1996 | Y.Jw

| 10 |

That night I wasn't able to sleep. I had laid awake on the cold floor all night, the goggles having slipped off my face, yet the cuffs still clutched my wrists tightly - hindering me from doing anything with my skills. I could do absolutely nothing.

They didn't allow me to take the cuffs off, not even now that I sat across from Doctor Davis by his desk in his office.

His office had color, dark wooden floors, a mahogany table - which he remarked the last time I was in his office for the finalizing of the trials. His desk lamp was green and his chair was red leather. It seemed like the night compared to the white rooms. It was all just so foreign.

"Do you know why you're here?" doctor Davis quietly questioned and I simply nodded, "I'd like for you to look at me when I speak to you Subject 18."

"Sorry," I murmured and glanced up at him, just looking past my eyelashes.

Underneath the table my cuffed hands laid in my lap and anxiously picked at the skin around my thumbnail, trying to contain my nervousity. I know, if I wasn't wearing the cuffs I would probably spill doctor Davis' scolding coffee in his face. Or maybe I would just do it on purpose nonetheless.

"What punishment do you feel justifies what you have done?" he questioned and folded his hands in front of him.

"Breaking curfew?" I murmured as clarification and he simply nodded, "a week's isolation."

"Funny... I'd say a new round of trials would be fitting," he commented and I immediately shook my head in denial, "are you sure? Because how you reacted last night only goes to show that you are not capable of controling your skills. You know the trials will help on that."

"Please not the trials," I shook my head as I looked down at the table surface in front of me.

"As I said, if you asked me it would have to be the trials, but hence you'll be used for wave testing on subject 9 I'll let that slide for this time," doctor Davis stated making me let out a breath of relief, "you will however be in isolation for a week and we'll provide you with an electromagnetic bracelet which will hinder you from using your skills for the next three months, outside of your sessions. Miss Hopkins will be given a four number code that can deactivate the bracelet's effect on you. Do you understand?"

"Yes," I whispered with a small nod making doctor Davis simply hum.

"Put the bracelet on her and show her back to her room."

A teacher walked up to me and shoved the cuff a bit to the side on my left wrist, attatching a small silver band to my wrist. It hugged my wrist perfectly, was I to grow more it would get too tight for me, that was for sure. Next thing I know the cuffs was taken off of me and I was pulled to my feet.

As I was pulled from the office I realized something. It was the first time in at least nine years I saw the hallways. I barely even recall how they looked last time I saw them, but I felt like nothing had changed at all. 

Yet the hallways were just as boring as the section I lived in. All white walls, floors and ceilings. How the teacher escorting me knew their way around I didn't know. Everything was too identical for me to keep track off.

A wave of relief washed over me as I saw the number of my section painted on a big door. Without any word the teacher unlocked the door and marched in with me. Apparently I had been escorted back at breakfast time, the others stood lined up with their breakfast trays.

"Yeon!" Lin breathed out as she quickly placed down her tray and rushed to engulf me in a hug, Emiko following shortly after.

"What will they do to you?" Emiko questioned immediately as she held me at arms length, "not the trials, right?"