"Their brother?" I start. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"There's not much to it, really," Key replies, spitting out each word like it is venom.

I have never seen this side of her before. What am I talking about? She has barely ever shown an inch of emotion, be it positive or negative. What's with the sudden burst of impatience? Maybe it's not impatience. Maybe it's something else. Either way, there's something about her that is different. She is not as collected as she normally is. She's hiding something. There's no doubt.

"Okay, I have no idea what I ever did to you to, but you do not have to treat me like an idiot just because I was trapped in the facility for most of my life. It's not like I chose to be there. Just because I am different from you doesn't mean you have the right to do so!" I snap, shooting icy daggers her way.

Wil places a hand on my shoulder gently, but his grip is unwavering. "Miri," he says, soft but firm.

My shoulders tense, not wanting to admit defeat to the likes of Key. But I know that, in this situation, Wil is right. I know that it is not in my place to be mad at Key. She probably has her own reasons to act the way she did.

I let out an exhausted sigh. I am normally a more patient person, able to keep most of my thoughts and comments to myself. I wonder why I am so short tempered all of a sudden. I run my fingers through my tangled hair. "I'm sorry about that, Key," I say, forcing the words out, trying to sound sincere.

She casually waves a hand in reply, dismissing the issue like it is no big deal. "This is what I came here looking for," she continues, pointing at the book. "I needed to confirm or disprove my suspicions before moving on."

I chew on my lower lip to prevent myself from saying anything that I would regret later on or from snapping at her.

"If you don't mind me asking, what suspicion are you referring to? Care to elaborate?" Wil asks, approaching the question with caution, sounding a bit too formal.

 Key rolls her eyes, though the movement is so swift and subtle that I almost did not catch her doing it. My hands clench into fists, sick and tired of Key treating us like kids who can't understand anything. It takes all of my self-control and will to be able to keep from bursting out at her.

"It's a long story."

Why does Key seem so reluctant to tell us about it? I suspect that this has to do with the Aaron boy who bears an uncanny resemblance to Wil; after all, what else could it be? And if Aaron is Aries and Aristelle's brother, that must, obviously, mean that his parents are the ones who created us. If that is the case, then it can't be merely a coincidence that Wil looks almost exactly like Aaron. There has to be more to it than this.

"We have time," Wil answers slowly, practically spelling the words out.

Key nods, gesturing towards the chairs located at the back of the room. "You two should sit."

Both Wil and I do as commanded by Key. As we walk across the room, I take good look around, determined to spot the smaller details that I did not see the first time my eyes scanned the room.

Just like the stairwell that leads here, the walls are made of some kind of stone – maybe granite – and are moist; the sound of water falling onto a hard surface fills the room. The ceiling and even the floor is made out of the same material as the walls. It's almost like this whole room is actually a cave. Maybe that's the point. A small chandelier hangs from the centre of the room, looking as though it is made of copper.

I take a sit on the wooden chair, crossing my left leg atop my right, placing my hands on my lap, awaiting Key's explanation, hoping that it will clear things up. Surreptitiously, I steal a glance at Wil. I can see him gritting his teeth as his jaws are tense, but the rest of his composure is so cool and collected that it is rather hard to know that he is even a tad bit nervous.

"Are you going to sit?" I ask, my question directed at Key.

She answers by shaking her head. "No, I do not need to sit." I swear I heard a quiver in her voice as she spoke, but I brush it off when I see Key's calm outside demeanour.

"As you both already know, the twins' parents are also the persons-in-charge of your project, of you. They are your creators. Based on this, I suspect that you have also pieced together that the resemblance between Wil and Aaron is not one of coincidence."

Wil lets out a soft but exasperated sigh, which I can relate to completely. Why can't Key just go straight to the point? Why bother beating around the bush and explaining things we already know? It's not like we can't handle the truth. All this waiting and unnecessary talk is just creating more tension.

"Aaron has been in on the experiments – on you two – in more ways than one, from the beginning, all the way from the time when it was merely an idea and not a reality. His parents requested for Aaron to play a part in their, they said and I quote, 'world-changing project'.

"Their aspiration and dream was to create a whole new era of datas, ones that are not connected to the Tree. Ones that are free to do anything and everything they desired, with no restrictions whatsoever."

"Just like the myth. The humans," I whisper, not intending for anyone else to hear it, the whole picture suddenly becoming infinitely clearer. Now, it makes sense why we have been considered failed experiments since connecting to the Data Tree.

"Humans?" Wil asks, overhearing me, puzzlement thick in his voice. He turns to look at me, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

 All this while, I had thought they had given Wil a copy of the history book to read as well. Maybe not. I wonder why they hadn't. Well, it's not the right time to worry about it now.

"Umm..." I start, unsure on how to start explaining the whole thing to him.

"I think I speak for everyone when I say that history story is meant for another time," Key says and I nod in agreement, slightly grateful that Key interrupted, saving me from an awkward situation.

"No worries. I will explain it to you later," I whisper, determined to, somehow, tell him the myth anyway as it will clear up a lot of doubt for him.

Wil nods, addressing both Key and I at the same time.

"Before I go any further." Key passes me the book she is cradling, opened to the page Aaron's picture resides on. Wil takes it from me, holding it by its spine, suspending it in the empty space between the two of us.

"Just in case you would like to refer to it while I am explaining."

We nod, acknowledging her.

"Aaron... Let's just say that Aaron was really supportive of his parents' idea. You see, all he ever wanted to do was to please his parents, to make them proud of him, and to follow in their footsteps. No matter how much his sibling would try to convince him otherwise, to shed the light on the immorality and wrongness of the situation in hopes he sees it, he refused to accept that the whole project is not right. He was way too blinded by his admiration for his parents."

Sibling? If all this happened before we were even created, then wouldn't Aries and Aristelle be too young to see the severity of the situation? Maybe I'm thinking too much. Perhaps I am thinking of the wrong period in time. Still, I can't seem to shake off the feeling that something does not add up.

"Aaron's parents are the kind of parents who put work before everything else, including their own children. One could even say that they are addicted to work and it would be true; it still is. So, naturally, they allowed Aaron to be a part of the project, only because they needed people on their team in order for it to succeed.

"When the project was officially underway, they needed a sort of control. Aaron volunteered himself for the task and that started the series of tests and experiments conducted on him."

A horrified gasp escapes my lips, an equally horrified look must be plastered on my face. "They would do such a thing to their own child?"

Key nods, a solemn look on her face. "Like I said, work before anything else."

"If the experiments were anything like the ones we went through, it must have been a really terrifying and even painful experience for Aaron," Wil comments.

Key nods once again. "Indeed, Wil.

"So, they used Aaron for the experiment. As in, really used him, in more ways than you can imagine. Wil," she pauses, as if on purpose, just to create suspense, in which case, she is succeeding," you are but a clone of Aaron."

The moment those words leave Key's lips, the room becomes more silent than I thought possible. Even the sound of dripping water has disappeared, the very rhythmic sound that was in the background merely minutes ago.

It's almost as though the whole world has come to a complete standstill.

My eyes wander to the picture of Aaron. Before, I thought that Aaron and Wil, although sharing the same physique, look remarkably different from each other. But as I continue studying the picture, I notice that they are actually more alike that I'd like to admit.

The spark in Aaron's eyes resembles the determination in Wil's. Both Aaron and Wil emit a sort of aura that makes you want to get to know them better. Just by looking at them, you can see how friendly they are and how much they are willing to push and do in order to make the people around them happy.

"What happened to Aaron?" Wil asks, his voice about to break, breaking the eerie silence.

"He got deleted."

The words hang in the air.

"I told him not to do it. He didn't listen," Key whispers, so quietly that I could barely hear it, looking straight to the floor, her hair blocking out view of her face.

"Did you say something?" I enquire, eager to know what she means.

She raises her head, tucking stray locks of hair behind her ears. "I did no such thing."

I open my mouth, about to reply her, but am interrupted by the rush of footsteps that echoes through the room.

"Key. Key. We have got to go," Aristelle says, the words rushing out from her in a frenzy, emerging into the library.

"Why?" Key answers, adverting her attention to her.

"We have accidentally set off the alarm."

"What?" both Key and I exclaim in utter disbelief.

And you'd think they would be a bit more careful considering, you know, these people are on the hunt for us. For Wil and me anyway; I am not too sure about the twins and Key.

"Sorry about that," Aries answers sheepishly.

"But why can't we hear it from here?" Wil asks, already on his feet, his eyes darting all over, alert, as he always is.

"That's because this room is soundproof," Key replies simply.

"Key. We have got to go," Aries repeats what his sister had announced previously. "We have got to go now!"

The urgency in his voice jolts us awake, suddenly realising the dire situation. Key nods, gesturing for us to follow her. I stand up, nearly tripping over the miniscule rocks scattered all over. Wil grabs my arms, saving me from a very painful fall.

"Tha-" I start to say, but Wil is already far ahead.

I pick up my pace and chase after the group. The sound of our feet slapping against stone as we hurry up the stairs resounds through the space. Aries emerges into the office first, pushing the leather chair out of the way, followed by Aristelle, Key, Wil and finally, me.

Someone – or perhaps it's more than one, I'm not sure – raps against the wooden door with so much force that I am almost certain that the door is about to break. "This is the Department of Security. We demand that you open the door. If not, we have the rights to forcefully open it."

"Hurry!"

I look around, attempting to guess who said it, though it ended in a failure.

"Come on Miri! Stop standing there and gaping like an idiot. We need to go," Key says, snapping me out of my daze.

"We are giving you until the count of three to open this door."

Panic starts to consume me, evident in my increasingly shallow breaths and accelerating heartbeats. I freeze, unable to comprehend what my next move should be.

"One!"

"Go!"

Wil pushes me towards the home lab when he notices me. I stumble out of the office and into the next room, nearly falling over several times. The sole reason I am still on my feet is because of Wil.

"Two!"

"Quick, Aries! Close the door!" Aristelle yells at her brother.

"I know, Aristelle! I'm trying. I'm trying!" he replies, his hand fumbling over the button.

Key, seeming slightly fed up, storms over to where Aries is and punches the button, which causes the sound of whirring machinery to begin. The wall moves, slowly but surely separating the two rooms.

"Three!"

The sound of breaking wood drifts into my ears and I stay completely still – as if I was moving in the first place – for fear that they might detect me if I move. Just then, the wall slides into place, sealing this room from the likes of them.

"Let's just hope that this will buy us some time to escape," Aries comments.

"For all our sakes, I sincerely hope so," Key answers, turning her back on him.

We move to the back of the room in a unanimous agreement. Aristelle bends down and opens the trap door, revealing the secret exit that I have grown to become familiar with.

"Aries will go first. Followed by Wil, Miri and Aristelle. I'll go last."

Without needing further instructions, Aries moves towards the door, swiftly descending the rope ladder. Wil follows suit. When it's my turn, I lower myself into the tunnel, grasping onto the ladder with my dear life, the rope digging into my skin. I go down as quickly as I dare to, which is not very fast. I'm afraid of the ladder snapping into two. I'm afraid of falling. When I reach the dreaded end of the ladder, I call out to Wil.

"I'm here. Just jump."

Knowing that I have absolutely no time to waste, I close my eyes and let go of the ladder and I tumble through the air, landing straight into Wil's arms.

"Thanks for catching me," I tell him as he aids me to my feet.

"No problem."

"Aristelle can come down now!" Aries exclaims, his voice so loud that it starts ringing in my ears.

Aristelle comes down so quickly that I am almost convinced that she teleported. Key is the last to come down, closing the trap door behind her, the only source of light disappearing.

Once Key's feet reach the ground, we start moving, swiftly and quietly, Aristelle leading the way. The sound of splashing water somehow calms me. All too soon, we reach the exit of the sewer, exiting the place in a single file.

We burst out of the tunnel and start running. Running away from the house. Running as fast as our legs could carry us. Running like our lives depended on it. Run and run and run. Run until the darkness of the night consumes us.

Hey all! I know I was supposed to post yesterday but my mum ended up bringing me out for movies and I couldn't say no because I really wanted to watch the movie. Anyway, it's here now and I really hope that you guys enjoyed it. :) Vote, comment your thoughts, and follow me both here and on Twitter (just click on the external link or the link in the comments to go to my Twitter profile) for updates! :D 

I want to start a 'song of the chapter' thing so, here's the first one: Get to Know You by IM5. The MV is at the side :D If you're on mobile, the link is in the comments below.

I'm also going to start asking you guys questions so I can get to know you (pun intended). So, how was your week? And what is your favourite genre of music? My week has been pretty normal (my holidays started yesterday!) and my favourite genre of music is between alternative rock and pop punk/rock. :)

You all can tweet or PM me stuff/questions or we could just chat (tell me your twitter handle and I'll follow!). I would really love to connect with you all :) 

PS Shoutout to Dany1553 once again for being so awesome and being my 500th follower! Also, if any of you would like a shoutout, just comment :)

Until next time guys!

Lots of love,

Angie