Not Just An Experiment

--Chapter Twenty-Three--

Kaira's POV

I cannot even explain how confused I am right now. I just can't seem to figure Zane out no matter how hard I try. First, he's cruel and awful and like a brick wall, but now he almost... sensitive. I can't wrap my mind around what he is doing.

Wait... what if...

I can only think of one reason why he would be acting like this now. And I don't like it one bit. He must be doing it to get me to cooperate. But if he thinks I'll just be fooled like that, he has another thing coming.

"No thanks," I find myself saying.

Zane's eyebrow arches slightly and he scratches the back of his neck. "I just want to help-"

"Just stop," I snap. I definitely do not want to hear a bunch of lies on how he justifies what he does. "I don't want to hear it." I gingerly rub my neck where I'm sure a bruise is already forming. It stings slightly, but I keep doing it. For some odd reason the pain helps me focus.

I see Zane's eyes glance at my hands and neck before looking back at my eyes. I barely contain a frown, trying to keep my face impassive.

"I'm just trying to explain that-"

"Stop!" I yell, breaking my vow to keep impassive. I clench my fists. "I don't want to hear your lame excuses as to why you are doing this, okay? It's all a lie and you know it! You are hurting me and you don't care in the slightest! And you know what else? My parents and brother are dead because of you. Dead! So why should I listen to anything you have to say?"

When I am finished yelling at him, he keeps quiet. Then, he turns his back to me and stalks out of my prison. I am relieved as I sink back to the floor. My body aches and I shake slightly. I don't know where that energy and fire came from, but I definitely don't feel it now. It's as if the anger kept the pain away, but now that it's gone, the pain is overwhelming.

I look up at the glass that I slammed into when Zane threw me. It is covered in sticky blood and vomit, creating a quite disgusting picture. I swallow, pushing back the feeling of nausea that is starting to come back again.

Zane is minding his own business, studying something, and I almost want to scream at him again. Here I am, tortured and abused, and he doesn't care one bit. That in itself is enough to make me loathe him.

thank you all for reading! Hope you all had a good superbowl! :)

Kaira's POV: Ithildae