Disclaimer: Inception does not belong to me. All readers and reviews appreciated, thank you!
Ariadne hurried down the corridor, tears blurring her vision. She needed to get away from here, from this place. Arthur's sneer was still imprinted on her mind.
Suddenly, she heard a bang. She shuddered. It sounded like flesh slamming into metal. Wrapping her sweater around herself more tightly, she hurried on. She didn't want to know. Arthur was just like all the others, just like her cousin. Feeling the tears well up again, she kept going.
"Pull them out!" Miles demanded, glaring at Saito. "Those are vulnerable children you have in there!"
Saito raised an eyebrow. "Children?"
"They're under 18," Miles said, his face white with anger. "They're too young to realise that its not real. They're too young to realise what's going on! You unfeeling bas-"
"Its not my fault," Saito said, coldly. "Its not me, Professor. This is Cobol's doing. They want a group of young people – young, unhappy people, with no family ties – to perform these operations for them."
Miles swallowed. "No family?" He looked at Saito. "First of all, Dom is my daughter's boyfriend. As far as I'm concerned, he is family."
"But his parents don't care." Saito looked at him. "As for Arthur's – they disowned him after he nearly killed that boy in the hallway. As for Eames, his mother rejected him. And Ariadne? Her parents think she's dangerously unstable. They don't care about their children."
"Neither do you," Miles said, his voice low. "You and Cobol just want to use them. How much are they paying you, Saito?"
Saito raised an eyebrow. "You don't need to know."
"Let me go back in there." Miles' voice was taught.
"No." Miles looked at him. "The only person I want to go in there now is Dom. Lets go and find him."
"You…think…you're…so …smart…think…you're…so…much…than…the…rest…of…us…" Eames' fist repeatedly tried to slam into Arthur's face. The smaller boy kept twisting and trying to dodge. Eames let out a howl of frustrated pain as his fist hit the floor.
"Eames!" Arthur roared. "Don't take the fact your mother hates you out on me!"
Eames paused, his fist drawn back. "What did you just say?"
"Don't take the fact your mother hates you out on me!" Arthur panted. He struggled as Eames' grip tightened on his arm.
"My mother…?" Eames' face darkened. "You little-"
Arthur dodged, letting Eames' fist his the floor. Pushing him away, he managed to scramble to his feet. Steadying himself, he began to run.
"Come here!" He heard Eames bellow, and swallowing, turned a corner. He ran down it, only to pause, and gasp with shock.
Ariadne kept going. She was starting to panic. She felt dizzy, and realised that the air was stiflingly warm. She suddenly spotted a classroom, and hurried to the door. Opening it, she peered inside.
When she saw who was in, she swallowed, and turned to leave. Only to find a hand grab at her back.
Arthur blinked, his jaw dropping.
"Mike," he said, trying to remain calm. "What are you doing here?"
"You mean what am I doing walking?" The other boy turned to him, and ugly look twisting his face. Coupled with his thick blonde hair, he was almost leonine looking. Arthur shuddered.
"Look, I know what I did was wrong, but-"
"Wrong?" The other boy exploded. "You grabbed me, and banged my head against the locker five times! Then you punched my face! Who would have thought a scrawny little faggot like you could do that, Ogilvie?"
"You deserved it," Arthur said, coldly. "After what you did to Lilanne."
"That slut?" Mike curled his lip. "Didn't you realise she was the school bike? That chick has been with every guy going. You can't blame me for wanting a piece of the action."
"You raped her," Arthur said, coldly.
"Ogilvie. Having sex with a girl on a date – even if she passed out – is not rape." He shrugged. "She was going to offer it, anyway. I took it. Should have asked, but still."
"She was my best friend."
"Should have guessed. Fags always have female friends."
Arthur walked towards him, and when he spoke, his voice was cold and soft. "I'm not gay. Hard for a thug like you to believe, but not every guy wants to hurt and humiliate someone just because she's female."
"No…" Mike sneered., "You just like them to feel sorry for you. Admit it, Artie. You loved seeing it daubed across your locker, didn't you? Made all the chicks feel sorry for you. Shame it didn't last."
Arthur's jaw tightened. "I'm not gay." His eyes narrowed. "I just don't believe that every woman wants me."
Mike took a step forward. "Why don't you admit it, Arthur?" His voice was cold. "You're just a little faggot."
Arthur lost patience. Walking forward, he grabbed Mike and pushed him up against the locker. "I'm warning you. Don't say that again."
Eames got up, his vision blurring slightly. Swallowing, he turned and began to walk.
"I'll find you, you little shit," he muttered under his breath.
Suddenly, he heard a scream from one of the classrooms. Puzzled, but also curious, he turned and began to walk towards it, wondering what he might find.
