Strong For Too Long Trilogy ✔️

36. Screaming For Mercy

CHAPTER 36: Screaming For Mercy

For the short time I knew her, I never thought they would do this. Pick on students like rats in a lab, like guinea pigs for the slaughter. I'm led straight towards the front doors of this forsaken place. I stare at the woman I thought was getting cheated on by her apparently useless husband, she steps forward, Farah Vladimir, she studies me, "Cassandra, thank you for flying over. I take it this is your daughter?" She questions as my blonde bitch of a mother steps forward to embrace her kindly, like fond old friends, both with twisted ideas of motherhood.

"Indeed, Farah. You look grand, how goes the subjects?" Like that wasn't informal at all.

"Alice is struggling, but Candidate Four is improving. We've had problems with her analysis against a new virus in her system, it's losing resistance which is disappointing at best, we may need to cancel her.

I snap my eyes over, "Alice Henderson?" I whisper in shock.

The girl who took me on a guide when I first got to the London's Academy.

They took her.

I snap my eyes up, "Are you coming this year or does Ace over here have to throw you over his shoulder? It wouldn't be the first time." Hazel eyes and brunette hair says to me. I clench my jaw and eye the school ID.

"What's your name?" I ask her. Wondering whether she's a blind pawn or a known one.

She gives me a long look, "Alice Henderson, the heir of Henderson Industries. You've heard of me right?" She says, snobbishness oozing out of her manicured fingers and I blink twice.

"No."

"Good thing I'm just your tour guide, because an insult like that is worth a prank on your head. Now, hurry up, we're losing daylight." She says over her shoulder, swirling her checkered skirt, tall black socks that looks to be from a striper's joint with the clips at her thighs and a Gucci bag on her back.

Alice Henderson.

And Candidate Four.

I close my eyes, if he had just stayed with the group, he'd be safe. I'm dragged down a line of corridors, two large, interconnected labs with injections lining the walls like one would stack animal heads for each shot taken. My eyes skim them robotically while Cassandra's candidates ensure I stick to a group I wanted no part of.

We're guided into a seating lounge, but I pause at what I see.

Alice, her eyes closed, brunette strands hanging low with both arms chained, holding her up like a piece of meat. My mind flashes, eyes flicker back to how I was held up and how I was forced so darkly into a similar position. I step forward, two guards step in front of me. Farah stills and looks at me, "She still holds emotion?" She questions Cassandra.

Cassandra studies me instead of studying her, "I was unsure if I wanted to eradicate everything, she feels far too strongly for the Westlake boy she decided to marry." She mutters, rolling her eyes and stepping towards the two scientists in the room. I stare at the girl I didn't know for very long...but wouldn't wish this upon anyone.

My arm is gripped tightly, "Stay within your lane, Candidate Eleven."

"How could you allow this to happen?" I ask the candidate holding me, not recognising him, his expression doesn't falter, in fact he's forever poised and void of emotion. A stringent, a tiny memory of whoever he was before is long gone. As eradicated as she said and yet mentioned she didn't want to remove all of me. Change me-yes. Remove emotions...why keep those when she had so much power the moment I was stuck within those four walls. A room so white it made my skin appear tanned, even if I was so far from it under a sun I didn't get the chance to see for a very long time.