Mark woke to the sound of knocking.

    He blearily opened his eyes, unable to tell what time it was. Before he could get up to answer, the door swung open, and Antinstine stepped in, gazing around the room. There was an expecting, almost eagerness to his gaze that made Mark's stomach turn.

    Mark cleared his throat, and Antinstine's gaze flicked onto him. Amusement curled on his lip.

    "Right," said Anti with a faint laugh. "Prada told me you woke up late."

    Mark ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it down, and rose a brow at Antinstine. He hadn't wanted to see him, especially in his waking hours. It had his body all tense and stressed again.

    "What do you need?" Mark mumbled.

    "Get ready," said Antinstine. "I have another experiment."

    Mark's fists clenched under the sheets; even though they'd agreed that they'd be painless from here on out, he couldn't help but be on edge. Antinstine could be lying for all he knew—the gesture seemed just like him.

    Mark slid out of bed and stood, Antinstine's gaze never wavering from him once. It had his skin burning.

    He didn't need to change. He met Antinstine's eyes, suppressed a frown, and walked past him and out the door.

    "You slept in yer clothes?" Antinstine muttered, closing the door and catching up to him in just a few strides. Mark shoved his hands in his pockets to try and hide his tight fists; it was so unnerving walking next to Antinstine. Like an equal. He knew he would never be close to the concept.

    "You haven't cared to give me fresh clothes," Viper said under his breath. "So I've been making due with these."

    He hadn't meant for the words to come out so harsh, but coupled with just waking up and having to deal with Antinstine at the same time, he couldn't help it. Right now, he didn't care about pissing him off; he just wanted him off his back.

    Perhaps he should have denied Antinstine's offer and accepted the torture of the experiments. He hated this change of pace. It was too hospitable, too easy-going. It made him uneasy.

    "I'll have some servants send you new clothes," said Antinstine as they descended down the staircase.

Even in the prime of morning, other High Evolveds roamed the hallways. Mark had always been threatened by their presence—was extra careful not to glance at any of them, in case he caught one of their eyes—but now that he walked beside Antinstine, he felt an ironic sense of confidence. He wondered what each of them were doing—what their tasks were. Did they roam back and forth just for looks, or did they really have a purpose in the mansion?

"Besides," continued Anti with a smirk. "You should be staying here a while. Might as well get you comfortable."

A cold shiver ran down Mark's spine. Antinstine's words felt like a threat.

You're never leaving, hissed a voice in the back of his head.

"You've done a full one-eighty on me," Mark said, the words slipping out before he could think first. When he glanced at Antinstine, his expression had slackened into an unreadable one. "I was on Edwards' side, and I've only pledged my loyalty to you yesterday."

Mark hated saying those doubts aloud—planting them in Antinstine's head like that—but he was sure they were both thinking about it. How could Antinstine even think to trust him? Just because he believed that they'd both been born human? Because, in his eyes, they were similar?

    Mark's brows furrowed. "What's your goal here?"

    Antinstine didn't answer, letting Mark's question hang in the air. They continued to walk, down the hall and towards the laboratory.

    Evolveds slowed and watched as the two of them passed, exchanging glances or spitting whispers. Some of them even stopped to point or glare.

    The two crossed through the greenhouse, over the fields, and into the long, wooden building that was the laboratory. Mark's heart raced on instinct, his muscles flaring with panic. Everything in him told him to run, run, run.

    He stayed put, lagging behind Antinstine as they reached the last few lab tables. Mark made an effort to look away from the golden, metal table that still sat in the middle of the lowered floor, trying to focus on Syl and Ox. They milled about trinkets and bottles, stopping when Antinstine and Mark stood at their table.

    "Sir," greeted Ox, jumping up from his work. He glanced at Mark, and sympathy glittered in his eyes.

    "Is it ready?" asked Anti.

    Ox swallowed and nodded. He glanced at Syl briefly. "Do you..." He cleared his throat. "Do you want us to restrain Viper?"

    Mark clenched his fists at his sides, and he slowly turned his head over to look at Antinstine. This was it—the moment where he would be betrayed. Where Anti would laugh in his face and call him out for believing his trap. But when they met eyes, Antinstine smirked, and his eyes went half-lidded.

    "No need," he said, gaze lingering for a moment too long. Mark cleared his throat and looked away, face going hot. He hated being pinned under his gaze.

    Antinstine rose a brow at the scientists, who exchanged shocked looks.

    "Viper," he said softly, glancing at him again. "Get on the table for me, will you?"

    Bile rose in Mark's throat at the sweetness of his voice. He flashed him a tight, fake smile, then trudged down the steps, pushing back memories of the last experiment. His legs quivered, and his hands lightly shook, but he forced himself onto the table and sat, waiting.

    Syl and Ox sent glances at each other, confused, already piecing together theories, but wrapped up their work quickly. They headed down the steps and stood on each of Viper's sides. Ox held a long syringe, and Mark eyed it, his nerves on fire.

    "Ox," said Antinstine, walking forward so he stood in front of Mark. "From here on out, you're to make every experiment painless. Understand?"

    Ox's lashes fluttered. His shoulders slumped in relief, happy to keep Mark comfortable—but there was an unsureness in his eyes. Even he was affected by the sincerity behind the command; Antinstine's motives had drastically changed in so little time. Without his sadistic orders or psychotic demands, it felt... wrong. Like something was missing. Mark was glad to see that he wasn't the only one who felt it.

    "Yes, sir," Ox said after a long while, still trying to wrap his head around the situation. He glanced at Mark, resting a hand on his arm.

    "Ready?" he said.

    Mark eyed Antinstine, still unable to read his face. He slowly nodded, and Syl waved a hand, creating an invisible table to rest his arm on.

    Mark did so, still gazing at Antinstine, and swallowed when the needle neared his arm. Just then, Ox's scales fluttered, the needle slid in, and the concoction seeped into his veins. He wondered what ability he would get this time.

    And just like that, it was over. There was no pain—not even the prick of the needle—and suddenly, all the anxiety that had been building in Mark's chest fizzled out. He blinked, gazing at Syl, Antinstine, and Ox, surprised with himself when he thought, that's it?

    "That's it," said Syl, confirming his thoughts. He waved his hand. The invisible table faded, and Mark's arm dropped into his lap. Ox didn't touch him anymore, but his scales still fluttered, keeping the pain away.

    Mark swallowed, watching Ox. He was the only thing keeping him from writhing on the table in agony.

    "The process takes three hours," said Ox quietly, closing his eyes as if it helped him focus.

    Antinstine rose a brow at Mark, his lips curled into a smirk. "Want something to eat?"

    Mark swallowed, meeting his eyes. They were darker—hiding something. If he looked hard enough, he swore he could see disappointment.

    Mark may have 'joined' Antinstine's side, but that didn't keep Anti from wanting to see him suffer. To him, Dark still believed that Mark was on his side; torturing him would still give him that satisfaction of seeing the Tear Stealer crumble.

Antinstine was a monster with a hunger for blood that needed satiated—and if Mark wasn't on the table, screaming in agony to fill that void—then he wondered what else (or who else) would take his place. The reality had his blood run cold.

    "Sure," Mark managed out. "If you just have... cereal, that's fine."

    Antinstine laughed, and Mark nearly jumped at the sharpness of it. His head tipped back, and his hands hovered over his stomach—and when he met eyes with Mark again, that darkness in his gaze had twisted into something more sinister. Mark knew that look all too well. A killer's gaze.

    "How about human?" breathed Antinstine. Mark's eyes widened, and his face paled. "Trust me..." He leaned in close, and the scientists backed away a few steps. "If this serum works, you'll want to test this ability on a prize."

———

The Tear Stealer finished speaking with the others with a sigh. He had just confessed to them the reality of Antinstine's identity—and received very mixed reactions, including Emery hurling a chair—and what the plan would be now that they knew Mark was being experimented on.

Emery was about to hiss a flurry of curses, but right as he knocked down his chair, Voxe peered through, knocking on the wall to signal zir presence.

"I can feel every chair you throw, y'know," Voxe said, glaring at Emery. He calmed at the sight of zem, and Voxe turned zir head towards the Tear Stealer.

"Those two newbies," said Voxe. "They have something to tell you."

Dark huffed through his nose, his brows furrowed. "Can it wait?" he muttered, motioning towards the table of distressed, stunned, or Emery-angry Evolveds. Only Equinox and Xilef were calm. Voxe glanced at the table and gave a comedic wince.

"Ouch, tough crowd," ze said. When the others glared at zem, ze just laughed. Ze turned to Dark.

"No, it can't," ze said. Zir face went serious. "They heard Mark and Antinstine in the laboratory. I think you should hear it."

Dark's gaze hardened, and he sighed. "Very well," he said. "You're all dismissed."

Emery spat a few more curses—something about humans and chameleons—and stomped out of the room. The others filed out, sharing glances and conversing. Xilef stayed behind and joined Dark's side.

"So you finally told them?" Voxe asked Dark as they headed towards Eyes' surveillance room. Ze watched zir brother, Emery, fuming down the halls with a chuckle.

"Yes," answered Dark simply. Xilef walked alongside them, quiet. "I was hoping it wouldn't have to be brought up, but... I can't risk Mark getting hurt any further."

Voxe's gaze sparkled. "That's the thing," ze said, intense. "He's not."

Dark's brows furrowed, and his eyes flashed. "What do you mean?"

The three of them walked into Eyes' room, adjusting to the brightness of the screen and the darkness of the room. Ethan and Konray stood in front of the screen, clutching at themselves in shock, while Eyes sat in her chair a couple feet away, running a hand over her forehead. Dark rushed inside and looked at them, gaze intense.

"What happened?" he demanded, breaths going shallow. It was hard to keep himself in check when it came to Mark.

Ethan jumped, and Konray whirled around; Eyes didn't say anything. She scooted forward, pressed her fingers against her temple, and played an audio recording on the screen. The line rose and fell with the volumes.

"Do you want us to restrain Viper?" came Ox's voice through the screen. It was muffled—far away—but still discernible. There was a pause.

"No need," came Antinstine's voice. Dark bristled at the sound of it, his blood pumping with fury.

Eyes skipped forward a bit.

"From here on out," Antinstine said, "you're to make every experiment painless. Understand?"

Dark's eyes widened. Eyes skipped again, the audio scrambling and keening—and then she stopped right when Antinstine offered Mark to eat human.

"Trust me," crooned Antinstine's voice through the speakers. "You'll want to test this ability on a prize."

    Dark's blood boiled, and he clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.

    "What?" he growled, teeth bared.

    Ethan cowered against the screen at his tone, and Konray placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. She wearily cleared her throat.

    "Antinstine, he's..." She cleared her throat again. "When we first listened in, Mark was screaming. He was in—I mean he was in agony." Her eyes darted from Dark, to Eyes, to Xilef. "Antinstine wanted it that way—I mean, you could tell he enjoyed it." She glanced at the screen. "So... this, I—we don't know what changed, but... he's different. He's treating Mark like... like—"

    "I want to know where they're going," Dark snarled, voice cut-throat. "You two. Leave." He looked at Ethan and Konray with an intensity that threatened to burn into them. "Eyes, do your best to track them."

    Ethan wavered, flinching when Dark sharply turned on his heel.

    "Wait!" he called out. Dark stopped at the doorway. "What—what are you planning on doing?"

    Dark breathed hard, staring ahead.

"I'm going to find them," he said.

    Ethan's eyes widened, and he looked at Konray. It was reckless.

    The Tear Stealer was acting on anger—blinded by emotion—but the others knew better than to get in the way. Xilef lingered at the doorway, gazing at Eyes, Ethan, and Konray, before following after Dark's storming figure.

Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day !!

Love,

Kass xoxo