Subject 116

8

I was allowed to stay with the rest of the kids for the night, I didn't even need the submersion therapy for the day. That was the best news I had ever received, which was only expected according to the doctors. There was plenty of extra space in the room where everyone slept in, so as soon as I came in, nobody really noticed I was new, they just registered that they had seen me before, and moved on with their night. I stuck with Hallie for most of the day, Lydia had become used to me, but she likes everyone. The innocence of a child was pleasing, especially considering our surroundings were so bland, and the doctors were so sophisticated all the time, I didn't think they could handle someone that young properly. From what I could see, she was uncomfortable around most of them, as anyone as young as her should be. I couldn't remember any children from my life, but their behavior made sense to me. I had a sense of logic, though I knew close to nothing. I had no hope of my memories returning, so making new ones was all I could do for now, and it was enough for me.

It was already dark outside, I was hoping to possibly see some stars through the window, but all the clouds kept me from having that experience. Lydia was disappointed too, she said she was used to seeing them back at home. Hallie deduced that she was one of those kids who spent a lot of time outside. It must be nice, feeling the fresh air flow into your lungs, the sun glowing on your skin, and the wind blowing through your hair. I wanted to feel that, badly. Lydia was too energized to be contained, she wasn't as tolerant as me, which I expected because of the curiosity coming with her age. Someone needed to let her out, and fast. I was already feeling the need to break free, so I couldn't imagine how she was feeling, or Hallie for that matter.

The lights in the room were dimmed, almost like even the inside of the building had a day-night cycle. We were all just a wall away from having that for real, but there was no way out. Of course, the elevator was right there, but we needed a key card to get it open. And if anyone found out that we tried to escape, I didn't exactly know what would happen, but probably something similar to what happened to me. Even worse confinement. And considering none of them would have their memories wiped, they wouldn't be able to handle it as well as I did. I was very good at portraying that I was collected mentally, even though I didn't always feel like that.

Everyone had already gathered into the bedroom, which was huge, not to mention. This floor of the building was much more complex than it looked. And to think there were loads more on the floors above and below, so many people had been affected by this explosion, it was most likely a larger number than whatever I had in mind. I knew it had taken a large amount of a small town a while away from this facility, but there was still a good amount of people within a small town. Parents were having their children ripped away from them, and nothing could be done about it. Those poor people.

Lydia was waddling up and down the aisle in between the rows of beds in the room quietly, keeping in mind the people who were trying to rest. Monica said she wanted to show us something once everyone else was asleep, though I didn't think that was a very good idea. I didn't know what she had in store, but whatever it was, it was potentially dangerous. She wanted to do this in secret, which meant it was probably against the rules of this place. I didn't want to disobey the doctors, thinking about what might happen to us. I didn't want anyone else to get put in a separate room, that would ruin them. A normal person couldn't handle doing nothing all day, I was the only exception. Hallie was sitting across from me on the floor at the very back of the room, Peyton and Monica at our sides, as Lydia kept skipping around.

"You better not be planning on putting us in a risky situation, Monica. We could get in really big trouble, you know," Peyton's softer side was beginning to show, but I highly agreed with him.

"Yes, we shouldn't be reckless. I don't want any of you getting the same treatment as me, it wouldn't be fair, so I'm warning you." I advised them. Monica took it to mind, but still planned on going through with it. "Yeah, I know we could get punished. But we just don't get caught. That's the plan."