"It's time, Number 7552." One of the scientists said. It was the fifth time this week I'd been brought to this room and been told the same exact sentence, but the hundredth time I'd been in this situation. I said nothing in return, only picked up the helmet offered to me. Once I put it on, everything went black.
I was floating, laying there in nothingness for a long time before sensations started breaking through. I felt twinges of pain here and there, I saw a few flashes of scenery. I was in a dark place, an alleyway maybe? I heard a few voices break through my fortress of nothingness. They seemed like they were in so much pain, and I didn't want to listen to them. I flung myself further into the darkness to escape them, relishing in the deep quiet that enveloped me. This, this right here, was my happy place. Some outsiders may think this depressing, but it's better than the alternative.
If I surfaced from my fortress, I could hear the screams and feel the pain, yet be able to do nothing about it. I'm not in any sort of control over my body. In fact, I'm practically alien to it. I barely exist at all, once you put things into perspective. I am merely a consciousness trapped in a host that is not my own—not anymore at least.
This body used to be mine, until they figured out how to remote control it. I was braver back then, more daring. Now, I do nothing but follow what the scientist tell me. Honestly, it is for the greater good, isn't it?
And suddenly, I could see again. I could see everything. Vision flooded me and I felt dread fill my stomach. This was not how it was supposed to happen. This is never how it's supposed to happen. I looked around, and I was in some sort of building. There was debris everywhere, hunks of concrete and tubing littered the area I was in. It seemed like the place was abandoned. Oh wait, I was wrong. There was someone coming towards me, and he didn't look too happy. In fact, he looked murderous. His hair was a dark black, his eyes an intense blue. I looked at his chest to find… a weird symbol of an S?
It was then that my sense of feeling came back, and I registered that I was in a very incredible amount of pain. Several of my ribs seemed broken, and my left leg was twisted at an odd angle. Neither of those compared to the pain inside my head. It was like wave after wave of throbbing torture. No wonder I couldn't move, I was completely broken.
Then, my hearing suddenly rushed to me. I heard a groan of pain coming from… was that me. My voice sounded so foreign. It was like I hadn't used it in… oh yeah. I hadn't used it in a good three years.
"You! Do you know what you've done?!"
Oh right, he's here. And he was coming toward me. I probably should've moved. He picked me up by the front of my suit, and I noticed the red metal of it was dented and scratched. I felt a slight twinge of annoyance at that. I'd polished this suit myself.
"Answer me!"
Right. Probably shouldn't be thinking that right now.
The boy threw me down onto the ground with such force that I wouldn't be surprised if I'd made a small crater on impact. I groaned quietly, trying to rear in my pain like I'd taught myself to do for so long. With all the strength I could muster I tried to get back up, but I failed. It would seem I had also broken my right arm. How delightful. Trying again with the left, I found my head shoved right back into the ground with a searing vengeance. I'd really wronged this boy, hadn't I?
"Superboy, that's enough." A grave voice called. The hand that had so rudely shoved me into the ground for probably the umpteenth time retracted itself. I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"He's not saying anything. I can hear his heartbeat, I know he's alive." The boy, presumably Superboy claimed. Huh, super boy. How fitting.
"He's also not moving. Did you think He might me unconscious?" another voice resonated into the area, this one lighter. It irked me that I couldn't move my head to see the owners to these voices, but my head was still killing me. Wait… they didn't know if I was conscious? Can't they see my eyes?
"Pick him up. Batman wants to question him." The first voice said. My line of sight narrowly missed the pure outrage in Superboy's eyes, but it was still there. And the next thing I knew, I was roughly tossed over his shoulder.
I muffled my scream of pain. I wasn't used to this much of it at once. I usually woke up back at the containment center with a few minor gashes and maybe a fractured bone or two, nothing that a few hours couldn't fix. But this—this was surreal.
"He just made a sound." Superboy ground out.
"So he can hear us." The third voice mused.
"Then he must understand what predicament he's in." The first voice again.
No, I don't understand. I don't understand any of this madness. Just turn the pain off! Put me back in the darkness! Turn the pain off!
"I still can't read his thoughts. Are you sure he isn't an android?" The second voice.
"He bleeds." The first voice said, as if that answered the girl's question.
It was only then that I realized I was moving. Superboy was taking my limp body wherever he was going. And it also seemed like he was taking every opportunity to jostle me into screaming out. My body had never been this destroyed while I was still around, and I was sure he was taking advantage.
"Is that him?" A new voice asked.
"Oi, he doesn't look good at all." Another one.
"I can't believe he went down that easily." Another voice.
Here were too many of them, I couldn't identify anything. My line of view consisted of Superboy's back and not much else.
Then, I blacked out. Finally, I blacked out. I was floating again, and it was quiet. I wasn't in pain, I didn't have to see Superboy's murderous glare, didn't have to hear the hate and contempt in those voices, the glee in the fact that I was down for the count. I was finally back in my happy place, all alone in the darkness.
I didn't know how long it'd been since I'd been laying there in my solitude, but it was over as soon as it came. My eyes opened to a room, a barren one, furnished only with a metal table, the chair he was currently sitting in, and a mirror facing me. The mirror was strange, I wasn't supposed to be around those. It was then that I saw I was still wearing my helmet…and it was partially destroyed. It had cracks running along the top, cascading down the front and into my vision. I somewhat wondered what the back would look like. My armor was almost totaled, with the protective lining hanging in damaged pieces off my frame, and all my weapons were nowhere to be seen. I looked like crap.
Then my sense of feeling came back. I was no longer in any pain, although my spine felt stiff and immovable. I wiggled my arm to check its state and, unsurprisingly, it was fully healed. My leg was in the best shape it'd been in for a while, and my ribs didn't feel like they wanted to puncture my lungs.
Then my sense of hearing came. It was quiet, but I could still here the lull of the air conditioner and the few clicks of what sounded like a clock. Somehow, this place was calming, like my happy fortress of darkness. No one was their causing me pain. I was alone and it was near silent.
Then my sense of taste came, and I almost reeled back. My mouth tasted of that foul metal that always accompanied me when I woke up in the labs. I absolutely detest that taste. It was like my tongue had been branded with iron, and it was only now heeling. I could only wash it down with water.
I tried to sit up, maybe find out which room I was in at the labs… but I was tied down to my chair. I was cuffed? This had never happened before when I woke up. Then again, a scientist was always in the room when I came too. There was something off about this. My heart sped up a little bit.
The door to my left finally opened, and in came a man… or at least I thought he was a man. I could not see his face. He wore a black cowl to cover his face, a matching cape cascaded down his back, a grey armored suit, and a belt that presumably had some very dangerous tools enclosed in there.
The man and I stared at each other for a bit. His scowl just kept getting deeper and deeper as we looked at each other.
"Your face will freeze like that if you keep doing it." I muttered.
He didn't answer.
"Can you hear me?"
No answer.
It must be my helmet that was obscuring my speech. I wondered how I could convey that I needed it off without him attacking me. I waved my right hand, then bent over and pointed at my helmet. The man raised an eyebrow at me.
"If you're asking me to take your helmet off, we already tried." The man said. His voice was low and gruff. It would have been intimidating had I not had a German scientist speak to me in the exact same voice.
This guy was useless.
I rolled my eyes and put my head between my knees, reaching for the emergency release. Now that my helmet was obviously powered down, maybe I could use the release hook at its base to remove it. But I was cuffed too well. I pointed to the clasp, hoping that the man would understand. He rounded my chair and took a look at where I was hopefully pointing to. He reached down and felt along the underside of my helmet, finally finding the clasp and unclipping it. With that, my helmet came tumbling off.
I sat back up and shook out my hair, looking again at the mirror. Oh, so that's what my face looked like. I saw black hair that swept to the left side of my face, framing it to a certain degree. My eyes were a blue that I wish I could compare to the sea. I didn't like looking at them, for I found that they were unsettling to stare at. I had a strong jaw and noticeable cheek bones. Noticeable, but not prominent like many of the other experiments. My last striking feature was my skin. I was extremely pale, only making my hair and eyes more prominent. No wonder they forced me to wear a helmet.
"This is strange." I said, to no one in particular.
"What is strange." The man said, still with that complete edge in his voice.
"My face. It is very strange." I answered back. "I thought I'd look more average. They told me my eyes were brown and my hair was blonde. How strange."
"You didn't know what you looked like?"
"No."
I was not allowed to know what I look like—none of us were for that matter. We were kept separated and away from any reflective surface as to not show ourselves our own faces.
"I am sorry. I know I am most likely not here to see my own face." I said, now looking at the man to avoid looking at my reflection.
"What is your name?" The man demanded.
"I do not have a name. Would you like my serial number instead?" I asked. The man however did not take my input very well.
"This is not a joke." He ground out.
"And I am not joking." I said, a little perturbed at him. "My number is 7552. That is my only identification."
The man seemed to scowl even harder than before, if that was even possible. He sent me a look that sent a chill down my spine.
"And what is it you were sent to accomplish?" the man asked.
"I do not know. The mission is not for me to decide." I answered coldly. I did not like to be questioned, and I did not like being thrust from my happy place.
"What do you mean you don't know? You did carry out the mission." The man growled.
"Hardly." I said. "I have no recollection on any of my previous objectives."
"How is that possible?" The man prodded.
"My helmet is equipped with controlling technology that allows them to use my body for their objectives. I have no control over my actions." I said, trying to look the man in the eyes. It was harder than I thought it would be, seeing as his glare was slightly unsettling and his cowl made it to where I could not tell if I was looking directly at him. "When the helmet is in use, they can see into my mind and read all my thoughts like data on a computer screen."
"How can you have absolutely no recollection of your actions?"
"I choose not to." I answered, and for a moment I think I saw the man's eyes widen only a fraction. "The things they make me do are horrifying, damaging, and cruel. I cannot… I could not emotionally handle what I had done if I did not have a way to escape my own mind. Some of the other experiments have gone mad because of the trauma induced upon their minds. I decide to temporarily check out until I am given back control over my body."
"Why do they make you do these things?" The man asked.
"My set of experiments were weaponized beings built for destruction and servitude. We were supposed to be the ultimate soldiers but few of us survived the tests, even fewer the emotional trauma. I believe there are only three remaining, including myself. The scientist overseeing my case said we'd be sold to new controllers for a very high price soon." I said, blinking in disinterest.
"You're sharing this information too easily." The man said in a somewhat suspicious tone, if I could even call it that. It was the barest hint of change. If anything, the man's attitude either stayed stagnant or soured slightly since the beginning of this interrogation.
"Why should I care if you know everything?" I asked. "I am only an experiment that halfway through development was forced to be manually controlled due to insubordination."
"You're doing this to get revenge?" The man asked.
"I do not know what this… revenge is. I was never taught the word. However, I was taught to always give the utmost cooperation to those in your position." I said.
"Those in my position?" The man asked.
"You are the new controller, are you not?" I asked. "I was supposed to be shipped out this week to the first buyer as a prototype."
"Were you created by these people?" The man asked, changing the subject.
"Yes… and no." I answered.
"Explain."
"I was born in the United States, but my mother supposedly sold me into a slave ring I believe. There I was bought by a scientist by the name of Waverly, who thought I was a 'perfect specimen' if I were to quote him. Since then, I was trained, tested on, and ultimately controlled by the age of thirteen."
The man was silent for a few more minutes, seemingly contemplating something. I stared at him the entire time while he stared right back at me. After the silence, the next thing out of his mouth shocked me.
"What would you think of freedom?" He asked.
I looked at him in anger. Freedom? This controller, this-this buyer had the gall to dangle such a precious thing in front of my eyes. If I wasn't so well trained I might have killed him on the spot, trauma be damned.
"Freedom?" I laughed coldly. "Do not mock me."
"It was not a joke." The man stated flatly, as if my change of demeanor did not affect him.
"Of course it was a joke. Freedom is the biggest joke there is for people like you." I bit out.
"Why do you think it's a joke?" The man asked.
"When is it not a joke? You people dangle such a precious concept in front of me, just like the others have. You want to see my hope rise just so you can crush it again. I refuse to play such games, not anymore." I said, a bit of what I thought to be hatred creeping into my voice.
"What happened to the upmost cooperation?" The man said.
"I never said I was well trained." I shot back. "Or weren't you listening. I had to be controlled due to insubordination."
"And what was this insubordination." The man asked, stopping me in my tracks. I hung my head.
"I would not kill." I said. "They ordered me to kill, and I refused."
The man was silent for another few minutes.
"Do you regret it? The decision to spare that life?"
"… No. I would give up this body a thousand times over to save that boy again." I said. "But what of it? Save one and unknowingly kill countless others. Spare me the lecture, I've already heard it plenty of times."
"I was not going to lecture you." The man said. I raised my head, looking at him suspiciously. "Do you know who I am?"
"No." I answered hollowly.
"Have you ever heard of the batman?" He asked.
"Only from scientists in passing. I heard he was a hero who nearly destroyed one of the experiments, thankfully." I said.
"Thankfully?" He asked.
"All three of us believe that we should be… terminated for the greater good." I said.
"That is not going to happen." He said.
"I figured as much." I said. A few seconds passed between us.
"Do you have a question?"
"I am not allowed to ask questions." I said, trying to piece back together as much of my uncaring façade as I could.
"And if you were allowed to ask questions, what would you ask?" The man asked me.
"I would ask many things, but I'd start with why you would bring up the batman."
"I am the batman."
A few seconds of silence passed.
"Many of my questions are going to go unanswered if that is true." I sighed, looking at the ceiling.
"That brings me back to my previous question; what do you think of freedom?"
"I… do not know what I would think of freedom. I have never had true freedom." I said.
"What would you be willing to do to obtain it?"
"Near anything." I answered.
"What do you know of a co-ops team running under the justice league?"
"I know… I have encountered them many times, and I have injured a few of their members. To what extent and which members, I do not know." I answered. "As for what the scientist have said, they are a highly trained team of protégé's that operate under the guidance of the Justice League. They consist of two of the batman's protégés, one of his former protégés, Wonder woman's Protégé, the second Blue beetle, Martian Manhunter's niece, failed experiment Kr, a guardian, an animal shape shifter, the Atom's protégé, and Aquaman's current Protégé."
"Would you be willing to join this team to gain your freedom?"
"However willing I would be, I do not think it would be a wise decision." I said. "I have undoubtedly caused harm to various members of the team, which is wholly unforgivable, therefore no trust could be built and the team would not function as well as it would without me on it."
"And if the team leader himself requested your cooperation, what would you say?"
"If the team leader demands, then I must concede." I answered, the barest hint of a smile forming on my face.
"Don't take these off. Do not leave this place without specific instructions from either the team leader or a league member. You know not to harm the others, and you will not be attending missions until your mind is searched and you've been cleared through the minimalist training. Is that understood?" The batman asked.
I stood there, now clad in comfortable black pants and a white t-shirt. On my wrists were two high tech bands that were obviously there for either the team's protection or so they could track me if I ever decided to leave on my own. I was given a room of my own that I could leave freely, I had the choice to train or to do other things that I preferred, I could go to the other floors of the building, I could read various books laying around, and I was allowed go to the lagoon that was a part of the base. I was in paradise.
"Yes sir, understood." I answered. It was so strange to be standing in my body and conversing with an actual person outside of an interrogation. "Thank you."
The batman nodded slightly.
"I have to leave. If you cause any trouble. You know the consequences." The batman said.
"Right." I said. "Am… am I allowed to use the kitchen."
The batman did not answer me and chose to leave instead. He went through this tube and…. He disappeared! The technology in the room amazed me.
"I guess that was… a maybe?" I said to myself, shrugging.
I walked into the open kitchen, looking for something to make myself. Cooking was one of the things that I knew how to do well. When experiments started dying because of trauma, we were expected to pick up soothing hobbies to mend our mental states. I chose cooking and piano, while others chose painting or dance. However, this minimal privilege was taken away after experiments kept dying.
"I shouldn't take something they have little of. Pasta should be fine." I said.
I was boiling up some water when I heard a clatter behind me. Turning around I saw an incredibly green girl standing there. I didn't know what to say or what to do. She looked almost frightened of me, which I couldn't blame her for. To spare myself some time before I had to face heated glares and hatred filled actions, I simply turned back to my water and poured the pasta in.
The girl waited for a few seconds before moving around again. She cautiously came close, and then I felt it- the familiar pull of the darkness. I instinctively gave in, but it was only for a few seconds before I found myself on the ground and disoriented.
"A-are you okay?" The green girl asked warily, but her tone was laced slightly with worry.
"I do not know why I wouldn't be." I answered, standing. How strange, I never leave for my happy place without my helmet on. "Please forgive my rudeness."
With that I turned back to my noodles.
"What is your name?" The girl asked.
"I do not have a name. My serial number is 7552." I answered nonchalantly. "..Do you know where the salt is?"
"Oh… it's on the top shelf to your left"
I nodded and turned for the salt.
"Are you sure you don't have a name. You don't remember having one at all." The girl asked.
"You were there." I said, turning and regarding her coldly. "You saw the interrogation."
"Yes, I was." She took a seat at the table, keeping her eyes on him the entire time. "But I know you were lying. That's the only part you lied about."
"The name given to me by my mother was Vincent. She called me Vin for short. However, my name was replaced with 7552, which is now my identification."
"But it isn't anymore." The girl stated. "You're a part of this team and you're not an experiment anymore. So, what is your name?"
"Then I must assume that my name has now been changed back to Vincent." I said. "And while we're discussing this breach in privacy, I have to ask that your friends stop trying to spy on me from the door and actually come in here. I'm only making pasta, so I'm not going to attack you."
The green girl looked slightly taken back but looked to the door to find two boys peering around the doorframe. One was green like the girl, and the other had tanned skin and short black hair.
They slowly entered the kitchen as I started on the sauce.
"Oi, if you were an experiment, how do you know how to cook?" The tanned one asked, but was given a disapproving look from the girl.
"We were ordered to pick up creative hobbies to counteract trauma induced form the objectives given to us without our consent." I said. "It did not work."
With that, I drained the pasta and pored the sauce on top. The other three were sharing looks as if they were communicating with each other.
"Where are your bowls?" I asked. I found it tough to keep forcing myself to ask questions while not flinching. I had to remind myself that I was not at the labs.
"Middle right cabinet." The girl answered.
It was quiet for the next couple of minutes as I sat down and started to eat. The three that lived there were obviously waiting for me to say something, but I didn't know what to say. Sorry for injuring you or your friends, can you pass me the pepper? That didn't sound too good.
"What do you want me to say?" I finally asked, looking at them tiredly.
"What do you mean?" the green boy asked, almost squeaked.
"I've spent a lot of my life being stared at, so I should think I know the difference between what they mean. Which brings me to think that your stares mean you want me to say something. What do you want me to say?" I explained, still eating.
"We didn't mean anything like that." The girl insisted, although I could beg to differ. "We just… we feel like we should get to know you. Well, the real you. The kid behind the mask."
"First off, you should know there was no kid behind that mask. There were three scientists, two businessmen, and one guard that could not tell his head from his toes." I said, coldly looking at them. The two boys looked at their hands while the girl's eyes narrowed slightly. "Second, please do not refrain from asking any questions you feel should be answered. You deserve the right to know."
With that I stood from my seat and headed to the sink.
"Any question we want?" A new voice spoke up. It was the same voice from before, the first one. This boy was much taller the first two, more filled out. He was obviously older and held more respect that the other two boys, but only slightly more than the girl.
"Any question." I nodded then went back to scrubbing my dish.
"What did they do to you?" He asked. I paused my cleaning for a few moments before continuing.
"I was injected with several serums, none of which I know the purpose for but I do know that thirty-five out of thirty-eight failed. During this time, my body was trained to withstand maximum damage, attain highest possible speed and agility, and fight with nearly any weapon. I was tutored in battle strategies, history, mathematics, and science. During the last three years, I was controlled and taken out to finish objectives, but I do not recall what I have done as a personal choice. Although cowardly, I do believe I saved what was left of my sanity."
"And you're completely okay with that?" The boy asked.
"I know nothing else, therefore I cannot judge what I have and what I have not." I answered.
"Really? That bowl looks pretty clean by the way." The boy said. I looked down dumbly at my hands, finding that the bowl was indeed very clean, along with the spoon and fork I had used.
"Ah. I see." I mumbled. I turned ant dried them, not speaking another word.
"Your name?" the boy asked.
"She told me I could not go by my serial number. I have come to the conclusion that I must go by my given name, Vincent." I said. Turning, only to find another person in the room. This boy was massive, a few feet taller than me. He looked at me disapprovingly, and I could only think 'oh, here we go.'
"Why have you not asked our names?" The girl asked.
"I am… unaccustomed to asking questions. My answers did not com in a very pleasant package." I said.
"You do know… you can ask questions." The girl said.
"No… no I cannot. Please excuse me for the night." I said, turning and walking to my room.
What did you think of him? Nightwing asked the Martian over the mind link. Little did Vincent know, the entire team was privy to their conversation?
He's been trained like a dog, and he detests himself for it. M'gann stated. He's filed with so much guilt that he could barely look me in the eyes. He does not want to upset us or trouble us further than what he believes he already has. That is why he did not ask questions, and that is why he left.
What I don't understand is why he didn't fight back in the interrogation. Cassie said into the link.
It's like M'gann said, he's been trained to be as obedient as possible. He believes he's no better than a common pet. Robin surmised.
I still don't trust him, not after what he did. Connor thought, leaving the team with a unique bitter feeling.
None of us are going to find it easy to trust him, but M'gann said that almost everything that has come out of his mouth is true. Karen stated, trying to be reasonable.
He was forced into this and he believes he can't ask for help, so let's at least try to be nice. M'gann said.
There were a few grunts of consent and a couple Okays. With that, the Martian cut the link, leaving the team to do as they pleased once more.
There were screams and crying and crashing and blood—oh god the blood was everywhere. I nearly couldn't see past all the red due to the sheer amount of it. I ran, ran as fast as I could through it, trying to escape my sins, trying to find my happy place. There was no escape, no solace from this terror—this guilt.
I saw dying men, screaming women, orphaned children, bodies piled higher and higher before me, and I was almost deafened by the intense wails of sorrow that came forth from the survivors. I turned and saw it. This demon was looking at me, holding a scythe bloodied with the blood of thousands. He pointed it at me, and uttered the words that I dreaded most.
You did this.
"No—please it wasn't me!" I screamed, and I tried to run again, only to find that I was frozen in place.
We did this
"Stop it, please stop!" I said as it came closer. And then it removed its helmet, and I saw my face staring back at me.
We must finish what we started.
The other me raised its scythe and rushed toward me. I closed my eyes, felt the tears streaming down my face. Just as I thought I felt the cool, wet metal barely brush my throat, I bolted straight up.
It was very dark in my new room, and I bumped into all of the few things that were given to me there. Once I finally reached the restroom, I saw my face. Drying trails of tears were littered across my cheeks and my clothes clung to my body in cold sweat.
Again, I looked like crap.
I decided that I needed to get away from that room, so I rushed out into the hallway and raced to the lagoon, my heart beating wildly in my chest as I remembered the screams of the people in my nightmare. I stepped into the elevator and waited to be taken down to the lagoon. My dream plagued me the entire way there.
I stepped onto soft sand as I exited the elevator. Taking in the sight, I forgot about my dream and reveled in the beauty of the place. I had never been allowed outside of the labs without my helmet, so I had never seen such beautiful scenery.
The sand was soft and white, the grass mossy and wet. I cautiously took a few steps forward and found the biggest body of water probably ever. I didn't think I had ever smiled so hard in my entire life.
I rushed into it, feeling the coolness slip around my legs, and I laughed so hard my lungs began to hurt. I threw up the water and watched it rain down on my face while the laughter kept coming. My abs started aching as I crouched down to look at the clear body of water. It only occurred to me a minute later that I my laughs had quietly turned into sobs as I felt the tears return to my face.
So this is what freedom felt like.
So yeah, this sucker has been rolling around in my head for months now. Can't believe I actually put it into words, although I believe I'm going to have to go back over it again tomorrow to fix the inevitable spelling mistakes and maybe a couple of plot points BUT LOOK AT THAT CONCEPT, WHOA GUYS!
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, and I don't know how soon I can update, I do have another story to take care of (which is like my child), and that chapter is halfway in the making. Have fun, don't be strangers, and don't forget to follow this masterpiece (Full of myself aren't I?)
BONAS JONAS
Cassie woke up with a start when she heard a loud crash. Her room was right next to Vincent's, and the walls, while thick, could not keep out that sound.
She rolled out of bed and rubbed her eyes. She peeked out of her room only to find her neighbor rushing down the hall. The girl worriedly thought he was trying to escape, but he was headed in the wrong direction.
Following him quietly and hurriedly, she saw him go down the elevator. Then it hit her; he was going to the lagoon.
She flew down the stairs that no one really ever took to catch the boy's reaction to the place. She made it just in time to see him walk out of the elevator.
She didn't think she'd ever seen a purer look of joy on anyone's face, and it scared her slightly. This emotionless boy, this monster, found joy in seeing the lagoon? She saw the boy run into the water, and look down at it, picking it up with his hands and throwing it into the air, laughing like it was the most wonderful thing he'd done in his entire life. And as he crouched over laughing, she heard his giggles soften into quiet sobs. He raised his head from the water, unknowingly showing her his tear stained face that mixed with the smile she'd seen earlier. After that, she left.
She didn't think it was right to intrude on his moment.