Ch. 5

Zerena's P.O.V.

I had managed to get back to the car right as it pulled into the lab. Emerson tried not to jump. Of course, Kellan was sitting in my spot so I ended up on his lap unintentionally.

"I knew you wanted me." He smirked and I pretended to gag.

"I'd punch you in the nose if we weren't already here."

I got off his lap, taking a seat between Tally and Percy in the back. I rested my feet on the middle console.

"Hey!" Emerson pushed my feet off. "No feet on the console."

I forget how possessive he is of his vehicle. It has to be in top condition at all times… mechanically and cosmetically. God forbid he gets caught in a beat down car.

"Here we go." Percy sighed.

Anytime he says that as we pull in I know it means the Scientist isn't happy. He has a name, but I refuse to call him anything other than the Scientist. We're in for either a long talking to with no food for 12 hours, or it's a beating. At worst it’s another experiment.

Emerson parked the car in the basement garage and we made our way up to the ground floor in the elevator. This is why we can't run away. We have no identity, no money, no belongings that aren't the Scientists. Whereas he has the money, resources and time to find us if we try to leave. He could replace us easily and disassemble us, forced to live forever in pieces. Doesn't sound like a good time to me.

"Here they are, in their triumphant return." The Scientist greeted us the moment the elevator doors opened. He literally looked like a villain out of a comic… long scar, evil smile, and muscles abound. His hair was black as night and extremely long, falling around his lower back. "Maybe triumphant isn't the appropriate word. Let's see. What do you think a good word would be for tonight's job, Emerson?"

Seems he knows exactly who caused the trouble. I felt a slight pang in my heart for Emerson…it was annoying. I think it's sympathy, but I don't like it. It's his own damn fault. He knows what happens when we fail or get caught.

"Successful?" Emerson tried his luck.

"Really now, Emerson?" Oof bad luck. "Let's try that again." Scientist pointed at him.

"A failure." He admitted, hanging his head low.

"Aha so there is a brain in there after all." He jabbed Emerson with the end of his pointed cane. "Zerena, can you explain, as the leader, why this became a shit show?"

I hate being the leader. Their failures are mine. When someone (Emerson) fucks up I get punished alongside them. I told him. I warned him. Did he listen? Of course not.

"Lack of discipline over my team, sir." At this point I'm just hoping to get beat. I don't need another experiment putting me out for a couple of weeks.

"See, Emerson. That's why she's the leader!” He stabbed Emerson with the sword that is normally sheathed in his cane. Emerson grunted, but made sure to stay up right. "Well Zerena, since you know the problem perhaps you should discipline Emerson." He handed me the sword.

He may not be my favorite person, but I can't do this. I can't hurt him on purpose. My face contorted in confusion, repulsion, and shock. I couldn't hide it fast enough.

"What's the matter Zerena? Can you not punish him? Will you continue to let him defy you?" The scientist was really poking at me tonight.

"This isn't a punishment for him." I tried to think of something, anything to get me out of literally skinning Emerson.

"Then what is?" The scientist was curious… always curious.

"His car." I blurted and Emerson shook his head in warning to me. 'Sorry Emerson, but it's your own damn fault.' I linked him.

His face was hard as stone and his eyes pierced my skin. He hated me so much right now. He doesn't get that I'm saving both our skins right now, metaphorically and literally.

"Very interesting." Scientist mused, rubbing his chin. "Everyone else you can go. Emerson and Zerena stay. But first, who has it?" He held his hand out for the pearl. I placed it in his palm quickly and he examined it before putting it in his lab coat.

Tally, Percy and Kellan couldn't get away fast enough. They practically ran to their rooms… more like cells. They got lucky tonight. I'd venture to say Emerson and I did too.

"Emerson, you were caught on camera. They now have an image of you to show around. You know how much I hate for others to know about you. We'll have to fix that." Emerson and I both froze…surgery. "You're losing this." He pointed to Emerson's tattoo sleeve, the one he just finished yesterday. "We'll change the hair and the eyes. Let's see what else?"

He walked around Emerson like he was a cow and he was picking the best cut of meat.

"Ah yes, perhaps a scar."

A scar? The only way to do that to Emerson was to leave a piece of silver inside him. It would leave an agonizing pain there all of his life.

"What do you think, Zerena?" He asked for my opinion again. How uncharacteristic of him.

"The scar will hinder his work if he's always in pain."

I'm doing my best Emerson, but you didn't make it easy. Idiot, I swear.

"Valid point. Very well then, tattoo sleeve, hair and eyes it is. Zerena, you will join us." He motioned for us to follow him to the lab.

My heart exploded in my chest. My palms began to sweat as we made our way to the hidden lab. The one that only we know about. The one hidden behind his fake lab. The smell alone was enough to make you want to vomit, but the fear made it so much worse.

Scientist tapped his cane on the cold silver slab. It was like the bed you'd place a dead body on in a morgue, and he wanted Emerson to lay on it. He strapped him in real tight over his wrists, ankles, elbows, thighs and head. Emerson wouldn't be able to move anything except his toes and fingers.

"Zerena, pick a pair of eyes." He motioned to all the eyes he's collected and stored over the years. I found one marked Lycan. At least this way he'll keep that part of himself.

"How touching." He mocked me.

The next few hours were spent, listening to Emerson scream. He was never given anesthetic of any sort. This was a punishment after all and he had to be awake for it all. He had his arm skinned, the new skin wouldn't grow back with the tattoos. His eyes were now a light silver and I dyed his hair jet black. He was hardly recognizable now. His screams finally stopped as the scientist took the last piece of skin off him.

"Next time, I'll change your whole face." Scientist spat at Emerson. "Zerena, clean this mess up." He left the lab quickly.

I used my shadow workers to help. This way I could focus on Emerson.

I thought of Kiran at the gas station. If he was ever caught, what would the scientist do?

'Will I see you again?' His question rang in my head.

Never Kiran. You can't be anywhere near this. You won't survive and neither will I. If my heart breaks for a person I don't even like… I can't imagine what it would be like to watch the person I'm supposed to be destined with get tortured like this. The thought made me shiver.

I unstrapped Emerson from the table. He didn't move though. He stayed flat against the slab. His eyes were probably still adjusting. He may be having a hard time seeing right now. His skin was almost all back now, growing in small patches and connecting together.

"Do you need me to move you?" I asked him, breaking the silence between us.

"You've done enough." He snapped. Of course he blames me. I saved his ass and he doesn't even realize it.

"Fine. Be that way. Rot on this slab then." I pushed off, walking towards the trash.

I made sure everything was spotless around Emerson. I'll have to wait for him to leave before I can finish. About 20 minutes later, Emerson began to move. His vision must have come back. He got up and looked at me with those new silver eyes.

"If he touches my baby…" He began to threaten me. Of course, it's about the damn car.

"Quit being so stupid then!" I yelled at him. This was ridiculous.

He scoffed and marched out of the lab. I finished cleaning, finally leaving that hell hole an hour after Emerson. I went straight to my cell of a room. I couldn't get Emerson's screams out of my head long enough to sleep. I need some tension relief. I sighed realizing what I had to do.

I'll never hear the end of this.