Level Up

Chapter thirteen

lightly edited

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Chapter thirteen

Collette's POV

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13 dead, 408 left.

And that's just level 2.

I stare at the blank brown tiles as I feel my breakfast coming up my throat slowly. The trash bin is just to my right but I don't have the energy to reach out for it. Everything inside of me is crushing together in a mess. I have to tell Elliot about what happened last night--everything that happened last night.

There's a short, crisp knock at the door and I compose myself as best as possible. Elliot steps in without my consent but luckily I'm on my feet and all evidence of my distraught is down the drain. Literally.

"Collette," he gives a small smile, only the corners of his mouth moving, and he leads me out of the small bathroom, down the hallway, and back to Kael and his training room. I don't want to do this, I keep screaming internally but the hold Elliot has on my arm says differently. The second I let him know I'm afraid, I'll be reprimanded, and Elliot holds nothing back.

Elliot twists the knob and shoves the door open with his shoulder and practically throws me into the training room. I catch myself on my hands and knees and brush the dirt off onto my shirt. Elliot smiles distastefully at me when I scowl at him.

"Kael," Elliot doesn't look his way but eyes me down and pins me to my spot. I stand my ground but we both know it's a bluff. "I want you to turn off her fear. She has far too much of it and it's becoming a problem."

I wrench my arm from Elliot's hold and look to Kael pleadingly. This is going to hurt.

"Do whatever you need to. And as soon as she says she doesn't fear anymore, keep doing it. I'll be back later to check up on her."

"What exactly do you want me to do, Elliot?"

Elliot looks intrigued by the question and my throat fills with the recognizable bile once again. "She fears fear. She fears being hurt. Make her fear. Hurt her."

I gape at Elliot and throw the nearest thing in my reach at him which just so happens to be a side table with a few glittering knives on it. One of them land in his thigh and he deepens his gaze at me.

"Shall I work on your anger to? Or maybe your pain thresh hold?" Elliot holds out his hand for me and when I cross my arms he raises an eyebrow. "Ms. Gardener, make this easier on yourself," he commands and rips my arm away from my body.

"If I hear anything from you we're doing this again," he warns and tugs the blade free from his thigh. Without wiping it off, he makes a gash along my palm. I cringe and gasp as he makes the wound deeper than it needs to be. "See, Kael? We're breaking her. It's that easy."

I pull my hand back and slam the flooding wound against his temple. Though it hurts immensely, the resounding smack makes a grin on my face and blood splatters across his nose and drips on the mat floor.

"I'm not an animal for you to break, Elliot. And I'm starting to figure out why I turned on you last time," I growl angrily and everything in him stops completely.

"You're saying you want to leave me again?" Elliot grabs my neck and hauls me to his eye level. I scratch at his arm and knee his elbow but the second I clatter to the floor, Kael is on my and is pinning me down.

"Kael," I gulp down air as I try to rid myself of the uncomfortable feeling in my neck. I fight him off well for my size but there's no way I'll be able to stand up until he lets loose. "Kael, babe," I struggle beneath him and Elliot crouches beside my head.