SM owns Twilight.

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

(BandMum) is the wonderful beta.

(hlsmith) is the amazing pre-reader.

Chapter 7 Part 2

I had never seen a lab before, not even a classroom lab since I was home schooled, but this one seemed much bigger than it ought to be.

There were X-ray and Ultrasound scanners, and those were the only familiar instruments I knew. There were more machines that I had no clue about.

Dr. Cullen took his medical experiments quite seriously.

Sighing, I went back to the glass room which was now mine. The glass door opened automatically, and closed the second I stepped inside. Fear rose in my heart at the thought that I had just been locked in. I couldn't shrug the feeling away until I walked towards the door again and it opened for me one more time.

I released a long breath I'd been holding, and stepped back inside, less frightened when the doors closed behind me.

The glass room was as big as the studio apartment I lived in the last three months, but that was the only resemblance. This one was spotlessly clean, organized and warm. It was similar to a hospital room, but bigger, and much too exposed. There weren't even any curtains.

I took a look at the bathroom Dr. Cullen mentioned, and – true to his word – it had regular walls. The closet was a decent size, but I didn't have many clothes to put in there, anyway.

I hung my coat in there, then went back to sit on the bed. For some reason, I didn't feel like I was the first person to use the room. I had no idea where the thought came from; it was just a feeling.

That was probably one of my anxious, senseless thoughts which troubled me to no end, so I tried to ignore it. I took my shoes off, then lay on my side on the bed. I didn't like that there were no covers to pull over me, but it wasn't actually cold either.

It wasn't surprising that I didn't fall asleep easily; I was in a strange place, being constantly watched by complete strangers after all. But eventually, the exhaustion of the day and the sleepless night before took its toll on me and I fell into a restless sleep.

Hours later I awoke, startled by the noises Smokey was making. I squeezed my eyes shut and blinked a few times to get a clearer view of the reason he was suddenly so hyper, only to find Dr. Cullen was standing in front of him. It looked like he was placing food inside his glass box, and Smokey was excited about it.

Dr. Cullen turned to look at me from across the room and smiled. It was the first time I returned his smile with a frown, but I was too confused not to. It seemed that he knew I was awake although I hadn't done anything to alert him. How could he tell I wasn't still asleep?

It could be a mere coincidence, I decided. The constant anxious thoughts and overthinking were draining me.

When Dr. Cullen turned his attention back to Smokey, I went to use the bathroom and wash my face. As I returned, he was setting food boxes on the nightstand.

"Feeding time for your lab creatures, huh?" I joked half-heartedly, not able to feel any difference between Smokey and me. We were both medical experiments.

Dr. Cullen only smiled in response and put a bottle of water on the nightstand. "I hope you like Chinese."

"I do. Thank you." Truth was, I didn't feel like eating anything although I was aware how hungry I was. I knew the food would be tasteless; I was too uncomfortable to enjoy a meal.

Against everything I wanted – which was not to eat, to ball up in a corner and cry my eyes out – I sat on the bed, picked up a carton of noodles, and started eating.

In my peripheral vision, I could see Dr. Cullen was sitting on a chair that wasn't there before. He must have brought it in while I was in the bathroom.

"Are you enjoying your meal?" he asked after a few minutes of dead silence while I ate.

"Yes, sir! It's delicious. Thank you."

"Bella, I thought you already knew you don't have to lie to me," he said, and I stopped nibbling on the noodles. "You don't have to eat just because I told you to. I only wanted you to take your pain pills, and you shouldn't take them on an empty stomach." He placed the pills next to the bottle of water.

"Um…"

"Listen, I promise I will never, ever hurt you." He sounded so sincere that it was difficult not to believe him. But I still couldn't shrug the negative thoughts away. It was a part of who I was to overthink everything, and nothing. I couldn't help it. "Not intentionally, anyway," he continued, and I realized he was referring to the medical testing and the side effects that might come with it.

"I know that, sir. I think." My voice was barely above a whisper, but he heard me.

"With time, you'll be sure of it, Bella. I promise you."

I offered him a small smile in response. Since he said I didn't have to lie to him, I covered the food and put it back on the nightstand. Perhaps later I would find the desire to finish it.

"So, uh, when will we start?"

Dr. Cullen sat comfortably on the chair, and I found it amusing that we were sitting the same way we used to in my apartment. With one huge difference of course.

"We need to discuss a few things first. I want to know more about you," he said, and the words didn't help my anxiety. I didn't want anyone to know about me. "Don't panic. I just want to know what your hobbies are, and how you would like to spend your free time in here. You'll have plenty of that in the next couple of years."

To be honest, I still couldn't believe I would be here for years. The idea was scary, but I already knew that the outside world was even scarier. At least, I was safe here. Or so I hoped.

"I don't know. Reading, maybe."

"Excellent. What kind of books do you like to read?" he asked, and I only shrugged and looked down. I wasn't used to being asked what I liked. "We'll figure it out. What else do you like to do?"

"I… there's one… no, it's not important." It was a silly idea.

"What is it? Tell me."

"I like to… paint," I said with my head still bowed, chewing hard on my bottom lip. I scolded myself for telling him that. It was stupid. I expected him to call me stupid any minute now, but it didn't happen.

"That's amazing. Any preference for colors or -" I interrupted him with a shake of my head. I had absolutely none. If he gave me paper and pencil, I would be happy.

"Okay, then. I'll see what I can do," he said, and I couldn't believe he would actually do that for me. I couldn't even smile because it seemed so far-fetched.

"Th- thank you, sir."

"You're most welcome." He got up, reached in his pocket and took out a credit card. He handed it to me. "Here. There will be a car waiting for you outside at ten tomorrow morning. Go get yourself some clothes and anything else you need. Whatever you need. Don't worry at all about the cost, okay? You have an open budget."

I flipped the card in my hand, examined it carefully as if it might explode. "What? Why? Dr. Cullen, this is too much. I can't accept it."

"Bella, please. It's a part of our deal. It will make me happy if you accept it." His smile was honest, and I didn't know if this was truly happening or if my mind was playing tricks on me.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." I said, wishing I had better words.

"I'm glad. Oh, I almost forgot. This phone is yours from now on. My number is already in it. Call me if anything happens." He handed me a touch phone. I always dreamed of owning one, but never had the chance.

I remembered watching my mother playing on hers for hours, and I wondered how it would feel to have one. They never allowed me to own a phone, any kind of phone.

"I, uh…" I sputtered, stunned.

"You're welcome," he chuckled. "I'll see you tomorrow when you return."

It was then that it actually hit me. "You mean I can leave the house?"

Dr. Cullen frowned, "You're not a prisoner here, dear. I hope you understand that. I may have to lock you in after the testing starts, for safety reasons, but I will never hold you against your will otherwise."

I looked at him closely; he seemed so honest, and I still couldn't say a word.

"Good night, Bella." He left, and I sat there, looking at the card and phone in my hand. I wondered if Dr. Cullen just gave me a way to escape him and this situation, if I wanted to.

~WtSGD~

Author Note:

Did you check out my new book on Amazon? It's on sale today!

Blurb: Secrets. Blackmail. Murder.
When passion becomes obsession, is anyone safe?
A Sci-Fi Romance filled with thrilling mystery and suspense.

Just search Amazon, iBooks, or Kobo for: Temptation 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:

What would YOU do if you were in Bella's shoes? Leave? Or stay?

Don't forget to leave me a review and tell my what you think. :*

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Until we meet later…

Love and kisses.

Cozy.