Never had that word ever come out of Logan's mouth before. They had always addressed each other by their names, thinking they were beyond the typical mush of romantic relationships. They were something real; they were something that was meant to last. The amount of ice that carried the word from Logan's mouth to Emma's ears left her in a constant state of frigid disbelief. "Pet," she muttered, leaning back against her feet and dusting her hands off on her rumpled white dress.
She stood up slowly, brushing her hair out of her eyes, and attempted to smooth her dress out. Nothing seemed to make sense to Emma, and she wasn't sure she even wanted to make sense of it, so she headed down the hallway, through the double doors, past her room, and into the cafeteria.
The cafeteria looked big and empty with the tables pushed to the side and no guards surrounding the area with their beady little eyes. Emma walked across the cafeteria, her feet slapping against the cold linoleum, and found Jason squatting behind a large metal counter.
Jason looked up at Emma. He stared at her hard, trying to size up what happened while he stood up with a cutting board. Without saying a word Jason handed Emma a peach before beginning to chop a head of lettuce.
Emma looked at the peach. It was a simple gesture, and would not have even been a big deal at home. But here, in a place where kindness appeared fake and forced by adults in lab-coats, and everyone else just seemed to have given up, this one act or random kindness brought Emma to tears as she squeezed the peach in her fist.
"We were supposed to get married." Emma cried between choking sobs. "We were different!" Emma dropped the peach and sunk to the floor, the weight of her new world crushing her.
Jason slid down next to Emma. He didn't say a word to her; he knew all she needed was time, and when you've been disappointed like she has, time drips slowly like a shut off faucet with a leak.
Emma took deep, shaky breaths until she no longer shook all over. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her head on her knees. "He threw me out of his room by just grabbing my arm." She said, staring at a large metal fridge. "He said he didn't love me, then he just threw me out... Just like that. And you know what bugs me more than any of that?" She asked, still not looking at Jason. "He called me Pet."
A chuckle caught Emma's attention. Jason had a hand over his mouth, but there was no doubt that he had laughed at Emma. "I'm sorry." He said through his hand. "It's just... You'll take an abusive boyfriend over someone who gives you a nickname?"
A smile crossed Emma's face. "When you put it like that it sounds kind of lame, doesn't it." She said with a sad little smile.
"It's not your fault." He sighed. "They changed him. I think it's safe to say we're supposed to be some kind of weapon, and their techniques for changing us worked a little too well on pet-boy. When I felt his mind, all emotions unnecessary to war seem tied off." Jason explained. "His strategy and reflexes are all super enhanced, and even his physical strength seems to surpass our own." He mused.
"So what does that mean for us?" Emma asked.
"We may become obsolete. Our wills are too strong for them to manipulate, no matter how much drug induced food they feed us."
"So that's why you never eat."
Jason nodded and stood back up. "The others don't know, if we all stopped eating they'd find another way to drug us, which would probably be more effective, so I act like I'm not hungry, and then I make myself food during the evening."
"Won't they notice the foods missing?"
"Nah. Cooks take stuff with them all the time." Jason lent a hand to Emma, helping her up. "Want a salad?"
"Yes please."
