A/N: Wow, thank you all SO much for reviewing :) It really made me motivated to upload this next chapter. Unfortunately, my next update will be slightly late due to school tests etc. Dx

I figured that this story shall be only three or four chapters, so do check up on it and keep reviewing! It helps me a lot to get motivated c:

EDIT

*Updated on 16/10/2012 for some silly mistakes .

A/N 2: Please tell me whether I should add a citrus scene in the next chapter or just skip the mating details. I really am inexperienced but if you want, I may try my hand at writing it!

CHAPTER: 2

Gwen bunched up her long red-orange hair to one side of her shoulder, sighing as she tried in vain to pull down the simple white gown she wore over her knees. It resembled those of typical hospital ones, making her feel as though she was about to undergo a surgery. She stared around for the hundredth time, having already memorized every inch of the place. This new room was not so different from the previous one – it had the same gleaming white floor, white walls and white lights. The only differences were that it was bigger, having a door that was always kept locked, and various experimental instruments lined up against one wall. She herself sat on a stretcher, legs dangling of the edge, hands on her lap.

"We will be back in a moment, human."

Gwen looked up at the two 'aliens' that were also present in the room. Both wore dark robes and hoods over their heads, from which she could only spot gleaming golden eyes. They looked human, with normal hands and body structure. However, she knew appearances could be deceiving. Indeed, she remembered what those very human-like hands could transform into.

Gwen sighed again, hoping Ben was acting sensible. She knew how much he died to escape, and separating her from him made him feel worse.

"Why can't we do the stupid tests together?" Ben had yelled at the two 'aliens', who were restraining the brunette from each arm. In efforts to keep the boy from escaping their grasp, the two hooded creatures transformed their hands into claw-like things, with long bony fingers and long pointed nails. Gwen had been terrified to see those hideous claws touching her cousin, begging him to stop struggling.

"Ben, please go quietly with them! Please!"

That had at least made Ben stop struggling, though he did throw heavy scowls in her direction before getting blindfolded.

Once Ben had left, two more 'aliens' came to put her a blindfold. She had no choice but to oblige – it was either that or death. They took her through many turns and passages, and in between her shifting she had tried to summon up her manna in vain. The remaining hope that she could find a way to escape got squashed out of her after that.

Gwen let her face fall into her hands, wishing it was all a dream. Bitterly she knew it was hopeless, and both she and Ben were doomed to play into the hooded creature's hands. She breathed deeply, frowning as the strange smells from her skin entered her nose.

A nice, warm bath will be the first thing I would do if and when we get out of here alive.

The strange smells were not bad. In fact, they were pretty nice, like some flowery and fruity scents all combined together. Gwen frowned for a second, wondering how she smelled like this.

Oh, yeah. The 'purifying water'.

When she had been led away from Ben, the 'aliens' had led her into a relatively large room that looked like a normal bathroom. They had ordered her to 'Get rid of any extra waste or bodily fluids that could disrupt the tests.' Though Gwen felt humiliated at this order, she had to obey, going through a routine she did before she went to bed every night. The 'aliens' then made her bathe in a huge tub filled with sparkling lavender liquid, which had at first made her freeze on the spot.

"No! That looks dangerous." She had said in a shrill voice.

"Do not worry," One of the hooded creatures said, and Gwen could detect a hint of amusement in its emotionless voice. "It is simply purifying water. It will remove unwanted substances from the surface of your body, mainly clog up your sebaceous glands to prevent excretion of oils."

"So, it means I won't sweat?"

"Indeed," the 'alien' proceeded to bunch up all of Gwen's hair into a knot, then placing a cover similar to a shower cap on her head. "Your head should stay above the surface of the purifying water."

"Why?"

"Because the water also causes your skin to undergo depilation. Your hair follicles shall weaken and fall out. However, if you would rather remove your scalp –"

"No, thank you," Gwen said hurriedly, eyeing the sparkling liquid with suspicion.

Once the creatures left, she had stripped and gingerly submerged into the liquid. Surprisingly, it was neither hot nor cold, the temperature just fine. The fragrance emitting out was delicious and when she glided her fingers through the liquid, it felt like silk ribbons flowing through them instead.

For the first time since being captured, she had felt relaxed.

The huge metal door that was on the opposite wall suddenly glided open, breaking Gwen's thoughts of the past. The previous two 'aliens' entered the room again with silent footsteps. Gwen looked up from her hands and froze when she saw one of them holding a very big syringe.

"This is just to take some of your life essence – what you humans call blood."

Gwen did not respond, staying mute and letting one 'alien' strap her arm. It was just like a normal blood test, except she felt afraid and the syringe was a monstrosity. However, once he blood was collected and the 'alien' took out another syringe from its robe, she spoke up.

"What is that? I do not want more needles inserted into my body, thank you very much!"

"That was exactly what your mate had also said," the 'alien' said, slight amusement again in its voice. "Not to worry. This is not to collect blood."

Gwen, who was slightly restless to realize that Ben had to go through everything too, narrowed her green eyes. "I know that. I can see it's filled with yet another sparkling red liquid."

"Indeed," the creature replied, positioning the needle at the surface of Gwen's skin. "This won't harm you at all. I advise you to relax and avoid fighting its affects." That said, the needle inserted into her vein and all the sparkly red liquid entered the 17 year Old's body.

Gwen winced at the slight prick at the start, and at once felt the liquids affects. She felt warm and fuzzy, slightly dizzy to the point her vision got blurred. "W-What was that?" She mumbled, putting a hand to her head as the 'aliens' bandaged up her arm.

"Nothing much. Only a sedative that will help you in your mating session."

Gwen frowned, her mind working sluggishly so that she could not really grasp the meaning of what had been said. She bleakly realized she was actually being supported by the creatures – she couldn't stand up well.

"What is h-happening to m-me?" She said in a panicked voice.

"Relax, Human," One of the 'alien' said strictly, guiding her out of the room and into the dim passage. "These symptoms shall wear off in a few minutes."

Gwen struggled to memorize the turns and passages of the ship as she was led along in a strange fashion. Both 'aliens' were holding each of her upper arms, walking on either side of her like bodyguards. Her feet kept stumbling over each other, yet she could feel her mind getting her body back into control at a slow pace.

"Here we are. I assure you shall feel comfortable here."

Gwen lifted her head up heavily as the metal door in front of her slid open, revealing a dimly lit room. As she entered with the help of the 'aliens', she blinked furiously to let her eyes get accustomed to the darkness. It was a large circular room, with a huge circular thing occupying the left side of the room. Vaguely, and mortifyingly, she realized it was a bed.

And there was someone already on it.

"We based this room's atmosphere and design according to numerous research data about Human Mating Habits and Environments. We shall leave you two now, and need I remind you that escape from here is impossible."

Gwen scowled as her bodyguards left her standing on the spot, bidding them farewell as though they were going to do something heroic. She swayed lightly on the spot, half-ready to run out behind them before she remembered their claw-like hands and her possible death. Once she heard the door close and automatically lock, she turned to observe the room.

Large and circular, it was illuminated dimly by lights that hung from each wall. They gave out soft, golden hues that spilled lightly over the soft red carpet on the floor. Indeed, this room made her relaxed . . . or was that the sedative working? She shook her head to clear out a wave of approaching dizziness, trying to focus on the main object in this room.

She stilled as she caught sight of the occupant on the bed.

Ben was staring at her unmoving, his green eyes looking distant as though dreaming. He lay on his stomach, his chin propped up over his hands, a frown appearing on his face.

"Gwen? Is that you?"

Gwen hesitated. "Yeah, it's me."

Ben stared for a few more seconds before slowly getting up, never breaking eye contact. As he got off the bed, Gwen realized that he was also wearing nothing but a short white gown that reached till his knees. She blushed, looking away at once.

"Gwen, it's you!" Ben, without warning, jumped at her, engulfing her into a bear hug.

Gwen stayed still for a moment before trying to extract herself from his embrace. Not only did the knowledge about what they had to do made her suddenly recoil; the fact that both wore nothing but a flimsy piece of fabric over their bodies was plain disturbing. Apparently, Ben didn't seem to mind any of this.

"Gw – what is wrong?" Ben asked in a hurt voice, and Gwen could see his eyes still have a dreamy look. It was an almost familiar look, like those rare moments when her silly cousin would get himself very drunk.

"Ben, tell me one thing," Gwen asked gently, stepping a few steps back yet holding his hands in her own. "Did those 'aliens' inject you with some red liquid?"

Ben paused for a moment before breaking into a scowl. "Oh, yeah. They injected that sparkly stuff inside me twice. TWICE."

"That's . . ." Gwen frowned herself, concerned for her cousin's state. Once was more than enough, yet they had to inject Ben twice? Did he cause a lot of problems?

She sighed, slowly pushing Ben down on the bed for him to sit. He complied like an obedient child, staring at her with eyes that blinked sleepily.

"Gwen, I feel really weird," Ben stated suddenly, clutching his head with both hands. "After they injected me with that stuff, I couldn't walk on my own. I still feel drowsy . . . but calm. What did they put in me?"

"A sedative," Gwen replied grimly, sitting beside her cousin on the soft bed. "To make us relax and calm our nerves for –" Gwen swallowed, not wanting to complete the sentence. Instead, she lifted her head a little to see Ben's face, whose nose was almost touching hers.

"You had that stuff injected in you too?" Ben asked in a whisper, though the frown on his face told Gwen that he was mad.

"Yeah. Once."

Ben kept staring into her eyes, which were just a few inches away. The intensity of his gaze suddenly made her heart flutter and beat faster – just like when Kevin would throw her winks when he thought no one was looking.

Oh my God, what is happening to me? Heart – stop it!

"You're turning pink," Ben spoke up suddenly; an eyebrow raised yet a slow smile spreading across his lips. "What happened, Gwen? Feeling hot?"

Gwen tore her gaze away from that devious smile, not understanding why it made a shiver go down her spine. She ignored his question as she stood up, instead walking around the room to think.

"It's the sedative," Gwen murmured to herself, glancing at Ben every ten seconds as she passed him. He just seemed to lie back down on the bed, his back propped against the flat headboard. "Obviously it affected Ben more, as he had double the amount injected than I had."

As Gwen paced the room, Ben watched her calmly, wondering why the hell he didn't feel as agitated with the situation as she was. Wasn't he the one who was the most against all this in the first place? He had made the most noise and stubbornly refused to co-operate before. Then why was he calm now?

Sedative, Ben remembered Gwen saying. Yes, it had to be the stupid red liquid that went inside his body. Not once, but freaking twice! That damn liquid was the cause of his dizziness and tranquility.

And the reason he suddenly couldn't keep his eyes off of his cousin.

Why had he never noticed the way how hypnotically her hips swayed as she walked before?

Or the fact that the way she was currently biting her lower lip made him want to bite it too?

Ben closed his eyes, trying to bring normal thoughts back into his mind. How did he end up having such ridiculous thoughts about Gwen – his cousin? Ah, but he couldn't deny how tempting she smelled right now.

Wha – shuddap, brain! How she smells? Seriously, control yourself!

The way Gwen passed by him every moment sent a whiff of her unique different scent in his direction, making him slightly restless.

Restless for what? Tennyson, stop your abnormal thoughts at once! She's your DOOFUS cousin, remember?

Her long, shapely legs were exposed to his appreciative stare, making him wonder whether Kevin realized he was a lucky guy to have this red-head as his girlfriend.

AH, Kevin! Gwen's boyfriend, remember that?

Surprisingly, the thought of Kevin made his mouth taste bitter. He did not deserve his cousin at all! Kevin was just a bad-mannered, power-loving egoistic maniac who loved annoying him at any opportunity. He probably didn't even love Gwen, and was only infatuated by her. Why couldn't Gwen see that?

His sinister thoughts got suddenly interrupted when he noticed Gwen stare back at him.

"Ben, could you please stop staring like that? I feel as though you are burning holes through my body."

Gwen stopped walking, putting her hands on her hips in annoyance. For the past couple of minutes, Ben had been constantly following her every move with his eyes. She was uneasy, not only because it made her want to cover herself, but because she had actually liked his attention.

Good God.

She also felt troubled at the way Ben was suddenly behaving, but she knew he was not in control of his senses at the moment. He was pretty drugged, so she could not muster any anger towards him. However, the next thing he said to her made her dumbfounded.

"Gwen, I want you to break up with Kevin."

"What?!"