PROLOGUE

How It Had Started

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Hakyeon sat in the corner of his cell, his face hidden behind the dark shadows that were standing over him of the figures which were from the guards that stood over near the other cells, guarding the new kid. Hakyeon crouched as he sat there, his shoulders slouching as his fingers clenched tightly onto an old book he had grabbed from the old bookshelf on the opposite corner of his cell. The pages were wrinkled and stained with slight splatters of blood left by the old owners that used to live in the cell he was in right now. Hakyeon silently ogled the guards, they were reaching and grabbing at the new kid, trying to reach for his arms and drag him away to the testing room. The silver-haired male shuddered, pulling his knees up higher towards his chest as it shook. 

The nineteen year old clenched his eyes shut as he heard the new person scream and shout as he was carried out of the cell rooms and into the secluded room, every prisoner knew was the Test Room. Hakyeon had been in that room before and came out with scars and bruises scattering his body. And now, he knew that when the new person was finished with their test, he was next. 

Hakyeon grew up in a prestigious family, a happy one at that, too. He was at the young age of five when his father went missing and his mother became further apart, not spending so much time with him anymore. And once he reached eighteen, Hakyeon was sent to this place, as a hamster for the “Keepers.” And that was only a year ago, and still, Hakyeon was still called the new kid. He was the youngest among them, and the Keepers labeled him as the best test subject, for he had the most reaction towards their experiments. 

Hakyeon was never lonely in the cell, for they were all assigned a cell-mate to keep them in a “happy-go-lucky” mood for their next tests. Hakyeon’s cell-mate was Lee Jaehwan, a boy only a few months older than him. Jaehwan was an orphan at Sunny Side orphanage, but he preferred the younger to call him by Ken instead of his real name, just to keep his reputation up for a little while. “Ken seems a little better.” He’d say, but his eyes reflected small sadness towards Hakyeon, who had a family instead of being named by workers. 

As soon as Hakyeon set the book down, the guards dragged the new kid back to his cell room, the unconscious body bruised and bloody, reminding Hakyeon of himself when he first came to the Test Room. But, of course, Hakyeon had came back unconscious and in a coma for almost a month. So, this was only his second test. Hakyeon grew up as a weak child, always the feminine in groups. 

“Hakyeonnie, you’re next.” Jaehwan informed, his eyes glistened with sadness and fear, for after the younger, Jaehwan would be next. Hakyeon nodded, pulling his knees up, his head buried in between his legs, only a small brush of his blonde hair rose from the hidden spot Hakyeon had chosen. 

“Cha Hakyeon, you’re up.” The guard repeated what Jaehwan said, checking off Hakyeon’s name from the clipboard, using the blue painted pen everyone had. Hakyeon nodded, standing up from his bed. The white blankets brushed off the bed, falling onto the floor. Hakyeon straightened his uniform, a full white color. “Try to impress the Keepers this time, kid.” He continued, grabbing Hakyeon by the arm and dragging him towards the metal door. 

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Hakyeon sat on the chair, needles strapped against his arms as the blood flowed through the transparent tubes there. Hakyeon breathed heavily, feeling cold sweat drip down his forehead, clinging to his blonde fringes. Hakyeon looked at himself in the mirror, taking in his features. His lips were pale and dry, and he had an urge to race out of the room, begging Jaehwan to get him his lip balm. His melanin-filled skin turned a deathly shade of pale. 

Hakyeon stared at the Keepers—which were scientists—that were standing near the corners of the testing room, a clipboard in their hands. One of them sighed, checking the amount of blood they had drained from Hakyeon’s body.

“Well, this was definitely better than last time, Cha.” He sighed, lowering his head and rising the glasses that started to fall from the bridge of his nose. “But, not better than the new kid, Hongbin.” He continued. Hakyeon scoffed, almost yanking out the needles the pierced his skin. 

“Why are you doing this, huh? Why do you have to use us as hamsters?” The blonde questioned, his teeth clenching. Hakyeon felt his grip go loose.

Hakyeon’s vision blurred, he felt the color drain from his face and his skin burned a boiling temperature. The scientists nodded at his reaction to their test, jotting the information down as if they were robots, completely in unison. The blonde fel