SM owns Twilight.

(CozItRunsInMyBlood /Rose B. Mashal) owns the plot.

(BandMum) is the wonderful beta.

(hlsmith) is the amazing pre-reader.

Chapter 7 Part 1

My tears felt warm against my cool skin as they slipped down my face. We were in Dr. Cullen's car on the way to his house, which must have been outside of the city, judging by the length of the drive.

Silence filled the space between us, broken only by the soft hum of the car engine and my quiet sobs. I couldn't control myself; I couldn't stop my tears. So many thoughts invaded my already troubled head, leaving me an emotional mess.

I was scared of so many things. I was anxious about whether Dr. Cullen was being honest with me, or if he was dragging me into a worse situation.

What if I was willingly walking into being a sex-trafficking victim? After all, I was the perfect pick for something like that. I had no family, no friends, and was hiding from the police. No one would ask about me or wonder if I disappeared. And I wouldn't go on my own to the police to report anything.

But then again, Dr. Cullen could have easily kidnapped me already if that was the case. He had more than one chance to do so. That couldn't be it.

He had been good enough to call the lady's number back, and then came to the station when she described me as the caller. He searched for me for God only knows how long until he found me in the cemetery. I had to believe he was a good person. I just had to.

The car slowed as we neared a large house at the end of the road. I wiped my tears with the back of my hand; there was no going back now. Going back would mean having to return to street life, where there was no roof above my head or a safe place to hide. Going back would mean dying slowly near some dumpster, if not killed by a criminal, or the cold, then by my rare disease.

There was no other way.

"We're here," Dr. Cullen announced as we approached his property. He stopped to allow a security scanner to read his face and the gates opened automatically.

"That's one big house," I said flatly. I didn't feel like making small talk with him right now; I was too anxious. But I didn't want to be rude.

He smiled, "That's where you'll live for the next couple of years."

If I don't die during the testing.

My response was nothing but a small smile that I barely managed to form on my lips. My heart beats raced against each other, and my stomach dropped as I stepped from the car and gazed at the elegant three-story house.

"Follow me, please." Dr. Cullen was holding my bag for me, and I couldn't help but think that an evil man couldn't do something nice so casually. I needed to stop thinking about the possibility of him being a bad guy.

To my surprise, he didn't go straight to the front door as I expected. Instead, he walked into the backyard and then opened a small door at the rear which I assumed led to the basement.

With careful steps, I followed him inside. The place was dark for a second before Dr. Cullen turned the lights on, and I realized that it was more than just a basement.

"This is my private lab where I do most of my research."

The private lab huge. It was a wide place full of computers, monitors, equipment, and so many cords and cables on the floor; I had no idea what any of them was connected to.

I looked all around, taking in the place I would spend so much time in for the next months and possibly even years. I noticed the glass boxes that held lab-rats, and I noticed the big metal cage that didn't look like it belonged to a small lab animal. A human could fit in there.

I gulped at the thought, and tried to keep my mind from wandering. It was only coming up with scary thoughts that wouldn't ease the anxiety I was already feeling.

At the right corner of the lab, I noticed a huge glass box that was similar to those in a zoo. I walked towards it slowly, eyeing the long tree branch inside that didn't look real to me. The rocky ground looked fake as well.

I didn't realize how close I was to the glass wall until my nose touched the cold surface. My frown deepened when I saw a half-filled water bottle thrown inside. Before I could think more about it, a brown figure hit my face hard. Or so I thought for a second before realizing that the thick glass prevented the hit.

"What the hell?" I cried out as I stepped back, hearing loud whooping coming from the little monkey inside the glass box. Then I heard Dr. Cullen's chuckles coming from behind me.

I turned around and looked at him for explanation, shock still on my face.

"That would be Smokey, the monkey I told you about," Dr. Cullen answered my silent question.

"Jeez! He scared me!" I put a hand over my chest as if that would help my heart slow down a bit. "Why does he hate me so much?" He was making the loudest noises as he jumped around inside the glass box.

"He doesn't hate you. He's excited. He doesn't get to meet people often."

"Hmm…" was all I said as I watched the little ball of energy continue jumping and swinging on the branch. "No wonder you call him Smokey; he's on fire."

When the little monkey returned to where I was standing, he showed me a long set on teeth as he smiled. His little eyes were giving me such an adorable look. Smokey was overly cute, and his smile was infectious. I returned my first genuine smile of the day.

"He seems happy," I murmured, thinking that I could spend hours looking at Smokey's cuteness without getting bored.

"I know. But I still would like a verbal confirmation of that," Dr. Cullen said, and that brought me back to reality. I realized I wasn't watching a happy monkey in the zoo. I was watching a lab animal who had probably been through a lot, and I was there to be treated the same way.

I turned around and looked at Dr. Cullen as I spoke: "Well, that's why I'm here."

"That's true," he said after a moment, then he touched another switch. The area that lit up was in the opposite direction of the monkey's glass box.

The lights exposed another glass box that was much bigger than Smokey's. I slowly walked over for a closer look at where I'd live during the medical testing. The single bed and small nightstand gave it away.

My heart sank at the realization of what I had agreed to. With the nonexistent privacy, I was going to be put under the microscope for a long time. Literally.

"That's where we'll do the testing?" I asked, slightly hopeful that he would say no. The idea of staying in that glass box for a long time already made me feel claustrophobic.

"Yes, I designed and prepared it for that purpose. Once we start the experiment, you have to stay here 24/7, under my supervision. It's very important for the testing process."

"24/7? How will you manage that?" I couldn't imagine him staying up all day and night in front of the glass room.

"There are security cameras that will be monitored by my assistant."

My eyes widened, "Assistant?" Oh, no.

"Yes. He's responsible for reporting on your condition before and after the medication."

"He?" I could feel myself getting dizzy.

"Yes, Bella. He's a good person, I promise. I trust him with my life." Dr. Cullen reassured me, but I still found everything hard to swallow.

My throat was dry when I spoke again, "But how will I be able to use the…" I felt heat creeping up my face. I couldn't imagine doing that or changing clothes out in the open.

What did I just agree to?

"Don't worry about that. There is a connected private bathroom with a small closet where you'll be able to change and take care of your needs," he explained to my relief. "You can check it out; you can check the whole lab out if you want. Just don't play with any buttons or feed the animals."

"Wait, are you leaving?"

"Yes. I have to leave and take care a few things. You're free to walk around if you feel like it. I'll be back later tonight." And with that, Dr. Cullen was gone. He left me standing in the corner of his laboratory, half of which I had yet to see, wondering what I just got myself into.

~WtSGD~

Author Note:

Oh, yes! We're meeting Edward soon.

I released a new book just TODAY!

It's about a lonely girl who'd do ANYTHING to get her lover back. Anything.

Just search Amazon, iBooks, or Kobo for: Heart of Steel by Rose B. Mashal, and find out how far could she really go. I'm so excited for you all to read it.

A question:
Can you guess who's the complete stranger who's watching our Bella through a camera? ;)

Leave your answer in a review and/ or on my Facebook group.

Join my readers' group if you haven't yet. I post teasers of next chapter on Wednesdays there. (CozItRunsInMyBlood)

Until we meet later…

Love and kisses.

Cozy.