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Neretha’s moon was in the sky by the time our group stood on the lawn of our prison. Lex floated beside Evette, who was clutching his hand. Anna stood near me, her hands gripping her black dress. If only David could see his mother’s fate. I wondered if Lord Peirc would distract David so he wouldn’t notice that his mother wasn’t living at the Peirc Estate.
“I have rules,” the prince said, his back leaning against the windowless steel front door. “Lex, if you say a word, I’ll take your consciousness from you again.”
“Fine,” Lex huffed. He knew when he was beaten.
“Be kind and courteous to everyone you meet. Don’t harm my lab assistants. And if you’re permitted to attend meals, attend them on time.” His rules baffled me. I thought he’d say something like “don’t escape or you will be terminated.” Why was he bothered by rude individuals? It wasn’t wise to question him, so I waited for direction. “Do you agree to follow my rules?”
“Yes, sir,” Lex and I said in unison, which made the prince let out a groan.
“The first thing I’ll do is fix your personalities. You’re lacking authenticity,” he complained before the steel door vanished. He walked through the entrance backwards, as if he didn’t trust us enough to show us his back. My assumption was confirmed when I stepped into the building and found Prince Eleron with his back pressed to the white wall. His glowing eyes closed for just a moment. When his gaze refocused, he gestured for me to stand near the wall opposite to him. I obeyed, Anna following close behind me. Maybe she thought I could protect her from the prince. That was laughable, since I couldn’t even negotiate my way out of this predicament.
“You can help her, Gwen. Your only enemy is your belief that you’re powerless,” Christian mentally told me, the warmth returning to my mind. My heart soared, enjoying his presence. I wasn’t alone anymore.
“Christian, where were you?” I asked.
“Being tortured. But I’m back now,” he replied in a manner of someone explaining that they stopped at the pump to get gas. He was so casual about the cruelty that was done to him.
“Why does Lord Peirc have you?” I asked.
“That’s not what you wanted to ask me, Gwen.” Christian’s disappointment made my heart sink.
“What do you mean?”
“You were wondering what I did to run afoul of your father. And the truth is, it doesn’t matter. He isn’t the judge and punisher of our universe. Your father is power hungry and will see everything as a slight.”
Goodness, I hadn’t asked Christian the question, so why was he upset?
“Gwen, we need to start moving,” Anna gently told me, her hand on my arm. I blinked and focused on what was going on around me. Despite some of the negative things Christian had to say, it was still easy to get lost in him. I saw a blue light hovering in front of me. “We have to follow the light.” I sighed and began walking, the light moving once I did. I looked around the long hallway for Lex and Evette, but they were gone. It was just Anna and me, and part of me wanted to turn back around and bolt out the door. But it couldn’t have been that easy. I was positive that we were being tested. It’s what my father would have done. Despite the evil prince’s insistence that he was nothing like my father, he was cut from the same cloth.
I forced my tired legs to follow the light down the long hallway. We turned down another identical hallway and grew nervous when I realized that there wasn’t a door in sight. A pine scent lingered in the air. The vents were blowing frigid air to counteract Neretha’s brutal heat. But it felt excessive. I shivered after we turned down the third hallway. Where in the hell were the doors?
“Just like the Peirc’s Triumph,” Christian mentally told me. My hand itched to test his theory, but I refrained. The last thing I wanted to do was set off alarms.
“Agreed. It’s dangerous to read the prince’s mind, but his experiments are fair game. My Gwen, there is nothing I can do to protect you from what you’re about to see.” My mental passenger’s sorrow-filled voice made me stiffen. We were about to turn into another hallway, probably one filled with atrocities. I shuddered, dread mingling with fear. I didn’t want to expose myself to something so wicked. But I had no choice in the matter. Lord Peirc forced me into this dark, cold world, and I needed to stay alive so I could save Christian and my mother. I took a deep breath and we followed the floating ball into the next hallway.
“No,” Anna cried out. I blinked several times, trying to understand what I was seeing. There was a wide room that held rows of clear tanks that reached the ceiling. There were various species of people and animals in each tank. I stared into the one closest to me and saw nothing more than a head sitting there with no body.
“Is everyone dead?” Anna whispered, her eyes wide with fear. I eyed another tank that held the charred remains of another being. The third tank held a pile of limbs.
“I think so,” I rasped out, sweat beginning to coat my skin. All I wanted to do was run out of the building and never spare this horror another thought. But I didn’t have that luxury. Anna shook her head as tears streamed down her beautiful face. I was numb, unable to get in touch with my emotions. Anna’s slender frame shook with her loud sobs. Part of me wanted to tell her to shut up in case Prince Eleron saw crying as a weakness.
“This is what happens to specimens that aren’t viable,” the prince said, his voice reaching us from a loudspeaker. “I don’t waste any part of my subjects.” Were the people that tried to escape the ones that were harvested for parts?
“Yes, Christian replied, answering my silent question. You can’t escape him just yet. No kidding.
“Do you promise to behave?” the prince asked. It was downright creepy, being unable to see the prince, but having his voice surrounding us.
“Yes,” Anna and I replied, my voice flat, hers shaky.
“Follow the guide,” Prince Eleron demanded. We followed the ball of light out of the horrid room and turned down another hallway. The wall to the left abruptly vanished, exposing a room filled with a long row of bunk beds. Anna and I followed the ball into the room and stopped halfway down the row. The guide paused midway down the row and blinked out. There were two sets of clothes on the top and bottom bunk. Anna shuddered as footsteps approached. Lex and his mother stood there, both of them filled with anger.
“That monster sold us to a mad scientist,” Evette hissed.
“Be quiet. He can probably hear us. Remember what he said about being kind?” I reminded the mother and son pair, not wanting to see them dead.
“Of course you would drink the Kool-Aid, Gwen. You were like this in Dad’s harem too,” Lex snapped. I wanted to punch my brother in the face, but then I heard an electrical sound.
“What’s that?” Anna asked, her hand clutching mine. Moments later, a mechanical arm popped up beside Lex, clutching a needle. Before I could even shout, the needle plunged into my brother’s neck. Lex was lifted into the air and was dropped onto the bed across from the one Anna and I were assigned to.
Evette let out a sigh. “Things never change,” she muttered. “So much for kindness.”
“He could have given Lex a light punishment,” I reminded his mother. She nodded.
“We should probably get dressed,” Anna suggested, her shaky hand snatching one of the johnny gowns that were on the bed.
“Great,” I said.
“Christian, are you awake?” I mentally thought at him an hour later. I was lying on the top bunk, listening to Anna and Evette’s soft weeping. Lex was across from me, his body as stiff as a board. It wasn’t clear if he woke up, nor did it matter. He wasn’t going to be good company in this cold, sterile room.
“I am. Can’t sleep?”
“Despite everything, I can’t. Do you have a clue of what’s going to happen to me”?
“From what I gather, Prince Eleron loves testing different races. If you behave, he’ll make modifications to you. If you disappoint him, he’ll break you down for parts.”
I swallowed. “I want neither to happen to me, Christian. I just want to go to Janton, to find my mother and...” I trailed off, not knowing where we would go after that.
“Tell me about your mother.”
“I love and hate her at the same time. I love her for being loving, obedient, and able to make good out of any situation. But I hate her for being with my father. I hate her for dragging Max García into this mess. I hate her for being so gullible. I hate her for allowing me to hope that Max, my mother, and me could be one happy family.”
“My mother is out there somewhere, thinking that I’m dead,” Christian replied.
“What planet is she on?”
“Earth. At least she’s safe for now.”
“Earth? That’s where I’m from. Do you think my mother and I could be safe there?”
“Safe? I don’t know about that. But anywhere is better than where I am.”
“Where are you, Christian?” I pleaded.
“I hope you never find out, my Gwen. Get some sleep.” Before I could protest, I was out like a light.
