The Peregrines

Chapter 13

Mr White gave me a stern look, and I shot one right back at him before Bekhir chimed in. "They aren't the ones you're looking for," Bekhir said.

"I think they are," said Mr White. "I think these are the very children we've been looking for. And furthermore, I think they spent last night in your camp."

"I told you, I've never seen them before."

"Good sir," I smiled, "Let's the idiotic man humiliate himself, obviously he doesn't see how stupid he is," I gave a sarcastic eye roll, indicating my lack of knowledge about the man standing in front of me. Timone nudged me in the side, silently telling me to be quiet with just a glance.

Mr White clicked his tongue disapprovingly, but he simply brushed off my comment, as if he could see right through the lies I was telling. "Gypsy, do you remember what I promised to do if I found out you were lying to me?" He pulled out a knife from his belt and placed it against Bekhir's cheek.

"That's right. I promised to cut your lying tongue out and feed it to my dog. And I always keep my promises."

Bekhir held Mr White's gaze without wavering, as the seconds ticked by in tense silence. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the knife. At last, Mr White's expression softened into a smile, and he straightened up, dispelling the tension.

"But," he said cheerily, "First things first!" He turned to face the soldiers who had escorted us. "Which of you has their bird?"

The soldiers glanced at each other. One shook his head, followed by another. "We didn't see it," said the one who'd taken us as a prisoner at the depot. "But what we do have is the daughter,"

He pushed me from behind, causing me to spin around. I was prepared to throw hands on him, but suddenly my wrist was seized by someone. I glanced over to see Mr White's hand gripping tightly, so I quickly pulled my arm away, freeing myself. "Don't touch me you twit!" I snapped.

"Well, you know the procedure, send her to the fortress," Mr White maintained unwavering eye contact as he spoke. Suddenly, multiple hands seized my arms and forcefully pulled me backwards. At that moment, I realized it was the opportune time to resist and fight back.

I glanced over at Emma and noticed that she didn't seem to be on board with the situation either. Right before she could attack the other wights, additional wights caught on and cornered her against the wall. She screamed for them to release her and struggled against the wights restraining her.

When they pulled me out of the shack and into the outside world, I attempted to use my peculiarity to assist me in the futile fight, but I lacked the energy to summon anything that could potentially aid my escape. My mind was blank, my emotions drained, and my body exhausted. It's apparent that I was in a predicament and that I was starting to run out of steam.

I didn't give up, I kept resisting as they tried to pull me towards their military-style vehicle. "Markus, taser her,"

"No!" I shouted loudly as I attempted to break free from their grasp before they could reach for a taser.

I witnessed a person leaping out of the car, pointing what looked like a gun in my direction, he yelled "TASER, TASER, TASER!" He squeezed the trigger and suddenly I felt a surge of electricity coursing through my body, causing my muscles to seize up. I collapsed to the ground, completely paralyzed.

"Get her in the van and take the barbs off," Someone snapped. I was lifted up by my arms and pulled into the car. They opened the back door and threw me inside, without any concern for my safety, not even considering the possibility of me landing on or near something made of metal.

I felt a sudden, intense tingling sensation in my arms that gave me the push I needed to get up instead of remaining on the ground. A figure appeared behind me, knelt down, pressed firmly on my back, and forced me to the floor. I then felt two painful pinches on my back before being lifted up and pushed onto a metal bench to sit. The figure then took out handcuffs from his belt and secured my hands to the bench.

"Don't try anything funny, I won't hesitate to use the stun gun on you," said the wight as he sat next to me.

Another person jumped into the back seat with us and shut the door after entering. "All set, we can leave now," he said.

As soon as the driver started the car, our journey began. I couldn't help but gaze out of the window, observing how the small shed that housed the peculiars and Gypsies I was familiar with was gradually shrinking in the distance.

"So, daughter, where's mommy at?" The person across from me cooed. I chose not to respond, I don't engage with those who believe they can talk down to me like a baby.

"He asked you a question," I felt a strong grip on my jaw from the person sitting next to me, forcing me to meet their gaze. "It would be polite if you answered him," He then turned my head towards the person sitting across from us. I quickly moved my head back and shook it, ensuring he couldn't hold onto my jaw any longer.

"So? Where's mommy," He asked the question again, causing a surge of irritation to build up inside me. Suddenly, I heard the familiar zapping noise right before I was hit with a jolt of electricity, leaving me completely drained of energy.

"Poke me one more time, I dare you!" I said as I focused on my breathing, trying to calm down after the shock so I could gather some negative energy to use against these wights.

"What are you gonna do about it, princess!" He gently touches my cheek with the taser gun. Afterwards, he thrusts the weapon into the spot where he initially shocked me the first time. I quickly bend over, shielding my hip with my arms to prevent any more harm.

The third poke was even more painful than the first one, causing me to let out a groan. However, I believe I have gathered the courage to react if he continues poking and prodding. I am thinking about swinging my legs off the bench and kicking this guy if necessary.

"I'll ask you one more time," He said in a threatening tone. He then took out a knife from his belt and aimed it right at my chest. "Where. Is. The. Bird!" I stared intensely at him, refusing to respond, which only seemed to anger him more. He then used the blade in his hand to stab my right arm, leaving it there without a second thought. The pain was unbearable, and I couldn't help but scream out loud.