#post 157

Morgan felt the man stir in his sleep. She made no sound, no movement. What would she do if he was to wake up? Never opening his eyes, the boy fell back into sleep. She exhaled, quite satisfied. She came closer to him, to his face. Who was he? What was his name? Did he remember it? Had he any memory of his previous life? She cleared his forehead from strands of brown hair. He was a handsome man. No man she had ever seen compared to him. What was she suddenly thinking about? She had to take care of him. And she would. Out of duty. Out of infatuation?

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Amelia scratched the top of her head. She was lost. Completely lost. She was supposed to go to Room 99, but had no idea where this one was. The last number she had seen had been 96. Ever since, she had been erring here and there, seeking that forsaken white room.

Puffing and huffing, she backtracked. Looking at her watch, she noticed it was already past 9pm. Her boss would want that goddamn report in less than an hour! And she couldn’t let her down on her very first day! She was a professional girl. She would do it.

Going for luck, she opened the nearest door, praying it would be the one. Nothing moved. Was anyone there? She looked for a switch on the wall. She hit it. A faint glow lit the room, discovering large boxes, all aligned. What was their purpose? A rumbling sound could be heard from the back of the room, as if a motor was working.

Amelia stumbled on pipes, nearly crashing to the floor. She had a feeling it wasn’t the room she had been looking for. She had a feeling she wasn’t allowed in, like a burglar in a house.

She walked to the boxes. Water was in there, fizzy water. She placed a hand on the glass and glued her nose to see more clearly what was floating in it. If anything was indeed floating inside. A face appeared. Large eyes, an open mouth. A hand stuck to the glass, no sound. What was it? Who was it? How in the world was that thing, or that person, living in there?

Amelia knew it wasn’t Subject Number 99. She had seen a girl. And her mission revolved around a boy. Who was she? Why was she hiding in that room? Who had placed her there? Could Sarang answer her questions? Were there any other girls in the remaining boxes?

Gulping down, Amelia tore herself from the glass. She had to leave. Before anyone noticed anything about her absence. She had to forget. It wasn’t her business what the organisation was doing with these people.

Where was Subject Number 99?

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Leyla looked as the girl disappeared from the room, letting it fall again in the dark. How lucky she had been to have had some visit! Yet, she had expected a delegation, not a single person. And from what she could figure out, this girl had been very much shocked upon seeing her. Could she be the key to her liberation? Would she see her again? Would she spend her life in that box for eternity?

Whimpering from the prospect, the girl curled up, her tears mixing with the water she could breathe in. Because she had been deemed fit after the operation, she was now living miserably in a liquid.

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