His Experiment [FIRST EDIT]

Varian's Area

Chapter 16

We had arrived. But I wasn’t sure where.

Experiment Varian had kept calling it ‘his area’. Along with being poked and prodded, I’d also been taught many different phrases at the Lab, so I understood that ‘area’ was where Varian lived. But, when he said we’d arrived I couldn’t find his area.

There weren’t any houses around like in the pictures He’d showed me. The houses he’d shown me were made of gritty bricks, shiny windows and an elegant door that awaited its guests. I would touch the picture, wondering if the interior of the house was as stunning as the exterior.

Here, there were gritty bricks, but no elegant doors. There was nothing except for a few shards of glass standing tall where I assumed the windows had once been. Experiment Varian’s area didn’t look near as stunning as the pictures. Once again, I found myself disappointed.

Why did I keep finding myself surprised when something He said happened to be false? In the Lab, He was the one I looked up to and trusted, but on the Outside it was Varian I trusted. Unlike Him, Varian hadn’t shown me false pictures and repeatedly disappointed me. So why should I be disappointed in Him still?

The once blue sky had been turned into a polluted gray and the once stunning houses were nowhere to be seen. Had He lied to me? Were the pictures fake? Had the sky ever been the blue that the pictures held or had He altered the photo?

“Okay.” Varian said, stopping and turning around to face me. I stared back, wondering what Experiment Varian thought about on these walks.

“This place is different than the Lab ang-” He started, but paused when he saw me bristle. “-Arcelia. There aren’t rules here, none at all.” My eyes flickered, finding that hard to believe. How did his area function without rules?

“You need to stay close to me, understand? They won’t talk to you because you’re a stranger, but if you stay by my side they won’t hurt you either.” He explained and I found myself confused and scared. Had I done something worth hurting me for to these strangers?

“This is the one time I’ll be glad we don’t have television.” Varian muttered, and I gave him a curious look but didn’t speak out. He saw my look and explained, “Don’t you remember what the guy at the hardware shop said? He said you were all over the television.”

“Yes.” I replied, nodding my head. I remember the grisly man telling me I was on television before looking amused by my reaction.

“Just stay close to me, okay?” He repeated, staring at me. He seemed to want a verbal answer to show I understood him.

“Okay.” I replied and he nodded to himself. He sighed before his face seemed to clear of emotion, almost becoming as blank as mine. Then, he turned around and started walking towards the nearest building.

I kept close like he said, but made sure I wasn’t so close that I would cause him to stumble. He opened the door and I could hear a chorus of hissing along with people telling others to quiet down. That’s when Varian yelled out, “It’s just me!” Then the hissing stopped and the talking began.

The others started coming forward and I felt Varian push me behind him, out of sight and next to the door. I tried stepping on the tips of my toes to see the others, but Varian’s restricting hand on my arm kept me from doing so.

“Is that you Varian? Hey everybody, it’s Varian!” Someone yelled. They were rewarded with a chorus of cheers and I frowned. The Outside people were unusual.

“What the hell are you wearing? Hey, what’s around your neck?” Someone else called and I could feel Varian’s hand on me tighten before he snorted.