Rina huffed as she tried to tie her hair back, the short knotted mess of tangled black locks bothering her ever since that morning. Both the boys were gone, a guard having taken them out, and for a brief moment, she missed their presence in the empty cell. Giving up, she let her arms flop at her sides, leaning back.
What occurred a few days back still played on her mind, goosebumps erupting on her skin as she vividly recalled the memories of the incident.
When she woke up, the chip installed by the switch was gone, both Lucas and Mark apologizing for startling her like that, making excuses as to why they had a needle in their hand.
She didn't listen.
She had known from day one that something was off about them, not that it required any sort of commendable intelligence and deductive skills. The weird thing about them was their normalcy, how they acted like regular kids.
But they weren't, were they? They were twisted lies under tanned skin, shining eyes that blatantly hid secrets. Did she even want to search for them in those 'windows of the soul'?
"Hey, pup." Donghyuck's voice startled her, making her flinch and whip her head to the golden haired boy who stood outside the cell, smiling fondly at her.
"You've been sighing for quite a while now. What's wrong?" He asked softly, concern evident in his hazel orbs.
It just wasn't fair, Rina concluded as she shook her head, how beautiful some people were.
"Want me to tie your hair for you? It looks like a mess." He asked, a teasing smile on his lips. The corners of her mouth were pulled upwards as she nodded, watching him enter the cell and gesture for her to sit on the lower bed of the two.
She complied, bringing down her paper and pen as well. He silently got to work, adjusting the back of her loose jumpsuit slightly to push away the tangled strands of her raven black hair, fingers combing through the locks gently.
She smiled, peace settling in the cell as he began to hum softly under his breath.
An expected friendship blossoming from two very different sides of a barred cell surprised the both of them. It was even harder to maintain, Donghyuck having seen her one day when he was a new guard, and then having to make it not seem suspicious when he snuck away to check on her.
Over the course of the years, the number of soft, calm moments she'd stolen with the boy who's fingers were running through her hair all fit on one palm, being so few in number.
But a handful was enough to define a friendship - loving, caring, fun.
He'd make her laugh, bring her small gifts he'd get from outside. Jeno would take her out and talk to her, even if she couldn't reply.
The guards sometimes came down to the third floor to gossip, sometimes paying little regard to her existence, sometimes ragging her knowing full well she couldn't retaliate neither with tongue nor fist.
She concluded her dull life was worth living for, if she could see Hyuck and Jeno smile when she finally had funny stories to tell of what the other guards whispered.
A faint sense of security spread through her, and she was happy. Until his next words.
"Pup, what happened?" Donghyuck asked. She tensed, sensing the shift in his tone, and raised her fingers to where his own were brushing against her slightly exposed skin.
She pressed her fingers down, flinching slightly as a small amount of pain coursed out from the area." Did they," She turned to him, watching as his eyes darkened. "Did they do something to you?" He asked, voice lowering dangerously.
She shook her head frantically, picking up the paper and beginning to scribble away, letting the ink twist and turn to create a comforting lie, because they did attempt to do something to her, but Donghyuck didn't need to know that. He worried about her too much for his won well being as it was.
I slipped, and my back hit the edge of the bed. She gave him a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of her neck as if she was embarrassed. He was quiet, perhaps knowing she was lying but believing it anyways.
But she knew the images of the fresh purple bruises would stay in his mind for a while, so as he got back to combing her hair, she wrote down a request. Tell me how you came here, Hyuck.
He frowned, before giving her a cheeky smile. "Walking, of course." He grinned. She rolled her eyes, wacking his arm lightly. You know that's not what I mean. I want to know how you became a guard. She wrote in reply.
"I've told you before, though." He said. "Aren't you bored of it by now?" She shook her head in disagreement, looking at him pleadingly.
He sighed, before saying, "Alright."
"So, you know how there were eight bosses, right?" He asked, groaning softly as she shook her head once again. "Why are you doing this to me?" He grumbled. Don't you love me enough to do it? She asked, drawing her lips into a pout.
"I love you enough to do a lot of things." He mumbled, her ears picking up on the faint words mumbled. She tilted her head to side, questioning him.
His ears turned a light shade of red, shaking his head. "Turn back so I can do your hair," He said, turning her head forcefully. A smile wormed itself on her face, laughing silently to herself before Donghyuck began.
"Okay, so before Limitless, the capital and where most of the people lived, where most of the work was done was Neo City. Now most of the bigger businesses switched to Limitless, and Neo City is just that, a plain city where people live." Rina nodded, slightly grimacing at his story telling skills but deciding it was better not to comment on it.
"There were eight companies that were in the lead of changing the world at that time. They had tied with practically every sector useful to humanity, especially with technology. They were powerful and they knew it. So the eight of them merged together, and formed one big company."
"The eight leaders, they were called the Bosses. And by tradition, each Boss had to pick a partner, or a right hand man. My dad was a Boss' partner. They took over, creating a new system and crushing anything the Capital could do, creating their own city, Limitless."
"But with that many people," Donghyuck sighed. "Something was bound to go wrong. One day, seven of the Bosses just disappeared. The eighth one, the King, took in all those who'd been left behind and made himself the ruler."
"And here we are, thirteen years later." He turned her around, biting his lip in concentration as he leaned forward slightly, adjusting a few stray strands of her hair, before smiling in satisfaction. "There." He said softly, eyes dropping down to meet hers.
She was pretty sure her heart stopped in that moment.
Even in the dim light of the cell, his tan complexion seemed to glow, hazel eyes staring into her own. He was so close, she could've counted every eyelash that framed his almond shaped eyes. Her breathing was shallow, as she stared back up at him wide eyed.
He was beautiful.
His eyes dropped down to her lips, and he swallowed. In that moment, she didn't know what she wanted, whether it was right to have the urge to make their lips meet or to pull away.
He made the decision for her, clearing his throat and standing up straight, the tension still thick in the air.
"So yeah, here I am." He said lamely, shrugging. What was it like, working with a Boss? She asked after a pause.
He frowned as he read the question, before answering. "I didn't directly work with the Boss, dummy." He rolled his eyes. "But I was pretty close with his son. I was one of the candidates for being his partner in the future, but I was only six at time."
Were you close with him? Rina asked, eyes widening in awe. A sad smile stole over the bored expression Donghyuck had on, his eyes becoming unfocused. "Very." He replied. "He gave me a nickname, you know?" He paused for a second, before uttering the word. "Haechan."
Rina smiled, finding the name to be very pretty. Fullsun, she wrote. Suits you.
"I know, I am a very bright person." Donghyuck said, putting on an air of arrogance, making Rina grin and shake her head.
Do you miss him? She asked. "I don't remember as much as I would like to about him." He told her truthfully. "But he was my best friend, so yeah. Sometimes I do."
It was quite in the cell for a while after that, the two of them sitting in a comfortable silence, before a clanging of a bell resounded throughout the prison. Donghyuck flinched, Rina pouting. Do you have to go, now? She wrote sadly.
He stared at the words for a few seconds, before looking up at her sorrowfully. "No, pup." He said softly. "I actually came here to tell you that you're being shifted to the Second Level of the Prison."
Her jaw dropped, an unknown feeling on elation surging through her veins as her hands flew up to cover her mouth in shock.
"Looks like whatever punishment you have is finally getting lessened." He said, almost sadly.
"All three of you are going to be moved out of here. In fact, Lucas and Mark should already be in their cell by now." He stood up, offering her his hand.
She motioned for him to wait, scrambling up the ladder, nearly slipping as she reached out and stuck her hand under her pillow, fingers clasping around a small hair clip he'd gifted her once.
When he saw what she was carrying with her, he beamed, fingers circling her wrist.
A soft feeling of gratefulness overwhelmed Rina as Donghyuck led her out of the cell, making her lean forward and kiss his cheek. The golden haired man jumped slightly, eyes widening.
Thank you, she mouthed. His eyes turned downcast, but he forced a smile on. "I won't see you that often anymore, but I'll try to visit, yeah?" She nodded in agreement, sending him a sweet smile as they made their way up.
Just maybe, she hoped, maybe the King was taking mercy on her. If she was lucky, she could be moving up to the First Floor, and then if he thought she was worthy enough, she'd be set free.
Letting out a breath from her mouth, she waves at Donghyuck as he shut the cell door behind her. He gave a sad smile, before walking away, disgust coursing through his mind.
Disgust directed towards himself, for feeling upset at the progress that Rina had just made. A small step towards her freedom.
But he knew it came at the cost of not being able to see her as often anymore.
After being with her for so long, he couldn't imagine that. He never got to tell her anything that he wanted to, always being too afraid of what would follow if he confessed. So he kept his secret tightly sealed, lips sewed together on the topic of love.
He passed the line of prisoners making their way back to the cells from the courtyard, ignoring the death glares and mildly irritating stares he got, until he made eye contact with the newest additions to the line.
Walking so close he purposely bumped shoulders with Mark, he whispered, "Take care of her." He watched as Mark turned back, giving him a surprised but firm nod, with Lucas giving the two of them a weird stare. He frowned, once again feeling a swooping sense of familiarity he always got when it to the curly, brown haired male.
But he shrugged, going on past the cells, for once thanking the stars that Rina had the bad luck of being stuck with those two men as cell mates once again.
But just in case, he thought as he bit his lip, a bad habit he picked up from the very girl he was so worried about. Perhaps it'd be better if he looked up something about Lucas and Mark.
It wouldn't hurt to know what they could be capable of.
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Author's Note
Hey, everyone! Thank you to whoever reads this story, it really means a lot. I know it's not the best out there, but I am trying my best to make it as interesting as possible! I've also entered the Wattys, so if you all could help me win, that'd be great XD (like I said, there are way better stories out there, but it doesn't hurt to try!)
Anyways, do vote and comment, tell me what you like about the story and what you don't, what I could improve on. Constructive criticism is always welcome.
Loads of love,
Addz