"What, the cake? Leave me alone, I haven't eaten in, like…" He paused, seemingly counting on his fingers for a moment. "Six days. I have not eaten in six days," he said, speeding up a little so he was walking next to Vaughn. As they made their way to the cafeteria the number of guards increased, and a collection of what looked like scientists were standing near the entrance and inside the cafeteria
“I wouldn’t know,” she shrugged. “I’ve been here like a week. My guess is no.” For some strange, inexplicable reason, she offered Aliana her arm before heading off. It honestly looked like the girl could use it.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me now, for real. How the hell aren’t you somewhere starving to death?” Vaughn questioned, hands loosely slipping into his pockets as his grey eyes continued to shift around.
Aliana took the girls arm and smiled, "Lead the way then! I don't know where I'm going in."
"Eh. When my mom was still trying to keep from kicking the bucket I went weeks without food. Just sort of a habit I fell into I guess," he said, walking into the cafeteria. A large amount of people were already sitting on the benches, and out of habit Kaz started to head for one of the empty benches in the back. There was a small platform set up towards the front of the cafeteria, and a podium sat at the front of it. There were more scientists cluttered around the stage, and Kaz frowned. "Something tells me we're about to get our own version of the witch trials," he said quietly
Vaughn sat down next to Kaz, frowning heavily as he watched the scientists and guards walk around. “What do you think they want?” He asked in a low tone, knee bouncing again.
She sighed and brought the girl to the cafeteria, glaring at a guard who looked like he wanted to comment on it. She reluctantly took a seat in the back, across the row from two other guys. Tapping her feet nervously, she naturally bega to look around for who knows what. “Are you going to let go of my arm anytime soon?”
Aliana squeezed the arm tighter. She giggled, "Nope! What's going on?"
She blew out a breath and leaned back. “I don’t know. Also, you’re cutting off my blood flow. Please loosen your grip.”
"Not sure. Probably gonna use us as lab rats or something," he muttered. As the rest of the asylum filtered into the cafeteria the guards shut the doors, scientists clustered around the tables. They all seemed to be looking for something, for what Kaz wasn't sure. The lights dimmed, and the cafeteria began to grow silent
Aliana loosened her grip as the lights dimmed. She focused on the scientists humming a tune under her breath.
“Like hell they will,” Vaughn growled in a low tone, eyes narrowing sharply. He watched the scientists and the guards with a hostile look in his eyes once the doors shut. This definitely wasn’t a safe place to be in.
“Shhh,” Venezia shushed, actually interested in what was going on now. “I want to be paying attention when whatever happens happens.”
Aliana sighed. She stopped humming, "Fine….."
The lights above the stage flicked on, and a woman walked on stage. She had an eerie smile, and most of her face was obscured by thick goggles that were impossible to see through. She was in a long lab coat and held a clipboard close to her chest. She tapped the mic a few times, smiling widely at her silent audience. "Welcome, welcome to the fifth annual mutagen selection. My name is Dr. Rin, and I am the director and CEO of the Jade Mutagen Project. Today six lucky candidates will be chosen to undergo a series of processes that will change their lives for the better." She said all of this with a smile, but her tone seemed borderline forced, a cold undertone showing through as she spoke
Aliana frowned she didn't like this lady one bit. She gave her sane vibes, and she didn't like sane.
“A selection? They didn’t mention this when signing entrance papers,” Vaughn mumbled, still having a heavy frown as he watched the woman. What the hell was going on?
“I don’t like her,” the girl muttered, her fingers tapping quickly against her thigh. “Tell me I’m not the only one.”
Aliana whispered to Venesia, "You're not the only one. She feels off."
Kaz wrapped his arms around himself, anxiety spiking a small bit. The woman continued to ramble on, grinning happily. "Now, I have the list of this year's candidates here," she said, holding the clipboard out so she could read it. "This year's lucky winners are…Kaz Weathers, Vaughn Finley, Venezia Carters, Aliana Goldsmith, Jules Whittaker, and Tenor Staph!"
“Great,” she said, sitting back again and staring at her. She glanced around. Not a lot of people were here, though basically everyone was congregated around the back.
Aliana tilted her head, "But I never entered?"
Venezia flinched at hearing her name. “The hell?” She muttered. “I don’t want to become so freak show experiment.”
“Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me!” Vaughn exclaimed to himself. This was definitely not happening. No way was he going to some goddamn secret facility or something to have himself messed around with.
Kaz froze. "Oh no. Oh hell no. I didn't sign up for this shit," he said, panic creeping into his voice. He stood up, moving to make a break for one of the doors. A guard stopped him before he could get more than a few feet away, and he was shoved forcefully back into his seat. Dr. Rin continued, beaming at the candidates. "You have 24 hours to pack before transport. Enjoy your last day here!" she said before turning on her heel and walking off stage. The lights turned back on, and people began to get out of their seats