The Gender Game 2 by Bella Forrest (audio ebook reader .TXT) 📕

Tim could wait—Viggo was in more immediate danger. I swiped the tear rolling down my cheek angrily, a flash of rage coursing through me. It wasn’t fair, and it wasn’t right, but I had to be the one to make the decision. No matter how much it tore at my heart.

I swallowed, staring at the cubes in front of me. “I’ll be back,” I promised them in a whisper. I knew they couldn’t hear me, but I needed to say it.

I shouldered the bag with the egg, and began running back the way I came. It didn’t take me long to reach the twenties, but I passed them, ticking the numbers down as I ran.

As I had guessed, there were steps leading up to a hatch door next to Row One. I raced over to it, spinning the wheel and stepping through to the stairwell.

Blowing a lock of hair out of my face, I headed upstairs, taking the steps two or three at a time. At the top, I opened the door to the play area.

I could see much more from here than through the vent, but it still felt eerie seeing all of the toys and playsets. It was intensified now that I knew who it was designed for—not that those poor boys actually could have fun here.

I felt sick to my stomach at the injustice of it—these boys were human beings, capable of anything, but because of some stupid test, they were cast out and made to do who knows what.

I felt defiant in that moment, a burning desire racing through me to tear away the establishment that put them there.

Latching on to that fire, I let it propel me through this level and up to the next one.

I paused as I entered. Everything gleamed under the lights here. It seemed so pure and clean compared to the levels below. I wanted to break everything in the room, but I refrained.

My footsteps echoed through the laboratory as I walked. There were various stations set up throughout the level, each one with a name plate assigned to it. I didn’t recognize any names, but I made a vow to write them all down.

As I made my way to the next hatch, I paused when I saw a room by it. It was the only closed room on the level. The walls were glass, and I could see a desk and computer within. I was prepared to walk by it when the name plate on the door caught my attention.

Prof. Alastair Jenks.

I sucked in a sharp breath, my fist clenching as I remembered the scientist who had sent me for the egg. This was his laboratory.

No wonder the place was abandoned. All of the scientists had likely returned to Matrus in order to attend his and Queen Rina’s funeral.

A surge of anger coursed through me, a bitter taste growing in my mouth. These were supposed to be my people—the good guys, when compared to Patrians. But they weren’t good guys. They had used me and Tim both to accomplish their plans, without a second thought to the fact that we were both human beings.

I became aware of my emotion. It was hate. I hated Matrus for what they had done to me and my family. It burned deep and low in my belly, like a fire that could never be quenched. I wanted to make them pay for what they had done.

At the same time, I was repulsed by my hatred. Sure, I had given in to rage a few times, but I had never really hated anything in my life. It scared me so much, that I had to push it all aside, to deal with it later.

I frowned, my mind churning. The Matrians had left everything here, including the boys. Who knew how long it would be before they came back?

How were the boys being fed? How were they being cared for?

I felt the fire in my belly burn hotter as I contemplated the questions, and again, I had to swallow them down and bury them. Before I could stop myself, however, I had already crossed over and checked the door to Mr. Jenks’ office. To my surprise, it swung open. I hesitated for a second, and then crossed over to the computer. Clicking it on, I waited for it to boot up while I began searching through the drawers. There were several file folders in the bottom left drawer, but they were requisition forms, not information about the boys.

The computer beeped, and I turned, half expecting it to be unlocked. It wasn’t. I began looking around, and then paused when I saw something glittering from a cabinet tucked back in the corner of the room.

Standing up, I crossed over to it.

It was another egg—sitting on the top shelf of the cabinet.

Testing the doors, I found them locked, but I remembered a set of keys in the desk. I grabbed them, and started testing each one in the lock. Eventually, one turned, and the cabinet door swung open.

Grabbing the egg, I looked it over. It looked identical to the one in my backpack, except for two things. The first was a tiny label taped to the bottom. It read: Trial One, Failure. The second difference came in the form of a slight crack through the keyhole at the base.

I held the egg in my hands, thinking. I knew that I needed to come back here—Mr. Jenks would likely have files on each boy, which meant I could find my brother. Viggo could help me. He'd gotten into Lee’s computer to find the tracker map Lee had used to watch me, so he had to have a way of getting into computers.

More importantly, I needed to clear my head and focus on the task at hand. Finding Tim and learning about what had been done to him was important to me, but I was too focused on it, and I