Mr. Ulime’s words greatly touched Silvano, especially the thought that this busy and important person actually knows such details about him. Then he must’ve been the ungrateful one for not being entirely sincere in his thoughts.
“Berz, don’t pressure this earnest child so much.” Mr. Ulime said with a very generous smile.
“Ok, I’m sorry. That was just my first guess: that you must have messed around with guys a bit too much and overused contraceptives, thus we have what we have. But if that’s not the case then we need further research. I’m sorry, with your expression I suppose you are indeed still a virgin. Haha! Forgive me, this is a professional downside. As we, doctors, deal with all kinds of people, sometimes we lose the sense of decency.” The doctor was making silly jokes but Silvano felt mortified.
“That’s enough, Berz!” Bernard Ulime was still acting as the knight of justice. “I didn’t bring you here to crack your senseless jokes.”
“Haha! I’m sorry. But I can’t do much here, we need to bring you to the hospital to go through procedures and tests for proper diagnosis, kiddo.”
“Really? But what is the issue? I don’t have any pain, or complaints. And my … those…days …umm are regular.”
“Brat! Do you think that Mr. Ulime would travel all the way here if there was no need? Why do you have to keep being rude instead of only being grateful?” Mr. Bilon rambled with irritation.
“I’m sorry, Sir. And thank you for the huge care you’ve been showing me all these years. I was only asking as I haven’t felt any symptoms of being unwell at all. Please forgive me if I offended you, Sir.” Everyone was a little surprised by the very polite and articulate way this teenager spoke, and they involuntarily looked in the direction of Mr. Ulime.
“You are correct in asking questions, that is very important, child. But you should also learn to trust those who care about you.” This emotional manipulation clearly succeeded as Silvano hung his head with embarrassment. “I can see, you seem like a person who values logic. So tell me, would there be a reason for me to come all the way here together with a renowned Male+ doctor if there was nothing worrisome in your results? The main reason we are not telling you much is because there is no certainty yet. The problem could be minor, or, hopefully not but could also be major. This is our way of being considerate of your emotions, as adults responsible for your wellbeing. So while you are still a child let us be grown ups and worry on your behalf.”
There was nothing Silvano could say to this. He felt like the most ungrateful brat there could be.
“Mr. Ulime doesn’t have much t-time. Go get some of your things. You might have to stay… 2-3 days.” As Mr. Bilon was not much of a talker, it wasn't too surprising for Silvano that he was so tense in the presence of Mr. Ulime.
Mrs. Bilon also urged Silvano to go pack a backpack, still with some unusual look in her eyes. Silvano thought that it’s the so-called ‘adults worrying on his behalf’ and hurried to get his things, actually quite touched by this whole dramatic scene. With some worry left in him concerning where he’d be staying during those 2-3 days because what he didn’t like the most was being indebted or inconveniencing anyone.
The madam didn’t come to see them out. Mr. Bilon was the one accompanying Silvano to the luxurious vehicle where Bernard Ulime and Dr. Berz were already waiting for him.
“Do what you’re told and behave yourself!” It was the last thing Mr. Bilon told Silvano before the door locked and they moved.
The situation was awkward as he was sitting opposite two nicely clothed obviously rich men with his shaggy backpack and plain clothes, which had an obviously washed out colour and texture. His trousers, which he had outgrown a couple of inches, looked ridiculous in this setting and so did his stiff posture.
“Don’t be so tense, kid. There is still a long way to go, you’ll have back pain if you keep sitting like that.” The doctor said with a mocking smile. “But still, you don’t look very much like a Male+, right Bernard? His shoulders seem wider and overall bone structure seems firmer, even muscles… I wonder if that’s due to the hormonal imbalance. Do you maybe exercise?”
Silvano quietly nodded, still thinking of the phrase hormonal imbalance.
“There is a lot of physical work on the farm and in the garden, and I’m also in the school’s athletic club.”
“They seriously made you do all that dirty work? Like shovelling animal shit and all?” The doctor looked questioningly at Bernard Ulime beside him.
“Um… I don’t mind at all. I actually like taking care of animals.”
“And you like athletic activities too?” Silvano shyly nodded again to the doctor’s question. “Like what?”
“Running, jumping, gymnastics…oh, yeah and rowing! We don’t get to do that often but every Summer there is rowing competition taking place on the River Swoller. I’ve been in the school team for 3 years now.” The teenager looked quite passionate and proud talking about this topic, but his words made the doctor raise his eyebrows whereas Bernard Ulime chuckled lightly.
“Sorry, I got a little too excited there…” Realising he had been overly enthusiastic Silvano felt awkward and looked like a clumsy countryside teenager, with a little accent showing. When looking closely Silvano’s overall physique and features were indeed of someone active and agile. Muscle lines of his neck connecting to the collar bones were not excessively prominent but visibly toned.
“There’s nothing to apologise for. I’m just very surprised, as you are the first Male+ I’ve met who is interested in sports or physical work at all. And believe me I’ve met many.”
“Um… I’ve never met anyone…”
“Seriously? There are many in the metropolis. I can introduce you when we visit the hospital. But I doubt you’ll find many mutual topics. The closest to physical activities I’ve ever heard them to be interested in would be soaking in hot springs, massage, beauty treatments and, well, night activities, I guess!” The last indecent remark got a reprimanding look from Mr. Ulime. And those words made Silvano feel even more reluctant to meet other Male+ people.
The rest of the dialogue drifted to other topics. After around 2-3 hours Silvano had heard all kinds of small and big gossip going around in high society, about inflation and deflation of currencies, criminal laws and history and so on. Looking out of the moving vehicle he could see that it’s already nighttime. They had travelled through different landscapes: sceneries changing from countryside to small towns, stretching greenfields, they even drove by the suburbs of a large city, which Silvano first wrongly took as their destination metropolis. When they drove past the suburbs the scenery looked rather barren. All he did during this time was quietly listen and sometimes awkwardly smile when the two looked his way.
“You must be bored. We still have more than an hour to go. Oh! So stupid of me.” The doctor’s sudden exclamation surprised Silvano.
“What is it Berz? You startled me.”
“What do you say if we use this time and start one test, as I actually have a feild version of this test device with me. We’ll save some time from tomorrow this way, how come I didn’t think of this earlier? Stupid me! I totally forgot that I’ve had it with me all this time.” The ‘oopsie’ way this adult man acted didn’t look cute at all, but it wasn’t like Silvano could say no, when this whole trip’s purpose was his well being.
“I’ll need your right forearm, Silvano.” Quite conveniently the teenager was wearing just a simple, neat T-shirt and his arms were exposed.
Dr. Berz took out an unusual device that looked rather archaic. It had a row of metallic bracelet type of cylindrical parts that had a pitch black, non reflective rectangular container connected on top and several thin tubes attached to it. When the metal parts encircling his arm tightened Silvano had a strong ominous feeling. As if something poisonous was creeping up on his limbs and when he looked up, two pairs of cold eyes were looking at him. But it was only partially lit inside the vehicle and the two men swiftly masked their cold eyes with amiable smiles while Dr. Berz turned on the device.
Silvano didn’t feel any immediate reaction but there was a subtle feeling of something sipping out, very little at a time but essential in quality. Silvano had a feeling that the two in front of him had halted their breathing and were waiting for something. He tried to understand the meaning of the doctor’s intrigued expression who was sitting imposingly right in front of him.
“I feel weird.” Silvano said cautiously.
“Weird? It’s a vague way to describe, sweetie. How exactly do you feel right now?” His tone of voice had become so emotionless that his humour didn’t sound like humour at all. And his eyes looked like he was researching a lab specimen.
“I feel a little heavy or sleepy, I guess.” Getting intuitively frightened by the doctor, Silvano turned to the person he knew longer, the one often being called his ‘benefactor’. But Bernard Ulime had the same cold eyes and fake smile. Still unable to process the reality, Silvano heard the doctor’s comment.
“Oh, that’s the normal reaction to this procedure, dear, don’t worry.”
He drifted off into slumber after these superficial, insincere words.
…
When he came to his senses Silvano found himself in an unfamiliar place, a room with white ceiling and white walls, and…
“What the hell!? Who the fuck are you?”
Silvano’s heart skipped with horror when he realised the situation. He was lying on a bed with his legs exposed. His trousers, socks and shoes were missing. He was just in his underwear and T-shirt. And there was a person sitting next to him and stroking his bare inner thigh. He leaped off the bed and distanced himself from the stranger defensively, while looking around to assess the situation. They were the only ones in the room which had no windows. There were two doors: one small, looking like a closet door, the other larger, probably leading to a corridor. The stranger looked quite haggard but there was an unnerving manic shine in his eyes. And there was an empty wheelchair beside the bed.
“Don’t be so agitated, sweetheart.”
“Where are my clothes?”
“Oh, don’t call that patch of garbage clothes. How could you hide these pretty legs of yours under such unsightly rags.” Silvano had goosebumps all over his body from the disgusting, dirty look in the eyes of this stranger.
“Those are my rags, give them back! And my shoes! Now!”
“I see, you are quite the character. This is going to be fun.”
“You..!”
“Now you listen sweetie, everything you have or you have ever had is from my family. Even those rags you’re so proudly demanding are from the Ulime family. You have belonged to me since the day you were born. Now… I can finally have you after waiting for so long. So don’t act up. This is where you’re supposed to be, by my side.”
Saying those words he stood up, while he looked sickly he was a head taller than Silvano and with his possessive distorted eyes towering over the teenager he looked quite frightening.
“I don’t know you.” But Silvano was used to all kinds of bullies from school and neighbourhood so it didn’t faze him much. He looked straight into the stranger’s eyes and told him. “You’re talking bullshit. I cannot belong to you or anyone. There is no such law on this planet! Slavery was banned a century ago!” While saying these words he walked straight to the door but met Bernard Ulime right there.
“Oh, you’re awake.” Bernard Ulime looked very calm, not caring one bit that the teenager in front of him was half naked and distressed. “Now you’ve met my son, Jerome. But where were you going, Silvano? This is your room from now on and you’re not supposed to leave it, as you are very precious to us.”
Comments (0)
See all