POTENTIAL: THIRTY

**TRISHA POV**

We were in the open, sitting in front of the fire. It's almost two in the morning, but the people here were still awake. Even the children seemed untouched by fatigue as they continued conversing with us.

"I really have reservations about what Dr. Deguro is doing," I commented while holding the plate of food given to me by one of the people here.

"Me too," agreed Alex.

******

"This is Acey, an artificially created human, or in other words, a homunculus. Acey was made to defy aging, because of its amazing regenerative ability. No injuries or diseases can harm this organism. A perfect being," introduced Dr. Deguro the organism inside the tank.

"If this is a human being, does that mean it has organs?" Sky asked.

"Yes, however, everything is not fully developed, yet."

"Why not?" I asked in confusion.

"You see, Acey is just a shell. An empty shell, to be exact. And just like a clam's shell, it will not grow if left uninhabited. The same goes for Acey - she needs someone to live inside her. To fully fill her up-"

"Like a soul?" Alex guessed.

Dr. Deguro clicked his tongue and snapped his fingers, "Correct! She needs a soul."

"And who's the candidate?"

"Yours truly," the doctor replied directly. I looked at Sky, who had a slightly furrowed brow, contemplating the old man's plan.

******

I continued eating while staring at the plate. It reminded me of the children kidnapped by Quinn. Every time I see the kids here, I see the faces of the children in the orphanage. I wonder how they're doing. I hope Quinn didn't do anything bad to them. If she did, she'd definitely face my wrath.

I really wanted to rescue them but then Alex insisted that we stay here. He was certain that Quinnie's assassins would return. But why would they attack her? What did Dr. Deguro do to her?

"I'll just take a leak," I excused myself from the two, placing the plate on the wooden bench.

"Sure," Alex replied.

I left my seat and headed to the restroom they mentioned. In fairness, the people here were very hygienic because their restroom was exceptionally clean and fragrant. I couldn't imagine that this place would have such a restroom. It was like in hotels. At first, I hesitated whether to go in or not, but since I had no choice, I entered.

I started to unbutton my pants and was about to lower them when I felt something strange. An eerie feeling, as if something bad would happen. I felt like someone was watching me. I didn't proceed out of fear. I didn't know why, but suddenly I felt anxious. I re-buttoned my pants and went out. A woman also came out of the adjacent restroom that I had entered earlier. But something was wrong. She looked weak.

I approached her to ask, "Are you okay?" I asked. She was holding onto the door, and for some unknown reason, I glanced inside the cubicle. My brows furrowed when I saw something moving in the toilet. Maybe I was seeing things, but I caught a glimpse of a tentacle. The door suddenly closed as if I was startled.

"I'm okay, dear. Go back there," she said and walked away slowly. I looked again at the toilet, hoping that what I saw earlier was just an illusion. Maybe it was just a hallucination.

******

I woke up around six-forty-five in the morning. The fire was out and only smoke escaping from the ashes was visible. The two were sleeping next to each other, and at their feet were the sleeping children. The whole place was silent, not even the chirping of birds could be heard.

I decided to take a few walks until I reached the entrance to the forest. I surveyed the forest without any signs of animals, not even insects.

"Hi, Ate Trisha!" I was startled when a young girl suddenly greeted me. I didn't see her last night, so how did she know my name?

"You're up so early," I commented while trying to calm my rapidly beating heart.

"I'm used to it," she explained. "By the way, I have something to show you." She immediately pulled me into the forest. I started to worry about us. What if some fierce animal attacked us here?

"Slow down!" I complained.

She let go of me. "Hurry up!" she reasoned.

She continued running. After a few minutes of following her, I saw her standing. I stopped to catch my breath and looked back at the path we had taken. I got scared when I realized we were too far from the clearing.

"Are you sure this is—" I didn't finish my sentence when I couldn't find her anymore. I scanned my surroundings to find her, but even her shadow was gone. "Hey, kid?!" I called out while taking small steps. I continued shouting, hoping to find her, but I couldn't see her. "Where could that kid be? I thought she had something to show me."

I kept walking, and after a few steps, I noticed that what I was stepping on was unusual. I looked beneath my feet and was confused to see a cemented floor covered in moss and soil, but the concrete was still visible. I glanced around and saw six tall boulders arranged in an arch, covered with moss and vines.

"Is this some kind of a ritual site?" I mumbled and continued walking. I reached the center with a rectangular block whose purpose I didn't understand. It had strange carvings and encryption on the sides, but I couldn't comprehend them.

I suddenly closed my eyes when a blinding light reflected in my eyes, seemingly coming from something. I looked again and saw a pure gold necklace, almost buried in the ground. I picked it up and cleaned it to take a closer look. It was pretty.

"You finally found it!" the young girl suddenly shouted, surprising me. She was lounging on top of the rectangular block while smiling at me.

Where did she come from and why didn't I notice her sitting here?

"This darn kid! You really love startling people, huh?" I complained and slowly stood up. I cleaned my butt and then faced her again. "Is this yours?" I asked, showing her the necklace. She nodded cheerfully, displaying a huge smile. "Take it."

"I can't," she replied with a smile, causing me to furrow my brows.

"Why can't you?"

"Because I'm dead!" she declared cheerfully, startling me. She was still smiling, sending shivers down my spine.

"Don't joke like that," I begged, laughing.

"I'm not joking," she pouted as if offended that I didn't believe her.

"Enough! That's not a good joke, kid!" I shouted in annoyance.

The child pouted even more. "You don't believe me? Look." She pointed to the rear part of the block where she was sitting. Out of curiosity, I walked slowly to see what she wanted to show me.

I thought this kid was just playing a prank. It must be a prank!

I stepped back when I saw a skull lying on the side of the block. It was her. The clothes, the height—it was her. My entire body stiffened as our eyes met through the holes where her eyes used to reside. I was in shock. Normally, in situations like this, I would scream, but this time, no voice came out of my mouth.

"They did this to me." I looked back at the child whom I thought was alive.

So, what I am seeing right now is her spirit.

"Who?"

"Dr. Deguro." I was even more surprised when I heard her declaration.

"Why did they do this to you?" I angrily asked, not for her but for the old doctor who was behind this.

"They said I could save them if I did this."

I furrowed my brows. "Save them from what?"

"I don't know," she replied with a shrug. "They didn't say. They just said everything would be okay."

"How many became like you?"

"I can't count. I'll show you!" she exclaimed and jumped down from where she was sitting. She ran toward one boulder and stopped to invite me. I walked towards her until I passed the ritual site. Right after I passed, my eyes widened even more when I saw a mountain of skulls. Some of them were covered in moss and plants, but those at the top weren't.

"This is insane." Involuntarily, I ran back to Alex. They must know about this. Dr. Deguro is a threat. I ran and ran until I reached them. I heard Alex's call, but I ignored it. I needed to confirm if what the child said was true—whether they really used children as offerings.

I reached the warehouse and stopped near the door. I saw Dr. Deguro having a conversation with Carlo while enjoying their coffee. I caught Carlo's attention, and he signaled me to come in. I held the necklace of the young girl tightly and began walking towards them. After a few steps, I reached Dr. Deguro's table. He had this mild smile that stirred my blood. I slammed my hand on the table, making everyone move in shock.

"Geez, Trisha," Carlo exclaimed with a surprised expression.

I looked straight at Dr. Deguro, serious and determined. "Tell me the truth, Doctor."

"What is it, hija?" the old doctor asked, confusion evident on his face.

"Did you know someone who owns this necklace?" I asked, pointing at the necklace I slammed on the table earlier.

"Why?"

"What's happening here, Trisha?" Alex suddenly interjected upon arriving with Sky.

Dr. Deguro answered, "Your friend is asking if I know the owner of this necklace," pointing to the said necklace.

"What is it, Trisha?" Sky inquired.

"Dr. Deguro will tell you. Answer me, Dr. Deguro," I ordered him.

The doctor sighed deeply and scratched his head. "I'm old, hija. Remembering things is no longer my strength," he excused.

*Liar.*

"Is that so," I agreed. I noticed the doctor's relief, thinking maybe it was over. "Then... can I request that you find the owner of this?"

Carlo responded to my request. "We can't do that either, Trisha. Dr. Deguro and I have more important things to attend to than searching for the owner of that necklace."

"Then, your guards?" I pointed to the two men posted on each side of us.

I won't stop. I'll find a reason to make them fall into my trap.

"Trisha? What are you doing?" Alex whispered to me.

"They have work too, Trisha. Sorry," Carlo apologized, clearly concerned about my actions and words.

"Just tell me that you can't find the owner of this."

"Yes, hija. We can't find the owner," Dr. Deguro repeated.

"Why?" I asked again. Dr. Deguro and Carlo both sighed deeply, releasing their exhaustion from answering my questions.

"What are you doing, Trisha?" Alex whispered again, more forcefully this time.

"We're busy, Trisha," Carlo repeated his previous response.

"Are you really busy, or can't you find her because she's already dead?" I announced. I tried to trap them, but it didn't work. So, I decided to expose it myself. Everyone fell silent when I said those words. I saw a hint of hatred in Dr. Deguro's eyes as if he was guarding a secret.

"Trisha, what are you saying?" Alex asked me again, this time more harshly.

I answered him, "This man over here killed several innocent children for offerings!" I shouted in anger, pointing at Dr. Deguro. I couldn't help but cry. I felt pity for all of them.

"Watch your words, Trisha," Carlo warned.

"Watch your morals!" I criticized angrily. "Did you ever consider that those children still wanted to live?"

"They were hopeless!" Dr. Deguro retorted immediately.

"Hopeless?" I asked with a furrowed brow.

"All of the sacrifices were suffering from a terminal illness whose origin we didn't know. Most of them died at the age of 8, and when they died, we fed them to him," Dr. Deguro explained.

"Him?" I asked.

"Carlo?" the doctor called to his right hand. Carlo grabbed some rolled paper from one of the shelves and handed it over to Dr. Deguro. Dr. Deguro unrolled the paper, revealing an image of a monster. "Sample 45A, that is his name. He's the same as what we have in the laboratory, Acey. But he's a defect. He's in his teenage stage and he only fed on human blood, especially children."

"Where is he now?" Alex asked, still staring at the image of Sample 45A.

"He's underneath us, resting and waiting to be fed."

"With innocent children?" I clarified.

"That was then, but now we have a different way..." I suddenly remembered what I saw in the toilet. The tentacle. It wasn't my imagination. It was him. Sample 45A. "...menstruation. Women on their periods are required to do so," the doctor continued.

I almost threw up. "Are you saying that women in their period sit in those toilets, while a tentacle gropes their genitalia?"

"It's the only way," Carlo replied.

"That's against Universal Human Rights!"

"We agree," a woman suddenly interjected. It was the woman who had just come out of the restroom. The one who let a hungry monster play with her private parts.

What's wrong with these people?