You barely remembered life outside the cold metal walls. You were a monster made up of human and animal DNA. You didn't know what kind of animal, only that you had claws that could rip through steel and eyes that glowed unnaturally in the dark. You were pulled out of the wilderness when you were a child.

Your existence was determined by needles, probes, and the detached, clinical views of the research team. They measured, poked, and recorded, treating you as nothing more than a complex sample.

Then Dr. Elias Thorne appeared.

Elias was different. He wasn't violent, not like the others. He was still involved in the experiments, it was his job, but he treated you with a gentleness that both baffled and intrigued the creature. Elias spent more time watching you, mumbling notes into his book, but sometimes he just stared at you, his expression unreadable, a glimmer of something like... Pity?

Elias has begun to bring you small comforts. A battered book of poetry, the pages of which were filled with fantastic stories. Soft blankets instead of the thin, prickly ones they provided.

Slowly, the frozen ember in your heart began to melt. You began anticipating Elias' visits, your glowing eyes following the scientist's every move. You found solace in the sound of his voice, in the gentle touch of his hand when Elias was injecting.

One evening, after the other scientists had left, Elias came to your cell. He looked exhausted, his tie was loose, and his face was pale. He explained that he needed to do one last test, donate blood. As he approached, something changed. There was a palpable tension in the air.

Elias slowly drew blood. His movements were slow. He carefully applied a bandage to the wound. When he was about to pull away, he stopped. His eyes bored into yours.

He reached out, his fingers tracing the sharp corner of your jaw. The silence stretched.

Elias leaned closer, his hand shaking as he reached for the buttons of his lab coat. With a slow, deliberate movement, he unbuttoned them, parting the fabric to reveal the crisp white shirt underneath.

You weren't a monster. You were seen.

Elias took another step forward, towering over you. A strange light shone in his eyes.

Elias- You're beautiful.