NOT MY ALPHA {+18}

26. Mackenzie

Mackenzie

"Any backup plans for getting help on the inside?" I asked as we stood in the arena waiting for our next round of torture. The scientists liked to call it 'a test' but I knew we were in for another few hours of barely surviving.

Couldn't wait.

"No," Ryken said bitterly, his eyes narrowed on Arlo who was looking too smug. He was in the same glass spectator box as last time with the other scientists.

It was unnerving having them all staring at us like we were lab rats.

Essentially, we were.

"Do you still have that fifteen-minute window?" I asked since those few minutes in the morning were the only way to know what the hell the things we had found meant.

"I have no idea but even if I do, I won't be using it. With Arlo playing both sides, I'm keeping everything out of his hearing," Ryken growled low.

I was about to respond but The Brain spoke over the speaker, "Subjects. Welcome to another test. I bet you're wondering what kind of fun I have in store for you today," he grinned and then pressed a few buttons on his stupid controller. Metal shields came down around the arena, locking us in again.

"Yesterday you were subjected to freezing temperatures and water to see how those two elements react in your body with and without the drug. We have to make sure if the drug were to get released that the atmospheric conditions wouldn't alter the results. Which means today, we must test you on the other end of the scale," The Brain said. It made sense from a scientific perspective. From a subject perspective, it sucked.

"They're going to burn us, aren't they?" Viking grumbled.

I was assuming that myself, already dreading it. I was used to the cold, I could handle the cold. The heat? I was a bitch. I hated being sweaty and sticky- in a bad way- with no way to cool down.

It always activated my anger and usually meant I had to sneak into the pools to cool down before I lashed out. Or find some aircon, which at college, wasn't an issue. But in this experiment? I was guessing they weren't going to be offering fans or aircon.

"Welcome to the desert, subjects."

The Brain pressed that big red button and sand began pouring into the arena from the ceiling.

Oh good. Sand too.

If there was one thing I hated more than snow, it was sand. Sand was scratchy, and uncomfortable and hid in all the nooks and crannies.

I sighed and stood there waiting for the sand to finish pouring. I contemplated letting it just cover me completely but Ryken yanked me out of the pour.

"Hey, I was being dramatic," I sulked as the arena already felt warmer.

Dreading it, was too tame of a word for the prickling anxiety I was feeling.

"You've gone pale," Ryken murmured as we waited to see when the sand would stop. The temperature kept rising, a fake sun rising on the ceiling that was all metal, just like the sides. We were definitely going to cook.

"I'm not good in the heat," I said back through a clenched jaw. When it got hot, I got nervous. It was a trauma response thanks to being left in writhing, excruciating pain for every heat. Now when it got hot, I started panicking. I was trying to hold onto that and convince myself that it wasn't the heat at all but my brain had decided to ignore the hell out of my inner voice.

I tried to calm my racing heartbeat but the temperature was already high enough to have me feeling stifled.

Viking removed his shirt and tied it around his head like a bandana. Dana rolled hers up to be a crop, barely covering her breasts. Sullivan had hung his over his head. Ryken just yanked his off and dumped it on the sand.