Hope you guys enjoy this one as it actually has some action. I also hope you enjoy the cover that Scarletflower has made :)

3) Experiment Cowen

I found myself alone with Experiment Cowen for the first time since he had taken me to the refugee camp. I suspected it was not normal to feel uneasy around a person who had kept you from receiving punishment, but I also suspected that Experiment Cowen held no affection towards me. I sensed he held hatred instead, but I could not tell whether it was newly acquired or not.

Experiment Cowen discretely treated me differently than he treated the others, as if he did not want his hatred to cause a disruptive scene. While he commanded the others around also, the commands presented to me were filled with silent threats. Levi had noticed once and told Experiment Cowen to ‘tone it down’. It was as if I did not listen to him, I would receive severe punishment. Fortunately, he tended to ignore me altogether unless my assistance was absolutely necessary.

Although I had been situated in the same Lab as Experiment Cowen for multiple years, I could only recall having one true conversation with him. I rarely spoke to an experiment, knowing that 70.48% of them would be terminated before the end of a lifespan. It was something He had told me, something that proved to be true over the years. Most experiments kept their distance, however, Experiment Cowen and Experiment Graziella , who had been placed under the same trial as him, always seemed to be the exception. I was not any different in this category, as they struck me for being odd. I had been curious enough to ask for the reasoning behind their happiness one day.

“Why do you smile so often?” I asked, bluntly interrupting the ongoing conversation between Experiment Cowen and Experiment Graziella. However, neither of the two seemed annoyed.

Experiment Graziella responded with the smile in question while Experiment Cowen only laughed. I almost took a step back at the sound, but refrained from doing so. I would show emotion, which He had advised me to do as little as possible. It would make me vulnerable and predictable.

“Why don’t you smile Experiment Arcelia?” Experiment Cowen shot back, seeming to find my question amusing. But I had not asked it to entertain. I wanted to be informed as to why the two were so different from others.

Experiment Graziella his Experiment Cowen, but not with enough force to cause any physical damage. They were both stronger than the average human. Experiment Cowen pretended to wince, throwing Experiment Graziella a look of false hurt.

"Ignore him Arcelia. I do it quite often,” Experiment Graziella said softly. This time I was not able to hold back my surprise. She had addressed me informally, which was very unusual in the Lab.

“You would smile too if you got to spend all your time with this beauty,” Experiment Cowen said quickly with a grin, causing me to forget about the unusual act. Experiment Graziella’s cheeks flooded with color as she rolled her eyes at his words.

Experiment Cowen’s grin only widened before he said, “You try it.”

I hesitated before giving them my impression of a smile and their laughter vibrated throughout the room.

After that one conversation, I had told them the action would only result in their termination. They had laughed at my prediction, waving it off. They had teased me, asking if I had been given the ability to see the future. In return, I had told them I had seen many experiments terminated and it was not a joking matter.

I looked at Experiment Cowen, or Cowen as he preferred now, wondering whether he remembered the conversation. Did he regret his actions? Did he regret laughing off the matter so easily? He did not show remorse, although his eyes burned cruelly when they caught me staring before he looked away.

“What have I done to deserve your anger?” I asked, destroying the silence and creating tension. The others were somewhere nearby, but not close enough to hear or see us.

Experiment Cowen laughed at the question, but it sounded off. It was distorted by his anger and much too short. I then realized it was not as genuine as the ones he had once shared with Experiment Graziella and I.

“You’re nothing but a loyal mutt licking their boots willingly,” he scoffed, attempting to put enough disgust in the words to offend me. He had certainly done so.

The comment had offended, just as its intention, but I would not allow him to know. “I am nothing like the animal intended for putting fear into experiments who do not obey immediately. I have yet to find a person fearful of me,” I replied, backing my statement with detail.

Experiment Cowen only lifted his lip in a silent snarl. “You may have been perfected into the model experiment at the Lab, but here you’re only a burden for the rest of us,” he snapped angrily, showing no signs of calming soon.

I winced, my eyes darting to the cold ground as I tried deflecting his words. But they rang loudly in my mind, echoing back and forth between tow fixed points. Those words dug so deeply that they unearthed hurt that had been buried for a while now. Diana had once said something similar, ending her opinion with me being a burden towards Varian. Now, Experiment Cowen was doing the exact thing, but this time doubt filled me. Were they right?

So far, I had contributed to the Outside in no way. Not only that, but I was completely dependent on others for my survival. Without the help of Varian and the others, I would be as lifeless as the boy who had been killed in front of me some time ago. If both, two people who did not have many similar qualities, shared the same thought did Varian and the others also find me a burden?

Varian had never complained at me being so, however, he could have kept the thought to himself. Never did I ask if he wanted me to leave. If I had, would he have told me yes and abandoned me to reunite with Diana? Would he in turn still be on the Outside and I in the Lab as they found me either deceased or hopelessly wondering the streets, as it should be. Too many questions arose from his directed comment and I found myself not liking it.

As soon as my mouth moved, I found myself not able to stop talking until he felt the same hurt I had. “The reverse is true for you. You may be essential in the Outside, but the Lab considers you to be their biggest failure,” I replied, only to find the words did not have the effect I suddenly craved.

Experiment Cowen laughed in return, sarcasm travelling form the sound and into his words as he said,” I’m sorry I was never near your perfection.”

I frowned momentarily, realizing Experiment Cowen no longer felt affection or emotion for the Lab, therefore it would not affect him. If I intended to hurt him, the Lab was not the correct strategy. I decided to try another tactic, one I would regret much later.

“Experiment Graziella was considered a large success, almost as large as I, until her performance declined,” I stated, receiving results this time.

Experiment Cowen’s body coiled together like a snake, as if trying to defend himself. His eyes were directly on my own and the dead look I found in them elicited a shiver form me.

“Mention her again and I’ll kill you.”

With that, he stormed away and I couldn’t help the sliver on satisfaction that ran through me.