The Sacrifice [Undergoing Editing]

Chapter 52: So the Torture Begins (I Hate You, Cat-Boy)

I woke up with a pounding head, and an aching heart. My body felt numb, and slowly, feeling began to spread through my torso, to my limbs, ending at my fingers and toes. I got up slowly and eyed my shackled ankles. Why did it seem that bad things always happened to me, of all people? Why couldn’t someone else do it? Be prisoner, fight idiots, declare war... it was all too much for me to handle.

When I had had a home, before being Chosen, I’d had a friend. I knew that. I knew she was a very good friend, who I had been devastated to lose. I remember knowing that she had left me because of what had happened, because I was now entertainment, and not human. I knew I thought that I was then unworthy of her time by her standards. I laughed to myself as I remembered. What kind of a friend deems another unworthy of their time? What kind of a friend simply ignored someone who was scared, lonely, and hurting?

A terrible friend, I decided. That girl had been a terrible friend. And yet, some voice in the back of my mind whispered to me that maybe it was I  who had been a terrible friend. I frowned. I hadn’t decided to be Chosen. It didn’t matter anymore, though. What happened, happened and nothing would ever change that. Nothing would ever be the same between us, and secretly, I was grateful that I had forgotten this long lost friend of mine. Now it didn’t hurt anymore. It didn’t ache or make my stomach twist uncomfortably. It simply made me feel slightly disappointed.

I eyed my semi-new surroundings, the novelty of being here wearing off quickly. I needed to do something, anything to escape, but what could I possibly do? Aisu and the Pack were supposed to be coming here soon, but how soon? I hoped silently for the door to open, for anything so that I could formulate a plan. I eyed my shackles mischievously. They were metal, correct? Metal rusts, right? Rust crumbles, bends, weakens, am I wrong?

With the moisture from the high ceiling, I solidified it into chunks of ice that fell neatly around me, not shattering, melting, evaporating, or liquifying. I then melted them and had the ice coat the metal on all surfaces, including the little nooks and crannies. I tried to have it reform into ice, to split the metal, but all I got was weak groaning from the metal, who’s form didn’t whither, bend, or break. I then tried concentrating the water into a highly concentrated, pressurized stream of water that went back and forth, back and forth like a saw of water.

At first, the metal remained shiny, strong, and uncompromising. My energy wasn’t exactly at its peak, and I rested momentarily before repeating the process of “water-sawing”. After fifteen minutes, I saw a groove forming. A small smile made its way onto my face as I continued my work.

Half an hour in, I had a decent sized groove about a quarter of the way through the chains. I was almost giggling with glee and began to move the water faster and faster at increasingly higher speeds before the door opened. I froze with a twinge of horror before I allowed the water to dissipate into the air. “Snow? What are you doing?” Blaze asked, his forest colored eyes widening as he studied my groove-filled chains. “Oh.” He stated blandly.

He sat himself down next to me, the lumpy straw and cloth mattress giving a pained squeal beneath his weight as it dipped next to me. “Oh? Hello,  Blaze. Welcome to my humble abode in the land of prisoners.” I said with a snarky smile. “I hope you’ll excuse the furniture. I didn’t get to choose the decor.” Blaze gave me a half-amused, half-pitying smile. I glared at him. I hated pity. I didn’t need it.

“Snow... I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry. I never meant for this to happen! I thought at most they’d give you a beating like they used to do with me, but I guess I was wrong.” Blaze said sadly. I snarled at Blaze, resisting the urge to strangle him.

“A beating? They want me dead, Blaze. Nothing can save me from that! That’s why I was gone!” I hissed. “No matter. It’ll all be over soon, Blaze.” Blaze cast an accusatory glance in my direction.