It all started with Ahmet Benici. The World's lead scientist published his findings that the laws that govern our world would change so drastically human life would not be possible. It was his findings that urged the U.S government to begin a secret project, Project New World. The purpose of this project was to save humanity from its impending doom. So I invite you visitor, whoever you are it doesn't really matter. Come, sit down at your keyboard and tell me, what role are you going to play in this story?
Setting
There are many rumors and stories to be told about the city of Chase. Stories and tales rise from the mysterious forest that borders its northern side. There's big talk of some government project happening on the other side, but no one can know for sure. The small town has a rather sparse population of 20,000 people and is kept isolated from its neighboring town by Wyers lake.
In terms of time, this site will follow real time to accommodate for the short life expectancies of compound patients. The current month is December, the year 2062.
Note: Please note this site is rated PG-13.
Disclaimer: All pictures and images on this site belong to their rightful owners. We do not and will not claim to own them. However the site plot and idea belongs to Time Lapse, please do not steal!
A week and a half later and Ephraim still hadn't managed to free himself of the wheelchair. Following his demanding test schedule, he had been and still was being put through several intense rehabilitation treatments. The list of things he wasn't allowed to do seemed only to grow as if suddenly they cared about what he did with his body? They had all but banned him from so much as looking at pens. He wasn't allowed to write on himself, something about blood poisoning? Oh well, Ephraim had pretended he wasn't listening and eventually the lectures had been easier to tune out.
But the other day he'd been blessed with a small drawing pad and a few worn down charcoal pencils. He didn't complain at the meager gift, instead falling captive to his artistic tendencies. After that, he was much more compliant. Like a child, they took away his drawings when he needed to do exercises or take his medications. His diet consisted of several disgusting smoothies that were supposed to enhance his performances...whatever. All Ephraim cared about was getting his artwork back which he usually always did.
Gradually his muscles began to heal, his voice returned, and though they were itchy, the stitches had become just bearable. Wheeling his way slowly towards the White Ward, Ephraim found himself the subject of many curious stares. He'd gotten a little downtime for the day and had convinced the doctors to allow him to visit his brother. Only, Ephraim had no intentions of seeing Flint. He'd wanted to genuinely thank Feral for what he'd done and so he'd set out to find him.
He didn't know exactly which room he might find the freak in, but surely any number of the freaks present could tell him? Timidly, Ephraim wheeled his way down the hallway, gaze searching timidly for someone who looked isolated enough to approach.
The white ward was never particularly 'loud' but there was always something going on. Conversations, confrontations, and other strange things that was no doubt thanks to each of the freak's respective properties. Of course almost everything went silent as a kid in a wheel chair started wheeling their way down their hall, the freaks outside their rooms watching curiously, almost as if Ephraim was the freak. What was he doing here?
Despite the stares, most kept to themselves, others closed themselves off in their rooms, none of them bothering to greet their new company. Well, all but one. It was a strange looking teen, lanky and incredibly pale. He hadn't even one hair on his entire body it seemed though his eyes were a solid bright blue. He looked almost alien, and he stepped up to the wheelchair bound boy without much hesitation. But though his appearance was rather scary, he on the other hand turned out not to be as he politely welcomed Ephraim with a chipper, "Hello!" as he gave a little wave. "What are you doing here?" he asked with a puzzled expression, almost seeming concerned. Most of the regular patients avoided them freaks. With good reason, since some of them could be rather dangerous.
Feral had noticed the silence within the privacy of his room, catching the stress ball he'd been tossing in the air and pausing as he listened curiously from his bed. It was never particularly a good sign when things got this quiet, though he made no move to investigate just yet.
It was rude to stare, Ephraim knew that much at least. Considering he wasn't here to antagonize a single soul, he kept his gaze away from others as if making eye contact would seal his doom.
At the pleasant voice, he raised his gaze slowly only to find himself doing what he'd only just mentally chastised the others for...staring. This person was...well..odd, but considering he looked like Frankenstein himself could he really judge?
What was that Shakespearean saying? Fair is foul and foul is fair? Ephraim welcomed the stranger with a shy smile. It would have been a lot easier to say he was here to visit his brother, but that wouldn't help him much today. "Um, I'm looking for Feral?" It was more of a question than an answer. He might not even get anywhere near the other freak. But he'd come all this way to bring him something so he might as well make the trip worthwhile.
In his lap was a piece of cardstock roughly eight by eight inches in size. It was face down for the moment, though it's backside had been marred by a series of charcoal fingerprints. Whatever drawing lay on the other side would have no doubt smudged black into his clothes but he didn't really care. They weren't his clothes to begin with.
The strange freak didn't appear to be too bothered by the staring, perhaps used to it by now, and the smile, as shy as it was, probably helped him feel a little less judged for his odd appearance. But when he explained himself, the freak's expression changed to one of both shock and confusion. "Come again?" he asked, certain he hadn't heard right. Yes, Feral made himself a reputation, even among freaks. Didn't matter who they were, white coat or freak, he'd attack them if they got in his way. So the idea that this kid was actually looking for him was rather puzzling to say the least. The boy didn't even sound too sure of it himself!
"What would you want to mess with that one for?" he couldn't help but ask, sounding rather concerned. It was rude to judge, but surely there must have been something wrong with the boy's head. Looking for Feral was just looking for trouble, after all, and considering the state the boy was in, he doubted he'd fair too well against the beast.
Regardless of the boy's response, the freak would look over his shoulder, further down the hall before turning back to face him again. "He's... right down there..." he pointed out the closed door with a bony finger rather hesitantly, feeling as if he was leading the poor kid to his death. "Though I wouldn't really go looking for him if I were you," he advised with a frown. "He's not good!" Good? By any application of the word. No one wanted to mess with him unless they were looking for a fight and that was pretty much the only thing Feral was any good at. "Just don't say I didn't warn you." he added, giving the boy the freedom to do as he wished. But if he got hurt, he would not be taking the blame for it! But with that, the freak made his exit, not wanting to be around should things go to shit.
The sudden change in expression unnerved Ephraim and he found great comfort in avoiding the freak's gaze. Sure Feral had a reputation and he wasn't benevolent by any means. But clearly he was capable of doing kind things, at least, right?
The expression on the stranger's face still filled him with great unease and he almost regretted his earlier courage in coming here. "I just...have something for him," he mumbled nibbling at his fingernail nervously. Would he like it? Probably not. It'd taken him a really long time, though. He still probably wouldn't like it. Ephraim's inner pessimism was nurtured by his frequent experiences. No one ever appreciated his art. Over time, he'd gotten used to the obvious distaste and eyebrow-raising his drawings often promoted. Did he hold any hope Feral would be any different? Nope.
As the freak so kindly directed him in the way he should go, Ephraim dipped his head. "Um, thanks," nervousness had crept into his voice now as he slowly wheeled himself towards the closed door. The fact that it was closed was an obvious indicator he shouldn't just barge in. But after a great hesitation, Ephraim knocked, waiting a polite few moments before turning the handle and edging the door open.
Feral was still listening, barely able to make out any words thanks to the whispers going on nearby. Obviously the rest of the freaks were alarmed by something, though Feral still made no move to get up. Knowing his luck, it was probably not going to end well for him, so maybe if he just stayed in his room, whoever it was would get the hint and leave him be. Of course he was foolish to think that, so when he heard familiar creaking, followed by a knock at his door, the beast could only growl in frustration. Of -fucking- course.
He didn't answer, perhaps thinking that would do the trick and opted to completely ignore the presence on the other side of his door. But when the handle turned and the door began to open, he knew he was just going to have to deal with it.
Surprise! It was Ephraim, still stuck to that damned wheelchair. From the small glimpse he took, he seemed to be somewhat better at least, though Feral didn't keep his eyes on him for long, staring up at the ceiling as he began tossing the ball again. "What do you want?" he asks with a growl. He hadn't expected to see his face again so soon, and certainly not here in the White Ward. Should he feel humbled the kid obviously searched for him? He was more annoyed than anything, having purposely been avoiding getting anywhere near the kid since their last encounter.
"Fuckers might not like you visiting your attacker." he pointed out. Of course they both knew the truth, but he was going to continue playing along in order to save face. Truth or not, he did feel like he made a valid point. Both of them would probably get into trouble if they were caught like this. Then again, the fact that the boy was in the White Ward at all was confusing enough as it is and he wasn't sure how he managed to wheel his way over here without grabbing attention.
There was a little difficulty as Ephraim fiddled with the wheelchair, attempting to position himself forwards in the doorway. He opened it with his foot, hoping the gesture wasn't too impolite as his hands were carefully steering himself into the room.
For a few moments, Ephraim was caught up in the plainness of it all. He hadn't expected the White Ward to be special, but everything was so...well..white. He could almost feel his pupils narrow in some vain attempt to adjust to the brightness.
Gradually he caught sight of Feral watching the ball move up and down. Even as the other spoke, Ephraim said nothing at all for several long moments. He'd rehearsed what he'd say the whole way there, but suddenly he couldn't remember a blessed thing. The joke that he was being moved here crossed his mind but was immediately discounted. Ephraim wasn't really good at making jokes.
But uncomfortably aware of the silence growing longer and longer, he spat out a few words he instantly regretted. "Do you still have my pen?" He grumbled. The drawing in his lap remained faced down, almost forgotten in Ephraim's attempts to start a proper conversation. Unfortunately his efforts still fell short of 'proper', but he was trying, that counted for something right?
He purposely ignored the poor boy's struggle to get inside, not particularly caring how he got in, or if he even could at all. Eventually though he'd made it inside and though Feral questioned him, he seemed to be speechless, enough so that the beast actually stole a glance to see what he was up to. Did he come here to just stare? He growled in disapproval at the thought before continuing his game. The stress ball had been given to him per his therapist's insistence, the lady seeming quite certain stress was the cause of all his anger. He didn't understand how it was meant to help, but it kept him from being absolutely bored, at least so there was that.
The silence was starting to get annoying when Ephraim finally spoke up, Feral pausing again as he looked over to him. His pen? Really? "You came all the way here for that?" Though he supposed he shouldn't be surprised, seeing as he was completely obsessed with it. He didn't say anything for a moment or so before he pushed himself up, moving his pillow and digging into the thin mattress to pull out the desired tool, buried away like a dog's bone. "I was starting to think you forgot it. Was gonna carve it down, maybe make it into something more useful." he admitted, but ended up tossing it over to him before he could worry too much.
"If that's it, you can go on now. Awfully busy, you see." he stated sarcastically as he lied back down, resuming his previous position and fully well planning to spend the rest of the day like this until someone else came around to screw up his routine. A bit hostile? Of course! This was Feral we were talking about. He just didn't want Ephraim getting the wrong idea, thinking they were the best of friends now just because he may have helped him out.
Ephraim craned his neck to watch Feral dig into the mattress. He really had it? Hopefulness etched its way across his features. And to think after that encounter he had really kept it. Perhaps it wasn't too crazy to put his hopes in Feral after all. Ephraim fumbled to catch the pen, nearly dropping it on the floor. Hm, on second thought maybe it was a little crazy.
A look of confusion crossed his face as if he realized for the first time he didn't really have anywhere to put it. Was he going to ask Feral to take it back? Absolutely not! Instead, Ephraim rummaged around the loose pockets of his jeans before finally sliding the pen out of site. Perhaps if he had enough time he'd hide it away in his own ward.
Feral's dismissiveness, or rather his sarcastic tone had him panicking a little. How did he go about this without making things...weird? Gingerly turning the picture over, his gaze ran over the charcoal designs with a new hesitation. It was the beast he'd seen before, etched into the cardstock in all it's splendor and grotesque ferocity. Okay well, maybe that was a little harsh but the beast on the page was more frightening than it was beautiful.
At the time, it had seemed like a good idea, a decent way of saying thank you. But now that he pondered it in Feral's presence, he found it to be more insulting. He was just going to go equate the patient before him to this...this thing? Maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all. "Um...okay," he said in a whisper like voice, unable to muster up the eloquent speech he'd memorized only minutes before. Ephraim's gaze darted around the room as he looked for a surface within reach so that he might conveniently 'forget' the picture there on his way out. He'd much rather not formally give it to Feral as he had originally planned.
The boy was nervous. Feral could smell the sweat coming from Ephraim though still wasn't entirely sure what it was about. Did he finally have the sense to be afraid of him? A nice thought, but he couldn't imagine why he'd come here if he was afraid. Even his pen surely wasn't worth dying over and Feral was convinced there was something else. He could probably come up with the reason, but he really didn't even want to think about it. Why did things have to be so confusing? Specifically why was this kid such a fucking headache? He tried to understand him but almost every time he thought he had him down, he surprised him and just left him with more questions.
Feral caught him messing with something though, out of the corner of his eye. Curiosity compelled him to ask, but stubbornness kept his mouth shut. Give him a second of attention and he'd never get rid of the kid. Though perhaps he didn't have to worry about it?
Surprisingly, Ephraim offered hardly any resistance, complying to his demand to leave in a quiet whisper. He didn't leave right away though and Feral watched him look around the room. For what? His eyes landed on the card stock in his lap again and his brows furrowed. "What's that?" he asks with an exasperated sigh, no longer able to deny his curiosity as much as he hated to admit it. "Smells weird..." he admitted, the faint scent of charcoal reaching his nose. There had to be a reason he brought that with him and he figured he might as well spill it while he was still there.
Just when he'd spotted a surface not too far out of his way, Feral spoke. Cringing, Ephraim waved the drawing around as if it were a flag of sorts. "Oh, this? Oh it'snothing at all. Justadrawingtosaythanks," he mumbled rapidly before wheeling over to set it on a small table. "But it's really nothing, just a scribble for you." Already he could feel the heat rushing to his face as he spewed nonsense. Well, this was had suddenly become every bit as awkward as he'd hoped it never would be. Coughing dryly, he gathered the paper from the table and sulkily wheeled his way over to set it properly on Feral's bed.
"I just thought...you know, since you went out of your way to help me...twice," he grumbled, his gaze resting on his feet. "I thought I could do something in return." He wasn't that useful, not that he thought so anyway, so the drawing really was the only talent he could gift. Had he known maps and small acts of espionage were a thing now, he might have offered something a little more...applicable in Feral's case.
Hoping the other would simply overlook the drawing and he could be on his way, Ephraim dared to shoot him a tentative look bracing himself for whatever he might see.
Good god this kid was a nervous wreck! Feral watched with a puzzled expression. He couldn't even really make out what the boy was saying, Ephraim talking so fast. He did at least make out that it was a drawing, one for him of all things. His eyes widened a bit a that, not appearing too sure how to respond. But it didn't matter as Ephraim was already making his way back over, setting the drawing onto his bed.
As expected, the boy was thanking him and Feral frowned at this. "Don't mention it." he growled. Seriously, don't. He wasn't just being humble, he didn't want this getting out. Eventually the beast lifted it up after eyeing the boy curiously, taking a look. At first he wasn't too sure what he was looking at, but he eventually made out the beast on the drawing. His reaction, however, wasn't too easy to read at first, his green eyes studying it. "It's... not bad." A compliment? As good as he was going to get. He might not necessarily like the fucker, but he had to admit he could draw pretty well, a lot better than he could. In fact, he actually found the monster on the page to be quite cool. Typical of a male teen, right? He didn't even realize it was meant to be him. Then again, if he had, he might have actually taken that as a compliment. The beast looked ferocious and intimidating, just what he was wanting to be.
"Uh.... Thanks? I guess?" It was clear Feral wasn't used to getting gifts and still seemed uncertain about it. In fact he was actually handing it back over, not realizing he was meant to keep it.
Feral's words did little to appease his words. 'Not bad' was nicer to hear than many other things he'd heard, but it wasn't...enough. Was he really looking to Feral for affirmation? Well, he clearly had a long road of heartbreak ahead of him. But if he had any protests to make, he bit his tongue watching Feral in a miserable silence.
It had taken a considerable amount of time and every time his hands had become smudged with black charcoal they'd had to be scrubbed off until his skin was raw and burning and the stitches itched all the more. It hadn't deterred him in making the gift though and he certainly didn't complain about it now.
But Feral was giving it back? Was it that bad? Ephraim felt a fresh wave of embarrassment but rather than take the drawing he ran a hand through his hair instead. "Um...you can keep it," he mumbled lamely. "Unless you don't want it," he was quick to add. What was the point in forcing Feral to keep it? If he didn't want it, he didn't want it. That was that.
Had he known the work that was put into this, he would have just felt even worse. He didn't know how he felt about all this, but he knew he didn't like it. It was confusing, such a foreign gesture that he wasn't used to. He was almost expecting there to be some sort of trick involved, especially since it were coming from Ephraim. Then again, to the boy's credit, he hadn't really been antagonizing him much these last few encounters. Still, he kind of wished he could have gone without the gift, if only because it made him feel rather conflicted.
When he went to return the picture, Ephraim didn't accept it, suggesting that he could keep it which caused Feral to tilt his head. Really? He didn't seem too sure. But then he explained that he didn't have to keep it if he didn't want to, which caused the beast to retract his hand, taking the picture with him. Apparently he liked it enough that he didn't want to part with it, especially since he was allowed to keep it.
He remained silent for a bit, staring down at the picture before looking back over to the wheelchair bound boy. "Why?" he began, growling a bit. Was he angry now? "Why are you being... so nice to me?" he asked, genuinely confused. He just didn't understand this at all and he wasn't sure he enjoyed the treatment.
The words had come out before he realized it though and almost as soon as he realized what he'd said, his expression hardened again as he looked away. Damn it. He looked like an idiot, Feral's face heating up at the thought. Looked like he was embarrassed.
[OOC: Feral's like "QUIT MAKING ME FEEL THINGS!" :posh: ]
Well, it seemed this was a pleasantly embarrassing experience for both of them. Ephraim wasn't really one to show this side of him to others either. Pretending to be a brat made rejection a lot easier to deal with than when he was being sincere. But here he was in all his awkwardness and sincerity attempting to thank Feral of all people. Who knew, maybe this might even be the beginning of something, like a friendship? Ephraim almost laughed out loud. A friendship with Feral? Unless the freak's love language just so happened to be words of degradation, it didn't look like friendship would be happening anytime soon.
Besides, Ephraim had yet to figure him out. The more he 'got to know' Feral, the more confusing he became. It was often like this with most people, but Feral was...different. In cases like these, it was always best to ditch first impressions and cease all judgment lest it impair his overall discovery of the human heart.
But back to Feral, Ephraim was surprised the boy actually took the drawing. He'd been fully preparing himself for the 'walk' of shame out of his dorm where he would then toss it in the nearest trash can. But instead, the freak was keeping it? Did he maybe...maybe he even liked it? Ephraim really was trying not to get his hopes up, but the corners of his mouth twitched with a suppressed smile.
Feral's question, however, caught him a little off-guard. His eyes grew round with confusion before he frowned. "I'm not the one being nice." He pointed out. "You called the nurses not me." Ephraim didn't see his own act as any kind gesture. It had been more like a debt repaid? Okay fine so perhaps it had been a little kind, but no less deserved after what Feral had done for him.
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