The Popularity Switch | ✔️

31

WARNING: This is a one-take chapter — meaning that I have just written and haven't read over it to check for any punctuation errors. Sorry! Will go back and edit it when I have time :)

CH 31 |

"Sabrina, Theo and I, we were 'test subjects' of C.H.A.N."

"I KNEW IT!" I exclaim, utterly shocked by the fact that my Captain America theory is right! Maybe not entirely, but with the whole human experimentation thing, yes! Which is very messed up. All four of them stare at me confusedly, and I sheepishly sink deeper into my seat before murmuring, "Sorry, continue."

Shooting me a blank look, Vincent sighs annoyedly before resuming his explanation. "Theo was the first to be experimented on, and the name they gave him was 'Project Terminator'."

I've never seen Phoebe look so horrified, and I have a feeling she has never been this horrified in her entire life. Even I am pretty shaken.

"Theo." She whispers, tears brimming in her eyes. "What did they do to you?"

Theo smiles comfortingly at his sister. "Don't worry, Pheebum. They didn't torture me or anything like that."

"Oh thank God!" Phoebe visibly relaxed, relief displayed evidently on her face.

"They injected me with something."

"Say what?" Phoebe and I sputter simultaneously.

Theo shrugs. "I can't say 'what', because I don't know either. We all don't know what exactly happened to us, because the people behind C.H.A.N wiped our memory of the project's time-frame." 

"But, lads and gentlewoman, we're about to find out." Sabrina announces, pointing enthusiastically to the mysterious package in Vincent's hands.

Slowly and cautiously, Vincent opens the dull, grey package to reveal a simple, white envelope. He faces the envelope towards the light source of the room, scrutinising it with suspicious eyes. Though the thin walls of the envelope, I could make out a donut shape that can easily be recognised as a CD.

"Um, what are you doing?" Sabrina slowly asks.

"Checking to see if there's any bombs inside." Vincent answers casually. "Jodie can't be completely trusted."

"Then how do we know that he's given us the real-deal?" Theo questions.

"Exactly!" Sabrina agrees, causing Theo to look at Sabrina, and then look away too quickly to seem casual. "What if he's edited it or like, modified the CD in some way?"

"He doesn't know he sent me a CD. I told him it contained cat fur in it for a science experiment at school because he's allergic to cats, so hopefully he fell for it." After inspecting it for a few more moments, satisfaction overwhelms his facial features and he opens the envelope.

I narrow my eyes at him. He's pulled that trick on me before. Not that I'm allergic to cats — he had his own version for me, where he told me he had a collection of bug skeletons inside this mysterious, purple box and I absolutely loathe bugs, dead or alive.

He walks over to the nearby stark-white cabinet, opens up his Macbook and begins meddling with it. Meanwhile, I uncontrollably peek over at Theo and Sabrina, who are sitting direct opposite of Phoebe and I on the long, meeting table. I can literally feel the tension between them, and I can physically feel Theo's tenseness and awkwardness towards Sabrina.