EXPERIMENT X

It'd been a few days since Kraemer had politely declined participation in the experiment, a few days since he'd spat in the face of the man who morbidly informed him he didn't have a choice, and a few days since he'd been haphazardly tossed into a dark prison cell with only a cot and toilet.

Jackson had guessed that they'd realize the kind of legal trouble they could get into by keeping him against his will and come back for him a few hours later, but the next time he saw another human was the next day, at exactly six in the morning. His internal clock told him so. It wasn't the sound of the door opening, but his own habit that woke him. And instead of offering him a hand up and informing him that a mistake had been made, he stepped forward with a syringe.

Now, he'd grown eerily accustomed to the morning and evening visits—six a.m. and six p.m., respectively—from the man with the syringe, and his many variations. Sometimes he came in the form of a pudgy blonde woman. Others, a lean man in a white coat. But he was always the same man, with the same purpose. There was a hole in the wall of his cell, maybe the size of a quarter, that allowed him to see into the cell beside his. And for all of his glancing, he never caught a glimpse of anything of importance.

-

Her only rule was, "God, don't tell my mother. She'll ground me until I'm forty if she finds out." When she'd snuck out that night, she hadn't imagined she'd be brought in by what she thought were cops and offered an opportunity that told her they definitely weren't.

She also hadn't imagined that she'd agree to it almost solely on the grounds that her mother wouldn't be informed of her whereabouts. Granted, Savannah wasn't exactly told she'd have to live on the grounds or undergo weeks, months of treatment—and things would be a bit problematic when her mother awoke to find her gone without so much as a trace.

While her decision might've been hindered by such details, she'd been told that her decision, once made, was irretractable. So, when he awoke in a plush bed in a carpeted room, she tried not to think about how she'd be grounded until she was sixty—upped by twenty years, for the circus she'd just let herself be tricked into—and slipped into the hallway.

"Specimen, your new neighbor will be arriving short-" The man's lemon-licked face soured a whole inch further as outcries bellowed throughout the neighboring cells. The "SLAM" of toting rifles against cell bars didn't halt the blast of "Jasmin's back!" and "she's out of solitary!" Between the slip of cell bars, just as the man with the syringe began to purse his lips to speak, a flourish of ash blonde hair peeked through the bars. "Who is he talkin' to?" One of the two guards pushed against her grabbed a wad of her hair, forcing her head back. "Get to your cell, Specimen 1462." Something wild flexed in her features as her gaze raked over Jackson. "Welcome-" She managed merrily, before being pushed on roughly by the men.

"That one, always stirring trouble..." The man wrapped a line of rubber around Jackson's arm, testing a vein. The way he spoke was almost as if he was fond of her.

The cage beside his opened, and the floor trembled. It shut again.

(Now for a little more of Jasmin.)

Dragging her limp fingers over her face, she tested for any damage. Her mouth still pouted, her face was sallow but not any worse than usual. Whisping her hands down her arms, she raised her sleeves, the thick ink of her home-ade tattoos touching warmth to her heart. She'd partially ruined the doctor's pin-cushion canvas and decorated herself.

So they'd sent her away, to live in solitary. For days. And days. And days.

---
(I can pm you some more info for her doctor when he/she comes in. I'll get to my guy's reply next.)

(Ignore, I pm'd you instead.)

@ rust and stardust

@ k1ssmysass

"Christ all mighty, Deidre, prepare me some breakfast-" A man's voice puffed from around a heavy corner. The man holding the tone of spit and bravado halted, brow furrowing. "You're a new one, aren't you, dollbaby?" He smirked, his mouth revving like the engine of his favorite shiny thing and his unnaturally galactic blue eyes twinkling trouble.

The man, seeming almost fond of the source of all the ruckus and disruption, hardly seemed bothered by the girl with ash blonde locks. Instead, he waited until it had calmed down just a bit and began testing a vein. Jackson silently ordered himself not to clock him in the face. The girl had obviously been sent to solitary, and was being given an oddly warm welcome by her peers.

He would receive no such welcome. He didn't care to, anyhow. Once the man had given him his injection and left, Kraemer returned to his cot to lounge lazily on it for a while before pulling himself to his feet and peering through the hole in the wall.

-

The redhead was met with a wall of human flesh that seemed to ultimately add up to be a man, and she took a step back to look up at him, light eyes narrowing at his use of nicknames. "Who are you? The welcoming committee?"

@ rust and stardust

Once the cells had hushed to a dull roar, Jasmin pushed to her feet, gracious to be given an ounce of freedom before being whistled and tutted at by doctors for her "poor choices."

Forcing her mound of dry hair out of her almondy eyes, she pressed a delicate orb of sight to the nut-sized hole in the wall. Meeting his gaze, she eased back. "Hey-" She murmured lowly, voice sweeter than anticipated, but still holding a gritty edge, "When they let us out into the cafeteria later, sit with me. We should talk some. What's your name, blondie?" She kept her voice low; the walls were listening.

---

His smirk never faded an ounce. "Most people just call me Damion, but if that suits your fancy, babydoll, call me what you'd like." His button-down shirt was rolled to the elbows and his pants - although well-tailored - still appeared baggy. "Anywho, lemme' show you around. It's easy to get lost."

He stepped back from the wall so that he could still see and hear her, but wasn't completely eye to eye with her. "Kraemer. Jackson Kraemer. And you?" It was Jasmin, according to the chorus of voices welcoming her back from solitary, but it felt right to ask, anyway. As far as he could see, there wasn't much about her that would warrant a few days in solitary.

-

"I'll find my way," Even when she found herself in a mansion with absolutely no clue how to navigate it, the stubborn fifteen year old refused to accept help, especially from someone like the man in front of her.

@ rust and stardust

"Keep your last name quiet. Somebody could use that against you," She didn't explain any further, just pressed on, "'M Jasmin. I don' know my last name." She admitted with a slight bite of sadness. "'S almost time to eat. You should get some good rest, Jackson." The descending beat of her foot steps made it clear that their conversation was over. A few lulled whispers could be picked up on Jackson's end from her new conversation with her neighbor from the other side:

"How're you healing up? You need anything, Jas? We can deliver for you, easy."

"...sore...two weeks.."

"can't sleep.."

Silence.

---

"Look, you're gonna get lost here easy. One little tour an' I'm gone." He huffed begrudgingly.

Jasmin. Just Jasmin, because she didn't know her last name. And apparentlly, it was time to eat—and leave their cells—soon. When she strode away from the hole, he turned his back on it, and shaking his head, returned to his cot to listen to the hushed voices that floated through the walls.

-

Savannah looked at him for a moment, taking in his features and vivid eyes before finally nodding her consent. "Fine. Show me." A tour couldn't hurt if it meant more independence later.

@ rust and stardust

Drowsily tearing her bed apart, she dropped her springy mattress to the floor, just as she'd done all those years. Laying back on it, she kicked her feet into the wall, lazing there and basking in every minuscule sound that she'd been cut off from in confinement.

---

Leading her down the corridor wordlessly, he merely sighed. "There's a bunch of our rooms down here - nothing really special. This guy right here-" He motioned to a poster-plastered door, "Grade-A bag of dicks. Avoid him at all costs. You'll know 'im when you see him." Continuing with his droning about the impressive tour throughout the house, he never once forced eye contact, hands stuffed politely in his pockets.

Jasmin's peace, though, was short-lived. A young doctor—probably the youngest on the staff—threw open the door and stormed in, his jaw tightening visibly. What he lacked in age, he made up for in temper. And considering Jasmin was primarily his patient, the audacity she'd shown by tattooing herself had infuriated him. "What the hell were you thinking?" He spat, kicking the part of the mattress her head rested on.

-

Savannah was beginning to get bored when he stopped, motioned to a door, and called the boy who resided inside a "Grade-A bag of dicks." She perked up a little at his unique wording and followed closer behind, peering up at him. "If he's a bag of dicks, then what do you consider yourself?" His answer was something she couldn't and wouldn't anticipate. He seemed to be unpredictable at best.

@ rust and stardust

"I was thinking about lots of things." The words soiled her tongue, not really meaning anything. Her teeth knocked together as his foot slammed into the mattress. Lifting her sleeve so he could peek at the matte black of basic-shaped birds that had been etched into her shoulder.

--

"I consider myself a gentleman, through an' through." He admitted with a shrivel of gloat tossed in his words. "Seriously: avoid him. He'll fuck you up."

"Apparently not enough," The man snarled, reaching down to rip her sleeve up onto her shoulder and look at what she'd done. "Disgusting. I'll have them removed eventually, but for now, watch yourself."

-

"Gentlemen don't brag." She quirked an eyebrow, but didn't question him further about the man behind the door. Maybe she'd see for herself at a later date, and maybe she'd heed his warning.

@ rust and stardust

"How does one watch yer' self without a mirror?" Jasmin asked with faux innocence, pushing herself into a wall to widen the barrier between them, eyes bulging with warning. She didn't want to be touched, or prodded, or even breathed near by that man.

She was cornered.

The banshee screech that hadn't greeted her for lunch in weeks wailed in her ears, washing over the cells nearby. A siren blew three times.

Lunch.

--

"I'm not bragging. I'm just explaining - I mean, c'mon, in this shithole, everyone needs a hot welcome wagon." He nudged her with a soft elbow.

"Shut up, smartass. Don't let me find any more of these. I'll double the solitary sentence." He slinked closer to say it closer to her face before straightening up and striding to the door. "Better hurry. I hear the guards are bringing you back to your cell early." And with that, he was gone.

-

"Conceited, Damion?" She veered off into another hallway with the intention to explore alone, although she had a feeling he was determined to finish his tour.

@ rust and stardust

As Jasmin followed suit, shimmying through the unlocked door, the savored the tiny brushes of contact. People touched their arms to hers, smiled wanly, and occasionally bat an eye in a forlorn wink. Keeping her face stone sober, she hurried into the cafeteria setting, sliding herself into the wush of a line.

-

"Little bit," He didn't protest this time.

@ k1ssmysass

Jackson slipped out of the now-open door and followed the flow of people to the cafeteria, stepping into line behind the girl in the neighboring cell. Her previous instructions to sit at her table rang in his ears, and he wondered what kind of reputation he'd get with the doctors for following through. Then again, should he care?

-

"So, what, are you the only one that ever leaves his room?" She hadn't run into many others yet, just one person for every hallway, or no one at all. What time was it? She'd forgotten to check.

@ rust and stardust

Pushing her plastic tray, she smirked softly to herself, passing her bland foods down the line until she was ready to be seated. Halting at the mouth of the entrance for Jackson, she watched in silence.

-

"'M the only one worth talking to in this joint." He snorted, pushing open doors to various rooms.

(My replies will be better once I'm not foggy on tylenol pm, promise. Super sorry they were so bad.)