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

of Ms. Dale and my desire to see Tim freed. “You really think you can get him out?” I asked.

Ms. Dale hesitated and turned back to me. “I’m not an electrician, Violet. I’ve had some experience, but this is a bit beyond me. However, I will do everything I can to help you get him out. But I need you to understand—I might trigger some things while I am doing this. He might get hurt. I just figure… it’s better if I hurt him, than you.”

My stomach clenched, and I resisted the urge to punch her. The rational part of my mind recognized that Ms. Dale was telling me the truth so that I would be prepared. And I was grateful for that. I had no idea what I was doing, and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt if he died while I was trying to free him. But the emotional side of me wanted to keep hitting her until she stopped moving if anything happened to Tim.

I sucked in a deep breath, and then nodded. I took a step back and crossed my arms, watching.

Ms. Dale examined the panel for several minutes, stroking the concrete walls around it and under it. I crossed my arms, my patience beginning to wear thin, when I heard an audible click.

A piece of the wall disappeared under her fingers, revealing a lit area, filled with wires. She examined the wires closely.

“There are a lot of wires. I’m not sure what all of them lead to. I think one of these green ones might be to a door mechanism, but I’m not sure. May I pull one?”

I hesitated, and then nodded. “Do it,” I whispered, flinching at the harshness of my own voice.

She nodded and then pulled a wire.

Immediately, something flashed yellow, and letters began scrolling from left to right across the glass.

Stress Test—Level 1—Initiating Test.

Immediately, a blinding white light came on in the box. I looked at Tim, whose eyes had gone wide. I watched as he immediately slapped both hands over his eyes. Ms. Dale straightened up, reading the screen.

With a curse, she squatted back down, her fingers sifting through the multitude of wires.

The lights started flickering rapidly, the colors shifting and throbbing. Just looking at it from this side made me nauseous.

“Ms. Dale?”

“I’m sorry, Violet. It was the wrong wire. I’m trying to follow it to see if there’s a kill switch. Watch him and let me know if he’s in any danger.”

Even with his eyes covered, it was clearly still having an effect on Tim. He was shaking his head, his mouth open and locked in a silent scream. My stomach churned as I watched him. Whatever he was experiencing in there was clearly hurting him. I looked at the keypad, but the panel had gone black. On the screen, more rolling test appeared—Test in Progress—two minutes remaining.

I slammed my hands on the window, trying to get Tim’s attention, to give him something to focus on, but he didn’t seem to hear or notice.

I watched him rock back and forth, screaming, until he stood up. He began banging on the walls, keeping his eyes closed.

I kept one eye on the timer and one on him, my hands pressed on the glass.

“Hurry up,” I screamed toward Ms. Dale. His pain was breaking me, in a multitude of ways. She didn’t respond, but I could feel her moving next to where I was sitting.

The lights were increasing their strobes, and my eyes started to hurt from it, but I kept my gaze on Tim. Eventually, he bent over at the waist and began retching, expelling the contents of his stomach on the corrugated floor.

Then he collapsed, curling up into a ball, trying to shield himself from the lights. A few seconds later they shut off, bathing him in darkness again.

I was aware of tears streaking down my cheek. I was sick to my stomach at what I had witnessed. “I’m sorry Violet—I couldn’t find the mechanism to stop it,” Ms. Dale said quietly from where she was positioned.

I closed my eyes and fought for control. A dark part of me blamed Ms. Dale, but in my heart, I knew she was doing what she could to help me. And yet…

Wrapping my arms around my stomach, I looked at Tim, conflict tearing through me. Maybe it would be better to leave him in there for now. At least until we could find some sort of guide to tell us how to open the door.

As soon as I thought that though, I realized it couldn’t wait. Not with the two unconscious princesses upstairs. They would eventually be missed or escape, and if they managed that, and figured out who Tim was to me, they would use him against me to get what they wanted.

Not to mention, when the scientists who lived in the facility returned—if they returned—they would subjugate him to these tests over and over again. Better to hurt him now to free him, I wasn’t going to leave him here a moment longer.

Gritting my teeth, I looked down at Ms. Dale. “Keep trying,” I whispered to her.

“Maybe you should go,” she suggested. “I’ll keep working here but… maybe it would be better if you didn’t see.”

I frowned and then shook my head. “I’m not leaving him again,” I declared. I was determined to stay right here until the door opened.

Ms. Dale nodded, her face an impassive mask. She turned back to the wires. “I’m going to pull another wire,” she announced, and my fist clenched.

“Do it.”

I heard her grunt and the sound of a spark filled the air. The panel went dark again, and the window screen lit up, text rolling across the surface.

Endurance Test—Level 1—Initiating Test.

I bit back a cry at the words, slamming my fist against the glass.

“Close your eyes, Violet,” said Ms. Dale, from where she was busy trying to find the wire to stop the test.

I ignored her, pressing my face close