before the drugs had kicked into the Italian's system, the science girl had left his room and locked the door from the outside as was normal in her line of work. Her father had probably been watching them through some camera they had installed before he had been accused of murder, so it wouldn't be long before he and his co-workers knew if the man was unconscious or if he didn't eat.

As the night grew later, the woman walked to her own room and heard the elder researchers clamoring around in room 009. No doubt they were working on getting him done to the lab to stain his skin with what she called "The Black Power".

She ignored the hushed tones and continued down the hall to open her door and close it behind her. Her room had been modified to fit her skills and tattoo style. The walls were a dark blue and they made the walls in such a way that sound didn't penetrate through them easily for the poor girl's sensitive ears. Her dad also made it a point to bring her new things to do since this was her permanent living place along with a room at her mom's that locked on the outside... a stack of books were set on the table along with her own dinner and a pot of daisies.

The girl picked up the tray that held the same as David's tray had excluding the sedative and the loaf of bread. She began to eat and think about her new patient that was just beginning his new life of tests and pain... Poor kid.

In room 009 the workers were putting the sleeping boy on a stretcher and heading out of the room. They wheeled him into a new room where heart meters, IVs, and other monitors lined the walls with tools on a table. To some it normally reminded them of a hospital room. It even had a bed that reclined, but that wasn't where they placed David. He was set in a chair with his front facing the back of the chair. They undressed his torso and carefully they put him in the chair. They put one of his arms on a high table so they could put in an IV. After they made the preparations, one of the doctors came in and pulled up a chair. The process began.

Slowly, the doctor used a needle to bring infuse the Italian's skin with the power ink. A picture hung on the wall in front of the man; a shining apple with shadows and a stem with a leaf. A rather realistic and detailed picture for a simple apple too. He constantly looked from the drawing to the boy's back to make she he got the tattoo just as the director wanted it. So far he was rather happy with his artwork.

Just before he finished, though, a sudden noise startled the poor scientist and the needle stained the boy's skin outside of his actual drawing. His eyes grew wide and his expression showed his fear. How was he going to explain this? His mind quickly came up with a solution and he cleaned up some blood with a towel that laid on the high table near the boy's arm. Slowly and precisely he lead his head over the boy's back to make a worm coming out of the apple. He did his best to make it as realistic as his apple and when he was done, he sat back and looked at it with a relieved smile on his face.

With just as much precision as when he was inking the boy's back, the doctor created the worm on the picture on the wall so as to keep himself in the clear. He hoped that if he had proof that he was just drawing what was given to him, he wouldn't get in trouble with the higher ups. Unforunately, he was never told of the dangers that could happen if a drawing was given unexpected properties. He called in help to get the specimen back to his room and in less than ten minutes they were there. He was put back on the stretcher and they cleaned the tattoo of blood before placing some padding over the space between his shoulder blades. The group of people in white coats rushed him to his room and set him back in his bed. Then as if they were never there, they left with their equipment and cleaned up anything that would have shown they were there.

Early morning, Isabelle crawled out of her bed. When she had went to bed, she had changed into pjs her dad had brought her that night. She also found her breakfast and some new clothes to wear for the day. She dressed herself in jeans and a light blue t-shirt and went to the end of her bed. A bag laid on the floor and she unzipped it. She reached in and pulled out a brush to get rid of tangles and then threw it back in.

While eating her food, she noticed a strip of paper on the table and picked it up. Izzy, when you wake, please go check on David. Record the usual and we will check vitals later. Be polite. Love, Dad. The simple note already ruined her day. Great... still need to deal with Mr. Paranoid. She thought before heading out of her room and heading down the hall. On her way she passed the boy's room and grabbed a labcoat that was hung on a hook at the end of the hall. The girl went back the way she came and slowly opened the door to David's bland room.

Seeing the man still asleep she just sat down in a chair and found the clipboard she had from yesterday along with a new plate of food. She picked it up and put the pencil behind her ear. She assumed it wouldn't be long before the pain got to him, so she waited patiently for his awakening. If he didn't wake soon, she could always come back later.

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David
David opened his eyes, immediately aware of the acute pain located directly in between his shoulder blades. He barely allowed a whimper to escape his lips before regaining control of his body. He scanned the ceiling quickly before turning his head to meet the eyes of the girl who had brought him dinner just now. But... Something was different.

"YOU," he said threateningly. "You drugged me. I remember very distinctly falling asleep on the floor right there." He gestured toward the spot where he had fallen. "Now I'm on this bed. Care to explain yourself?"

He leaped towards her, fully intending to strangle her and suffer whatever consequences there were for strangling little girls in wherever the hell this place was. However, as soon as he sat up he fell right back down. "What the fu..."

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Isabelle
As soon as David moved, Isabelle took the pencil from her ear and started taking notes. When she started hearing assumptions, it took her a lot of focus to stay on her notes instead of paying attention to his complaints. Work comes first and then helping this guy get some answers gets through.

"My job was simply to deliver the food and come and record what happens to you this morning. I had nothing to do with your current position or the sedative in the soup. I even took a bite of the apple." She explained as she finished writing about his fall back to the bed. "If wished, I can also get someone to come in to give you something for the pain. You can even pick if you want the sedative or just the pain reliever. Aren't we so nice?" Her tone slipped along with the remarks like butter. "Any other questions?"

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David
He noticed her tone and took offense. Who was she to talk to him like that? Did she have any idea what he was capable of? He almost commented on the sarcasm but thought better of it. He tucked the information away for later use, however. She likes joking around, does she? I'll show her a joke...

"Yeah, I've got a few questions. We'll start with why the hell you drugged me."

He studied her visage carefully as she answered. As an experienced liar himself, he took pride in his ability to tell when someone was telling the truth or not, which was a valuable skill in his line of work.

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Isabelle
The simple question made Izzy grip her pencil tight. "Like I said before, 2067, I didn't put the drug in your food. Do you think I would eat an apple off your tray if I had known?" She asked, avoiding a lie by giving a question.

She scribbled a few more notes and then looked up to the man's forehead, noting her normal habit of not looking people in the eye. "The higher ups brought you here and were the ones to drug you. It was to keep you from waking during the night." The girl stood up and flipped through papers held together with the clipboard. "We will also be checking your vitals later today and unless you don't want a choice in which pain killer you take, I suggest you don't be a rebellious kid."

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David
David's eyes flashed with murder. Without warning he grabbed the girl's head and brought it level to his own, staring directly into her eyes. His back flared with pain, but he didn't care. His pride had been wounded. His voice was cold and menacing as he dictated his demands.

"I don't particularly give a fuck who put the goddamn sedative in my food. For all I know you're immune to that shit. Maybe there was nothing in the apple. I don't know. What concerns me is that you know I was drugged and had full knowledge of that when you brought me my fuckin' food. You called me a numba. That means they's more like me in here. I don't really give a fuck about that neither. The things I care about right now are where da hell I am and why I'm hea. I might even want to know what ya name is befo' I snap ya neck. I have not decided yet. Maybe you can help me with this dilemma."

His voice reverted to its original Italian-American accent, which was rarely heard as he was quite embarrassed by it. Normally he would speak in a pseudo-sophisticated manner, but he had forgotten to do so in his excitement.

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Isabelle
Shock made her jump and her eyes widened as the boy spoke with a new, demanding voice, his hand covering her mouth and the other holding her in place at the side of her face. Her heart beat fast in fear and she did her best to keep her emotions hidden as he spoke to her. Isabelle also avoid his eyes again by looking at his nose.

When he finished, his hand removed itself from her mouth and she pulled his other hand off her face to move away from him. Unfortunately, getting away from him didn't get rid of the horrible heartbeat in her chest that pounded like a hummingbird's wings. She looked up to a corner of the room to see a black object hanging from the ceiling. She knew all too well her father had probably seen what had happened. How to keep him from coming is the question...

She shook her head at the camera and then looked back to the boy who had obviously woke on the wrong side of his small bed. Izzy couldn't blame him though. "First off," She started. "Harm me and you will have yourself out like a light with a snap of my fingers." Her hand rose and positioned itself, ready to snap. "Second, touch me again and I will make sure your stay is hellish. More than it already will be here anyway." The girl sat down and placed her stuff on the table before crossing her arms over her chest.

"You are in a simple research facility. You were right, you aren't in prison. You aren't even being punished for a murder. You are here by the luck of the draw." Her voice was smooth and assertive, making sure he got every word she said. "I brought your the food with the knowledge because I work here. Simple answer for a simple question. As for your number, yes, there are others who are just as unfortunate as you."

A small grin came to her face and she brushed a stray hair out of her face while her eyes looked down to the floor. "And my name? I see no reason to give it to you since all I am is an assistant. I come in and help some of the patients get food and whatnot." An eyebrow raised as she looked at his nose again. "Any more questions?"

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David
She was obviously bluffing. He had just shown the insolent girl he could kill her in a heartbeat if he had the fancy to. He had no doubt there were guards in this "facility". If they had money for all this, they had to have money for some muscle. However, they could never burst into the room before he could snap her frail, arrogant, snooty little body in half. He wasn't the strongest man in the world, but hell, look at her! She obviously had no way of defending herself. She hadn't even taken out a gun. Although she was definitely a threat, she herself didn't have any way of stopping him from doing what he wanted. He locked this away for later use.

David gave a disarming smile, as if his outburst had never happened. "I'm sorry, lady. I'm just not used to being spoken to like that." He gave another trademark smile. His face had won over many a woman in his lifetime, and this may be a valuable woman to befriend. That is, before he killed her. He really did have a few questions, so he decided to lay low for a while. He could keep his emotions in check in the presence of disrespect. He'd done it before.

"So why don't you tell me who stabbed me in the back?"

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Isabelle
Every movement this boy made, every word he spoke, made Izzy wish her dad had been a bit smarter in picking the patients she was to care for. At this point she wasn't exactly safe in this small room. What the hell was this guy's background?

His new attitude towards was even more alarming in her opinion. Now he actually seemed civil... and handsome for that matter. Isabelle shook the thought from her head and rubbed her temples. He is dangerous! Get out of here as fast as you can! He could probably even get rid of her in a clean sweep... or not so clean if he preferred. The girl uncrossed her arms and put one of them in her pocket. She hoped she would be able to hide her shaking if his actions lead to bringing more fear into her mind.

His latest question confused her for a moment before she remembered the sharp pain she had gotten when her wolf tail grew in. The tattoo was on the back this time... "You weren't stabbed." She said simply, her tone gaining a lighter sound and leaked her new caution toward the boy. "You were injected. That is why you are here. Not because you commited a murder, not because of your past. Because you were lucky." She stood up and moved to the far wall to lean back. The assistant had also made a note to move to the side and get away to the door if he came near.

"You're in pain because they branded you as one of their experiments. On your back is now a tattoo that is fused with a strange energy that reacts different for everybody's body chemistry. You now have an ability you didn't have before." Izzy soon became aware of her wrist as she spoke again. "Maybe you can stop time. Perhaps you can read minds. The higher ups will be finding out today. You will be hooked up to a machine that creates combinations of skills you might have by processing the many chemicals your body gives you and then they will play the elimination game. If the machine says you can regenerate an arm or get visions from the future they will test you for it. We who are injected are rather happy to know they at least test the less dangerous ones first..."

"Anymore questions, David? You are okay with me calling you by name, right?" She asked, doing all she could to keep her cool. Her eyes were on full alert of his actions and her ears twitiched a bit at every noise she heard. Wolfie wasn't going to let herself be killed today.

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David
David shrugged at her question as he pondered over this new information. Or rather, the lack thereof. It made some sense that he was injected. Less that he was injected to get a superpower. If they made him stop time, he could just walk out of the damn place and never look back. No, there had to be some ulterior motive...then again, why would she tell him something so blatantly ridiculous if it wasn't true? She didn't honestly believe he would fall for that, did she? She must be an even better liar than he thought. Or she could be one of those culty idiots and actually believe what she said. Either or.

More important to him was that she was scared of him now. Good. If she was going to be in charge of giving him food and information, he should be sure she wouldn't risk his ire. Hopefully he had proved that to be a bad idea. If not... If not, well, he could always kill her. That'd show her. There was something else in her face now, as well...admiration? No, she didn't admire him. After all, she was the jail guard and he was the prisoner or something like that. Love? He had just threatened to kill her. She didn't love him. No, it seemed more like lust.

This was good. This was very good. This he could use to his advantage. Now I can get some answers! Would she respond to flirting? No, she was too proud, too arrogant. He would have to wait for that kind of stuff. Just turn on the charm and she's all yours. That's how it's always worked, after all. He smiled inwardly at the thought of how many girls had fallen for him and payed the price. Oh, women always made the best play toys. When you get bored you can just throw them back into the heap for later. It took some persuasion sometimes, sure, but they always come running back. It's inevitable, really.

David analyzed all the ways he could tackle this situation. If he came off too condescending, he could drive her away. This is the only toy he has right now, therefore she isn't going anywhere. If he outright told her that he believed her, she would probably think he was stupid. Disbelief it is. "I'M getting a...a power? I could stop time? How is that possible? I mean, I'm just a kid! I'm barely allowed to drink beer! You can't honestly believe that's a real thing! And because of a tattoo? I don't even have a tattoo! Are you crazy?"

Not his best performance, but it'll work. The proud ones are always looking for someone to pity. He might even get the truth from it. God knew he wasn't special enough to see the future. He wasn't even special enough to have parents or a home. Of all the luck he could've gotten... now he was stuck with a crazy chick indefinitely. Wonderful.

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Isabelle
The girl raised an eyebrow at the boy, his performance making her very wary. Sure, she expected disbelief, but the way his thoughts seemed to change so quickly was unnerving. "Yes... you can now do something a normal human can't do. I don't have all the answers though, buddy. Ask about it to those who take you for testing." She told. "Oh, though the answer to if I am crazy or not is negative. I am just a normal kid..." or as normal as any patient here...

The girl heard footsteps coming down the hall that she doubted the boy would be able to acknowledge till they were outside the door. Just one person? Normally there is backup for if the experiments got out of hand. What were they thinking today? "Any questions that I might be able to answer before they wisk you away?"

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David
Yep, she was his. He hadn't thought about his question so much as how he said it, but it seemed she really did think he had a superpower because of some ink. Crazy bitch.

"No, I don't think I have any more questions. Thank you. Wait! Does...does this food have a sedative in it, too? I'll eat it if you want me to, but I would like to fall asleep on the bed this time. I've got a nasty headache from that concrete floor...

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Isabelle
Isabelle shook her head as her only reply before a man in a lab coat opened the door to the room. His hands held two potted plants, one was in good condition, a lily that was in full bloom, and the other was in bad shape. Another lily but it's petals were wilting and it was drooping to one side. "Good morning to you both." The man greeted as he placed the flowers on the table and Izzy closed the door behind him.

"My name is Henry. Nice to finally meet the boy everyone has been eager to talk about." He said. The girl in the room didn't even notice how much he reminded her of a high school nerd. Wire-rimmed glasses with pimples and freckles over his excited face. She had spent quite a few days with him when she wanted to hear about the abilities people had on the other end of the facility. "I was heading over to see a friend when I noticed something about my flowers here." He gestured to the two on the table. "Do you mind helping me figure out what happened?"

The wolf girl narrowed her eyes in thought and moved toward the table. "Does it have anything to do with why one is gorgeous and the other is dying?" She asked just as the wilting flower started to straighten and gain color.

"I think that is a good answer to the question." Henry chuckled and picked up the flower. "You see, I was walking over with these two flowers and the healthy one was still only a bud. As I got closer to your room, the flower bloomed into its glory. Would you mind if I looked at the tattoo you bear on your back?" He stepped closer to the patient and Izzy watched with concern for her co-worker as she wondered what David would do.

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David
When David looked at this new guy, Henry, he saw everything he wasn't. He saw brains, he saw money, he saw potential. Everything that had been stolen from him by his father. Everything he could ever have been, minus David's natural good looks, of course.

He hated Henry.

David scowled at this...this dork and analyzed the situation. Was the assistant girl right? Did he have something to do with this? No, more than likely this was a test. It was called psychology or some shit...something to do with wanting to fuck your own mom. That always made him fall asleep. He didn't need to know why someone felt the way they did, he just needed to know how they felt. They were testing him...seeing if he would believe them when they said he made a bud turn into a flower. If he obliged them, they'd laugh at him for being gullible. If he didn't, they might punish him for not being cooperative. Slippery slope here.

"Why you want me to take off my shirt? You gay or something?" David didn't care about his gay brothers. As far as he cared, you could fuck whoever you wanted. But it was a tried and true insult in the street, and one this asshole had no doubt had heard many times before.

Henry sighed, as he had indeed heard those words said to him. A lot. To be honest, he was sick of it, but there was really nothing he could do about it. "First of all, my friend, no. I am not homosexual. Second of all, I think you might have something to do with why this flower is now in full bloom and this one seems to be recovering incredibly." He gestured towards the lily, which had almost fully regenerated. "Now I'll ask once more, may I see the tattoo on your back?" He didn't have high hopes.

David surprised him. He felt he had nothing to lose by showing his skin; the girl might even be more attracted to him afterwards. He could use a little sugar in this jail cell. He lifted his shirt and turned around to show a surprisingly detailed apple with a worm in it.

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Isabelle
Surprise creased the girl's face when David spoke of Henry possibly enjoying the company of guys more than girls and stifled a smile. Knowing the blind scientist was into rather attractive women that he could never get made the situation more ironic in Izzy's opinion.

As soon as David's shirt was off, she immediately looked for the padding and tried to distract herself from thoughts that she wish she could get rid of. Like how he definitely looked better without the orange shirt over his shoulders. She shook her head and watched as Henry took the padding off of his back. Under it was the apple and worm that the doctor had work on last night. In exceptional detail too.

Unconsciously, Isabelle looked to her wrist to see the small eyes of a wolf and felt fear well up inside of her. If her daddy was making her get to know David, was she to tell him about her own tattoo? What was she supposed to do to get him to trust her?

"Hm... Jonah did exquisite work on this one... David, your tattoo is an apple and worm. Perhaps your artist picked a good choice for it to resemble your power. Maybe for now you're able to bring plants back to life? Or help them become healthy?" He inquired before moving away from the boy and looking to the girl. "Any ideas, Isabelle?"

It took an effect to not yell at the scientist for saying her name in front of David, but she managed. "I think you have a point." Her hands went back to her pockets as she felt cautious that plant boy would find out she was different too. "Maybe he can bring plants back from the dead... and then make them bloom or something. What do you think, David? Still don't believe you have power or should we bring in a tree for you to put into good health?"

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David
David had to laugh. This whole thing was just too God damn hilarious! First he gets arrested for a murder he didn't commit when there had to be a dozen cases against him that were actually based on fact. Then he was taken to wherever the hell this place was, where he finds out they knew he was innocent all along and did nothing about it.Then he gets drugged by an idiot girl who doesn't know her place and got a tattoo for God knows what reason. Now they want him to believe he can grow plants without any help at all? It was too much!

Henry frowned at this display of mirth. Some patients express disbelief at their newfound powers. Some deny it outright and say it's the work of the devil. Still others just accept their ability as if it had been there all along. This was the first to laugh when confronted with the truth. Though, to be fair, the power the boy had been given was pretty pathetic. Making plants be healthy? Is there anything less humiliating?

"Sure, bring in a tree," David said, still giggling. "How you'll fit it in here is a brain teaser, but I'd like to see that. It wouldn't be the strangest thing that's happened to me lately. Who the hell are you people to tell me I have superpowers now? For that matter, who are you? And where am I? What kind of research facility is this?" He kept up a light tone as he put his shirt back down over his head.

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Isabelle
Henry looked to the boy with a worried expression while Izzy sighed deep and sat down in the chair. "You think I would make up such a stupid lie if this wasn't true? I know we have someone around here who can teleport of tree in here. We are a bunch of scientists, not idiots. We know full sized tree wouldn't actually fit in this small room." The girl explained, venom sharpening her tone. "We have already answered those questions too, David, so asking them again is just going to get you the same answer."

The male scientist looked to the girl with concern, probably noticing her mood was growing darker. "I will go fetch that tree... You two can stay here and socialize in the meantime, okay? I won't be long!" The man moved close to the girl and slipped something into her hand. Quickly she put her hand back in her pocket again and felt the slick glass of a syringe. It was probably filled with some drug that would make him pass out in minutes too...

He walked out and closed the door behind him. Isabelle looked to the boy near the bed and sighed to herself. "You know, we could also show you someone else who has these tattoos. Hell, we could probably bring in one of the higher scientists who can tell you all about the ink." She leaned back and closed her eyes for a minute. "Anymore questions? I don't want to answer the same question again."

____________________

David
David stood up, ignoring the pain. He'd felt worse. He had known this girl -Isabelle, apparently- was short, but he had no idea how short. She was more than half a foot shorter than him! He towered over the young woman. It was an empowering feeling to say the least. Now that he was calmed down, he noticed she actually didn't look half bad. She could use a little touching up, but who was he to complain? If the rest of the staff here looked like Henry, David would take what he could get.

"Just you and me again, huh, Is? Or do you prefer Bella? I get the feeling we'll be like this for a while, am I right? Crummy luck on my part... but I'm guessing you don't mind." Here he gave a wink. "I thought of a few more questions while that nerd was rambling. For example, why do you keep putting your hand in your pockets? And how much do you really know about my situation? You aren't telling me everything I need to know. You're lying to me, Is. I just don't know why. After all, I'm stuck here for the rest of my life, right? This," he made a wide gesture encircling the entire room, "has no chance of actually being legal. So, if you let me out, I could tell the world. No more tattoos. No more drugged apples. We'll be spending a lot of time together. Make it easy on the both of us and just tell me."

He studied her intently, eager to call her on any lie she emits.

______________________

Isabelle
Her fingers tightened around the syringe. Lying? Half truths might not be the whole truth, but they WERE truths. Being called a liar as well as being called by her name by this guy was pushing the assistant closer to a cliff. This guy had no actual rights anymore! When he stepped foot in this place, even if he didn't know it when he did, all his freedom was stripped from him. Sure, people would listen to his stupid opinions, but how many would actually do anything about them? They didn't let Isabelle have a say in anything...

"I haven't lied to you, David." She began, feeling as if she was now the patient instead of the one in charge. She was the worker! She shouldn't be looked down upon and she wouldn't allow it. "Everything I have said has been true. If you think I am lying, you shouldn't listen to what I have to say." Her hands pulled themselves out of her pockets and she crossed her arms over her chest. Her leg also went over the other while she looked up to the Italian. "And if we want to get technical, you would be making this easier by knowing your new role."

The girl's fingers tapped lightly on her arm as she gave his questions some thought. "Everyone has their habits. Mine is crossing my arms and putting my hands in my pockets. It is definitely healthier habit than finger biting, right?" No lies. She always did this out of habit... doing it when she was nervous, scared, or insecure was something she would rather keep hidden. Her case wasn't helped concidering he noticed her pocketed hands when Henry had given her the syringe...

"I know plenty about your situation." She said truthfully. "I work here and have seen it happen to others. I have helped them learn what they can do and sometimes I talk them through calming down. You are a special case." The girl narrowed her eyes. "You're special because right now you are one of the only people in their early twenties. Every patient is either a few months old, elementary schoolers, or old people."

____________________

David
Yep, he was going to kill her. When, where, and how were irrelevant questions. She would die by his hands. He couldn't do it just now, though; Henry was coming back and it wouldn't work out well for David if the scientist walked in on him beating Isabelle to death. No, he would take his sweet time with this one. This is going to be fun.

A normal person would have been shocked at what she said. This facility was stealing innocent children and defenseless seniors from their homes! David didn't really care about this. God knew he had seen enough old people who could take care of themselves quite well. He'd even killed a few. As for the children... he never did like kids. They were noisy, disrespectful creatures that hadn't learned their place in life yet. He'd had the displeasure of working with them on more than one occasion. They probably deserved to be here. Nonetheless, he was probably supposed to be shocked. Therefore, he was.

"You people take weak, helpless people from their families and use them for your experiments? That's just sick... those poor kids... this is no simple research facility. You... you're evil!" His whole body appeared to slump, though he was ready to spring into action at any moment. "Did you accuse fourth graders of murder, too? Did you convict them? Did you ruin their lives just like you ruined mine?"

He allowed a single tear to escape from his eye. A false one to be sure, but convincing nonetheless. "Maybe I should learn my place. If I'm stuck with you people... can I even call you that anymore? Are you people? How many grandparents have you stolen away? How many do you have to before you learn how to care about peoples' emotions? It's just not fair! To anybody! How can you live with yourself, you swine?" To a bystander he would appear to be a moral paragon, a man who could not live with injustice. He obviously was not, but as far as he knew Isabelle was unaware of that fact. He was enjoying himself.

Isabelle
Wolfie watched the act with suspicion in her eyes. This kid who had gotten worked up from her earlier comments was about to cry? He had even said earlier he didn't care about the others in this place! Why does he suddenly care? Her eyes narrowed and she watched him. "Really?" Was all she said for awhile as she calculated her thoughts and double checked them.

She brought her hands to her mouth and sighed, trying to calm herself from letting an outburst occur from the word swine. "Look. It's none of your business what we are doing outside your room. All you should be worried about it your food and if your power is going to kill you." She explained. "Some are known to have heightened touch. Everything that touched their skin caused them pain. Be lucky yours is just plant based."

"All you need to know if you get three non-sedative meals a day from now on, you run tests every other day, and you get to see this bright and shining face everyday because some scientists wanted to give you a friend." She finished, her eyes collected whatever she could about this guy while Henry was away.

____________________

David
David couldn't help but give a chuckle at the word 'friend'. THIS was what they called friendship? These nerds saw the sun even less than he originally thought. It was pathetic, almost cute really. No one could honestly think this woman could be a friend to anybody. She was too frail, too bossy... she was a failure in every way. He could snap her in half if he wanted to. SHE was going to be his friend? Preposterous.

That was irrelevant, however. What was relevant was the fact that she had seen through his bluff. Apparently she wasn't as dumb as she seemed. He reconsidered his options. He could keep on blubbering and hope to get her pity at some point, but that was obviously getting him nowhere. He could bring back the tough guy act and scare the hell out of her again, but something in his gut told him this would be a horrible idea. Henry would open that door any minute now and see him attacking his little crush. He could turn on the charm, but she had seen a little of that already. Best to save it for later when it would really count. No, he'd just shut up and see where that took him.

David hung his head in front of the girl in what could have just as easily been shame as acceptance of the situation. He sat down on the bed and refused to say another word before the nerdy scientist got back with his tree. Damn tree... since when have trees done anything for people? Useless things...

_____________________

Isabelle
Just what I need... The silent treatment. Izzy thought before she sighed deeply and rubbed her temples. Considering how unpredictable this guy had turned out to be, she decided his actions could mean anything. Disappointment, defeat, or something along this lines. For some reason shame or defeat didn't seem like the right thing to assume with David.

A loud knock vibrated Izzy's ears and she flinched. "Open up! I have a cute little that is a bit malnourished and should have bloomed two days ago!" Henry yelled from the other side. The girl stood and pulled at the knob on the door to let the nerdy man step inside. "Oh, thank you Isabelle!"

"Yeah, yeah... no problem." She muttered and walked back to her seat to let Henry take care of the tree getting inside and closing the door.

"Alright, David, all you need to do is concentrate on helping this poor tree healthy again! That easy." The man said and smirk flashed over the scientist's face before a smile replaced it. "If this doesn't work, then we will need to take you into testing while we might have an idea of what your ability might be. We have a few ideas after looking at a blood sample." Henry looked to the tree and gentle touched one of its leaves. "We have come to the conclusion that you can help plants and bring them into full bloom when your powers mature more. One theory is that you are more flexible than the average man and soon will be able to stretch your limbs a few feet.

"Another case... you have the ability to use your voice as a siren does, but it works on the opposite sex. We found; however, that the weakness to that one is your voice slowly becomes frail the more you speak in your normal tone instead of your sing-song voice." The mere thought of this man having the potential to be like a siren scared Izzy to death. She had to get out of here. Her dad had to know about this! Why wouldn't he? He was leaving her daughter with someone who have the possibility of taking complete control over her... "You also have a set bit of energy for your persuasive voice. The more you use it, the more exhausted you will be."

Another grin passed over Henry's face. "Will you please co-operate, David? Whatever power you get is all yours and you can use it when you wish." Half truth. Izzy pointed out in her thoughts. Of course, he could use it when he wanted. Whether he would be able to use it to get his way here once they found out what it was would be the problem. If he controlled plants, not much harm can be done to tough concrete with no cracks to the outside and no plants in the room. Stretchy limbs would do nothing for him at all, and if he could sing a Loreley's tune... No women would be allowed in his room or around the testing area. Maybe this wouldn't be too bad afterall...

____________________

David
David missed nothing.

David had not missed Henry's smug little grin. David had not missed Henry's remarkably cheerful attitude when Isabelle had opened the door for him. David had not missed Henry's cute little love of plants. David had not missed when Henry had placed the syringe in Isabelle's hand. David had certainly not missed Isabelle's adverse reaction to the knock on the door.

David missed nothing.

So naturally, the son of the illegal alien knew something was wrong. He was not stupid when it came to making inferences. For instance, he knew the tattoo had something to do with this newfound power of his. An apple. What does an apple have to do with stretching limbs? The idea was ridiculous. He disregarded the idea. And his voice could make girls do whatever he wanted? It already could. He didn't need his energy to be drained by talking. He had enough on his plate with this annoying little bitch and her prettyboy scientist hovering over him.

What did that leave him? It left him with a green thumb. It was just his luck that he'd be stuck with a useless power like plant growing. He never had been of any use to anybody. He had mooched off of everyone since the day he was born. First his father, then Raoul, then Jamar. If they could see him now they would laugh their asses off. Just like they always did. Just like how all of the scientists back in their little labs were probably doing right now. How the hell was this even possible? Why did this have to happen to him?

He looked up at Henry with a huge, sarcastic smile on his face. "Oh, I'd like to concentrate, gayboy. Trouble is, whenever I start concentrating, I start thinking of smashing your skull into some asphalt. I think that'd be nice. Don't you?"

Henry shook his head, half amused and half distraught. He let fall his head and noticed something remarkable. The tree was growing exponentially! The trunk grew stronger, more pronounced. Fruit protruded from the branches, grew, ripened, fell! "David! Enough!" Henry shouted as the treetop brushed the ceiling. "Stop it, David!"

"I...I can't! It's not me!"

Henry's countenance turned grim as he held out his hand to Isabelle. "Is! The needle!"

____________________

Isabelle
Isabelle didn't take the chance. Once she heard the words "I can't" she was ready. Her fingers dug into her pocket and took out the syringe. She sped over to the boy and grabbed the boy roughly by the arm. The girl jabbed the tip into the boy's arm and pushed the plunger down. "Done." The monotone sound was almost natural for her when she pulled the needle out of David's arm.

Almost immediately the tree stopped growing and it was only a matter of time before the boy felt the effects of the sedative curl around in his bloodstream. She replaced the syringe in her pocket and walked out of the room to let Henry deal with the boy and the tree. Maybe he would even be able to get some help from other scientists who had seen everything on the little computer screen projected from the hidden camera.

With a sigh she opened the door to her room and closed it behind her. Izzy picked up one of her books and flopped onto the bed. She flipped through the pages and made it to the page she had marked from the last time she had read from it. Now to wait for her father to walk in, tell her what she did wrong in that room, possibly hear him say she could get out of taking care of the Italian and then get told to get back to work or deal with the daily tests.

____________________

David
David felt the light before he opened his eyes. The light burned into him; every inch of his body felt its brutality. He opened his eyes and sat up, or at least tried to; when he lifted his hands, he found he was bound to wherever he was by metal shackles. Startled, the young Hispanic began to struggle and yell.

"What the Hell are you doing?! Get me out of here!" He screamed. Even he did not quite know why he was reacting in this fashion; God knew he'd been in handcuffs several times before. Perhaps it was the shock of waking up yet again in an unfamiliar place, or the sedative may have had an unexpected side effect on his mental faculties. In any case, he was not happy about his situation.

"Calm down," said a male voice that was anything but calm. It was soothing, of course; the voice had many years of practice under its belt, such that it knew the exact right tone to smooth over its all-too-often overreacting patients and keep them from using their powers on its owner. Soothing, but also excited, giving the impression that this new, mysterious young man was the first of his kind. This voice was welcoming, and made the recipient, any recipient, feel special. A certain sternness was about it as well, discouraging any obedience while not forbidding it outright. In all, a perfect voice for the job it was required to do.

David would have none of it.

"CALM DOWN!? Do you have any idea what I have been through? In the past three days I have been falsely convicted of murder, held against my will, drugged, tattooed, had plants grow out of control just by being in my presence, drugged again, and apparently now being... what is this, torture? I can take torture. As long as you kill me afterwards so I can get out of this hellhole!" David stopped himself. He was rambling, which, after inspecting his captor's face, he decided against. The man was clearly agitated, somewhat from David's outburst, but also from something else. This person was clearly used to disappointment. His face was drowned in sorrow, shown clearly by numerous wrinkles on a comparably youthful face. However, beyond his disapproving, harsh eyes shined an unmistakable mischievous light.

The man smiled at David. "All will be explained in due time. For now, you can call me Mr. Doe. We are going to run some experiments on you. They may seem like torture. I will enjoy this. You know, I did my homework on you, Davie. You're not as innocent as you would probably like everyone else to believe. You may not have killed the man they said you killed, but you are a murderer. There is no refuting that. Even if you weren't, there is no ignoring the glaring fact that you assaulted the Director's daughter. We saw that, you know. We here at the facility don't take kindly to those who harm our own. My boss wants to see you suffer. To be honest, so do I." At this, the man called Mr. Doe opened his lab jacket to reveal several surgical tools, tools which had seen many open chests in their lives. Each had also taken their fair share of lives. "And no, there are no drugs for you this time."

So Isabelle was the daughter of the asshole that ran this place, was she? David smiled inwardly at the thought. He contemplated the many ways he could use this to his advantage. A hostage situation would surely prove quite beneficial to his aims.

Suddenly, Mr. Doe was behind him, holding a scalpel to David's throat. Through the corner of his eye he saw a tattoo that bared a remarkable resemblance to a human brain occupying the front of Doe's arm. "If you ever think of hurting our Isabelle again, I swear this knife will cut your throat. You will die before you can even register the pain. Are we understood?" The young Italian nodded, and Mr. Doe grinned. "Now then," he said smugly, "where shall we begin?" The threatening man made an incision made an incision across the young man's chest. "Don't worry about going into shock," Doe said nonchalantly. "In addition to reading your mind, I can control all of its functions. Just think of what fun we'll have!"

David had felt pain before. He had been burned, stabbed, shot, hit, and generally been tossed around by almost everyone in his life. But nothing could compare to this. Mr. Doe was a sadist of epic proportions, a man completely unafraid of consequences, as his boss had apparently given him permission to fulfill his sociopathic fantasies. David felt violated and naked in front of Mr. Doe's knives. He begged the man to stop, but knew it was hopeless. Until the telepath's sick mind was sated, he would be stuck to the table for however long it took for the facility to discover everything there was to know about him.

It took a long time.

____________________

Isabelle
Just as the girl had expected, her dad had barged his way into her room and scolded her for her actions. He complained about she reacted to David and how she should have taken more caution or cared more about what she was doing. Most of the words that left his mouth though didn't quite make it to her ears. She mostly just stared at her book's pages and kept herself distracted by her thoughts, nodding every so often for him to think she was paying attention.

"Izzy! You don't seem to understand how dangerous this man is! Pay more attention." Her dad shouting after he caught on to her trick. Isabelle sighed and marked her page before closing the book.

"Dad, I know the consequences and the precautions I should be taking. You seem to forget that there is a camera and about two dozen guards to keep people inside the building or keep riots from happening." She placed the book on the table and sat up on her bed, her feet dangling from the edge. "Look, I know you are worried about me, but I can take care of myself."

A small smile appeared on the man's face and he sat down on the side of the bed with her. "I know, sweetie... I just worry for your safety." His voice had an added sense of concern and care to it. Izzy wasn't one to take it though. She had started to think her father was too caught up in his work to really care for anything but his experiments. He probably was more worried about having a failure as a child that he wanted her to stick around so he could make her "better".

"Right... thanks for your concern, dad. I will go get the daily tests done and then go give David his lunch or maybe give him something to keep him from twiddling his thumbs all day." She stood from her spot and started for the door before she was stopped by her "doting" father.

A sly grin came to the man's face and he quickly got up to touch the doorknob before his daughter had the chance. "Sweetheart, when you finish your testing, David will be in... bad shape. He might be very aggressive. I want you to take a higher dosage of sedative and a knife if you go in there. I will also have two guards outside the room." He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it to reassure her she would be fine.

The girl looked to him with curiosity plainly showing in her hazel eyes. "Why will he be so agg-" She cut herself off and her eyes widened. "What did you do? You didn't... Mr. Doe..." She watched as her dad nodded his head almost as if he was in dismay. Izzy saw right passed it. He was happy Mr. Doe was around to cause such pain to someone like David.

Wolfie's fists clenched and she felt a surge of raging power run through her veins. "How could you? These people are HUMAN, dad! Wasn't it enough that you actually created a monster like Mr. Doe? You made him into this... this sadistic man and now what is he doing? Taking lives, keeping people in horrible torment and for what? For you to have the worst of the specimen suffer!" Her voice rose with every sentence she spoke. Her rage built as she saw no reaction come to her father's face. He was so used to people yelling at him, he didn't even have the decency to make her think she was winning.

"Just... just don't talk to me, dad!" She cried out before picking up her book, opening the door and slamming it behind her. She walked briskly down the hall, her mind outraged with her dad and any of the scientists who had allowed this to happen. Were they trying to get her killed? Were they really this stupid? She grabbed one of the lunch trays and then went to her friend, Kevin's desk to get the knife her father was so eager for her to have. Maybe if he hadn't asked a madman to do the boy's testing for abilities she wouldn't need a pocket knife to keep her safe!

She slowly opened the door to the boy's room and sat down in one of the chairs. A clipboard was on the table, so she glanced over the reports so far. Chicken scratch was written at the bottom of the top paper. Patient was given Mr. Doe's treatment. Two cuts across the chest and one to his stomach. Tugged at his rib cage for signs of flexibility through the bones. Pulled on skin around arms and sides for possible signs of skin flexibility, leaving bruises. One slit to either wrist and his ankles to reveal signs of chemical input as well as decrease energy levels for a short period of time.

Every word filled her with more rage before she looked to David who lied in his bed with the covers up over his body. No doubt they let him bleed around his wrists and ankles for a blood sample and Mr. Doe's own disgusting pleasures. Luckily, they stopped the man before he could do any other harm to him... She could remember times when all the monster was used for was people's death sentence when they were a failed subject...

Taking her book out from under her arms, she opened it up with shaking hands as she began reading and waiting for the boy to wake. She could only imagine the pain he must be feeling in his dreams and in reality.

___________________

David
He runs. He sees rock. He hides. He is safe. No bad man. Rock is gone. Bad man! Bad man! Run! Bad man stabs. He bleeds. He bleeds so much. No die. No blood left. Bad man stabs. Bleed more. He runs. He bleeds.

"LET ME DIE!!!!!!"

David awoke in a cold sweat. He looked around for Mr. Doe and found instead Isabelle sitting in her normal chair. The young man tried to sit up, only to feel a sharp pain in his chest. They probably took his kidney. That's what they always did, right? They put you under and they cut you open and they took your kidney. Only they didn't put him under. Quite the contrary, in fact. He could remember every detail. The memories would not be erased, as if someone was forcibly keeping them in his head.

He thought back to Mr. Doe and his brain tattoo. Someone was probably doing just that. David found it difficult to focus on anything at all, and perhaps his torturer had something to do with that as well. He preferred not to focus on the matter too much; it made him hurt. As far as he could tell, he was in his old room, with everything exactly how he had left it. At this point, he didn't really care where he was; he just wanted the pain to stop.

"Hey there, Iz," He greeted weakly. "I'm guessing I look pretty pathetic. Trust me, it feels worse than it looks." He chuckled at his own twisted joke, then cringed from the movement. Then he cringed from the cringing. "Ever hear of a guy named Doe? Real charmer. I think he might have a crush on you. But you're all mine, aren't you Iz?"

He was shocked at himself. He had not meant to say that at all. He hadn't even thought he had feelings for the girl. He didn't even know he had feelings anymore. After all, she was the offspring of the man who had brought him to this place. She should be his mortal enemy. He felt his eyes widen, and they hurt. Everything hurt. Everything always hurt.

But she was warm.

___________________

Isabelle
The girl stopped her reading once the boy began to speak. His voice made her feel sympathy for her as she listened since it no longer carried that air of confidence and sly deceit. Poor guy... must feel bad to be weak for a change...

When he made the comment about crushes and being his, her eyes widened and her hearing seemed to heightened to an extreme. She could hear the sounds outside the room and down the hall. Everything she had ignored before was in full swing. She cringed at the sounds and covered her ears with her hands. Izzy tried to disconnect from the noise and focus on what was in the room, but failed in her attempt, her heart beating too fast and her stomach turning violently.

Her book fell from her lap and she gritted her teeth at her attempt. What was going on? She pulled her legs up onto her chair and whimpered softly. It shouldn't be so bad! All of her emotions swirled and complained to be released from their prisons. No! She couldn't allow this to happen. She gathered every last speck of the emotions that raged and bottled them up again, finally being able to focus on the task at hand; the words David spoke.

"I am not yours or Mr. Doe's. I am independent and plan to stay that way, David." She said smoothly as she picked up her book and open it up. She cursed under her breath... she had lost her page from the horrible noises...

____________________

David
Inwardly, David smiled. He had finally caused a reaction from this enigmatic woman. She even gave a whimper, almost dog-like. He liked that. Despite whatever she said, or thought, she was his bitch. She just hadn't realized it yet. Over time, she'd understand it, and after that, oh the fun he would have with her. His own little bitch.

The vibration from whatever the hell had dropped to the ground had worked its way up to his bed and rattled his injuries; he felt as if he were being torn apart all over again. The pain was enough to render 10 men unconscious, yet he was kept awake, no doubt due to the intervention of Mr. Doe. Was he listening in even now? Probably. David would not be surprised to hear that voice shine through his incoherent thoughts, taunting him, keeping him from sweet release. He shuddered at the thought.

"Excuse me, ma'am, I wasn't thinking. Can I call you ma'am? It's only natural, after all. I heard from a little bird that you are the child of the demon that's keeping me here. In my life, I've found brown-nosing goes a lo-" (Here he felt a convulsion of pain that interrupted him from any further thinking) "Sorry. I just haven't been the same after you sicced your guard dog on me. What was his name? Mr. Elk? Mr. Stag?"

This was not only a pathetic attempt at humor, but also a test to see if Mr. Doe really was listening in on the conversation. He was rewarded with a mental attack like none other. His head felt as if it was being split open; he felt as if every single hair on his body was slowly being wrenched out; his hands involuntarily reached up to his chest and attempted to tear out the stitches. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out.

"That was fun. We'll have to do it again sometime!" Dictated the gleeful voice of Mr. Doe. He was communicating with his mind as well? This was simply overkill. Not that David could do anything about it but suffer. He was going to do a lot of that.

___________________

David
Her expression grew to surprise and then anger at his statements. That idiot! Mr. Doe never could keep his mouth shut... Why must he have given up that information? Couldn't he be sensible and understand that I was trying to keep this boy away from me? Not give him more reason to push me further!

Her thoughts were interrupted when the boy moved his hand to his chest and his face contorted in pain. She stood and rushed to the bed to try and figure out what was wrong. Nothing was bleeding and none of the stitching was falling out... There was no way David would have shown he was in so much pain either unless... unless it was a surprise attack. Izzy's eyes darted to the camera on the wall and she glared at it. Make him stop! I can handle myself. This is madness! She wanted to yell, but was also stubborn to admit she wanted to help David in front of the boy. That would be stupid.

How did she know it was Doe? Simple. She had seen this before. All of it. Patients suddenly struck with pain that couldn't have been coming from re-opened wounds? Hacking from an illness that they didn't have nor poisoned food... It was all Mr. Doe and his monsterous tattoo... Those idiots for trying to make him stronger...

"Mr. Doe. You know that though, don't you?" She asked, caution and hope trickled from her voice unwillingly. "Yes, my father is such and yes, I have no choice but to be fine with ma'am, right? With my luck you would call me that anyway."

____________________

David
What the HELL?! She didn't even acknowledge the fact that he was being tortured right in front of her! She really must be heartless. How could she not know the pain he was in? It was so damn obvious, and she did nothing! David hated her. He hated her with all his soul, and yet... There was still something about her that was so alluring. He couldn't quite place it, and decided it was better that he did not think of it.

Suddenly, the convulsions ceased. His pain was almost gone, save a slight ache in his chest, a reminder of what Doe could still do to him. David attempted to sit up, but found he could not move a muscle. Great. This was just perfect. His stomach growled involuntarily, sending a shiver up his spine. Could things get any better?

Wait. He had an idea. Artificially sweetening his voice, he said "My muscles seem to be out of commission, ma'am. Due to your most gracious Mr. Doe, I appear to be temporarily paralyzed. At least I hope it's temporary. In any case, ma'am, I'm afraid I can't use my arms for anything. Would you mind terribly if you were to feed me? I would, of course, make it worth your while, ma'am." He gave a shit-eating grin and knew the answer in advance.

He could hear Doe laughing in his head. "Well played, asshole! Unfortunately, I can't kill you for that. I'm thinking our dear little Izzy just might, though." Just the sound of his voice was enough to make David seethe with anger. As loudly as he could, he thought "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!" But was given only laughter in return.

____________________

Isabelle
"You... Are you kidding me!?" She spoke, her voice louder than normal. She rubbed her temples and sighed. "Whatever. Mr. Doe must be doing a number on you... Bastard" The girl cursed under her breath and moved to get the tray from the table. "This is going to hurt you more than me though." Her arms wrapped around his stomach and hoisted him up to a slouched sitting position to keep the stitches intact.

While she was trying to stand back up, she felt her feet trip under her and she slipped. "Whoah!" She cried and managed to get her hands on either side of him to keep her steady. The problem was in front of her face, his own face was only an inch away from her and so were his lips. Why must the strangest things happen to her? Especially when she would rather be in her room reading than having to feed this man...

She leaped up and felt her cheeks redden a bit. "Sorry, David." She said, trying to keep her voice even. She sat down on the side of the bed with a grimace and stirred the bowl of chili. "I hope Mr. Doe is getting you back for that..." She said and suddenly wished she hadn't. Izzy didn't want to wish such a fate onto someone... even if it was someone she wished she was starting to fall for.

"Open up so we can get this over with..." She said and took up a spoonful of chili and raised it up to his mouth.

___________________

David
She was right there... Why didn't he kiss her? Wait... Did he really just think that? Why would he kiss her? She was under Mr. Doe's protection and he would probably not take kindly to any unwanted contact with his little girl. But would it be unwanted? Would she accept his affection, feigned though it was? Doe would probably see through it. He'd be hurt again. The more he thought of it, however, the more he wished he had seized the opportunity.

"Getting a little frisky," The Italian said. He was prepared to take full advantage of the situation. As small as it was, this would be some kind of revenge. For treating him this way, for torturing him, for altering his body without his permission... He deserved a slave, if he only got her for five minutes. He opened his mouth to receive his chili.

Noting her red face, David thought how beautiful she could be... no, sexy. Beautiful wasn't in his vocabulary. Beautiful was for people with lives, people who could respect themselves, people who thought they were worth anything but weren't. He had met many of those people, in his old life. He wasn't fond of them. No, she was sexy. She would be his sexy bitch. He decided then and there that the next time their faces were that close, he would kiss her. Might as well try. He gave off his trademark smile as he continued to eat his food.

____________________

Isabelle
The blush on her face grew darker as she put another spoonful into his mouth. "Shut up. I tripped and wasn't prepared for it. I'm sorry for giving you the wrong message." Her voice held a tint of venom to add to the emotions she couldn't control anymore. They seeped like a cauldron and were bubbling under her skin. What was she going to do? Should she run? Should she just get out of the room while she still had a chance at keeping her dignity?

Her mind raced and spun trying to keep her hearing under control. It kept shifting between unbearably loud and soft every five minutes it seemed. Perhaps it was because she didn't know how to control her powers while emotions were crowding her focus. She gave David another spoonful before setting the bowl on the table.

"Keep at that and Mr. Doe will make it worse for you. I wouldn't be surprised if you pushed him to the point of getting another visit from him." She commented sarcastically. She didn't plan to allow dad to give him a second chance. Izzy had a plan for that. In fact, why wait for Mr. Doe to pay him a visit to smite her dad? A grin threatened to crawl onto her face. She could cut the sound on the security cameras later tonight if she could talk Henry into giving up security duty for her.

____________________

David
At the mention of another session with the sadist Doe, David's eyes widened. She couldn't... Wouldn't! Would she? Was she so heartless that she would hand him over to her mind-reading torturer? He couldn't believe it was possible. She was heartless, to be sure, and cold. But he did not believe her cruel enough to subject him to that... thing. "I heard that," echoed Mr. Doe's voice, and David's hands smacked his own face.

Chili flew out of the street rat's mouth, spilling onto his shirt and the floor. "So sorry, ma'am. I don't know what came over me." He attempted to lift his hand, to no avail. He was entirely limp once again. It seemed he was stuck like this for as long as Mr. Doe wanted. "I'll try not to let it happen again, but I don't think I can particularly control it."

As he chewed his food, he realized just how pathetic this must look. He was slouching, arms and legs limp, most likely drooling, and he couldn't even taste the chili this woman was giving him. He must look like an inbred idiot to her. This was not entirely unsatisfactory; he was not ashamed of being pitied. Far from it, in fact, as pity was usually useful for gathering sympathy, a valuable tool if he was to escape.

And he would escape. Make no doubts about that.

____________________

Isabelle
"Don't worry about it..." She muttered under her breath as she rummaged in her pockets to find tissues or something to help clean him up. It was so hard not to stomp out of the room and scream and yell at the idiots who brought Mr. Doe upon David. Didn't the experiments have enough crap on their minds? They didn't need to worry about someone reading their minds all the time as she was sure the monster was doing to David now... She had heard the rumors before...

She started wiping up the chili and then finished feeding him the food for the time being. "Anyway, wanna talk about anything? We can talk about books, music... sports I guess." She recommended. "Just to, ya know, be friendly with each other even though we seem to despise the other so much."

The girl put the empty stuff away and moved to the edge of the bed. "I can also let you rest for awhile if you see fit. I can read my book and wait for someone to make me come back here later on for conversation."

____________________

David
"Wait wait wait, hold on a second," David frowned. "You think I dislike you? Why? I mean, none of this is your fault, right? Your dad forced you into it. I can tell you're no fan of Doe's. As far as I can tell, you mean me no harm. And here I thought we were getting to know each other so well..." He gave a half-hearted smile signifying defeat and remorse that he would not be getting a friend in her, while wishing with all his might that it would be enough to convince her of his sincerity.

"What sincerity? What makes you possibly think she would ever accept you?" Doe taunted. David just ignored him. "I hope you don't think too poorly of me. Of course, you'd have every reason to; I did attack you. About that... I really am sorry. I was being stupid and reckless and I'm pretty sure I've more than made up for my actions in blood." "What's your game, Davy boy?"

"I guess I shouldn't bother you any further, ma'am. My eyes are getting heavy; I think I'll fall asleep. If it's not too much trouble, would you mind laying me on my back again? Careful not to trip." Here he gave a wink. The trouble was, he couldn't tell whether he meant his words or not. Was he really sorry? Or was he trying to placate Mr. Doe? He had spent so much of his life lying, he had forgotten how to tell when he was speaking truth. He didn't even know if he wanted to lie to this woman. What was she doing to him?

"Little Davy's in love. Isn't that cute. Keep your Godforsaken hands off of Isabelle or I swear unto the universe that you will feel pain unlike any other you've felt. If you try anything, I will kill you. It will take a while. You should be watching yourself closely, David Rossini. I know I will be."

____________________

Isabelle
Isabelle's heart raced as she listened to the boy go on about his actions and her false accusations. Was this really David now? After all he had done and his teasing, was he really starting to lighten up and want to be around her? Maybe he had just accepted the fact that he was stuck here. There's no way this is him... right?

And yet her heart wished it was him... She wanted to believe it so much... yet her logical mind got the better of her. "Don't apologize. When you first came here you probably felt like a cornered animal. Most feel that way and try to get rid of the pent-up emotions in the process. That can include being hostile." The girl began moving the boy gently back to his original position. "It's only natural for a wild animal to react as you did..." She trailed off, reminded of the stories her dad told when she got her tattoo. She had bitten and screamed and yelled when she was younger, just like a wolf would if it was suddenly put in captivity... he said it mystified him and at the same time she felt an ordinary parent would be mortified...

She stood up and picked up the tray of food. "I hope you feel better, David. Anything else before you sleep?" She asked, wishing desperately that he would say he didn't want her to leave. May it be because she was falling for him hard or because she just didn't want to face her dad, the other scientists, or Mr. Doe.

____________________

David
As he lay down his head and prepared for sleep, David was conflicted. Was Isabelle really to be a tool for him? Or was she more than that? Could she be someone he could care about? Could he care about anyone anymore? He had not trusted another single human being since he was thrown out on the street by his father. But she was different... She was gentle, in her actions if not her words. And she was so beau- Sexy! She was sexy! There was no room for beautiful in his world.

David shut his eyes, attempting to sleep. He could not believe what he was about to do. "Ma'am? I'm sorry to ask this of you, and you have every right to say no, but... Will you stay with me until I fall asleep? Again, I'm very sorry... But it would be nice to know there's someone watching over me."

Stupid! Why did he say that?! He gave her power with that statement! He gave her an option of watching him sleep, and with that he gave her a reason to defy him. That one statement could have cost him his chance to return to the life he knew and loved, not to mention his livelihood. Nevertheless... He really did want someone to watch over him, if only so she could witness the night terrors that Mr. Doe would provide him. He resolved to fall asleep immediately if she granted his request.

____________________

Isabelle
Did... did he really say it? She had to look at him for prove. His face was emotionless as he tried to fall asleep, yet there was no way she had imagined it, right? He had asked her to stay even after everything he had shown that made her think he hated her. "Fine, David. I will stay here for now." She said, trying to keep as little emotion in her words as possible.

She sat down in her chair and took up her book again, deciding to read for an hour before getting back to the lab. Her book was actually really good at the moment, reaching its climax where the hero saved the heroine from her horrible death that would have come.

When she had stayed for a half an hour and she was sure he was asleep, she closed her book and started out of the room with the food tray, leaving the book on the table. Izzy slid the tray in its rightful place then headed for the security room. "Gale?" She called into the room.

"Oh, hello, Izzy! How are you? Don't see you too much now a days." She said with a smile as she pushed her glasses up her nose.

"Yeah, no joke. Though I came as a favor to you and my dad. He wants me to watch over the cameras for an hour to get a feel for what you guys see. He thinks I don't appreciate all you do for us..." She spoke cool, yet let a hint of false annoyance and disappointment lead her tone.

"Really? Hm... Alright." She said cautiously and handed over a pair of headphones. "It will help you listen to the rooms if you need it. If you don't, unplug them and pick the rooms you think you need to look at most. Hit the green button on the desk if something bad comes up and then shout the room number. Okay?"

"Got it, Gale. Thanks for understanding." Wolfie said before sitting down in the chair and watching the cameras intently for show. Once Gale left though, she got down to business. Her fingers tapped furiously on the keyboard, turning her attention to the camera in David's room. In no time she had the camera off line so no one could see what she would do. Best part was she would be able to blame it on her inexperience and only get a small lecture.

She ran off down the hall, back to the boy's room with a pair of scissors. Izzy opened the door and went right for the camera with a chair in one of her arms. She climbed up on the chair and cut two wires, remembering what her dad had said one day about have the video cable, the sound cable, and the power cable hooked to the camera. With a smile she jumped from the chair and place it back at the table after she hid the cut cord from glancing eyes. Once that was said and done, she walked to her bedroom and fell asleep for the night, hoping tomorrow she would be able to talk to David alone... maybe getting rid of Mr. Doe would help too... Before she could get into her next plan, she dozed into a dreamless sleep.

____________________

David
It really was incredible how many ways there were to torture a human being. One would think he or she would eventually come up blank after at least 8 hours. One would be wrong. Doe tortured David's mind relentlessly throughout the entire night, ensuring that he would never forget the mad scientist's first meeting with the young criminal. Psychologically, physically, and spiritually, David was broken. At least, he was; until he was completely rejuvenated and the torture began anew. Mr. Doe was incredibly creative; he could do wonders for humanity if he ever wanted to. Unfortunately, he was quite comfortable right where he was.

"Scream, David! Let me hear you squeal! Beg for my mercy!" This command was redundant. David was already screaming, and had found that Mr. Doe did not have the capacity for mercy. As he felt the psychic wound in his arm heal, he braced himself for the next assault. His dream head came in contact with Mr. Doe's arm, though it wasn't his arm, not really: he had transformed it into a hacksaw. As the madman began sawing, David found the tool rather dull. Inch by inch, the evil telepath worked his way through his victim's neck. He punctured the larynx, and David's screaming ceased, though the pain did not. The blood spurted out onto Doe's already soaked shirt, and he laughed. David's dark head fell and rolled around on the ground, having suddenly gained the ability to scream once more. He stared at his beheaded torso in horror, and was shot right back on top of it. He felt the healing process begin anew, and knew he was about to be abused once more.

Suddenly, he shot up, his eyes wide and his brow in a cold sweat. He wiped said perspiration off his forehead, and realized he could once again utilize his muscles. He looked around, and found for the first time that he was alone in his room. He was bewildered at this realization; every time before now Izzy had been there to greet him. He realized how sad he was that she was not present. He stood up, unused to the feeling after spending so much time on the bed. He realized he had not stood up for at least 48 hours. He wobbled uneasily on his feet for a few seconds before finding his balance. He thought about hiding behind the door and tackling whoever came in, but immediately discarded the idea. He would be caught and most likely subjected to Mr. Doe's punishment once again. He couldn't take that.

He inspected his lodgings for the first time since he had arrived in the facility. They were nothing to get too excited about; mostly white with some gray mixed in. Not that he was complaining; Anything with color might have some plant origin, and God knew he needed anything but that. Plants would probably kill him some day if he didn't learn how to use his power, and he probably wouldn't get the opportunity. He gingerly sat on the chair Izzy normally occupied. He found it accommodating, almost as comfortable as his bed. Of course, that wasn't saying much. He dared not fall asleep, so he decided to sit in the chair until Izzy or Henry or (God forbid) Mr. Doe walked in the room.

____________________

Isabelle
"Pitiful, Davey." The madman chuckled to himself. "The fun we have been having, the fun still to come. What were the odds the boss would allow him to have his way in this boy's mind for hurting Izzy? Perhaps it was because of Izzy being the boss's daughter and he knows Doe's feelings? Who knows?

Another set of laughter reached the man and he threw his head back, centimeters shy of hitting the wall. "Oh, Davey, we will have so much more fun to come! I hope you will have just as much fun as you had with your dreams."

A fist bashed on the door to Mr. Doe's room. "Doe! Open up! I know you're in there!" Called a young woman.

"It's open, dearest." He said with a grin on his face and tired eyes. His fun had left him with no sleep and he was exhausted from the exertion. The wolf girl entered his room, a cool expression on her face. "Still our little pet, right?"

Her fists clenched at her side as she tried to keep herself from shaking. "Shut up and listen. Stop tormenting David. He has enough to deal with as it is. For example, getting over the shock of his first dissection with you."

"And hopefully not the last, dearest!" He laughed loud, making the girl cringed at the noise. "Oh, sorry, dear, haven't taken your medication for your poor hearing?"

"I don't take it anymore. I need my hearing." Not to mention it messes with other senses when I take it. She finished in her mind, forgetting the power Doe had gotten when he had gained his ability.

"Like the mechanism in your brain that keeps your emotions in check? Doesn't the pill you take to deafen your ears also dampen your ability to hide those poor emotions?" He cracked his head. "Oh, I see. Your mind is falling apart as it is." He leaned his hand on the wall behind him. "Your emotions are now a cauldron that is beginning to bubble over. Only a matter of time before-"

"Shut up! Keep your mouth shut, Doe!" She yelled, tears brimming in her eyes. "Just stay out of David's mind!" Her hands shook.

"I make no promises, Isabelle. Your dad gave me the order to find information. To get that information he had to go through my treatment and now I have to be in his mind for as long as he still holds information inside him. May it be unconscious or conscious." He gave a murderous grin. "And to be quite honest, I am enjoying myself."

Izzy eyes narrowed and she headed back for the door. "Fine. Whatever, Doe." She said and closed the door behind her before he could catch her last thoughts.

"Sorry, Davey. I got distracted by something. Where were we? ... Oh, yes, that's right. I was going to make your life more of a living hell!" With his words, he made pain shoot through the boy's spine, hoping for a satisfying scream while he control the boy's arms and make him unable to move them. "Ever had a Night Terror? More of one that actually caused you pain?"The madman made the boy's eyes feel heavy and then sent him an image of him falling from the sky to land in a pit of spikes. When the boy hit the spikes in his terror, he cried out and jerked his head back.

A door opened faintly in Doe's mind and he realized Izzy had come into David's room. "Oh, look at that. Izzy wants to come to your rescue. Did you know she came to see me before this?" More pain coursed down David's arm. Through David's eyes the man could see Izzy with a syringe in her hand before she pushed it into the boy's arm. Only seconds had to come before the man felt pain shoot through his own body. He screamed in agony and fell into his bed as he let go of David's mind.

When the pain settled, his eyes grew wide. She... she had used the one drug that cut off his connection with his experiments! She... she wanted him that bad?

~~~

"Thank me later, David." The girl said as she pocketed the needle. "Doe is now shouting in his room from what I just did. You have about two hours of peace without him putting his nose in your business. The sound to the security cameras is also disable, so you and I can talk without the scientists hearing. Video is still intact though, so no rash actions, got it?" She explained, waiting for his reaction to her words.

____________________

David
David couldn't believe it. He was gone? The monster was really gone? "Doe?" He inquired, but no answer returned. The pain was still present, but his mind was finally his own once again. He leaped up and punched the air in triumph. "He's gone! He's finally gone! Oh gracias Dios! He's left me to myself at last! Do you know how wonderful this is?! I can think! I can move!" He demonstrated this by running around the room, though this proved to be a drastic error as he felt his stitches threaten to snap. He couldn't deal with his chest ripping open, so he settled back down on the bed, still elated and feeling as if he'd never felt happier in his life.

"Thank you, Isabelle! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He repeated. He could believe what had just happened. He didn't even know why it had happened, he just knew he was grateful that it did happen. "You don't know what he did to me... Oh God... He tortured me, Izzy. He killed me, in my dreams, so many times... And I could feel it! Every time I died, I could feel my heart stop and my mind cease to think. That man is evil! Evil!" He knew he was rambling, but he didn't care. He finally had someone to talk to, someone who cared about his troubles.

David burst into tears, tears of happiness and of sorrow, tears of pain and of relief. The nightmare was over, at least for two hours. Or until someone noticed something was wrong with Doe and burst through the door to take Izzy and him. A sudden wave of realization washed over him. "Why did you do that? Mr. Doe knows you would have injected me with whatever that was... You're going to be punished! Why did you help me? Now we're both screwed!" He looked into her eyes pitifully, appearing as a puppy does after having been beaten by its master. "Thank you, Izzy. Thank you so much. You will never know how much I appreciate this. But you shouldn't have done it. You didn't have any right to do that to yourself..."

David retreated into his mind, and was astonished at what he found; nobody. He was the only person currently occupying his brain. This sensation was, by now, so alien to him that he couldn't quite believe what was happening. Mr. Doe was not snooping around in there for some reason; why was, at this point, irrelevant. For the first time in a long time, he was able to look into his mind and see what he wanted to see, not what the torturous psychic wanted him to see. What he did see frightened him. Even without the influence of Mr. Doe, the memories of his first operation were burned into his skull. Yet past that, beyond that...

He saw a light shining through the darkness. It pierced the shadow and provided the path to salvation. As David walked along the path, he came upon an apple tree. Sitting upon one of the branches was Isabelle, the daughter of the director of the facility, his sworn enemy, his intended slave-to-be, and his savior. As she took a bite of her apple, David realized he was still in his room, and was in fact staring directly into the eyes of the girl. He shook his head and looked down at the floor. How long have I been staring? He wondered. The sad thing was, he wanted to stare more.

____________________

Isabelle
The sudden energy that erupted in the boy left Izzy a little freaked out. She sat down in the chair he had occupied previously and watched him, completely confused by this behavior. The only time she saw such energy was in children...

When he started to stare at her, she felt her cheeks blush as she stared back. His eyes looked so... kind now. She could remember the hostility they held before... how unapproachable he was when he came here. Now he was able to show how childish he was? Maybe? Humans really are unpredictable as dad said...

His eyes looked to the floor and hers moved to the side to look away. "I'm... I'm glad to have helped. I don't mind getting in trouble if it means you will be more open with me. You always seem to push me away. I want..." She trailed off and glared at the wall.

"I want to have a friend now... Instead of hanging around these scientists all the time and being forced to only take notes on other people. I'm willing to talk to you if you become willingly to talk to me, David."

____________________

David
She wanted... Friends? David was unsure of what to think of this. On the one hand, she had certainly never acted friendly to him before. However, that could have been a result of her constantly being watched by the security cameras and Mr. Doe. Was she really being sincere with him? She might be spying for her father. David wouldn't put it past her; she had certainly manipulated him before. Who was to stop her from doing it again? This was the most likely scenario, but he wanted to believe she was telling the truth. She had to be, right?

He looked up. "How do I know you aren't tricking me? I mean, this could just be our first day together all over again, right? You prove to me everything's all right and then you deceive me?" The words were falling out of his mouth, but he didn't mean to say them. He really wanted to trust Isabelle, but how could he? "Can you give me proof that this isn't another one of your games?" He asked. "Surely you can think of something?"

He didn't really think she'd give him anything; in fact, he fully expected her to turn around and walk out that door. But if she wanted him to trust her as a... Friend... She'd have to give him a show of good faith. If she could do that... He might have a chance of escape after all! It was slim, but anything's possible, right? He could even take her with him... That was a nice thought. They could escape the facility together... How romantic.

___________________

Isabelle
Proof? Proof that she could be trusted? How could she prove something like that when that relies on her actions and every one of them had been against them... The syringe was more "It could help me" situation if he thought about it, right? Couldn't she have done it just so she could get information out of him?

The wolf girl stood from her chair and sighed. "I... don't think I have anything to..." She trailed off as she walked to the door to open it and leave him to his peace. If she couldn't get him to trust her, what else could she do? Sit there and say "I don't know how?"

Before she opened the door, she hesitated and thought about her tattoo. That would be it! That would be her proof! She walked back to her chair and searched the floor for some confidence in showing him. "What I am about to show you is the reason I haven't had friends... the reason I can't really leave this place..." She explained and looked up to the camera, hoping to hide what she was about to show.

She twisted her arm around so the inside of her wrist was visible. The same little tattoo was a mere speck on her arm. "This is one of the first tattoos to be used on humans... the ink that is embedded in your skin for your power over plants is the same ink in mine but yours is altered so no mistakes happen..." She said and brushed her hair away from her ear to show her furry ears. "The mark on my skin is so small because the tattoo was done when I was an infant... When I was older was when the effects kicked in and I got my powers..." She felt her heart race and her hands start to shake. She was actually telling someone!

"My power is simply having the hearing and balance of a wolf. Any questions?" She whispered.

David looked at the tattoo with a mixed expression of shock, fear, and hatred. He knew the implications of that tattoo. He knew the only way she could have gotten it was from her own father. However, he could scarcely believe it was true. How could a man do such a thing to his own offspring? The answer presented itself to him immediately. It was easy for parents to hurt their children. He knew that better than anyone. But her...poor Isabelle...

"You were just a kid? How...how could your father do that to you? How did your mom allow it?" At this he promptly shut his mouth and looked away. It was apparent to him she didn't have a mother, at least not anymore. Who could allow this? Hell, even his bitch of a mom had tried to protect him every now and again. "I...I'm sorry..."

He thought back to his own mistreatment at the hands of his father. He remembered being forced to fetch the belt just to be whipped again and again on his bare back. Johnathan Rossini was a merciless man. David recalled being ten years old, taking too long to find his dad's beer in the fridge. He had smashed the young Italian's head in the refrigerator door countless times, to the point where it was a miracle David wasn't completely retarded. Johnathan Rossini was a ruthless man.

David's eyes welled up and he berated himself for it. He knew any second someone was going to come bursting through the door and find him sobbing on the floor like a goddamn baby. He wouldn't let that happen. He would be strong. He had someone to protect now, someone he could trust, for if he couldn't trust her, who could he trust? She was still the only thing he had in this miserable facility.

Izzy looked away and rubbed the tattoo that was carved into her skin. "My mom wasn't told about it... she doesn't know what happened to me. Dad kept it from her and somehow she still doesn't know even though I am put here... and only get to visit her every so often..." She felt her own eyes start to tear up. She used her fingers to dry her eyes and then glared at the floor.

"He did it without her consent and she is too... ignorant to notice the tail behind me when I first got it. Now, of course, I know how to hide it..." Isabelle looked up to David with eyes that showed the pain she went through when she was younger before she looked to the ground. "Trust me, be lucky they waited till you were old enough to have common sense. I feel such sympathy for the infants they took in..."

With that she stood and moved to the wall, leaning against it, waiting for his reaction to the rest of her words.

____________________

David
This was... Unbelievable... David couldn't believe what had just been confessed to him. It really didn't make sense... Actually, it did. His own father was just as much of an asshole, albeit in a different manner. Did that make Izzy... Relatable? No... It couldn't be... And yet, it was. And... Was that a tear rolling down her cheek? Did she have emotions? He smiled inwardly to himself. Time to find out.

He walked towards her slowly, tentatively. "I... My dad did things to me, too... I know it's nothing like what you've been through, but..." Here it is. Here was the moment of truth. If he didn't act now, he'd never get another chance. David took Isabelle's hand in his. "I want to help you. Together, we can do something about this. About Doe, your father, the rest of the patients... We can help everyone and bring this place to justice. Join me, Iz."

It was desperate, and it came across as such, but she would go for it... She had to! Otherwise there was nowhere else to turn...

Suddenly, the door burst open, and in ran a familiar face: Henry, the gayboy himself. And he did NOT look happy. "Alright, Isabelle, we're getting out of here. As for YOU," He gestured angrily at David, "Mr. Doe has some special plans for you. Come on Izzy, let's go. Now."

___________________

Isabelle
Of course, of course some damn scientist has to come in and piss the girl off. She looked to Henry with venom in her eyes. "Last I checked, Mr. Doe was asleep, Henry. Dad also told me I should talk with David." She stood up from her seat. "Did anyone send you in here or did you decide you were getting lonely?" A joke? A sarcastic mean joke? Was she finally getting some sense of humor or something?

"Mr. Doe has awaken from his slumber and is ready to begin his duties with David." He said and her eyes widened slightly. There was no way he could be awake... that serum is too painful for him to be moving around. That idiotic baste-

"Izzy, let's go." Henry urged again, moving out of Izzy's way as she walked out. He closed the door behind him and lead her down the hall just a bit.

"Oh, sorry, Izzy. I was mistaken. Doe has not waken up yet." He said, his voice monotone.

"What!? You lied to me? Who gave you the right to lie to someone in your quadrant?" She growled, her tone building up. In just a few more seconds she would be ready to slap the hell out of the nerd.

"Your dad. He is very mad at you. He knows what you did." His pace quickened and he got in front of her to keep her from walking. "He wants to know what you were saying to David and they couldn't get audio from the camera. He wants to get some explanation."

"All he will get is that I know nothing about technology. It's why I work on getting food for the specimen and spend most of my time reading."

"Tell it to the big man." He said and continued walking while Isabelle felt her heart sink into her stomach. She was screwed... To think she was going to get away from here finally... with David... screw you, Henry.

___________________

David
David was too shocked to comprehend what had just happened. On the one hand, she looked as if she really was ready to join him. She was smart enough to be able to form an escape plan, and the real deciding factor was that she wanted out almost as much as he did. He was just about ready to seal the deal, but, then, on the other hand, Henry had to come in and fuck everything up all over again. He was so. Damn. CLOSE!

The young man was speechless for a few seconds. Then a minute. Then ten. After a long time of staring at the door, he realized Mr. Doe wasn't awake at all. He wasn't coming into the door or his brain. The implications struck him immediately. Henry had lied to him. "GODDAMMIT, HENRY!!" David shouted. "WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE YOU'RE DEAD, YOU HEAR ME?! DEAD! DEAD!!!!" He collapsed in despair and uttered sobs of simultaneous despair and rage. He made a silent promise to himself; when he finally busted out of this place - be it in ten days or ten years - Henry would be the first he would kill.

Doe was going to have a field day when he woke up, David just knew it. He'd retaliate mercilessly upon the boy, despite the fact that it clearly wasn't his fault. His mind would be raped, dismembered, murdered, and revived so it could be violated anew. He would be a mental Prometheus, all because Izzy drugged Doe and the good man couldn't get back at her directly.

David lay down on his bed, expecting the inevitable. He couldn't be killed, he knew that; Mr. Doe had told him as much. His power was unique, special. He couldn't kill or maim, but he could heal. He could solve world hunger. But Doe knew he didn't need his mind for that to happen. And he would relish that fact.

He would have a blast.

_____________________

Isabelle
After two hours of lecture and waiting for the techies to fix David's camera, Izzy was finally allowed to go back into the boy's room. By now, she could imagine that Doe was awake and causing havoc in David's mind, making her own stomach feel queasy. What was she going to do? She probably didn't help anything! Not only had she drugged Doe and probably ticked him off... David was going to get the backlash. He could defend himself... he could get another break... Why... Why could she never win?

The girl sat in her room, tears streaming down her face. She had almost made her first real friend. ALMOST! I thought dad wanted me to make friends? Why couldn't he let me? Oh, that's right, because he wants no secrets. Especially secrets from his baby girl. His defected, abomination of a daughter...

"Gah!" She cried out as loud as she would allow. Why did she have to be a freak of nature with a father who couldn't find a lick of sympathy for her? All that he felt was success from making his daughter a creature that doesn't exist...

A note! She thought and smiled a little to herself as she picked up a piece of paper and started writing. The perfect thing. She could leave this discreetly on the table under the clipboard! And she could make it so he would write on the back of her paper. And then they could host ideas for escaping... it was brilliant! They were going to make it!

__________________

David
For the first time in five years, David cried. He cried for himself, he cried for his parents, he cried for all who had walked through the doors of this wretched facility. He cried for his friends, and he cried for his people. He cried for all who had suffered, and envied them, for none had ever suffered as he had. He cried in sadness, in pain, in anger, in hatred. He cried for humanity, for all who had suffered man's inhumanity to man. But most of all, what most mattered to him in this hellhole in which he'd been thrown, what he could no longer take in regards to his sanity, or decreasing amount thereof, he cried for Isabelle. She was the true victim of all of this, at least in David's mind. Doe knew this.

He reveled in it.

Time and time again, countless times, irreplaceable times, horrid times, David saw Izzy maimed, tortured, raped, crippled, killed. Doe, in all his creativity, made each scenario quite unique, except for one constant; at the deciding moment, the climax, when Izzy's will is completely broken, she would look into David's eyes and say those four words, those cursed words, those horrid, blasted, terrible, awful words: "This is your fault." Then David would awaken, screaming, crying, hating everything and everyone around him.

Well that was fun, Doe would say. But how about this one? Then it would start all over again, a new image, a new threat, a new attack that David could not save the tattooed woman. Her fingers were severed with a fork. Her hair was ripped out strand by strand, and her bald head was rubbed raw with sandpaper. "This is your fault." "This is your fault."

This was his fault.

___________________

Isabelle
Today... It was today. All the scientists were to do experiments on most of the specimen and check vital signs. On normal days, everyone takes turns, but a problem with tattoos became apparent three days ago. Izzy planned to make the most of it.

After many notes to each other, David and Isabelle had come up with a plan in three days to escape this hellhole. While all scientists checked each experiment, Izzy planned to be his partner with this. They would get him out of his room and down to the room closest to the door. Then when she finished the easy checkup, they would make a dash for it.

She watched everyone begin rushing to their designated areas and she frantically joined in, heading right for plant boy's room and opening it. "Are you ready?" She said as she walked in and closed the door. She took up the clipboard on the table and wrote down a note to her dad. See ya around. Just for when he finally saw it. She was getting out today... she still couldn't believe it.

"We have been having tattoo problems recently. We have to take you in for tests to make sure you are developing correctly. I expect you will be obedient." She said and felt her heart sink. She had accidentally looked up to see the boy. Because of Doe... he looked so broken... he had gained age in his features and he definitely wasn't the same as he was when he first got here. Whenever she came to see him, it always brought tears to her eyes. No one should be subjected to so much mental torment. She may not have none what the cruel manipulator was showing him, but she knew it had to be awful...

"Are you listening? We need to leave to make sure you are fine. Doe should have stop his wrath since he is in check ups too."

____________________

David
David looked up at the girl he loved mournfully. She wasn't real. She was never real. She just stood there... Saying words, meaningless words. She'd be dead soon, anyway. Again. And once again, it would be his fault. All of it. Doe was gone? That's exactly what Doe would say. Clever bastard, but Dave knew that this one had happened before... He must be running out of ideas. David smiled at that. That might mean he wouldn't torture him anymore. He smiled wider. What a stupid thought.

He began to stand up from his bed, then thought better of it and laid back down, holding his head, trying to get the visions to stop. "GO AWAY!!!!!" He shouted, trying to expel Mr. Doe from his mind. "I don't... I don't want you here! Go!" The 21-year old man began to cry into his pillow and hit the side of his mattress with his fist. "It's not my fault, it's not my fault, it's not my fault, it's not my fault..."

____________________

Isabelle
His words stung at her heart and she felt her tears fall from her face. Damn it... Doe, you asshole... She thought and took a syringe from her jacket. She knew there was that slight chance Doe would do this. She knew that the idiot had some horrible grudge against David and wouldn't let it go, but why? What the hell did Doe hate about David?

Izzy crawled up on the bed and quickly plunged the needle into the boy's arm and then pulling it out just as fast to make sure he didn't cause any harm to himself. "Calm down, it'll be alright. You will feel groggy for a moment, David and you will hopefully feel better." Her eyes sharpened and venom coated her next words. "Bye Doe. This is a warning dose, only containing enough of the chemical to lessen the vision and give you a slight headache. Try anything more, and I will give you a full dose. You thought the only last time was bad? That was only 80% concentrated. It could have been worse."

"Come on, David" Her eyes softened and her words were sweeter. "We have check-ups to do." She said and took his hand, feeling her heart beat fast from what she thought was the fear of being caught trying to get out. Or... or was it something else? Was she... what was happening? No! She couldn't possibly...

Forget it. It never happened. Just keep moving on and get out of this facility as soon as she can. That's the goal. Whatever is happening to her can wait. "Idiot, he is weakening. Get you ass moving before I bring in a stretcher." Her voice may have been harsh, but her eyes showed how desperate she was to get them both out of harm's way.

This was real? No... This couldn't be real... But were his legs not moving? Did his head not spin with the newfound freedom of empty space, with one less mind occupying his skull? Was David free? It seemed so, so impossible, and yet it appeared to be true. Mr. Doe was gone, and in his place was the beautiful Isabelle, the Lupine woman that had stolen away his street-hardened heart and replaced it with something tender; an opportunity for a second chance at life and happiness. She planted a seed of love and prosperity in the heart of this street urchin.

But for this seed to flourish, they needed to leave this place, quickly. Before the monster returned and... "My fault, my fault, my fault..." David muttered, believing in his words entirely. But just as he knew that the thoughts were true, he knew that they were not his. These thoughts were the seeds planted by Mr. Doe, and they had been nourished plentifully. They bore much fruit for the sadist, but no more.

David followed Izzy blindly, trusting in her every move. She was the only one he could trust in this place. She was the only source of light in his life. She knew what was good for him. She would help him. She would keep him safe. And in return, he would love her for as long as he could. Once they got out... Once he was really free. She would know love... and so would he. For the first time, he would know love. All he needed to do was put one foot in front of the other.

Isabelle
The girl's free hand clenched as she pulled David up again. Doe... I hope one day you burn in hell. She thought and opened the door to exit the room. 

"Okay, so we will be starting with the blood test today, just to shake things up a little. Hope you don't mind." She informed, deciding to keep ideas of the escape to herself in case any of the cameras caught her voice.

Why blood tests though? The room for the testing was the closest to an exit door. It wouldn't be too much of a hassle to make the detour. 

As the two walked, one mostly being dragged, Izzy felt her heart pound in her ears. She was anxious to get out and excited the be free from tests and her dad. Her nostrils flared as she thought of the man who had put her in this prison when she was born. She hoped when she left, she would see this facility burn to the ground. She hoped a fire-starter wouldn't make it to their fireproof room and the place would go up in flames. She smiled just a bit at the thought. That would make her life complete.

Wolfie's ears twitched as she heard talking down the hall. She paused and listened quietly to the voices. "When they get here, grab the girl and escort the boy back to his room. I doubt the plant boy will struggle much. Doe did a number on him." Chuckles from three men echoed down the hall and Izzy felt her breath catch in her throat. 

"Shit.." She muttered before making a sharp left turn. Next exit, here we come. How did they know though? Did someone see the notes? Did they somehow catch on when she said they were going to do blood test?

"Damn it, Doe" She growled, rage building with an intense flame. That bastard saw the notes. How did she not figure that into all of her calculations? She had been so careful and now they were in for it.

As they past one of the testing rooms, Isabelle found a stretcher and grinned. She pulled David toward it and settled him onto the bed. "Don't worry, this will just get us around quicker." She smiled and made sure the belt that went around the person's waist like a seat belt in a car was secure around his stomach. She really didn't need him flying out or something of the sort.

She tested the wheels and couldn't help the next smile that came to her face. The stretcher glided smoothly on the tile floor and she stood on her tiptoes to look at the top of the inclined stretcher to see David's head. "Ready?" She asked and received a nod.

"Let's go then." She said and rolled the stretcher toward the next exit with haste. As they neared the next set of double doors, she saw four men lined up to block it. Her eyes widened and she tried to quickly turn around before they saw her. 

Too late.

"There they are! After them! Call the other men, Jerry. Have them block the two off." One called and Izzy went on a mad dash in the other direction as she heard their feet step heavily down the hall with her. 

"Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic..." She breathed, trying to keep her composure as she tried to find another exit. Every direction she could see new guards trying to get to her and David. "Damn it... Doe so help me I wil-" She paused and turned a sharp right to get away from a few guards, the stretcher tipping ever so slightly to one side.

"Sorry!" She yelled and kept running only to bump into a few more guys who were hiding inside a room she passed. Her arms were pulled to her back and the stretcher was put into a man's hands. 

"Let go!" She struggled and tried to bite down on someone's arm. 

"You're father is going to be very disappointed in his only daughter. Start thinking up an excuse now while we walk you to him and get plant boy back to his room." The guy behind her mused.

In just a few seconds, Izzy pushed her leg forward and then pulled it back quick to kick the man in the shin, making him yelp in pain and release the girl. 

"His name is David! Get it right, assholes!" She yelled as she pushed the stretcher right out of the guards hands and ran down the hall again. 

She turned left and into a new room. A room with black wall and different machines littering the floor. X-rays? She thought and felt her heart soar when she looked straight ahead. Near a small desk hung a window that has a mesh inner layer along with the glass on the outside. She ran toward the opening and took her chance. 

Isabelle tore off the mesh and pushed the glass out as far as it would go. "Here we go, David." She smirked and unhooked the belt around him to help him up and out of the window. 

When they were both out, she slammed the window back as the guards passed back passed the room they were in. The girl grabbed the boy's hand and ran as fast as David would go. Not as fast as she wished, but definitely enough to get them out. 

Surprisingly lucky, they found themselves out front and hid in a bush right next to the gate that opened to the outside. Izzy's eyes sparkled with greed for freedom. 

The guards appeared outside and started searching for them. The two stayed silent and waited with anxiety filling their bodies. Ten minutes passed and the guards were getting closer to their hiding spot. All of a sudden, as if a higher power was watching over them, the gates opened and a car drove through the gates. As soon as the vehicle passed, David and Isabelle dashed out of the gates, hoping desperately the guards didn't see them. 

A few more minutes passed before the found a pair of building that created an alleyway to slip into. They walked through it and both of them collapsed on the cool dirt, legs burning from the running that Izzy's body wasn't used to. She breathed heavily and tried to bring her breath back as her vision blurred from the exhaustion.

"We did it..." She huffed, not really registering her own words. "We... we did it, David..." She said again, her mind slowly wrapping around the words. 

The girl looked to the boy who now sat next to her as she looked out to the alleyway entrance. A smiled brightened her face and her eyes released a stream of tears. "We did it, David! We're out!" She whispered and threw her arms around him. "I'm finally out... I can finally see the world outside of the laboratory and my mom's house." She sobbed and hugged him even tighter. 

"Heh... now I can see what my books spoke about... How the world has changed... do some people really have to go to a place with 30 kids in a room to be educated?" She wondered allowed, never understanding the essence of school besides what her fiction and non-fiction books would reveal. She barely could focus with ten people in a room talking, let alone 30...

She realized then that she was still hugging the boy who had most likely wanted to kill her for awhile and pulled away from him. "Sorry... didn't mean to get emotional..." She cried, wiping away tears that shed. This was definitely the best day of her life... as long as they didn't get caught...

David looked at his hands, not daring to breathe, not daring to blink. His thoughts were a whirlwind, rapid, chaotic, but FREE. He was finally free. He hardly knew the meaning of the word anymore. He had been subject to the cruelties of the facility and its mad, slobbering dog for such a long period, he had no real comprehension of freedom or enslavement. For all his life, he simply was. Now he could do as he pleased, and the rest of the world be damned. He stole a glance at the person who had granted him this liberty.

Isabelle. Izzy. Iz. No matter how he thought of her name, it was still the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. Belle. Was that not beautiful in French? David was not a French speaker, far from it, but he knew that much at least. The name suited her perfectly. She was the vision of beauty, in his or any other mind. Hers was a face that would inspire jealousy from man and woman alike. The Greeks had their Helen, the Germans had their Brunhilde, the Egyptians had their Cleopatra, but David had his Isabelle, and that made him the most fortunate man in all history. Without her, he was nothing. With her, he was free at last. Free, after a lifetime of enslavement.

With his hands, the hands that had seen naught but hardship, strife, and cruelty from the day they had emerged from their mother's womb in all their short-lived innocence, David grabbed his savior around the waist and drew her close, so close that he could feel her hot breath on his neck. With one hand, he brushed away the tears that flowed so freely from her face. The other held on tightly, ever so tightly, for fear that she might slip away as had everything good in his life. "I made a promise to myself the last time we were this close," he whispered to her pining face. "I promised myself that when next we were this close, I would have the wherewithal to satisfy my urges, my savage urges."

A palpable fear came over Izzy's face at this new revelation. Urges? The only urges she knew of were those of the murderous persuasion. Was she to die so soon after escaping from her father and his dread students of mutilation? Her tail stiffened, and her legs tensed, preparing to jump away at the soonest hint of aggression from the dendrokinetic. "U-urges? What are you talking abou-"

She was soon silenced by a kiss from the man to whom she had been an angel sent from God on high. Her lips were salty and wet, to be expected from one crying tears of happiness and shock. But the kiss was also sweet,the sweetest David had ever given or received in all his days as a rogue living off the street. She tasted of hope, of innocence and curiosity. She was like nothing David had ever known prior to this moment. She was fresh, a breath of forest air in a world of pollution and industry. She was the dew on the flowers during the early hours, untainted as of yet by the evils of the human species.

And he, he was unfathomable, an unstoppable force like nothing Izzy had ever experienced prior to this indescribable moment. For a first kiss, she could not ask for anything better. He tasted of all the world had to offer. There was pain, so much pain, and broken down were his defenses. He had loved, lost, regained, only to go through the cycle again and again. Yet despite this suffering, or perhaps because of it, there was a certain indescribable charm to his demeanor. Though he had been ground under the heel of countless oppressors, he had emerged, not unscathed, but alive as anyone has ever been. In this kiss, Izzy sensed the vitality reserved only for the most determined of heroes. Her sheltered heart melted, and the mental walls keeping her from attachment crumbled.

The kiss may have lasted for a minute; it may have lasted for an hour. Nevertheless, it was the most real thing either of the two young people had experienced in their lives. From that moment on, they both knew, without saying a word: they were in love. Nothing and no one could ever separate them from that moment on. Not even death's icy grip could pry them apart from one another. David took his one true love's hand, and together they ran.

They ran until they came to a forest on the outskirts of the city. Once they arrived, David looked at the sprawling woods with a newfound respect. These were now his brothers and sisters, his true brethren. He would respect and keep them for the rest of his life, and they would in turn serve his every need. The pair of tattooed mutations flew deep into the heart of the trees, until they came to a clearing. There, David channeled the power of his tattoo, and out sprang from the soil a giant apple tree, healthy and filled with ripe fruit.

David willed a single red fruit to drop from the branch of the tree. Holding it in his hand, he admired its perfection. To think he had created life with such ease confounded him. He would not think it possible, if he had not just seen it happen with his own eyes. He almost considered taking a bite out of it; if he had, perhaps the tragedy could have been avoided. But no; it was not to be. He had left his former selfishness behind him. Now all that was his belonged to his love, Isabelle. He handed her the apple, and she took it with a nod of thanks and a look in her eye that confessed hunger.

The worm. The worm had taken what was supposed to be a perfect image, a perfect life, and corrupted it. No longer would David feel happiness, for the worm corrupted it all. As soon as Isabelle took a bite, she was struck by two distinct feelings: One, the extreme sweetness of love and sugar. The apple was the tastiest she had ever eaten.

It was also the last.

The worm worked immediately, shooting down into her belly and expanding, bursting all of her internal organs nearly simultaneously, saturating her entire essence with its toxic being. I would like to say her passing was painless, but I would be lying. The worm let her leave this earth with a horrible reminder of all that was evil, and her eyes opened unnaturally wide. Blood flowed incessantly from all of her orifices, inciting the second sensation: pain. Pain unlike the pain of any other. The worm's jealousy destroyed her completely, and as she fell into David's arms, she had not even the ability to scream.

David did. He screamed, and screamed, for the one thing worth living for in this world was gone, just as he had attained it. She wanted to read! She wanted to have friends! She only wanted to see her mother, and now she never would! David screamed until his voice was hoarse, and then screamed some more. David screamed, because just like that, the love of his life was gone. Gone, and he could never get her back. Gone, gone, GONE! David wept for all the things he had lost, and he wept for what the world had lost with Izzy. She was the only thing worth living for! The ONLY THING! He wept and wept, until his eyes were too dry to cry anymore, and still he screamed over the still-bleeding corpse. She was the one who had shown him mercy, had saved him, and he had killed her! This couldn't be happening! No. No. No. No, he didn't kill her. But he knew exactly who did. And they would pay. They would pay for this treachery.

Another apple dropped into David's hand, and his eyes burned with the fury of vengeance. As his eyebrows furrowed into a scowl, he looked toward the facility, and the men who had murdered his beloved. The director. Mr. Doe. Henry. They would die. They would all die, by the hand of David Rossini. An apple dropped into his other hand, and he felt what he could not feel the first time: he felt the anger of the worm, ready to punish all who dared cross its master. Its master was ready for all that could happen. Its master was ready to take revenge.

Its master was ready to destroy the world.

Fin