Chapter 101: Chapter 101: The Price of the Ticket
Alexander slumped down onto the edge of the bed, staring at the floor "It’s brutal, isn’t it?" asked Alexander
Marcus walked over, leaning his shoulder against the wall as he looked down at him "You know what the test actually was, don’t you?" asked Marcus
"Julian told me that this specific trial is mandatory for everyone" said Alexander, looking up "And I know for a fact that you don’t even have an aunt"
Marcus’s expression darkened, his gaze turning distant as he took a final drag from his cigarette "Yeah, I don’t"
"So who do you think it was in your room that day?" asked Alexander, his voice dropping to a quiet whisper "Your mother?"
"No" whispered Marcus, a cold, empty smile cutting across his face as he stared into the smoke "Way worse, it was my sister"
The silence that followed was suffocating, Alexander sat frozen on the edge of the mattress, his own family drama suddenly feeling small compared to the heavy darkness in Marcus’s eyes "Your sister..." muttered Alexander, his voice barely audible "You had to do that... with your own sister?"
Marcus leaned his head back against the wall, staring blankly at the ceiling "The institute knows exactly how to break you, Alex" said Marcus, his voice flat, devoid of any emotion "They find your weakest point and they press until you snap, you remember when my mother was diagnosed with stage-four cancer? We didn’t have a single cent for the treatments, the hospital was ready to kick her out to die, I had no other option, TMC offered me the contract, but the final test was that room"
"But your sister was too young back then, Marcus" stated Alexander, a knot forming in his stomach
"I know" whispered Marcus, his jaw tightening "I cut ties with both of them right after I started getting regular assignments, it’s been a long time since I last saw them, but the guilt still eats at me., because I recently found out that my sister is hanging around with a very bad crowd"
Alexander looked up at his friend "Why don’t you just go back and see them?"
"Because I fucked up, Alex" confessed Marcus, letting out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh "After that first day, I didn’t handle the situation well at all, my mother eventually found out, and she cursed my existence, she told me to my face that I was no longer her son and that she never wanted to see me again for the rest of her life, now I can’t even get close to their neighborhood, could you do it for me? Could you approach them? Just keep an eye on them for a bit?"
Marcus turned his head, looking at Alexander with a desperate, pleading gaze "No matter how much money I wire to their accounts, they immediately reject it or burn the receipts, they refuse to touch a single thing that comes from me, it breaks my heart every single day, but I know it was my fault"
Alexander frowned, confused by the shift in the story "What exactly do you mean by that?"
Marcus took a deep breath, rubbing his face with both hands "After that afternoon in Room 911... my sister changed" said Marcus "She became strange, she became obsessed with me, she only wanted my cock, and I... I was fascinated by her body, it was my very first time experiencing anything like that, so we kept meeting in secret for a long time, it went on for almost an entire year"
He paused, a shadow crossing his face "Until my mother walked in and discovered us, everything went straight to hell after that, my mother was already weak from the chemotherapy sessions, and the shock almost killed her right there, my sister never forgave herself for that, and now she refuses to see me too"
Alexander let out a long, slow breath as the weight of the confession hung heavily between them, he leaned back against the headboard, his mind processing the dark complexity of Marcus’s reality "I see" said Alexander, looking intently at his friend "I can try to get close to them for you, Marcus, but considering how I just reacted and pulled my fist back the second you mentioned my aunt... I really don’t want you to turn around and kill me for getting close to your mother and sister, if that’s going to happen, I would prefer not to do it at all"
"I know exactly what you mean" said Marcus, letting out a tired, cynical chuckle as he ran a hand through his blond hair "Ever since I joined this place, it’s like a switch flipped, even when I don’t want it to, my body and my mind just react on their own, women open their legs for me too easily now, and you... you are a damn good-looking guy, Alex, fuck, I know exactly what could happen"
Marcus straightened up, his playful smirk vanishing as his expression turned deadly serious again "But I also know for a fact that they are in danger right now, when I went over there to try and pull my sister out of that crowd, she told me she would rather die in the street than accept a single dollar or a hand from me, I am out of options, at this point, if someone is going to end up fucking her, I genuinely hope it’s you, my friend, and not some random, worthless idiot from the slums"
Alexander nodded slowly, his expression serious as he reached out and clapped Marcus on the shoulder "Okay, okay, I understand" said Alexander "I will do the best I can, if I can find a way to bring her back and get her away from that crowd without letting things get out of hand, I will do it, you are my best friend, Marcus, and the last thing I would ever want to do is fuck all of this up"
Marcus let out a long breath, a genuine look of relief washing over his tense features "Thanks, man" muttered Marcus, offering a weak but grateful smile "That is all I can ask for"
"Don’t worry about it" said Alexander, walking back toward the bar to pour himself another finger of whisky "Just give me their names, the address, and everything you have on the people she is hanging around with, I’ll figure out a way to make contact that looks accidental"
