Johan was placed under bed rest for three days before being discharged and returned to the nursery. Martin was delighted to see him and ran up to him,
"How did it go?"
Johan recalled the horrible experience he went through and refused to talk about it. Though he was under bed rest, Johan still felt sore in some places, a reminder of the experience he wanted to forget. As they chatted, Johan noticed some children gathered at a corner of the nursery.
"What's going on there?"
Johan asked.
"It's been like that since yesterday. They're playing a new game… Lords and Dynasties III."
"Sounds fun,"
"Yeah, but it's become a huge problem now. It has a PVP game mode, and no one can beat her…"
Lenny pointed at a girl sitting amidst the crowd, in front of the gaming console. Everyone was focused on her match with the boy beside her, and not long after, everyone smacked their lips as she won again.
"Enjoy your winning streak now," said the boy before he stormed off.
The girl didn't care and shrugged,
"Who else wants to try?"
Everyone exchanged glances but no one replied, but amidst the silence, someone spoke up,
"I'll try."
All attention was drawn to who spoke up and it landed on Lenny and Johan.
"I'll play,"
Johan stepped up to the gaming console and sat on the ground beside the girl. Looking at her, her hair was very long and messy, covering her face.
The two selected their players and started the match, and as expected, the girl won. No one was surprised, except when they heard Johan speak up,
"Let's play another one. I was just getting familiar with the game since it's my first time playing."
The girl beside him nodded,
"Fine, we can play again."
Once again, the two selected their players and their match began. The match didn't last as long as everyone thought it would. But everyone's eyes gleamed with excitement when they saw who won the match.
"I win."
Johan smiled.
The girl whose face was hidden behind her hair turned to Johan smiling,
"Good game."
Johan felt his emotions stir when he saw her, making him momentarily unable to speak.
"You're the new kid… I saw you the day you arrived. I'm Lucy."
"I-I'm… I'm Johan."
"Nice to meet you, Johan. I don't know about you, but I'm done playing for today. Maybe we could play another time."
Lucy didn't wait for Johan to reply, smiling at him as she left.
Everyone present was happy that Lucy's winning streak had been broken, but they were met with a greater challenge when they played against Johan. To these kids, it was more than just a game, it was an opportunity to show off and look cool.
~Time Passed~
Once again, Johan was brought to the lab for another treatment. This was the third time in the last six months; at least the treatment had to be spaced out by three months. This was the third time, but the experience wasn't any better. It felt like the procedure climbed new heights of pain every time, always leaving the little boy a step closer to death afterward. When Dr. Ilene explained, she stated that one of the effects of the procedure was that it increased their pain sensitivity, an effect she wished she could but had no way to reverse.
In these six months, Johan made another friend, Martin, and he was just like Lenny in size. Martin had a sharp tongue and a straightforward personality, distinguishing him from Lenny and Johan. However, the three of them were practically inseparable, doing everything together. Lucy also became friends with Johan, adding to their friendship circle. The two of them became closer after playing games countless times, with the winner undecided.
The facility provided the children with everything they needed, one of which was a sound education. Since the children here were between the ages of 6 and 12, they were divided into two classes. Class Alpha included those from 9 to 12 years old, while Class Beta included those from 6 to 8 years old, and it numbered up to 60 children.
Johan had a shy and withdrawn personality, especially when around people he wasn't acquainted with, making him appear like a pushover. Given the nature of kids his age, it was impossible for someone not to exploit this trait of his.
The lad's name was Wade, and he was a year older than Johan. For a kid his age, he was quite tall with a big build, making him intimidating to most children at the nursery, especially Johan. Wade was the kid Lucy had defeated in Lords and Dynasties many months ago, and though Wade refused to play against her ever since, he didn't forget the humiliation, and it got worse when he heard Johan had defeated Lucy on his second try at the game. What made things worse was when he noticed the closeness between Johan and Lucy because deep down, he wanted to impress Lucy, but it appeared Johan was creeping in bit by bit. Since then, he dedicated his time to making things difficult for Johan.
The days and times for classes were different for the two classes to avoid mixing the classes. If class Alpha was to have a class today, class Beta would remain in the dorms until classes were over and vice versa.