Teeth »ᴄɵᴍᴘᴌᴇтᴇ«

TWENTY-ONE

TWENTY-ONE

I felt consciousness return slowly. And as it did, I became aware of the chains around my wrists and ankles. Moving from the uncomfortable position I'd been placed in, pain shot through me like nothing before. Darkness swept over.

The feeling of someone touching my lips pulled me into awareness. Wet. Water. I felt my tongue flick out to catch the drops of water that was being offered. I tried to move, tried to get more water. Thirsty, so thirsty. But movement made pain shot through me. Darkness covered me in a protective hold.

The pain of hunger in my stomach woke me to smelling food. Opening my eyes instead of moving, I looked over to see a male nīeten shield. Tawny ears poked out of long tawny coloured hair that had a reddish tint. By long, I meant that it reached the male's knees. As he was facing away from me, I could see his thick, tawny, tail that was darker at the tip. Puma, my mind whispered.

I watched as he turned to me, saw the pain in his blue eyes. I wanted to take his pain, but I knew that I couldn't take emotional pain.

I watched as he came over with the plate of food. As I couldn't move, I allowed him to feed me mash potato, baked beans, and a burger. As he fed me, he spoke quietly, so quietly that I had a hard time hearing.

"You're with the Tri-moon's. They've been keeping you under with... a drug that causes a slow death as long as it's injected regularly. But they've stopped because, apart for suffering in pain, it isn't working on you. If you can contact anyone on the outside, try."

Seconds later, a door opened and a man entered. His face and body clearly showed that he'd just come from battle, and I knew that he was a nīeten, his energy was still in the air. The man growled at the puma to leave, and the puma did so, quickly moving across to leave through the door the man had just entered through.

As soon as the door was closed, he turned and growled. "What are you? And don't bother lying."

When I didn't reply, a chain of metal energy and ice sliced across my skin. "What are you?" Again I didn't reply, and again, the ice chain of metal energy sliced across my skin. I whimpered. But I kept my mouth shut, knowing that them not knowing what I was, was an advantage for me. I hoped.

More slashes rained down. Bit, scratched, clawed at my skin until I felt fluids dribble down my legs and belly to hit the floor with a final drop. Only when I was on the brink of unconsciousness, did the winter chains stop.

Or so I thought.

Another hit. Hit across my already raw, bleeding belly. Hit me hard enough that darkness protected me from more. As the darkness took me, I hoped the puma didn't have to suffer the same. He wouldn't survive it.

The next time I woke, I woke, once again, to someone touching my lips gently. Flicking my tongue out to catch the drops of water, I opened my eyes. Everything blurred at first, but then, a few blinks later, I realised that it was the puma from before using his finger to spread water across my lips.

"Thank you." I tried to swallow with my dry throat, realising that my voice sounded hoarse after not having been used for... what day was it? With the amount of times that I'd awoken and fallen asleep, I couldn't figure out the time as their was no light other that the artificial light in the room. No windows, only the door which, by guessing, led to a windowless hallway as all the light out of the room seemed artificial as well.

I wasn't sure whether or not he heard me, but I licked my lips again and fell asleep instead of blackout for the first time in... in how many days?

"Val!" Zane's voice made me whip my head around.

"Zane?" I called back. And suddenly, I knew it was a dream, for two reasons. The first was when Zane appeared, walking towards me through a white fog. The second was when I saw that my body held no proof of the torment I had suffered. "What's going on?" I asked as I was pulled into a bear hug.

"Archie and Lucas told me they'd reached into what some nīeten could do with their bonds. They said that, some bonded could reach each other in their sleep. Oh my god, I never should have left you."

"It's not your fault, Zane," I said, pulling back, I cradled his face in my palms. "It was my fault for leaving the school when we were told not to."

He shook his head and pulled me close. Nuzzling his face in my hair. I wasn't sure how much longer past, but I felt a nudge. And it wasn't Zane. Gasping at the icy pain, I knew exactly what was happening.

"Val?"

"Got to go. Bye, Zane."

I looked up to see tormented, pain-filled blue eyes. It didn't look right. Those blue eyes should be happy, and filled with joy. And I was making him suffer.

"I'll find you, Val," Zane said, his voice filled with determination and steel. "If it's the last thing I ever do, I'll find you, Val."

Smiling, I returned to reality.

   

Vote? Comment? Thanks!