I wake up to the soft sound of metal hitting wood. My eyelids flutter open. My head is pounding and everything around me seems to be spinning. Instinctively, I scan my surroundings. The ceiling and walls are light grey, too much colour for it to be the lab, but the presence of the walls rules out the open field I last remember I was in. So, where am I?

"Miri?" he whispers.

My ears perk up at the sound of Wil's voice. My shoulders - that I never knew was tensed in the first place - relax. At least I am not alone in this foreign place. Though, the fact that we are in a foreign place in the first place doesn't exactly make things any more comforting in any way. I turn my head towards the direction of his voice.

"Where are we?" I ask. I could hear a hint of accusation in my tone.

"Aries's house."

"Aries?" I ask, confused. Aries? Who's Aries?

"Umm... Well, he offered to let us stay the night at his place. You were unconscious and we had nowhere to go. I bumped into him by chance; well, it's more like he found us. But that doesn't matter. He took pity on us and let us spend the night here."

I feel like I have just been slapped or punched in the face. I look at him like he is some sort of crazy maniac or something along those lines. Which, in this case, he is.

"What were you thinking?" I scold him. "We are probably wanted - no, scratch that. We are wanted - by them and you just go ahead and decide to spend the night in a stranger's house? For all we know, he could be keeping us in here until the authorities arrive and we'd be back in the arms of the very captors we have tried so hard to escape. Brilliant idea, Wil. Bravo." There is so much sarcasm in my voice that I could hardly recognise it as my own.

"We had no other choice Miri," he counters. "It's either staying out on the streets or following this stranger back. And you'd better believe me when I say it's more risky on the streets. More people would see us and we would be more exposed and vulnerable. Aries came up to me and offered for us to stay at his place. What could I do? You were unconscious and we were both in a terrible state. If the authorities came, we wouldn't be able to escape or run away. If I accept the offer, we'd at least have a bed to sleep on and the both of us could recover from our state as well as be safe for at least a while!"

I'll admit it. I am quite taken aback by what he said. Normally, he would not get mad or anything but this... And now that he's pointed all that out, I have got to admit, he does have a point. If we were to stay out on the streets, it would be a lot easier for the authorities spot us and capture us. And neither of us were in the condition to fight back or resist or run and we'd inevitably be back in their hands. And for all we know, we'd probably have some sort of terrible punishment in line for us. By staying in this person's house, we'd be safer. At least, if he doesn't turn us in first. But then again, come to think of it, I don't think they would want the whole world to know about us, the failures. So perhaps we're lucky and they are not going to broadcast our escape from the facility to the world.

"You're right Wil. I'm sorry," I apologise, turning my head away, not wanting to look him in the eye.

He sighs. "It's alright Miri. I understand why you're angry. But you've got to take into account the fact that we're both tired and hungry and thirsty and you were unconscious. You've got to admit. This is a lot better than just lying on the streets."

I nod. "I'm sorry," I say once more.

He gives me a sad smile. I know it's sad because it doesn't reach his eyes like it normally does when he smiles. "It's fine."

I remain silent, not knowing what to say next. Instead, I attempt to sit up. Wil quickly comes to my aid. He helps to support my weight as I prop myself up in a sitting position. I lean against the headrest of the bed, hugging the pillow I was lying down on prior to this moment and covering my legs with the blanket. We don't continue talking, but he doesn't leave either. He just sits beside me, looking at the ground, tapping his feet while humming a simple tune which I don't recognise. I, on the other hand, just sit on the bed, hugging the pillow, not doing anything in particular, not even think, mainly because I have nothing to think about.

Suddenly, the door opens and someone walks in. I look up to see a girl with long, black, centre-parted hair tied up in a high ponytail and beautiful violet eyes walking into the room. She has a friendly smile on her face and is wearing a black V-neck shirt and skinny jeans. For some odd reason, she seems familiar, like I've seen her before, but I can't seem to recall her or anyone she might resemble. I brush the thought out of my mind. I must just be imagining things. It's almost impossible for her to resemble someone I've previously met. After all, I have not met many people before and I can't remember the faces of those I've met, namely the scientists and researchers, considering I am in pain or unconscious half the time they are around me.

She leans against the open door and turns to look at us, trying to seem approachable and friendly but honestly, she seems like she wants nothing better to do with us. I wonder why. It can't be something I've done as I've never met her before. Perhaps it's Wil she doesn't like. But then again, they've only just met. Perhaps she doesn't like strangers. Or the idea of being around strangers. I don't blame her. I get rather uncomfortable around people in general. After all, I've had bad experiences with people what with what happened in the labs. Well, I'm here now and so is she and, as much as I'd like, there is nothing either of us can do to change that

"Hi," she says cheerfully, her cheeks tinged red. I'm not sure if it's from the heat or from something else. "I'm Aristelle. Aries might or might not have talked about me. Probably not. Anyway, I'm Aries's twin sister."

"Hey," I reply, not wanting to give a more elaborate explanation on who I am. After all, she's technically not supposed to know who I really am. So why do I need to tell? The less she knows about me - about us - the better.

"Hey," Wil says, standing up and approaching her with his arm outstretched. She shakes it. He's ever the friendly one, unlike me. No one can blame me for being sceptical about everyone I meet though. I've had quite a traumatic experience with people. What I can't understand is how Wil can still manage to be so friendly. "I'm Wil. And this is Miri," he says, pointing to me.

I smile. "Nice to meet you," I say, for the sake of being polite.

Aristelle seems nice enough, but for some reason, I don't think I'll get along with her very well or that she'll be very close to me. I see our relationship as merely acquaintances. She just... I don't know. She just has some sort of aura which gives me the impression that she is the polar opposite of me and that we have no similar interests. I'll probably be able to tolerate her, and that's just about it. But who knows?

Something tells me that Aristelle is here to bring us to the main room of this house. Thus, I try to stand on the white tiled floor of the room. The second I get to my feet, I start to feel slightly dizzy and I stumble about. Wil, being the gentleman he is, immediately comes to my aid. I sling an arm around his shoulder and he helps to support my weight. He walks me to the door. Aristelle makes way for us and we exit the room.

The house is not too big, but it isn't too small either. If anything, it is a nice and cosy house. The walls are white-washed, with neon stripes of colour, giving it a nice, futuristic look. The furniture in the living room is mostly made of black leather. Overall, this is a very typical house. Or, at least I think it is. Considering I have not exactly been into a typical house before. The large window to my left catches my attention the most. It overlooks a city. I'm guessing the facility we escaped from must be from somewhere within the walls of that city. After all, Wil and I couldn't have run too far off, could we?

"You have a nice place," I comment with a smile on my face. But the smile does not reach my eyes. No matter how hard I try, I don't think my eyes will ever show my smile ever again. There's just too much bitterness and sorrow and fear in my heart.

"Thanks," Aristelle replies with a smile. Her smile, however, reaches her eyes. For some reason, I feel envious. Envious that she can feel joy and peace, unlike me. But at the same time, I'm glad. Glad that she's happy. Glad that she will never need to experience the darkness that Wil and I did.

Aristelle, Wil and I head towards the living room. Wil and I sit on a sofa that seats three people - made of leather and black, just like all the other furniture in this part of the house -while Aristelle grabs two plastic chairs from another room in the house, places it in front of us and sits on it. Soon, a guy with the same hair - except that it's short - and eyes as Aristelle comes into the room.

"Hey. I'm Aries," he introduces himself, looking at me. He extends a hand towards me. I don't shake it.

"Hello there. I'm Miri," I say, in case he does not know who I am, though I am quite sure Wil has already introduced me to him.

He sits on the plastic chair that Aristelle placed next to her. None of us utter a single word for the next couple of minutes. I wonder what is going through everyone's minds. I guess Wil is thinking of what to do next, just like I am. I wonder what Aries and Aristelle are thinking about. They are neither talking to each other nor to us. Perhaps they're trying to think of conversation starters. Or perhaps they have a dark secret as well. Just like us.

I close my eyes to concentrate on my thoughts. I wonder what our - as in Wil and I - next move will be. We have restricted movement for in case anyone is searching for us. We also can't be too reckless as it will draw attention and this will enable those who are searching for us - if any - to find us with much ease. We don't have anywhere to go to nor do we have any friends apart from each other. We're pretty much helpless. There's nothing we can do. Even if we have attained the 'freedom' we have both yearned for, we are still trapped by them. I sigh. I hope Wil did not come with the same conclusion as I did.

"Wil?" I whisper.

"Yes?" he whispers back.

"What are we going to do now?"

He hesitates, as if debating whether he should tell me something or not. Knowing him, he will tell me anyway. True enough, he did. "Well, for starters, we should at least tell those two," he gestures to the twins," who we really are and such and see if they want to help us. If they don't, it's fine. If they want, then that's awesome."

As much as my gut is telling me to protest to that idea, the two of us know that that is the best option that we have as of now. What's the worst that could happen? They could turn you in and you'd be back at the very place you tried so hard to escape, a voice in my head says. I ignore it and try to think optimistically. Nevertheless, I start to panic. I suck in deep breaths of air, filling my lungs with oxygen to try and calm myself down. Soon, I start to feel dizzy. Once the dizziness wears off, I turn to look at Wil. "Well, we'll only tell them what they need to know and nothing more," I reply, choosing my words carefully.

He nods. "Agreed. Do you want to do the talking? Or should I?"

"You," I reply easily. If I were to tell them, I'm probably going to end up telling them things they don't need to know or mix up all the information that even I would not understand myself.

Wil nods before turning to the twins. "Guys. We have something to tell you."

They look at us blankly for a brief second, as though trying to compute what Wil had just said. Aristelle turns to look at her brother and he nods. Then, she looks at Wil expectantly, waiting for him to tell her what he needs to. He sucks in a deep breath of air, surely to calm himself. I can see it in his eyes that he is trying to choose the correct words to describe our situation. I hope he does it right.

"We are not who you may think we are," he starts. I can see his nervousness by the way he can't keep his eyes fixed on an object, by the way he is biting his lower lip and by the way he is very jumpy and restless. He pauses, as if not knowing what to say next. Aristelle gives him a look that said 'go ahead'. For some odd reason, even though he is nervous, Wil manages to remain his cool even in such a tensed situation. How he achieves that is a huge mystery to me.

"We are experiments," he says softly although there's not really any reason to. I cringe at the sound of the information leaving his mouth, as if it's bad luck. Which, especially for us, is true.

We have both been warned repeatedly not to reveal this piece of information to others. Maybe the reason he's revealing the information in a quiet manner is because he, too, just like I do, feels like he's constantly being watched even though we have escaped the facility. Maybe it's because we are too used to being watched every second of every minute of every hour of every day that we forget that we have more freedom now than ever. They wouldn't know that we've told Aristelle and Aries our real identity, will they?

Aristelle and Aries do not seem startled about who we really are though. It's as if this is an old piece of information to them. I look at them for signs of them being shocked. However, I find none. My eyebrows knit in confusion. They are either very good at hiding their surprise or... I shudder, not wanting to continue that train of thought.

The siblings turn to each other and talk to each other urgently in hushed whispers. What do they have to hide from us? Wil and I make eye contact but I quickly turn away. I feel my cheeks flush and a warm feeling starts to spread throughout my body. I wonder what this feeling is. I wonder why I feel this way.

After what seems like the longest minute ever, the twins turn to look at us. The expressions on their faces are grim, as if they are about to tell us bad news.

"Wil. Miri," Aries says in a solemn voice. "We know about your real identity."

"Wil is Experiment 426 and Miri is Experiment 782," Aristelle says.

I feel Wil tense up beside me and I gasp. How do they know? They can't be... No. If they are, I would have recognised them. Besides, they are definitely too young to be working on the project we were under when we were still in the facility. Maybe they read it somewhere or heard about it through gossip or something. Even so, something still doesn't add up.

Aries opens his mouth to continue his sister's statement. He seems hesitant, but he continues anyway. "Our parents are the ones in charge of creating and researching the two of you."

Hey guys! I can't say much today as I am past bedtime and I really need to go now. I'm sorry for updating one day late. I'll try to get one more chapter during the week but I am remarkably busy this week. I'll try my best though for your sake. My examination results is coming out in three days and I'm very nervous. Wish me luck. Hehe. Anyway, I really really really need to go now. See you soon! Oh, comment your opinions about this chapter below and vote and follow if you like it and if you haven't already. Bye! Love you!

Love, Angie