Vein

Chapter 7

It's been two years. Violette has flourished into what I knew she'd always be, successful, making multiple breakthroughs under my guidance. Our current project, 4N03L, which focuses on imbedding microchips in an individual's nervous system to help everyday life. Unoriginal but ambitious. As we work on it, I can't help but think back at how my mentor's face was the very embodiment of fear when he first saw the scalpel in my hand, not directed to the toad on the metal table but him.

I didn't kill him, of course. His biology was too precious for that.

Instead, I induced him into a temporary coma. His code name: Y3RFD0G. A poor attempt to make his name into code. Who can I blame? It was my first time after all. And God's peace he was. Despite being my first ever human experiment, he turned out to be very successful. He helped me observe all there is to learn about blood circulation first-hand.

I still remember when he had awoken from his peaceful state, pleading with me to stop my "atrocities". He promised to forgive me. I've studied human psychology well enough to know those words were empty. He was an adult and I was only 15 years old.

The same thing happened with my so-called 'friends'. Leighton was born with a platinum spoon in his mouth, he just threw money wherever he liked and it got him into Oxford University where I had met him. He boasted his privilege which attracted flocks of scavengers, hoping to get a piece of whatever he could spare. His attitude, of course, helped build my connections and fund the organisation I've built. He had many enemies, too. So, I used that to my advantage. I auctioned him off as a sample for my most recent breakthroughs, gathering those who have money to burn and interest to watch him suffer. Unbeknownst to me, I met my husband there. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, I suppose.

Thomas Watson. He was a good kid. He got into Oxford with only his ability. Unfortunately, he was not very supportive of my "uncanny" interest in human experimentation. And let's just say, he saw something he shouldn't have and had to be kept quiet. Usually I would auction off my experiments to the black market, but I couldn't bring myself to do that with my dear Thomas.

Harold was surprisingly supportive of my interests and did whatever he could to please me, even if it meant finding me new lab rats. This made me highly suspicious. I used the allowance Leighton provided us to hire a private investigator and what I found made my heart churn. He was in close contact with the local police department, feeding them information about my "crimes". Bribing police officers hiring hitmen is very easy when you have access to a billionaire's account, as well as one fifth of their assets from their deaths. I do pride myself for having a knack in forging wills.

My highschool academic rival turned highschool sweetheart, Isadora. We were the result of a one-night stand. She was a chemistry and physics major, a perfect fit for a biology major. As smart as she was, she was naive. She believed me when I told her someone had murdered our friends. Even the authorities told her so. She took things at face value. She was determined to find the culprit, to do something the authorities didn't do, never looking at those closest to her first. As smart as she was, she, of course, found the true culprits – me and Evie. She cursed at us, begged us to tell her that she's wrong and there must be something more to it. Oh, how pitiful she looked. I'm many things but I'm not a liar. Her demise was an unfortunate but inevitable one. In fact, we were contemplating whether we should end her search before things got out of hand. But seeing her put the puzzle pieces together was a delight, something I loved watching her do while we were in college.

The last of the founders I put a stop to, Evie Han Yi-Na, the only one who was truly by my side. I didn't have a good reason to kill her. She was obedient and, as far as I know, wasn't the justice-seeking type. Her only flaw though, was her paranoia. She worried about every little detail of our operation, worrying here and there. She was particularly worried about the internship program I proposed. After a while, I got annoyed and naturally, she had to be ridded of. Oh, how much she trembled when she realised she was going to meet the same fate all the others did. The fear in her eyes, the slight quiver of her lips, the frantic movements to stall my advancements.

However, I couldn't manage an organisation as large as mine without any help. That's when Nyra Leona came in. She wasn't a science enthusiast, instead she was a reporter for one of the most renowned newspapers in the world. Not many people know, but she was admitted to an asylum for some years when she was a teen. Of course I had to recruit her. She had connections and some influence, but her history of mental health issues could easily disprove her claims of my operation if she ever wished to go against me. She was already in her 30s when I recruited Violette and that interesting brain of hers is worth researching. 'Mental Patients, a Deeper Look into their Minds' headlines would say and did.

And at last, my dear husband. How unfortunate for him to be caught cheating on me and he didn't even know he was found out! His side-chick though, was more aware. She called me over to a coffee shop and apologised to me, her face soaked in tears with mascara running down her face. I was honestly heartwarmed, she admitted her faults before she was accused, in a public space too. I spared her, obviously. My husband, on the other hand, wasn't so fortunate.

"Dr.Veinar?" Violette's nervous voice broke me out of my trance. What was the use of thinking about what already had happened. I'm safe from the grasps of the law, there's nothing to worry about.

"Yes, let us continue with our experiment."

I thank my parents for never supporting my ideals. Without them, I wouldn't have learnt the thrill of having someone begging for their lives beneath my feet; I wouldn't have an entire organisation to myself; I wouldn't have gotten into Oxford and found such amazing candidates for experimentations. I am what you made me. And I hope I get to feel this thrill again soon.