Experiment 21

27: Year

"Oh. Heeyyy Test tube." Lightbulb rolled her eyes. Fan shuffled closer to Lightbulb, who put her hand slightly on his back.
"I-I'm here for Subject 3." Surprise from their latest 'activity' got my words stuck in my throat. Lightbulb slumped over, disappointed, while Fan tugged on her arm.
"What's happening?" He whimpered innocently.
"You have to go with.. her." Lightbulb replied hesitantly, a parent-like protection shading her tone.
"M-Me?"
"Don't worry. If she hurts you I'll be there for you, ok?"
Fan's stare gained anxiety, then he gave Lightbulb's arm a final squeeze as he got up and approached me, looking back to Lightbulb. Lightbulb lit up with pride and strength.
"You'll be fine, kid."
"Come in."

I opened the door to what I like to call my "interview room". The entire walk to the room wasn't that awkward. Fan skipped the whole way, although he was silent.
Fan looked at me, then cautiously stepped into the room and sat down in the nearest chair. I sat in the one opposite to him.
"Listen, 3." I said calmly, putting my hands together in front of me. Fan's legs swung energetically, hardly touching the floor. "Anything you say in here will only be between you and me. If there's anything you don't want me to say to Sub- I mean Lightbulb or Paintbrush, it will not be. Clear?" Fan looked a tiny bit reassured.
"Alright." He said, his voice unnaturally more high-pitch.

"Ok. All I'm going to do is ask you some questions. Please answer them with 100 percent honesty. Again, nothing you say here will be said to the others."
"Ok."
I cleared my throat. Let's do this.
"Do you feel closer to Lightbulb?"
"Well, yeah."
"How so?"
Fan began to fiddle with his fingers,
"I mean, obviously I sit closer to her hehe-" He began to chuckle to himself, over something not so hysterical I'd say.
"Well, she's better than Paintbrush! Always throwing a tantrum and whatever." He finished.
"And why do you think Paintbrush does that?" I asked.
"Lightbulb told me it's because they're just being an idiot and to ignore it."
"And do you ignore it?"
"W-Well, a bit."
"Explain."
"I-I.. I.." He stuttered, He obviously didn't want the other subjects to know.
"They won't know." I said, relaxing in my chair.
"I hear them fighting about me while I sleep.." He whimpered, his voice caught in anxiety and depression.

The sudden realisation that Fan was the youngest in the group shattered my heart. Here this child is, being the constant conflict between his peers, the only two people he could be close to down here.
He's mentally drained and lost.
"And this bothers you?" I asked stupidly. He stared into my eyes with drowsy insanity.
"No!! Because hearing your two best friends argue about you while you're trying to escape this hellhole the only way you can isn't going to drive me insane at all!!!" He screamed silently. Suddenly he grabbed me by the hands and dragged me closer.
"Test tube what the heck did we do..?"
"Wh-What?"
"What did we do? Why do we starve everyday? Why do we sleep beneath that thick cloud of anger and guilt?
What did we do to deserve that..?"

After the interview, I walked out from behind the desk and opened the door for him and lead him back to the room.
I opened the room 21 door and instantly threw Fan back. He looked at me, eyes already dropping with dark knowledge.
"Stay here." I whispered to him, he nodded softly.

I approached the room again, flinching at Paintbrush and Lightbulb's arguing, again.
"No, really, it's adorable when you blame literally everyone but yourself!" Lightbulb bickered with an angry yet sarcastic smile.
"It IS all your fault! If you had just taken two seconds to think before you left like that maybe he wouldn't of-" Paintbrush screamed back.
"Wouldn't of what? Lost it? Just because I leave for a bit means that he falls apart?"
"I di-"
"No! You did! Don't you dare tell me I'm the irresponsible one and then blame me for not taking charge for Fan's life when he needed it most!"
"Well I'm not the one killing myself here! Did you even take two seconds to realise that maybe seeing you die like that in front of him wouldn't scare him? And why would he turn to me for support? He relies on you!!"
"It would've been nice for you to take charge for once! You complain about having no responsibility in anything and then blow it once you finally get the chance!"
"And it's not like you blew your shot every time you had it!! For someone who actually led a team I'd expect you to know how others react to stuff like that!!"
"I-"