~Chapter 4~

I finally woke up, having no idea how long I'd been asleep. At first I was groggy, but soon snapped completely awake. My chains were tight and I was pressed against the wall. I couldn't move my neck, so I looked around frantically with my eyes. There was still blood smeared onto the floor, the shapes of hand prints noticeable. The blood had gone from fresh red to hardened black. But that was all that was there. The baby was gone. If I could move my head, I would let it hang down. There were simply no words to describe how utterly disappointed I was with myself. And even there was a word, I wouldn't say it anyway. I was a failure. I didn't have the courage to talk to anyone anymore, I'd fallen for lies this whole time, and I'd failed as a mother. No, not a mother, I was a murderer! What did that poor little baby do to deserve death? It was completely innocent, the most innocent of all humanity, in fact, and I'd killed it!

I noticed the lights were on. I looked in the window, hoping that inside there, my baby was alive. Just because they didn't care about me didn't necessarily mean they didn't care about a newborn. Hopefully they'd saved it somehow. Maybe...maybe it was still living.

I squinted, trying to peer behind the plexiglass. There were definitely people behind there... My eyes widened as I saw my family. They were talking calmly to the researchers. I slowed my breathing and tried to listen in. Thankfully I didn't have to. One of the researchers accidentally pressed a button when he was leaning over and the speakers turned on, letting me hear everything they said.

"Oh, no, Mr. and Mrs. Parr, I assure you, your daughter is perfectly fine. Have a look," one of the researchers said.

He pressed a button and my chains were released. My shackles fell off. The weight that I'd grown used to feeling on my arms, legs, and neck was gone. It slid away with the chains. I smiled. I couldn't believe it...my parents had talked them into letting me go!

The researcher turned towards me and ask me to make a small force field. I didn't know what was going on, but I didn't think I had the strength to do that. After last night, or this morning, whichever, I was drained of just about all energy. But...if it got me out of here...I guess I could try... I summoned all the energy I had left and produced a very small force field. I couldn't make it very big, and I worked hard just to sustain this one for a few seconds. It dissipated and I bent over, panting.

My parents watched me closely.

"She looks really tired..." my mother said. "I think she should come home for awhile."

Yes, yes! I wanted to go home, I wanted to get out of here!

The researcher shook his head. "I'm afraid we can't let her go just yet. We still need to find out more about her powers. This information could save the innocent lives of millions."

I looked at Mom, silently pleading with her not to fall for his tricks. She frowned, but said, "Well...okay. As long as you promise to keep her comfortable. But bring her home as soon as you're through with your research."

The researcher smiled and nodded. "Absolutely, Mrs. Parr."

Suddenly I was back in chains, pressed against the wall again. My parents vanished in the blink of an eye and the precious energy I'd spent making that force field was restored. I fell for it again. Those people were so full of hatred and raw evil that it was overwhelming. Another simulation... Why did I keep believing it was all real? Yeah, it felt as real as real could be, but... I couldn't take another minute in this sick place. I was human too, they needed to treat me like one.

I closed my eyes and sighed. One of these days they would go too far. When that day came, I would either die or become so enraged that I would go on a rampage, leaving them to wind up dead. Well, not really. With these chains, damage-proof walls, and 24/7 surveillance, there was no way I would be able to do anything or go anywhere. Let alone go on a rampage...

"Alright." I heard a researcher's voice talk to me over the microphone. "It's time to talk."

I opened my eyes to look through the glass. It was slightly tinted, but I could still see clearly through it. I didn't know what they were talking about, and the voice I'd heard was too quick and drab to tell whether they were a man or a woman. What did they want me to do now? They said it was time to talk, but it would be nice if they could specify.

The voice cleared its throat and asked, "Who did you sleep with?" It was a man's voice.

Sleep with...? I knew he was asking because of the baby, but I wasn't sure if rape could be classified as sleeping with someone. If it could, then I certainly didn't want to sleep with him. And I really didn't have a choice anyway. If I told him I'd been raped by someone higher up in rank than he was, would he really believe me? Somehow I doubted it. He would think I was lying, he would think I was trying to avoid the question. Chances were, he would check the security cameras. And what do you know, he would find no evidence. "My" man always turned the cameras off before coming into the room. Therefore, I had no proof to back me up. I'd already lost everything to this place, what more could they take from me? My life? Let them, see if I cared. If my family hadn't already given up searching for me, then they would never find me. All my future held was more suffering. They would be doing me a favor by ending it.

But the worst part about this place wasn't any "testing". It was the fact that I couldn't afford to mourn over something, such as the loss of my own baby. I couldn't think about things, I was always too tired. I hardly had the time to worry about something, let alone fret over it. I had always been level-headed, but this was just crazy. I couldn't use my brain, the only thing I could do was rely on reflexes to shield myself from anything and everything they threw at me, be it mental or physical. To be perfectly honest, I liked the knives more than the lies.

"I said talk," he repeated.

What for? There was nothing else they could do to me. I had lost everything. I hadn't spoken to anyone since my first rape, and it would stay that way. I wouldn't give them any information, even if it was unimportant. They didn't deserve it! They didn't deserve my cooperation, my voice, or anything else. I could easily tell them the truth but it wasn't like they would believe me. And even if they did, they wouldn't care. They were nothing more than cold-blooded brutes, the so-called "humans" at the lowest of levels. Serial killers, terrorists, and suicide bombers were better than these "people". I had every right to hate them.

"Who did you sleep with, who was the father of that child?" he continued.

I simply let him yammer on, furious with me for not answering. I didn't care what he said. I was no longer afraid to die. There was nothing left for them to do to me. They had nothing left to threaten me with, nothing to make me say a single word. And bribery wouldn't work. They could let me out of these chains, let me out of the facility itself! But I still wouldn't talk. A bribe from them was just another trick. They would never let me go. I understood that now, after all those simulations of me being free.

I wasn't really listening to him until they brought in a chair. Tied to the chair with chains similar to mine was a little boy with blonde hair and familiar eyes. My eyes widened. They got Dash.

A tile of the floor lifted to reveal a contraption that looked exactly like a big, powerful gun. Its nozzle was pointed toward Dash's head, and it was perfect height with his temple. They were going to kill my little brother.

I glared at the person behind the plexiglass. I'd underestimated them. Just when I thought nothing could be used against me, they had found and captured Dash. I wanted him to run away and stay hidden. I'd shown them just how important he was to me. I never thought that would be my biggest mistake. I never thought that would put his life in danger.

My chains slackened, and I could finally move around. "Now...talk," the man said. His voice was calm. He knew he had me cornered. He knew he'd left me with two choices, to talk and let my brother live, or to stay quiet and let my brother die. If I told him the truth, he wouldn't believe me and he would kill Dash. If I stayed quiet, he would get angry and kill Dash. It was a lose-lose situation...

Talking was the only chance I had. "I don't know his name."

"Violet, what's going on?" Dash whimpered.

I could only look at him and smile, trying to assure him that everything was fine. But we both knew what was going to happen. At least Dash would see a smile before he died...even if it was a fake one.

The speakers stayed quiet for a minute. The man behind the window seemed to be mulling everything over, wondering whether I was telling the truth or not. I took the opportunity to run to Dash, but once more, the chains held me back. The chain around my neck caught and I gagged before taking a step back. The limit of my chains wasn't enough for me to be able to reach dash. I could create a force field around him to protect him from the gun, but what good would that do? I was tired, far too drained to make the force field last long. At most, I could probably make it last only thirty seconds. It was nowhere near enough time for Dash to figure out a way to escape.

"Alright," the voice said. "I've decided that it's understandable if you don't know his name. What does he look like?"

I didn't hesitate to answer. I'd seen him so many times I'd caught every little detail. "He's tall, he's got short brown hair, and brown eyes."

He turned away from the glass to check something on his computer. It didn't take him long to reply, "There's a lot of people like that." He turned his attention back to me. "Why did you sleep with him?"

I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to be raped, I didn't ask to be raped. I still couldn't figure out if that even qualified as sleeping with someone. I didn't know why it happened, or what I did to deserve it. All I knew was that it hurt, and I would rather die than go through it again. Despite the little knowledge I had, I couldn't stand there and say I didn't know. It was hard, being raped. It was harder to think about it. It was even harder to talk about it. I already had tears forming at the edges of my eyes. They were heavy, right about to trickle down my face. I couldn't say it wasn't my fault, they would never believe that. But how could I come up with something they would believe before they killed my brother? The clock was already ticking for Dash, I had to answer soon or else he was done for. But what answer?

"I'm waiting..." the man said.

I had to answer, and I had to answer now. "I...I didn't want to."

"What do you mean 'you didn't want to'?" he asked.

I heard the gun click as it was getting ready to fire. I tried to tell him, I really did, but the words...they just wouldn't come out. Even as my little brother's life was at stake, I couldn't say the one thing that had a chance at saving his life. The tears were really coming now. They were cascading down my face, fueled by every emotion in the book. And I didn't mean the good ones.

I forced myself to say it. "I was-"

Bang.

Blood splattered on me. My mouth dropped and my eyes widened. I shook my head. It had to be a hologram, or another simulation...or something... It couldn't be real. Dash wasn't sitting lifelessly in the chair. He hadn't really died. There wasn't blood everywhere. I wasn't mouthing the word "no" right now. I wasn't crying my heart out for him. I wasn't trying to believe it was another trick.

The gunshot resounded throughout the room, and the horrible smell of gunpowder wafted around me. Just when I thought I had nothing left to lose...I'd lost the most important thing. I underestimated them. If this was what I was going through, I couldn't imagine what Dash had undergone. I didn't think they could go any lower...but I was proven horribly wrong.

Another man came in and took my little brother away. I would never see Dash again.

A/N

You might be wondering how this is building up to the climax of the story. Well, it is, and I've got a plan for this story. This chapter actually has a lot to do with the story, and you'll see how later on.

Can I just say OH MY GOSH! 42 REVIEWS? OH THANK YOU GUYS SO SO SO MUCH! :'D You don't know how much this means to me...

I guess this time I'll ask for fifty-two (52) reviews. I don't think it's too much considering how many reviews I you gave me in the last chapter.

Alright, time for your review replies:

Samtastic- No, the woman wasn't her descendant. She was just a researcher. My idea was for Violet to have a miscarriage, but I wasn't sure if I should put that in. When Andy was talking about her descendants, I decided to put it in. She didn't have proper treatment, so the baby didn't live. Well, no, the woman was more curious than anything else. I guess I didn't make that very clear.

Andy Nonomous- No, the baby died because Violet's body couldn't support it anymore, and she'd given birth too early. The baby didn't survive. And no, it won't be revived or anything, it's dead. And I never said anything about having her grandkids coming back from the future to save her, I only said that your idea pushed me to put my idea in.

Katie- No, it's alright. :) People have questions, so it's fine. Besides, he wasn't the only one confused about the whole miscarriage scene. And thank you, I just might do that. ;P

mrgirmjaw- XD Now that was funny!

Dusiza Faaknaam- Because she thinks Violet slept with someone, and she doesn't know about the rape, remember? She also had no clue Violet was pregnant (heck, Violet herself had no clue). Don't worry, I have this story all planned out, aside from a few scenes near the end, of which I'm still trying to decide which ideas to use, and which ideas to dump. Just wait, you'll see how this turns out. It'll be pretty interesting (from my perspective anyway).

PlasticPencils- Wow, someone's really getting into this story. :P

Hazel Blue Mystery- Don't worry, I've got this planned out. Except for a few scenes near the end.

HandmadeVeggies- Thanks, I worked FOREVER on that trailer! I've actually finished up another one and I'm also currently working on another one, so updates will be a little slower than normal.

Supreme23614- Thank you, and actually busylizzie is really starting to annoy me. :/ I mean, who keeps reading a story they don't like? And thanks again, that comment is much appreciated. :)

a person- I KNEW IT! :D And I spell your name with a "K" anyway. Besides, it's cuter and it doesn't take up as much space when I'm texting you. Also, are really that lazy that you won't log in?

Animalistic Ballistic- Muahahaha! Gotta love those darn cliffies. ;D

busylizzie- You obviously don't like my story, so please stop reading it. You're really starting to bug me and if don't stop insulting this story I will remove each and every review you post. And don't say it's not an insult, because calling my story a dirty brick in the wall of messed up Disney movies is very much an insult. And while America is a free country, some things are left better unsaid. So I will ask you one more time to stop reading this story and ultimately to stop reviewing this story. Oh, and about the depressed part? It's apparent that you haven't lived the rough past I did. I went through horrible emotional trauma and now I channel my pain into my stories, so until you've been traumatized for life, I suggest you try to think about what others have been through, and even if we ARE depressed, did you ever stop to consider that there's a REASON? And if you must know, my past was so terrible that I've done horrible things to myself, and I won't say what but you need to be more considerate of other people.

NoahsAnarchy- Thank you. :) And if you've read my reply to busylizzie, I'm not lying when I say that my past has made me...different. I don't hold back when writing anymore, and I've discovered that it makes my stories interesting and apparently appeals to a wide crowd of people. The secret to feeling Violet's pain is simply channeling your own pain through the main character, which in this case is Violet. And I'm sorry that' bugging you. The reason they all "test" on her without feeling is because they're researchers, and therefore they're serious and not all that compassionate. And I know you aren't insulting the story. In fact, I thank you for your critique. :) It lets me know how you're feeling about the story.

spellzit- Wow, looks like you've been binge-reading in one night. You also seem to be pretty worked up about this, but I've got this story planned out.