The Necklace
Featuring songs...
"Tomorrow" by Avril Lavigne
"Tourniquet" by
Evanescence
"Everything's OK" by Hazie
"In The End" by Hazie
"Thirty Minutes" by t.A.T.u.
"Imaginary" by Evanescence
"My Immortal" by Evanescence
"Give Unto Me" by Evanescence
The doorbell rang. The sound echoed through my small house. I raced downstairs and opened the door. A short boy about the age of ten was standing there, with long black hair and a sober look on his face.
I summoned him in. He always came to me with his troubles. And his messages from his brother.
We sat down on the khaki couch, as we always did, and he leaned against my shoulder and sighed heavily. "Hey."
I stroked his hair. "You got something to tell me?"
The kid nodded. "My brother wants to see you. He says he has something very important to talk to you about, and it's something I cannot know and only you and him can know. When I asked it what it was, he threw me against the wall."
I was startled. His brother loved him more than anything in the world. And he told him everything. Even some things that he didn't tell me.
My boyfriend walked in on us. "Hey, Locus. Mokuba coming to see you again?"
I nodded and held Mokuba close to me. "Yugi, I am kind of busy right now. I need to go to Seto's office. I'll be back as soon as I can."
Yugi nodded, looking confused. "Alright. But I expect you back in a couple of hours."
"That's okay," I said. "That's all the time we'll need, I think. Oh, and Mokuba is staying with us tonight."
As I walked out the door, Mokuba looked up at me with shining eyes. "Really?"
"Sure, kid," I said, ruffling his hair. "Anything for you."
He smiled up at me. I beamed. It was nice to have someone that looked up to you.
But I didn't know that I would be gone for a lot more than a couple of hours.
About twenty minutes later, we entered the city. I could see the Kaiba Corp. building sticking up above the others in the big city. I had a feeling that I was being followed, but I didn't see anyone when I turned around.
"Mokuba," I said slowly. "Is there anyone else here with us?"
Mokuba shook his head. "Not that I know of."
"Anyway, you have to tell me some more, please. Did you hear your brother say anything about what he was talking about, or anything at all?"
Mokuba shook his head, making his long hair fly all over the place. "Nothing at all. He just said he needed to talk to you urgently."
We didn't talk much the rest of the walk there. It didn't take long to reach the building. I punched in the code to get into the building, then started up the long elevator to Seto Kaiba's office on the top floor.
Though I normally didn't like elevators, I made an exception to this one. It was made of glass, and you could see throughout the whole town.
A small 'ding' told me we were at the top of the tower. I stepped out of the elevator and into the highly organized, almost blank room, except for two men guarding the door into the office.
They recognized me immediately, but did not let me in off the bat. "Master Mokuba," one of them said. "Did your brother send for her or is she on a social visit?"
This question always bugged me. I never came to see Seto Kaiba on social terms. The only reasons I ever came to Kaiba Corp. was to talk something over with Seto or to come pick up Mokuba for some fun little treat. Mokuba was like my pet. He followed me everywhere and I loved him like he was my little brother instead of Seto's.
"Seto sent for her," said Mokuba.
The guards opened the doors and escorted me into the office.
Seto Kaiba's eyes pierced the darkness inside the room. Slowly he left his seat at his huge computer and walked over to me. "Thank you. You are dismissed," he said to the guards, as if they were his personal slaves. But before they left, they added, "Please do not let Mokuba hear what we are saying."
They left.
Once the door closed, Seto let out a long breath, as if he had been holding it for a very long time. "I have something to tell you," he said solemnly.
"So I've heard."
"Do you know that necklace that Mokie always wears?"
I nodded. I knew the one he was talking about. Mokuba always wore a necklace with a golden duelist card on it. Open it up and there was a picture of his brother.
"It is infused with some sort of magical energy, somewhat like the Millennium Items. And I am using the energies for a secret project. But someone is after it. He only goes by the name of Volton. And he will do anything to get his hands on that necklace. You must not give the secrets of the necklace to him."
I was confused. "But what are the secrets of the necklace?"
"I'm getting there," said Seto. "It is able to free people from the state of mind slaving. It can also, if placed in the wrong hands, give the power to rule the entire world. You are able to do this by chanting the name of the Chosen One and staring deep into the card. Locus, you must not tell anyone. Even Mokuba. Do you promise me this?"
I nodded. "I promise."
"Now," Seto told me slowly. "It may be hard. But you must keep your promise."
I didn't know what he meant by that.
Seto walked back over to his computer and sat down in his chair. He began to work again.
I knew what that meant. I was dismissed.
I exited. Then I turned to the guards, but to my surprise there was only one. "Please tell Master Seto that Mokuba will be staying with Locus Bashea tonight."
The guard nodded, and added, "You will find Master Mokuba on the second floor."
I thanked him and got back in the elevator, making sure to stop by the second floor.
Ding.
I stepped off the elevator and looked around me. I had never been on the second floor before. It looked similar to the top floor where Kaiba worked, but without the guards. There was someone there though, someone in a small window, similar to those in a doctor's office when you come in to check in a patient. She was a young girl about my age, with long brown hair and a gentle face.
"Are you Miss, uh, Banshee?" asked the girl.
I nodded. "I have come to fetch Mokuba."
The girl smiled and indicated the back door.
I turned the knob and entered the room. There was a desk in the corner, and a shelf on the other side, facing the desk. It looked comfy- cozy, unlike Kaiba's large computer room.
Mokuba and the *other* guard were sitting at the desk. When Mokuba saw me, he bounced up out of the seat. "Ready?"
The guard slumped down in the chair. "I'm exhausted. I've never taken care of a kid before. I don't even know what's going on!"
I smiled. Mokuba had probably been bothering him about what Seto Kaiba and I had been talking about upstairs. Personally I didn't think it was that serious. Real people never get captured or anything like that. That kind of thing only happened in cartoons. Or stories. I laughed at the impossibility.
"Oh, it's raining!" I cried when we stepped outside.
"Why don't we get a taxi?" asked Mokuba.
I smiled. "Good idea." I put my coat around him, to keep him from getting wet, and stood at the side of the road. "Taxi!" I called. "Taxi!"
Mokuba decided to help. "Taxi! We need one. We're waiting..."
I laughed quietly and pushed him lightly. He pretended to be mad and pushed me back.
And then up drove a taxi.
We got inside of the car and closed the door. "How much will it cost us to get down to Westlock?"
"I do it for free," rasped the taxi driver. "Because we're not going to Westlock."
Confused, I asked, "Where are we going?" (I know, I can be kind of slow sometimes.)
Mokuba tapped my shoulder. "I think we're in trouble, Locus."
I nodded. "Where are we going?" I asked again.
"We are going to my headquarters, Miss Banshee."
I gasped in horror. "How did you know who I am?"
The taxi driver chuckled. "I have known who you are. I have seen you before, though you may not have seen me. "
My eyes narrowed as I realized who I was talking to. "Volton!"
Volton nodded. "Yes. Very good."
Mokuba looked up at me. "Who is Volton?"
"A bad guy," I told him simply.
"And I am going to get the information out of you two. I promise you that." Volton laughed. Then he pressed a button, and I smelled something strange.
Then I blacked out.
When I came to, I was sitting in a small cell that looked like a prison cell. It was damp, gray, and stony, and smelled like mildew.
I looked around me and saw two small cots in the corner near some chains and an unusual looking table that was undoubtedly used to set food on.
Mokuba was sitting huddled in the corner, shivering. It was then I realized I was freezing cold.
He smiled when he saw me. "Hey."
I smiled back grimly and fetched a blanket from the bed. His shivering slowed. "Better?"
He nodded slowly. "Locus. Why are we here?"
"I don't know," I told him, though I think he knew very well that I knew why we were here.
"I want to go home." he stood up and walked over to one of the cots, where he sat down.
I sat down next to him and put my arm around him. "I know. So do I. But we'll just have to wait it out, won't we?"
"Uh-huh."
Two men who needed a shave walked in front of our cell. "Hey. Bitch is awake. Time to take them to the boss."
I stood up. "What do you mean?" My face was red from the word they had used.
"We mean that Volton needs to see you two."
"Why?" I asked coldly, standing up straighter.
One of the men laughed. "Ooo, she thinks she's dignified. Like she's worth something." The other man joined in his laughter. My blood boiled.
"Come on kids," said the other guy. He opened the gate to the cell and grabbed our arms as so we could not get away. Not like we could, anyway. We wouldn't know where we were going.
As he led us down the hall, Mokuba looked up with his eyes shining with tears wanting to come out. "I'm scared, Locus."
"I know," I replied understandingly. I reached out to him with my free hand, as to put my arm around him, but one of the men slapped it, and I quickly brought it back to its place.
The room we entered was dimly lit. We couldn't see much of anything there, except for a small light on the opposing wall. There in the shadows was a figure of a man. Volton.
He stepped into view and smiled, revealing many missing teeth. "Thank you Hench. Ratear. You may go now." 'My' man let go of my arm and walked back out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Mokuba and I were alone in the room with Volton. I felt a hot fear coming from deep inside of me.
"You both know why you have been brought here," he said coldly. I didn't think it was a god time to tell him that Mokuba knew nothing, so I kept my mouth shut, and so did he.
"There is some information you hold that I will have," said Volton. "I promise you, I will have it in time."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"I mean that I will force the information out of you, if I have to."
"How?" asked Mokuba meekly.
"By means of this," Volton thundered, and suddenly the room lit up. I shaded my eyes, not used to the brightness.
When my eyes adjusted, I gasped at the sight that surrounded me.
Metal contraptions stood all around the room. Chains, knives, and many other items I did not recognize came into view. So did some machine on the cieling that emitted tiny electric shocks every few seconds. Below it was a table that held a person down. Sharp objects were everywhere, and there was even a casket-looking thing that I knew was an iron maiden.
"That is how I shall get the information out of you two," laughed Volton.
"Now," he continued. "We shall begin extracting the information from you tomorrow. Right now, you have something else I want."
Volton whistled, and his two men came back in. They also had to shade their eyes from the blinding light.
"Ratear, you are dismissed. Hench, stay right here. Find their names for me. I have to, uh, *tend* to the other guests."
Hench nodded, and Ratear and Volton exited the room.
Hench took my hand and led me to one of the strange looking platforms. "Lay down."
I looked and didn't see anything that looked dangerous, but this was a torture chamber and I had to watch myself. "No."
"Lay down," he barked, and threw himself on top of me, pressing me down firmly to the platform, where I was immediately strapped down. "I need your name. I can't keep calling you bitch."
"You will not have it."
Hench smiled. His smile was almost purely gold. "Oh, I'll have it alright." His eyes began to glow, and I could feel my arm twisting. You could almost hear the bones splintering. I grimaced, but did not cry out. I wouldn't give him satisfaction.
He looked at me mockingly. "I could do this all night, girl. Now what is your name?" My arm twisted further, and I had to clench my teeth. I looked over at Mokuba. He was deathly pale and looked like he was about to pass out.
"Give me the name, or your little friend gets it!" Hench raised a whip.
"L-Locus..."
He grinned. "Very nice. Now how about your friend. Who is he?"
"Don't tell him, Locus!" Mokuba cried, but Hench raised his whip again, and the boy shrank back in fright.
"Mokuba."
Volton stepped back inside. "I know who the kid is, you imbecile! I just need to know about the girl."
"Yes, Master." Hench stepped backwards and did a kind of half-bow. It was disgusting how he almost worshiped him.
"Put them in Cell Eighteen," said Volton.
"Yes, Master."
Hench grabbed the collar of my shirt and threw me into the grimy cell. It looked a lot like the one we had been in before, but not as cold. I didn't know if I had gotten used to the cold or if this cell was slightly warmer.
I winced as my arm hit the ground.
Hench saw it and said a few words, and the pain lingered, but I could feel the bones inside reassemble themselves, and all that was left was a small throb.
I looked over at Mokuba. I was glad they hadn't harmed him in any way. I hoped they wouldn't. He was only a defenseless little kid. They couldn't hurt him, could they?
Tears were streaming from his eyes. "I *really* want to go home, Locus," he said, between sobs.
"I know," I whispered, pulling him close to me. "So do I. But we'll ride it out, won't we? We'll ride it out." And I said that over and over, rocking back and forth, until he fell asleep.
I lifted him off the cold, damp floor and into the cot. I stood back and looked at him. He looked so much younger when he was asleep. Tears welled up in my own eyes, in worry for him. I loved him like a brother, and if anything happened to him...
I couldn't bear to think about it. So I got into the other cot. I didn't know what time it was. I didn't care. But I fell asleep quickly, despite everything that was on my mind.
"Grub's ready!" Hench yelled from outside the cell, and I heard the sound of plastic on rock. I looked up and blinked, letting my eyes adjust. I saw a bowl full of something I had never seen before. I also noticed the cell bars were open.
Hench was standing outside waiting. "Well, come on then!" he said.
Confused, I asked, "Come where?"
Hench looked genuinely startled. "Volton didn't tell you? We aren't all evil here. We let you socialize with the other prisoners. You should know that."
"Why are they here?" And another thing, I asked myself. Why bother to slide the bowl into our room if we are not going to eat in here anyway? Talk about pointless.
"Confidential reasons. Mostly secrets we *need* to know," he replied.
"Oh."
"Now I shall cuff you," he said, "as so you may not get away."
I got out of bed and obediently held out my hands. He placed metal cuffs upon them and secured them, then motioned to the other bed. "What about your friend?"
I looked back and saw that Mokuba was still asleep.
"Why can't we just let him sleep?" I asked. "He is so young."
"Because we have rules here," Hench growled. "Now come on, we don't have all day, if you don't hurry you won't have breakfast at all."
I had to practically beg Hench to bend the rules by removing my handcuffs and letting me carry the sleeping kid into the place they called the 'café.' In it were a bunch of people eating the strange porridge-like substance in all the bowls. I took a seat next to another young boy around Mokuba's age, with flourescent teal hair. He scooted away when he saw me, as if he was afraid.
An older girl sitting across from me smiled. I noted she wore lots of bracelets with spikes and studs, and her hair was short and had random pink and blue streaks in it. She held out her hand, and I saw her arm was covered in marks that looked like whip wounds. "Hello, are you new around here? Name's Day Tripper. Or at least that's what they call me. My friends, I mean."
I shook her hand. "Locus of the Banshees. And this is Mokuba," I said, indicating the kid next to me, who was just beginning to sit up and rub his eyes.
"G'morning, Locus," said Mokuba, yawning. "I'm hungry."
"Hey, Mokuba," I replied. "We're at the café."
"Oh." He was still half asleep.
"Hey..." I said to Day Tripper, remembering. "Who was that kid who scooted away from me when he saw me?"
Day Tripper motioned her hand as if it was nothing. "Oh, that's Tenchi. He doesn't trust anybody. He never talks. I think he's kind of mentally challenged or something like that. Or just shy. Nobody knows him well enough to find out."
I shrugged. Not like I didn't care, but I wasn't sure what else to do.
"What do they call this stuff?" I asked, taking a large bite of my 'porridge.'
"I'm not really sure," said Day Tripper. "The men call it wheat-meal, but I think there is something else in it. It slowly kills you. You don't know when it's coming, though. And you can't tell either."
I almost spit it out. "Why do you think that?"
Day Tripper laughed. "I didn't mean to frighten you. It's a rumor that's been going around for some time. I have no clue if it's true or not. Most people think that it was just started to scare the new prisoners."
I looked over at Mokuba. He didn't seem to care. He was so hungry that he was taking large bites out of his bowl. But he didn't seem worried anymore either. And I didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing.
Suddenly a bell sounded, making me jump. "Breakfast is over!" cried a fat man wearing an orange suit.
I got up slowly and took Mokuba's hand. "Not much time to eat, is there?" I asked, pasting on a smile.
Day Tripper shook her head. "They can't afford it. Too many people to torture, so little time." Her face turned grim, and she turned away.
I felt like grabbing on to her shoulder, asking her to stay. I had so many more questions.
Mokuba tapped me on the shoulder. "Hench is coming."
He was right. And he had his whip, too. Everyone in the café turned their heads to look. A kid shuffling by me said, "Everyone always gets interested when he comes in with the whip."
"Bad news, kids," he said, coming up to Mokuba and I. "New person. You'll have to share a cell with someone."
He looked over at the kid with the red hair. "How about you, Tenchi? You can let these two use your cell, can't you?"
Tenchi shook violently and nodded. If he was delirious, I could see why. Fright.
Hench must have noticed that everyone was staring at them. "There is nothing to see!" he barked. "Get on back to your cells." He stared at the whip in his hand. "Shit. That is why everyone was looking at me," he whispered. I hoped Mokuba hadn't heard that.
"Now Tenchi here," Hench began, placing his hand on Tenchi's shoulder, making him flinch, "will show you to your new cell. Come along now." Hench left.
"Cell's this way," said Tenchi meekly. He waved his hand for us to follow him, and started down the long, dark, drafty hallway.
The new cell didn't look much different than the old one, except that it had three beds, one for each of us, I presumed.
Tenchi looked at his watch. "One hour till our session," he said slowly. His face fell, and he went to sit on his bed.
"Session of what?" asked Mokuba, his voice shaking a bit.
"Torture," said Tenchi.
Mokuba drew back. "Wha...?"
Tenchi nodded grimly. "That is how they get secrets out of us here."
Mokuba turned to look at me. I nodded too.
"They probably won't do it to you, kid," said Tenchi. "You are much too young and could die from it."
Mokuba's eyes welled up. "I could what?"
"Get over it kid, they're not going to torture you," Tenchi repeated.
He wrapped his arms around me. "Don't let them."
I held him close. "I won't let them. You're going to be fine. Everything is going to be alright. You can do anything, remember?" I had once told him he could do anything after his stepfather's abuse. He had the scars to prove it.
He nodded, but he didn't seem very convinced. I looked to Tenchi for help in any way, but he seemed to be lost in his own little world.
I sat down on the wet floor and Mokuba put his head on my shoulder. I could feel my shirt getting damp from his frightened tears. It was then that I realized that I was crying, too. Because I wasn't sure about what Tenchi had said either.
And I wanna believe you
When you tell me that it'll be okay
Yeah I try to believe you
But I don't
When you say that it's gonna be
It always turns out to be a different way
I try to believe you
Not today
And I don't know how I feel
Tomorrow, tomorrow
And I don't know what to say
Tomorrow, tomorrow is a different day
Yeah it's always been up to you
Now it's turning around it's up to me
Gonna do what I have to do
Just don't
Give me a little time
Leave me alone a little while
Maybe it's not too late
Not today
And I don't know how I feel
Tomorrow, tomorrow
And I don't know what to say
Tomorrow, tomorrow is a different day
Hey yeah hey yeah hey yeah hey yeah
And I know I'm not ready
Hey yeah hey yeah hey yeah hey yeah
Maybe tomorrow
Hey yeah hey yeah hey yeah hey yeah
And I know I'm not ready
Hey yeah hey yeah hey yeah hey yeah
Maybe tomorrow
And I don't know how I feel
Tomorrow, tomorrow
And I don't know what to say
Tomorrow, tomorrow is a different day
Tomorrow it may change
I didn't know how many minutes had passed before we pulled away, but when I looked up, I saw Hench standing outside the bars. That face that in such a short time I had already begun to hate.
"Time to go," he growled. "We have others waiting."
Shakily I stood up. Tenchi came beside me, and Mokuba clasped my hand as if it were the only piece of life he had left, and as far as I knew, it could be.
"It's going to be okay," I said as we walked down the hall, more to myself than to Mokuba. "We're going to get through this."
We went back into the dark room that we had been in the previous day, the one with all the contraptions that now looked so much more evil, now that I was about to face them. Or maybe it was just the candle light reflecting off of them that gave them a more sinister look.
"What should we do first?" asked Hench. At first I thought he was talking to himself, but I realized there was another figure standing in the shadows. Volton, I presumed.
"Hmm..." came Volton's voice. "Start off with the knife today, I suppose, or your whip. Either one I am fine with, or both. And don't show any mercy. Even to the kid."
Fear filled me to the brim and spilled over. "You can't do anything to him!" I cried. "He's only ten...he can't handle it!"
"You think we care about you?" asked Volton. "The only reason we are bothering to even keep you two *alive* is because you have information we want."
The lights came on once again, and my eyes stung.
Volton's eyes narrowed when he saw Tenchi. "I told you to change his schedule, Hench," he growled. "He will not be having his session until three from now on. You shall be punished." He took out his whip and lashed Hench, ripping his shirt and letting a howl break free.
Breathing hard, he bowed. "Yes...master." Then he took Tenchi away.
This act upset Mokuba greatly, and he clung to me. His body shook and he cowered away from Volton as he drew nearer.
"I am not going to do anything to you," Volton said, smiling sweetly when he saw him, then continued to the door. "That is not my duty. Now, I am off to be somewhere. Good day to you. And," he added, as he stepped out the door, "Good luck."
The moment he disappeared, Mokuba began to hyperventilate.
"Stop," I said, trying desperately to calm him down, but to no avail. "Please, this won't help you, it'll only make things worse."
"What if something happens to me?" he whimpered.
"It'll all be okay. I promise," I told him, stroking his hair. But I wasn't so sure of myself. And I didn't want to show it, as it might upset the kid, but I was very afraid.
He threw his arms around me. "I don't want anything bad to happen. I just want to go home. I want to go home. I wanna go home!" he screamed.
I felt slightly embarrassed and felt like stepping outside and apologizing for the disruption, but I was more appalled to staying here and protecting the person that really needed to be talked to.
I sat down on the floor and gently pushed Mokuba down next to me. I spoke to him slowly in Spanish. I didn't care if he understood me or not, but I don't think he really cared, either. I didn't realize how tense he was until he released it while I held him.
I felt sorry for Tenchi. He had nobody to hold *him* when he was afraid.
The doorknob opened and in strolled Hench, as casually as he was just stepping in for a visit. Except he had his whip.
"Are you ready?" he asked, smiling. He spit a heap of something brown on the ground that smelled like tobacco. "You will tell us what we want to know, I'll make sure of that."
As afraid as I was, I stood my ground, hoping I wasn't paling. "Give me all you have got."
Hench smiled, more than ready to. But before he did that, he grabbed Mokuba by the neck, ripped off the necklace, and put it in his pocket. He threw Mokuba down on he floor.
He moaned slightly and stayed down.
I immediately rushed to his side. "Mokuba! Are you alright?"
"Your friend will be fine," said Hench. "As long as I get what I want."
I stared at him with eyes full of anger. He stepped closer to us, and I jumped in front of Mokuba, afraid more for him than for my own safety.
He smiled, and I hated him for it. "Step aside."
I didn't budge.
"If you do things my way nothing will happen to you. Now *step aside!*"
"It's him I'm worried about!" I yelled. "Do whatever you want to me. I will not tell you anything. Just don't hurt him. Please."
"I'll keep that for future reference," said Hench slyly, though I had no idea what he meant by that whatsoever.
Hench cracked his whip on my back.
I thought I had felt real pain. Many times. But I hadn't. It felt as if I was being skinned alive, and in a way, I was. I could feel the blood running down my back and soaking into the back of my pants, mixing with the dirt and grime and creating a foul odor.
I clenched my teeth to keep from crying out. But I made sure not to. I didn't want to make him happy.
I seemed to anyway. He knew I was holding back.
"Now you know what pain feels like. Do you like it? Did that hurt? Huh? Well, get used to it. Because you are going to be getting this until we get what we want. Hear me?"
"Just...don't...hurt
the kid," I said
chokingly, holding
back tears.
"Why not?" asked Hench. "I do this everyday. You don't think I will stop just because some bitch told me 'just don't hurt the kid'? Well you know what? I'm not that stupid. You think I'm stupid? Huh?"
I just
stared at him.
I didn't
realize I was
biting my lip
until I tasted
blood.
"Sorry, hon. That's the wrong answer." The whip cracked again.
I closed my eyes, waiting to feel it. But I didn't.
I looked down and saw whip marks on my leg. But for some strange reason, I hadn't felt anything. And that scared me. It scared me more than if I *had* felt it.
Hench frowned. "Dammit, musta broken a nerve or something. This'll make it better." He threw some kind of dart at me. I hardly felt where it pierced my skin, but I could feel something flowing through me.
Suddenly my back was on fire. My leg was on fire. I dropped to the floor, trying to stay conscious. Though my vision was horribly blurred and distorted, I could see Hench's figure looming over me.
"Ready to tell?"
I shook my head. "I am never going to tell you anything. Never, ever, ever!" I sounded like a small child, but I didn't care. I had gotten my point across.
I tried to kill the pain
But only brought more (so much more)
I lay dying
And I'm pouring crimson regret and betrayal
I'm dying, praying, bleeding, and screaming
Am I too lost to be saved
Am I too lost?
My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation
Do you remember me
Lost for so long
Will you be on the other side
Will you forget me?
I'm dying, praying, bleeding, and screaming
Am I too lost to be saved
Am I too lost?
My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation
Return to me salvation
I want to die!
My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My wounds cry for the grave
My soul cries for deliverance
Will I be denied Christ?
Tourniquet
My suicide
"Sure is a stubborn one," said Hench to himself. "Well, if you won't tell me anything, maybe your friend will!"
I had to stop him. "He knows nothing!"
Hench turned around, his eyes narrowing. "Excuse me?"
"He knows nothing," I repeated.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
I nodded. "This information was kept from his knowledge."
Hench did not waver, nor lower his whip. "How much do I care? I do what I am instructed to."
Painfully I stood up. "Don't lay a finger on him." I looked at Mokuba cowering on the floor. My heart broke for him. And that made me try even harder. I couldn't let anything happen to him. For now he was my responsibility. And I wasn't going to let anything bad happen to him.
"Whose going to stop me?" asked Hench mockingly. He shoved me back on the ground, and I could not get back up. "Stop stalling. We have other people waiting, you know."
"Exactly."
"Like I said before, stop stalling. The faster you let me the faster you can get back to your cell. Isn't that what you want?"
"Not good enough for me. I want for both of us to be able to come back to our cell now, and I demand that the boy is unharmed."
"Well, too bad for you now!" Hench cracked his whip.
I covered my ears so as not to hear him cry out, but I did not shut my eyes in time. I hated the way the whip snaked along his small body, leaving a slice in his side. A part of his shirt was torn off, and blood began to trickle down.
Coughs or sobs, I didn't know which, racked his body. He lay trembling on the floor, and Hench cracked the whip a second time, this time grazing his shoulder.
"Why do you do this?" I yelled, crying uncontrollably. "I already told you it is useless."
"Ah, but you gave me the vital piece of information, if you recall. I could do anything to you, and you wouldn't tell. But you care for this wretched heap..." he gestured to Mokuba, who was now laying in a pool of his own blood. "And I suppose if I endanger someone you truly care about, maybe I could get the information out of you that way. It is settled then. I shall continue to torture *both* of you. Maybe then we will see things eye to eye."
The door opened and Volton stepped in. "That will be enough for today, Hench. We have others waiting, you know.
Hench lowered his whip. "Yes, Master."
He turned to us. "Well, get up! You two need to go back to your cell now. Go!" he barked.
I tried to get up, but couldn't. Pain had drained my strength away.
"I suppose you'll just have to pick them up and carry them..." said Volton, "Because we have others waiting..."
Hench sighed and picked me up.
I angered. I didn't want to b e humbled by being carried back to my cell by someone such as him!
Somehow I got my second wind and hopped out of his arms. "I prefer to *walk,*, thank you."
"Fine with me," said Hench. "I'll take the kid."
I knew that Mokuba wouldn't want Hench taking him back, so I argued. "I'll take him, too."
"Fine then," said Hench. "Just get yourself out now. I demand it."
Slowly and painfully I limped over to the small boy lying on the floor who, moments later, had been full of life.
Come to me when you need me
Immerse yourself in my soft, warm light
I cleanse your soul and dry your tears
We'll force it down his throat and take flight
I've sen your pain as a throbbing breath
I've seen you cry when you're afraid
I've seen you fall when all else is fallen
But I've never seen you walk away
Until today
But everything's ok
Everything's ok
Don't worry your life away
It's ok
And so are we
When you need a say
Whisper in my ear
When you want to scream
Tell me what you fear
And I'll make it go away
Cause everything's ok
I've seen what they've done to you
Though bruises fade the pain will linger
I'm losing sleep over them
I hope the rain washes it away or
I'll take the stand and push them down
My protection cannot be broken by force
I'll embrace you in my arms
Unaware of my wounds and remorse
And here we'll stay
Cause everything's okay
Everything's ok
Don't worry your life away
It's ok
And so are we
When you need a say
Whisper in my ear
When you want to scream
Tell me what you fear
And I'll make it go away
Cause everything's ok
I'd wash your wounds when you were in pain
I stood up and fought them in your name
We'll take them down 'cause they're to blame
And everything'll be ok
I knelt down beside the kid and gently scooped him up into my arms. He felt heavy, and his blood dripped down and stained my arm. At this point I didn't feel any pain myself. I was only concerned about Mokuba being safe.
I looked down into his face. His eyes were closed, and his chest was moving, so he wasn't dead, though I knew that was virtually impossible.
Slowly I stood up and crept back down the hall. Amazingly I knew my way back to the cell.
"See you tomorrow!" cackled Hench, and grabbed the arm of a blonde teenage boy with spiked-up hair and pulled him inside. He closed the door, and I hoped I could not hear any screaming coming from out cell. I felt sorry for those whose cells were almost right next to the torture room.
When I reached the cell, I pressed the button that opened the bars and stepped slowly inside. The bars closed automatically. But I didn't really notice.
Tenchi was sitting on his cot, emerged deep in thought.
I didn't bother to get his attention. I just set Mokuba down on the cot. His eyes fluttered open, then he squeezed them shut.
'I can't believe they got him,' I thought to myself. 'He is so young. They had no right to do something that brutal to such a small, innocent child.'
Tenchi awoke from his daydream. "So they got the kid, huh? Oh, I bet you got stuck with Hench. He isn't that bad until it comes to the Sessions. Then he gets really brutal. He has fun with it, I think. I can see he got your friend after all."
"Well, duh," I said impatiently. "Can't you tell?" I immediately regretted what I had said. "I'm sorry, Tenchi. I am just really worried about him. I mean, what if something terrible happens to him or something? Not like it hasn't already, but..."
Tenchi sighed. "Sadly, it gets worse than this."
I remembered my thoughts out in the hallway. "Can you hear screams from here?"
Tenchi shrugged. "Sometimes," he said. "But you'll get used to it. Not the most pleasant sound in the world though."
He stepped towards Mokuba slowly.
I jumped in front of him as a reflex, almost afraid he would do something.
But he didn't. He gently pushed me aside and brushed his hair out of his face. Mokuba let out a long, deep breath, as if he had been holding it in for a very long time.
And then it came. Something I knew was going to happen sooner or later, from one of us.
The loud, piercing sound that meant utter misery and pain.
For a moment I thought it was coming from me. It was now that I realized how much pain I was in, now that Mokuba was safe.
But it wasn't me.
It was Mokuba.
I dropped onto the cot next to him. I was much too weary to try and comfort him. I felt so helpless, like I couldn't do anything. And I couldn't. I didn't know what to do. So I did what first came to mind. I rubbed his hair and began to cry heavily. Then I let out the same scream that was lying deep inside me.
Tenchi's piercing gaze softened, and he put his arm around me. He was wise beyond his years, and seemed to have seen much more than a kid his age should have seen.
"I know what to do for him," said Tenchi slowly. "Just stay right here."
I stopped crying and looked up at him in confusion as he walked over to the wall and pulled out a brick. He held up a small vat of something and grinned. Then he came back over to us.
"What is it?" I asked, not sure whether to trust him or not.
"Something I got from the guards. It's the stuff that they give people to relieve pain so they can inflict more, because sometimes, if people get in too much, they faint, and they don't want that, so..."
"Let me take it first," I pleaded. "And if it works, I'll let Mokuba have some. This way, I'll know if you are telling the truth or not."
Tenchi looked slightly hurt. "You mean, you don't trust me?"
I shook my head. "I'm sorry. But I am not taking any chances."
Tenchi sighed. "Alright. Now only drink a sip. And put a tiny bit on those whip marks, too. Okay?"
I agreed, and took a sip out of the vat. I was surprised at what I tasted, and I forced myself to swallow it. It was not apple pie, I tell you. But I took it anyway, then I dipped my fingers in it and spread it across the gashes. The liquid caused an unpleasant stinging sensation, but nothing that lasted more than a minute.
But he was right. The pain was more annoying than anything now.
Tenchi smiled. "See?"
I nodded. "You are right. But if I find out you have drugged us or something..." I shook my finger at him.
He let a laugh break free. "I didn't."
"Good."
"Now what about your friend. What did you say his name was? Morkba?"
"Mokuba."
"Oh. Right. We still need to do him. I don't think he'll like this very much. Do you want me to hold him still?" he smiled, kind of mockingly, as if he thought he was a little baby.
I shook my head. "He'll be fine. You don't know the half of it."
Tenchi cocked his head. "Alright."
I sat down beside Mokuba, who was clearly awake, and was in a lot of pain but managed to stay brave.
"Alright," I whispered in his ear. "I want you to drink the stuff that Tenchi gives you. It won't taste good, but it helps, honest. Okay?"
"O...Okay."
I felt as if I was talking to a toddler or something, but if I had someone older to look after me, this is how I would liked to be talked to in this kind of situation. I wished someone were here to do this to me.
"Just swallow it," said Tenchi, and he dropped a little into the kid's mouth.
He spit it out. "This...tastes...horrible..." he moaned slightly and started breathing hard.
"Shh!" said Tenchi harshly. "You want them to hear you? I'm not supposed to have this stuff!"
"Mokuba, please. We need you to drink it. It'll make you better. Okay?"
"Okay." I could tell he just wanted everything to be over, and for him to wake up and let it all be a bad dream. Unfortunately, it wasn't a bad dream. This was reality.
Tenchi tried again, and this time Mokuba swallowed it. Coughing, he sat up, grabbed his shoulder, and fell back down again.
I leaned in close to him again. "Now you may feel some stinging okay? We're gonna put some of this stuff-" I raised the vat again, "On those whip marks."
I could tell there were butterflies in his stomach. "The whip hurt a lot more than this will," I assured him. He was kind of making this a lot harder than it had to be.
Slowly I ripped off part of the bottom of my shirt and wet it with the liquid in the vat. Then I pressed it on the gash on his shoulder.
He winced but kept quiet, as Tenchi had told him to.
I continued until I was sure I was finished, then doused myself in some of it again.
"Just wait a minute, Mokie," I said. "It'll feel better soon, I promise." I laid his head in my lap, and he fell asleep in minutes.
I looked up from the sleeping kid and stared at Tenchi.
"Why are you here?" I asked.
Tenchi narrowed his eyes. "Why do you want to know?"
I shrugged. "Just curious, I suppose."
Tenchi sighed. "Something about this necklace. It was worn by a little kid, and his older brother told me about it a couple of weeks ago. Somehow Volton found out and I ended up here."
I gasped. Could he know Seto Kaiba? Then I shook the thought out of my head. No matter how similar the story sounded to my own, it couldn't be, because he didn't seem to recognize Mokuba at all.
"What was his name?" I asked. Just to make sure.
"Why?"
"Oh, I just wanted to know."
"No, it was nothing. Forget I said that, okay?"
"Did his name happen to be...Seto Kaiba?"
Tenchi drew back in surprise. "You know Seto Kaiba?"
I nodded and gestured to Mokuba. "This is his little brother. The one with the necklace. They took it today."
Tenchi's eyes widened. "Oh, no, we have to get it back!"
I cocked my head. "Why? He doesn't know how to use it!"
He shook his head. "He could find out. It's not that hard."
"But he doesn't know who the Chosen One is!" I cried. "How could he know that? I don't even know that."
Tenchi looked down. "I think he does, Locus. I think he does."
A gong rang from outside the cell and a voice echoed through the hall. "Grub!"
Tenchi got up. "You coming?"
"I don't think so. I'm not that hungry."
He shrugged. "Suit yourself. Just don't come crying to me if you get hungry later." He winked, and I wondered why.
Some large bodyguard opened the bars this time, and I watched as he put the handcuffs on Tenchi and led him down the hall. The handcuffs were much too large for Tenchi's wrists, and he knew it too. So why couldn't he just escape when he could? There was too much confusion in this place.
I sighed heavily and looked down onto Mokuba's face, still in my lap. I needed to get him off. My back was cricking, and my legs were falling asleep. I lifted him gently and set him down on the cot where I could have mobility.
Then I realized how exhausted I was. I didn't care if I was sleeping in Mokuba's bed. I just laid my head down next to him and fell asleep.
I'll be there through and through
I'll be there to comfort you
Nowhere bound, homeward bound
Spirit lost and spirit found
Trapped inside this cold dark cell
Stepping slowly, then you fell
Show me who you want to be
And I will set you free
Forever I will be by your side
And I will never let you go
Doesn't matter if the sun will rise
As long as you're safe and not alone
And when I drop your hand
I hope you'll understand
In the end
In the end
Laying here, sleep is here
Don't know what I'm doing here
Hope is inside you, somewhere deep
You're so much younger when you sleep
Only to wake to wounds and blood
For me to wash and that's enough
Scars run deep through my tattooed body
That light will have to wait
Forever I will be by your side
And I will never let you go
Doesn't matter if the sun will rise
As long as you're safe and not alone
And when I drop your hand
I hope you'll understand
In the end
In the end
We'll escape
They're not gonna catch us
We will get out
Run where they'll never find us
Go where
Nothing else matters
Except for us
I was awakened to two pitches of screams coming from the 'torture room.' One was a boy's and one was a girls. I recognized the girl's as Day Tripper.
Once again I felt that horrible helpless feeling, as I wanted to do something to help them but could not.
The boy's scream I could not make out. I couldn't tell who it was. Probably someone that I hadn't met yet. There were plenty of them.
I didn't like being so close to the 'torture room.' It was disturbing to hear other people feeling what I had felt and I wanted to make it stop.
I sat up and looked around for Tenchi. He wasn't there. He would have been done with his lunch by now, I would think.
Then it hit me. Tenchi was the one being tortured now!
Again I felt helpless. I needed to do something but could not even get out of this tiny cell.
Tears streamed down my cheeks, but I curbed them as fast as I could. If Mokuba woke up and saw me crying, he may find out that I am afraid and that might scare him even more.
I flopped back down onto the cot. Something told me it was around four o'clock in the afternoon, and I was still tired. It was amazing how much of a toll pain can take on your body.
Mokuba stirred, and
opened his eyes. "Hey,
Locus."
I smiled as best I could. "Hi."
He coughed slowly. "I'm hungry."
I sighed. "Lunch is over, Mokie. I'm sorry."
He sat up slowly, and I put my arm behind him to support him, avoiding the horrid whip marks.
"I'm really scared, Locus."
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. "Me, too. But we're gonna pull through. You'll see."
"If I don't die first."
I was startled. "What makes you think you will die?"
He shrugged, then grimaced and clenched his fists. "I just think so."
I could tell he was just as afraid as I was, and probably more.
I've been watching you from a distance
The distance sees through your disguise
All I want from you is your hurting
I want to heal you
I want to save you from the dark
Give unto me your troubles
I'll endure your suffering
Place onto me your burden
I'll drink your deadly poison
Why should I care if they hurt you
Somehow it matters more to me
Than if I were hurting myself
Save you (save you)
I'll save you
Give unto me your troubles
I'll endure your suffering
Place onto me your burden
I'll drink your deadly poison
Fear not the flame of my love's candle
Let it be the sun in your world of darkness
Give unto me all that frightens you
I'll have your nightmares for you
If you sleep soundly
Give unto me your troubles
I'll endure your suffering
Place onto me your burden
I'll drink your deadly poison
Fear not the flame of my love's candle
Let it be the sun in your world of darkness
Give unto me all that frightens you
I'll have your nightmares for you
If you sleep soundly
Fear not the flame of my love's candle
Let it be the sun in your world of darkness
"Do you need some more of the medicine?" I asked. Tenchi probably wouldn't mind if I had a bit of extra.
He just closed his eyes, and I could tell he did.
I removed the brick and took out the vat. Then, using a fresh piece of cloth from my shirt, I cleaned the wounds once again. Then I did my own.
I hadn't been thinking about the screaming anymore, and I hadn't noticed them until now. They had suddenly ceased. The torture was over.
I panicked. What was I to do with the vat of medicine? I couldn't put it back behind the brick. The guard that brought Tenchi back would see it. I screwed the top on as fast as I could and placed it under the covers of the bed, and hoped Mokuba wouldn't roll onto it and crush it.
One of the other henchmen that I had not seen before held a severely beaten, barely conscious Tenchi. He opened the bars of the cell and threw the boy inside. He didn't seem to notice. I suppose that when you reach a certain level of pain you can't feel any more, it has reached its tip and cannot get any worse.
Once the bars were closed again and the henchman was gone, I immediately rushed to Tenchi's side.
"Get...the flask," he murmured.
Quickly I got the vat of medicine out from under the covers and poured a little into his mouth. Then I ripped another piece of my shirt off and wet it with the liquid. I pressed it into the marks.
I actually didn't see many whip marks at all. There were a couple, but his body was covered with what looked like knife wounds. There were also a few burns in some places, as if he had been shocked again and again with electricity.
He began to regain his consciousness. "How's Mokuba?" he asked, coughing slightly.
"He's fine," I said gently. "And you're going to be too." I forgot he was used to this kind of treatment, but I still couldn't help myself from trying to comfort him.
I got up and got a sheet from my cot. I picked Tenchi up with it, as so as not to come in contact with his blood, and carried him over to his bed. Then I took out a rag from my pocket and wiped away as much of the blood as I could.
"Don't you people have a decent first aid kit around here?" I asked, flabbergasted.
Tenchi nodded. "Most of the guards have one. The only reason they do though is to keep people from dying and to keep them conscious. Pretty useless actually, but they have a good cleaning solution and some gauze in there."
I nodded. I had to get my hands on it.
"Guard!" I called. "Someone help!"
A large, muscular guard (with a look on his face that said 'duh.' I'll call him Mr. Stupid) ran in front of the cell. "Uh, whaddaya want?"
"Tenchi's losing blood fast!" I screamed. "We need gauze and a cleaning solution."
He tossed us a roll of gauze. "Well what do you need the cleaning solution for?" he asked suspiciously.
I thought quickly. "Uh, for cleaning the sheets?" I smiled lopsidedly.
Mr. Stupid shrugged. "Alright. But no funny business okay?"
I tried hard to keep a straight face. "Alright!"
Once he left I realized I was the only one up and about. Tenchi was down, and Mokuba was so young, he needed a bit more rest before he would be up again.
I sighed. The second day would be even worse. We would be in pain before the torture even started.
I pushed that thought out of my mind and began to work on all of our wounds. It took awhile, but I was pleased with myself when I was finished.
Another gong rang, and I could tell it was time for dinner.
Mokuba was awake now and was able to stand up, kind of hunched over.
"Are you coming to dinner Tenchi?" I asked.
"No, not today," said Tenchi. "Is that okay?"
I nodded. "See you later."
The guard came to open the bars, cuffed us, and led us down the drafty hall. Since the whole building was lit only by candlelight except for the café, it cast an eerie glow and the shadows danced on the walls, giving me the creeps.
I chose a seat besides Day Tripper again. She looked exhausted, but still managed to be energetic.
She brightened up when she saw us. "How was the first day?"
Mokuba moaned, and I helped him limp over to the table and take a seat.
"It wasn't exactly Happy Camp," I said, chuckling.
"What'd they use on you?" she asked. "Knife? Whip? Electric needles? Iron Maiden? None of the above?"
Taken aback, I asked "They actually use the iron maiden on people?"
Day Tripper shook her head and smiled. "Nah, they just keep her on display to scare the newcomers. Sometimes they tell Volton what he wants to hear right then and there, just because of her." She raised her fist, and the studs and spikes on her bracelets glimmered. "Someday, I'm gonna get out of here."
The fat guy brought us a plate with some kind of mystery meat on it. I smelled it, and took a bite. It wasn't the best thing I had ever tasted, but it would have to do. I heaped my plate with the stuff, and gave some to Mokuba. He was eating with his good arm.
I leaned in to talk to Day Tripper when I was sure Mokuba wasn't listening. "I'm thinking about telling them," I whispered between bites. "I can't have them doing this to little Mokuba. He can't handle it."
Day Tripper looked taken aback. "No! You don't want to please them! We want to shut them down, that's what we're gonna do!"
I sat back in my seat. Clearly she disagreed with me.
I decided to turn the conversation into a different direction. "How long have you been here?"
She shrugged, and took another bite. "A few months, I guess. After you've been here awhile, you lose track of time. It just doesn't matter anymore."
"When are we gonna get out of here?" Mokuba asked.
I looked over at him sympathetically. "I don't know, Mokie. Soon, I hope."
He put down his fork and held his head in his hands. "I'm not hungry anymore, Locus. You can have it if you want to."
I pushed the plate towards him. "Mokuba, you need to eat something."
He shook his head. "That's okay. I, I'm just not feeling too good."
I put my arm around him. "Oh, okay. Dinner's almost over, and then we can go back to the cell and you can go to sleep."
He nodded. "Okay."
I looked up at Day Tripper. She was looking at him with sad eyes. They seemed to say, "I don't know how long he's gonna make it."
Then she looked up and waved. A bunch guys that looked like they belonged in a street gang walked over to us.
"Hey guys!" she cried, and gave them all a high-five. There were six of them, and they all wore 'motorcycle dude' outfits.
She turned to us. "These are my friends. Guys, this is Locus and Mokuba."
They all waved. "Hi!"
One by one, Day Tripper indicated them all.
"This is Flash. He forgets a lot." Flash was a tall boy with spiky, blonde hair and a tattered red shirt with a skull on it. I recognized him as the young man they pulled into the 'torture room' when I had left.
"Brutus." He was large and looked like a cartoon character, with a small head and a round body. Not someone I'd like to meet in a dark alley. But he smiled, and I knew he was friendly.
"Volcano." He looked like a nice kid, but by his name I assumed he had a quick temper, and would suddenly blow, like a volcano.
"Twitchy." I could see why he was called that. He couldn't stop twitching, and he was wearing a black shirt that did not compliment his dark skin. It said 'KKK is KK-Krap.'
"Neanderthal." Neanderthal was large and hairy, but his face was gentle. He wore the same shirt as Twitchy did.
"And last but not least, Baby Backstreet. We named him that because he looks like Aaron Carter!" and he did. He looked about eleven. Much younger than the rest. Probably someone's little brother.
Now, you're probably wondering what the point of Flash, Brutus, Volcano, Twitchy, Neanderthal, and Baby Backstreet are but they will help me. You'll see!
"Day Tripper!" said Flash. "Who are these minis?"
Day Tripper
frowned. "I just
told you. Locus and
Mokuba."
Flash laughed and punched her on the arm. "Just kidding ya baby."
She broke into a smile. "Oh alright. But don't you go pulling any of your tricks on these two."
I laughed and put my arm around Mokuba, who was smiling shyly.
"Dude!" said Twitchy. "Tu es hot!"
I cocked my head. "Huh?"
Brutus smiled. "He's kind of hard to understand sometimes. He speaks Spanish, and when he's talking absentmindedly, he mixes some in. What he's trying to say is he likes you!"
I smiled and bit my nails nervously. I was taken. No, I hadn't forgotten about Yugi. And I spoke Spanish, too, but that sounded weird. Trying to speak two languages at once.
GONG!
"Well, there's the bell," said Flash. He seemed to be the one who did most of the talking. "See ya lata, Day Tripper. Eh, Locus, Mokuba."
I grinned. "See you tomorrow at breakfast."
The group left and Day Tripper hooked arms with Flash, and I decided it was time we headed back to our cell.
Tenchi could sit up now, and talking. "You know if you get hungry I have some hidden food. It's behind another brick. It's nothing but stale rolls though, but I save them for a special occasion."
So that's why he had winked at me earlier.
I shook my head. "We just ate. But thanks."
Tenchi looked irritated. "Hint, hint. I'm hungry!"
I smiled. "Oh. Sorry. Which brick is it behind?"
He pointed to one that had scratches in it, by Mokuba's cot.
I walked over and pulled it out. There were a couple of hard rolls in there, but when I broke them apart, they were still soft inside. I gave a half to Tenchi, then slid the roll back into its hiding place.
Then I walked back over to Mokuba, who was now sitting on his bed. His face was bright, and his eyes were shining.
I sat down next to him. "What are you thinking about, Mokie?"
He shrugged with one shoulder, which looked very funny. "I'm thinking about how we can get out of here."
I leaned in to listen. I hoped he had some kind of a plan or something like that.
"I think we should create a group called The Get-Out Gang, or The Escape Gang. It would be me, you, Tenchi, Day Tripper, and all of her friends. We could come up with plans with them during meals."
"We'd have to go to all of the meals," I pointed out.
"I don't care," said Mokuba. "We need to get out of here." I couldn't deny it. He was right.
Out of sight, out of mind
Out of time to decide
Do we run, should we hide
For the rest of my life
Can we fly, do we stay
We could lose, we could fail
In the moment it takes
To make plans or mistakes
Thirty minutes, a blink of an eye
Thirty minutes to alter our lives
Thirty minutes to make up my mind
Thirty minutes to finally decide
Thirty minutes to whisper your name
Thirty minutes to shoulder the blame
Thirty minutes of bliss, thirty lies
Thirty minutes to finally decide
Carousels in the sky
That we shape with our eyes
Under shades, silhouettes
Cast in shame, crying rain
Can we fly, do we stay
We could lose, we could fail
Either way, options change
Chances fail, trains derail
Thirty minutes, a blink of an eye
Thirty minutes to alter our lives
Thirty minutes to make up my mind
Thirty minutes to finally decide
Thirty minutes to whisper your name
Thirty minutes to shoulder the blame
Thirty minutes of bliss, thirty lies
Thirty minutes to finally decide
About ten minutes later, another gong sounded, and I looked at Tenchi in confusion. "The meals are over, aren't they?"
Tenchi nodded. "But after dinner we go into the washroom, clean our sheets, and take a shower. The men won't have bloody rooms. They think that's disgusting. And I don't blame them. So it's a rule that you go."
My face twisted into a thoughtful expression. "We didn't have to go to it last night."
He stared at me. "Were you just brought in last night?"
I nodded.
He grinned. "I should have deducted that. Didn't know about the torture or the cleansings or anything."
I smiled back, but only for a moment. The large guard walked up to us and growled, "Time to go. Bring your sheets."
Once we gathered up the sheets, which were stained with blood, the guard opened the bars and let us out. As usual, we were handcuffed, and he led us down the opposite hall.
The washroom looked like some kind of medieval room, with washboards and a collection of curtains with washtubs in front of them. No doubt used for washing.
A guard threw us each a washboard. I almost fell over when I caught mine. It was a lot heavier than I imagined it to be. Then he indicated to a tub. "That's where you'll wash."
I took Mokuba's hand and walked over to the tub. It was large and deep, and sitting on the side was Day Tripper and her friends.
I placed my sheet on the washboard and took a seat next to her. She grinned when she saw me.
"Hey. Mokuba had an idea back in the cell. He thinks that we should all get together during meals and come up with a big escape plan. He wants to call us 'The Get-Out Gang.'"
Day Tripper snapped her fingers. "Great idea. But we're gonna have to do something about that name."
She looked over and saw Mokuba looking very hurt.
"Sorry. But how about the Escape Gang, or something?"
I shrugged. "I don't care what we call it. But what do you think?"
She nodded and scrubbed her sheets furiously. "The
Escape Gang we are! But you can't trust that Tenchi kid.
Nobody knows anything about him, and you two are the only
ones that can ever get him to talk."
Mokuba frowned. "I'm still calling it The Get-Out Gang," he said under his breath.
"How come the lines are so long?" Mokuba asked, looking up at me. We had been standing in the shower line for almost an hour.
"Because there are a lot of people here and not many showers," I explained. Day Tripper and her friends had finished a long time ago. She had promised to tell us a secret of getting one of the first showers tomorrow at breakfast.
"Next!" At least the line was moving. We were behind four people. It wouldn't be long now.
When it finally came to our turn, the young woman who was running the shower stalls stopped us. "You two just hold on one minute. I need your names. Real names, not nicknames. I haven't seen you before and I want to make sure you're not trying to play any tricks on me by going twice."
"Mokuba Kaiba and Locus of the Banshees," I said softly so nobody would hear us.
I noticed that she was holding a clipboard. She checked something off, probably our names, and let us pass. "Boys on the left, girls on the right. No less than three minutes. Starting now."
Immediately I rushed to my side of the showers. There were six stalls, and five of them were taken. I hesitated, then stepped inside.
There was a corner to put your clothes in so they wouldn't get wet, but we didn't have the luxury of a towel, so they would get wet anyways. I was going to wash them anyhow, to get the bloodstains out.
They weren't all mine.
I thought about what the young woman had said. Three minutes. Not much time to shower, I said to myself. I removed my clothes and immersed myself in the small washtub. I couldn't sit down, so I poured it on myself little by little. It was extremely cold, and there was some debris in it (I thought I spotted an insect wing) but it would have to work. There was nothing else.
In no time I had rinsed my clothes off, too, and just in time. The gong rang, I pulled my wet clothes back on, and stepped out of the showers. Mokuba was not there yet.
I didn't have to say anything. "Your friend was having some trouble working the shower, and everything. Whalebone's helping him with it."
"Okay."
The young woman sighed. "Damn kids. Don't know anything at all."
"Mokuba is smart," I argued. "And he's been through a lot. People need to give him a break."
A young man strode into the room and broke the line, walking up to the young woman. "Hey, Carter baby," he said, caressing her hips. "Can I take an early shower today?"
Carter smiled. "Of course you may, DJ. Go in right now. I've reserved Stall 5 for you. It's got nice warm water."
I hoped Mokuba got warmer water than I did. Speaking of Mokuba, where was he? And where was Tenchi? I hadn't seen him since we had gotten here.
I shrugged it off and sat down next to Carter and waited for Mokuba to come out of the washroom.
I sighed. I had been waiting about ten minutes. I was about to tell Carter about how long he was taking when I heard his voice.
"Uh-huh," he said. "Si, ella es Locus. Ella es mi bien amiga." (Yes, she is Locus. She is my good friend.)
Mokuba walked out of the washroom entrance, carrying his clothes and wearing an unidentifiable (and rather large) garment around his waist and legs. Following him was Twitchy, wearing the same thing, although his fit better than Mokuba's did.
"Mokuba!" I cried, standing up and hugging him. "What took you? I was about to have someone go in after you!"
He smiled.
"I didn't know you spoke Spanish," I continued.
"I don't," he replied. "I just picked some up from you."
"Anyway, I had some trouble turning on the water, and figuring out how to wash my clothes and me without getting too wet and everything," he motioned behind him. "And Twitchy helped me."
I looked up into Twitchy's face and grinned. "Hola." (Hello)
He smiled back. "Tu amigo es lindo. Yo amo pequeno ninos." (Your friend is cute. I love little kids.)
Flash walked out behind him, followed by Brutus and Neanderthal. "Can she even understand you?"
Twitchy nodded. "Can understand. Ella habla Espanol." (She speaks Spanish)
Flash turned to me. "Really?"
I nodded.
He laughed out loud. "Then you can translate. I only know bits and pieces."
I grinned. "Okay, why not?"
Once again, you may be wondering what the point is of the Spanish language. But it comes in handy later.
Paper flowers...
Paper flowers...
I linger in the doorway
Alarm clock screaming, monsters calling my name
Let me stay where the wind will whisper to me
Where the raindrops as they're falling tell a story
In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds up in the sky
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me
Don't say I'm out of touch
With this ramp and chaos, your reality
I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge
My nightmare, where I built my own world to escape
In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds in the sky
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me
Swallowed up in the sound in my screaming
Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights
Oh how I long for the deep sleep dreaming
The goddess of imaginary light
In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds in the sky
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me
BACK IN OUR CELL....
"Tenchi!" I said, snapping him back to attention. He was in one of his usual little trances, and I wanted to talk to him about something. "Tenchi!"
"Huh?"
"What do you think about forming a group that meets at meals and tries to come up with plans to get out of here."
Tenchi shrugged. "I dunno."
Taken aback, I asked, "What do you mean, you dunno? You DO wanna get outta here, don't you?"
He stared at me. "Of course I do," he replied calmly. "But with whom are we forming this group?"
"With Day Tripper and her friends," I told him.
Tenchi narrowed his eyes. "You can't trust Day Tripper. She's a street kid."
"Day Tripper is my friend," I argued. "And even if she is a street kid, she wants to get out too, and we need a good plan."
Tenchi looked amused. "I suppose we could try. But that means that we'd have to go to every meal, you know."
I nodded. "That's what I told Mokuba. But that's also what we're gonna do. Okay?"
"Okay, whatever. But I still don't trust Day Tripper."
I wondered if I should tell him that she said the same thing about him. But I didn't say anything.
Mokuba tapped me on the shoulder. "I'm not feeling very well," he reminded me. "I'm going to bed now, okay?"
"Okay," I whispered, and took his hand.
I tucked him in and hummed a little song I had learned when I was younger. Muffled sobs came from under the covers.
Concerned, I lifted them up. "Mokuba. What's wrong?"
"Everything," he whimpered. "I want to go home. I don't feel good. And the places where they whipped me hurt."
I looked over at Tenchi, and nodded. He understood what I was trying to tell him, and blew out the candle that was the little bit of light we had in our cell.
I stroked Mokuba's dark hair, and the crying slowly died down to a slight shaking. When I was sure he was asleep, I cleaned his wounds again, rather clumsily, because I couldn't see, then stumbled over to my own bed on the other side of the cell.
Despite my long nap I was thoroughly exhausted. I couldn't believe I had only been here one day. It felt like an eternity.
But I couldn't think anymore and my eyes were growing heavy. I simply could not stay awake. Promptly I fell asleep.
I awoke to a strange retching noise. Slowly I rubbed my eyes and sat up. My leg and side were on fire, and I was extremely stiff. It couldn't be morning already, I thought, as I swung my good leg over the side of the bed.
It was still dark, but light enough to be able to see (or maybe I was just used to the ark, I couldn't tell). I tiptoed over and removed the brick so I could get the medicine, and then I saw him.
"Locus," said Mokuba weakly. "I really don't feel very good at all."
I nodded. "I know. But go back to sleep and then maybe you will feel better."
Mokuba pointed to the ground. I saw some puddles of water that smelled rather foul.
I gasped. If he was sick...I don't know what we could do. Not like he could get any kind of treatment. Plus, we had torture everyday. He couldn't be sick, he just couldn't!
I walked back over and laid him down in bed. "It's okay. You just need to go back to sleep."
He tried to sit up. "But what about the floor?"
"I'll take care of it," I promised. "You just need to go back to sleep," I said again, more firmly this time.
He didn't protest. And in a matter of minutes, he was asleep again.
At least he didn't throw up on his clothes, I thought to myself. Washing wasn't until tomorrow afternoon.
Reluctantly I got up and placed a piece of cloth over the wet spaces. I expected to begin to feel sick myself, from doing this, but I didn't. I knew I was doing something good. Though it would have been better to let the workmen do it instead of me, I though.
The gong rang that told me it was time for breakfast. I didn't know if Mokuba was coming or not. I got up and looked around, and he was sitting on the edge of his bed. Apparently Tenchi was already there.
I blinked at him. "Are you coming to breakfast this morning?"
Mokuba nodded. "I'm not going to eat anything though. But I have to come."
I smiled. He seemed to be feeling a little bit better.
A man I had never seen before let us out of our cell and cuffed us. But before I could stop him, Mokuba blurted out, "Where's Hench?"
The man scowled. "Not here now. Shush. Or you get whip. I tell Volton, you be big trouble for him. Extra hurt time ouch."
I had to keep myself from laughing. His English wasn't very good. I wondered if it was just because he was foreign, or stupid, I didn't know. I just hoped he didn't speak Spanish. But I didn't want to get 'extra hurt time ouch.' So I kept my mouth shut.
The café wasn't very crowded today. In fact, almost half the people weren't there. I spotted Tenchi on the other side of the room, at the same table as Day Tripper. She waved, and I grasped Mokuba's hand and walked briskly over.
"Hey!" I cried. "Where is everybody?"
"Food poisoning," she said. "Something with the food yesterday. Brutus and Neanderthal had it too. I'm guessing you guys didn't have it."
"Actually, Mokuba did," I said, pointing down to him.
Day Tripper frowned. "Why'd he come to breakfast then?"
"Get-Out Gang Meeting," he said simply.
She smiled. "Okay then. But I think another good time to talk is work- time. We have it four times a week, if you guys haven't had it yet. Work- time is when we go outside and mine. There's also a dance every week, and it's tonight, not long after work-time."
I didn't think I heard right. "A dance?!"
She nodded, and I could tell she was trying to keep herself from laughing. "Yeah. Weird, isn't it? But they do dances on inspection days so everyone is in high spirits. Did you know this is an illegal setup? The police come inspect every week, thinking it is an everyday prison. They just say the wounds are from numerous failed escapes. Kind of stupid, actually, but they're fun and a good time to talk."
I still wasn't sure if I
believed what she had said.
"Tell me more about work-time."
"Work-time, like I said before, is when we go outside and mine. There is a coal deposit back behind the building, and that is what Volton and his men depend on for the money for the food and dances." She scoffed in disgust. "They're rich anyways. They just want to get even richer."
"I'm rich!" Mokuba piped up.
"Mokuba!" I scolded. "That's rude!"
He shrunk away. "Sorry."
I turned back to Day Tripper, feeling a little guilty. I had never yelled at Mokuba before.
"So do you have a plan or anything?" I asked.
She looked slightly irritated. "Haven't really had any time. I was kind of busy with Flash last night. They caught us though. En flagrante delicto. But knowing him, he's probably forgotten that we have extra mining duty this week."
I winced. That kind of thing didn't need to be said around Mokuba. But he probably didn't know what it meant anyways. I hoped.
"Is there any kind of a fence around the mining area?" I asked.
Day Tripper nodded. "An electric fence. Try to get away, and ZAP! You're..." she trailed off. "I've seen it happen before," she whispered.
I tried to change the subject quickly. "Maybe we could dig a tunnel or something under the fence."
But Mokuba wasn't ready to change the subject. "Did the guy get burnt to a crisp? Was there smoke coming off of his head? Did he die?"
I put my arm around him. "Mokuba," I said, motioning to Tenchi at the table beside us. "Why don't you go talk to Tenchi for a while?"
He frowned. "I can tell when I'm not wanted." But he obediently went over and sat next to Tenchi.
I turned back to Day Tripper. "Anyways, what do you think of the tunnel?"
She shook her head. "It would be way too obvious what we were doing. And it would take forever."
Suddenly she snapped her fingers. "Rubber gloves!" she cried. "That's what we can do!"
I cocked my head in confusion.
"Rubber absorbs electricity."
I nodded. I knew that.
"So maybe if we wear the rubber gloves, we can get through the electric fence. There is a small hole near the right at the bottom. If we keep our hands on the fence the entire time, maybe we can get through."
She was right, but there was one thing I didn't know. "Where are we to get rubber gloves?" I asked.
She leaned back in her chair. "Well, I'm not really sure. But I have an idea. They have first aid kits in the rooms where the henchmen sleep. There's bound to be rubber gloves in there. But what we need to do is somehow get out of our cells, get in there, find the first aid kits, take the gloves, and get back to our cell without being seen. And that is not an easy thing to do."
"I can do it," I said, "If I knew how to get out of the cell."
"See if you can use the candlestick," Day Tripper said.
"Candlestick?" I asked in confusion.
"Yeah, doesn't your room run on candlelight? Most do. I got lucky and got an oil lamp. But if you blow out the candle, you can use the candlestick to reach through the bars and press the button to open them."
I took my first bite of the porridge in front of me. "Well, I guess," I said. "But then I wouldn't be able to see what I was doing."
"I suppose you're right."
"Breakfast is over!" the fat man rang the gong, and the café became a traffic jam as everyone went back to their cell.
I'm so tired of being here
Suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave
Cause your presence still lingers here
And it won't leave me alone
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you screamed I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me
You used to captivate me by your resonating light
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face, it haunts my once pleasant dreams
Your voice, it chased away all the sanity in me
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you screamed I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me
I tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me
I've been alone all along
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you screamed I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me
I didn't know how I got through that morning's torture session. It was just a blur of cutting my arms with knives. I was so absorbed in my own turmoil that I didn't even know Mokuba was there with me. I didn't know if they had cut him, too. Until the end.
Hench backed me up to the wall and stabbed me once more. The blood ran down my arm and dripped onto the floor. I winced and looked up at him with hating eyes.
Then he turned away. This time he backed Mokuba into the corner of the room. I was almost blind with my own sweat, blood, and tears, and I could barely see.
But I could hear.
"No! Go away! I don't want you to hurt me! No! Please no! Don't cut...NOOO!"
That was probably one of the most horrible memories I have of the place. You probably know what is going on.
I stood up slowly and ran to the other side of the room blindly and shoved Hench out of the way. He fell to the floor and fainted.
I wiped my eyes and looked down.
Mokuba was in the corner, crying hysterically. His shirt was under Hench's shoulder. A long knife wound ran up his arm, and the knife was still sticking out.
I looked at Hench. I didn't have much time to work. I squeezed Mokuba's hand and extracted the knife. It made a horrible squelching sound as it slipped out.
He was shaking heavily, and I knew it would take a lot more than last time to calm him down this time.
Hench stood up dizzily and tossed him his shirt. "Go back to your cell," he said, breathing heavily. "Session's over for today."
I helped Mokuba to his feet, and walked slowly back to the cell, where Tenchi was waiting.
I laid the kid down and cleaned myself up, and sat down next to Tenchi. "Day Tripper and I have come up with a plan. But we'll have to wait until tonight to carry it out."
Tenchi's eyes widened. "What is it?"
I leaned in and told him.
"Do you think we can pull it off?" he asked in amazement.
I nodded. "If we try hard enough. But it'll be very difficult. That is why I think I should try it tonight. That way if I get caught nothing will happen to you or Mokie."
"But what if something happens to you?" asked Tenchi, sounding slightly afraid.
I drew in a deep breath. "Well, it's better than anything happening to either one of you two."
"But still..." Tenchi's voice trailed off. He changed the subject. "I really think you need to clean Mokuba's wounds. It's almost time for me to go. And he's not looking too good. Did they use the knife today?"
I nodded.
Tenchi sighed. "Well, that's not the worst of it." He obviously didn't want to talk about that anymore, because he walked over to the wall and pulled out the brick that hid the vat of healing liquid and the first aid supplies.
"Thanks." I took them from him and went over to the bed, and sat down next to Mokuba. His chest was moving up and down, and he was still crying softly and shaking.
"It's ok," I said softly. "We're gonna get out of here soon. Day Tripper and I came up with a plan already. So we get to go home. And nobody's going to do anything to you anymore. And we're gonna live happily...ever...after. Just like in the stories."
"But those stories aren't real," he replied weakly. "That's never what really happens."
"This time it will," I promised. I laid a cloth soaked with antiseptic across his arms. He squirmed slightly, but cooperated as I worked. "I remember the day you were born," I said. "Do you want to hear the story?"
He nodded. "Ok."
"Well," I began, wiping at the gashes. "Seto and I were in the room when you were born. Seto was six, and I was five. At the time, I was Seto's best friend, and he invited me to come see you being born. But your mother lost too much blood during the birth. Right before she died, and I could tell she knew she was going to, she handed you to Seto. The last words she said were, 'This is your brother, Seto. His name is Mokuba. Take care of him for me, please. And never let anything happen to him.' And Seto promised.
"Your father was so sad after that. When you were four, Mokuba, he still wasn't over his wife's death. He left, leaving you two at the orphanage. And Seto played chess with Gozaburu Kaiba, won, and he had to adopt you. But he mistreated you two terribly. But once Seto gained control in Kaiba Corp., he rid the world of Gozaburu, regained contact with me, and that's how we ended up meeting."
"Is that the whole story?" he asked.
I nodded. "Pretty much. You remember everything at the orphanage and everything after that, so I didn't really need to tell that part, but I felt like it!"
He grinned.
"Hey," I said, leaning in. "We have a plan to get out of here."
Mokuba's eyes widened. "Really?"
"Yes," I said. "But we're going to have to wait for the dance I think. That's tonight. After work-time."
"I don't want to go to work-time."
"I think you have to, Mokuba," I told him. "But it'll be okay. It's a good time to talk about how we are going to try and get out of here."
"I don't want to be here any longer, Locus," he said. "It's past time we got out. How long have we been here anyway?"
"This is the third day," I said.
He looked genuinely surprised. "It seems a lot longer than that, doesn't it?"
"Uh-huh."
But our small conversation was disrupted by Mr. Stupid, coming to open the bars and get Tenchi.
"Come on, kid," he said. "Time to go. We got others waiting."
I didn't know why he said that. Tenchi wasn't taking a long time or anything.
Slowly and reluctantly he made his way to the opening of the cell and let himself be taken away by Mr. Stupid.
I felt this would be a good time to go to sleep. We didn't have long until lunch, so we didn't have much time.
"Lunch!" said Tenchi weakly.
I sat up and rubbed my eyes. "Already?"
"Yes," he said.
Slowly I got out of bed and shook Mokuba awake. "Time to go to lunch."
"I'm not hungry, Seto," he said.
"This is Locus," I reminded him.
He opened his eyes and smiled. "Hey."
I grinned. "Lunchtime."
"All right!" He hopped out of bed, trying to ignore the pain in his arms.
Mr. Stupid was waiting at the entrance of the cell with the handcuffs, as usual, ready to bring us into the café.
"Well come on now."
I took Mokuba's hand, careful of the knife gashes, and started to the entrance.
Then I heard a cold voice say, "Wait." Volton.
"Uh, what is it, boss?" asked Mr. Stupid.
"Them three aren't going to lunch today."
"Why not?"
"Don't question me. They are making me suspicious, and I think we'll keep them in isolation for a while. They won't be going to dinner, either, or the dance. But for work-time, we'll make an exception."
No meals or dance? That would mean our only planning time would be work-time!
"What the hell?" screamed Tenchi. I toppled backwards, surprised about hearing such a strong word coming from such a little kid. "You can't keep us from our meals. That isn't right."
Volton's mouth curled up at the edges. "It's right *here*."
"Uh, boss, don't you think we should bring them something? What if they die?"
"They won't die, sir. But perhaps we'll, um, never mind."
When
they
walked
away, I
stared
at
Tenchi.
"What
was with
the
overreact
ion?"
He shrugged. "Just something I learned. If they see you suffer, they get happy, and sometimes the dumb man gives you stuff."
I smiled. "I could kind of tell you were faking it. And we have those rolls, you know."
"Psst."
I looked over at Mokuba, and he was looking as surprised as I was.
"Psst."
"Tenchi?" I asked in confusion.
"Psst. Tenchi." It was coming from outside the cell.
I crept over to the bars and peeked out. There I saw the girl from the washroom, Carter, and her friend.
"We're gonna get you out of here. Day Tripper told me your plans. I can open the bars if you like."
I cocked my head. "Are you sure? Can we trust you?"
She nodded. "Of course. I didn't want to work here in the first place. I hate what my father does. But I have to."
I drew back slightly. "Volton is your father?"
"Yes." she hung her head. "And this is Jon. He is the son of Hench."
"Hang on," I said. "I need to talk to my friends about this."
I turned around and faced Tenchi. "Can we trust her?"
Tenchi nodded sincerely. "She's the one who gave me the rolls and the medicine."
"Were you listening?" I asked.
"Yes. I should go."
I shook my head. "You can't go. You know all about this place."
"But I also know where the room is where the rubber gloves are kept," he argued.
"Why can't I go?" asked Mokuba.
I knelt down next to him. "Because it's extremely dangerous. I'm afraid that if you went you'd get hurt."
His eyes welled up. "What if you get hurt?"
"If I get hurt." I hadn't thought about that. But my friends were depending on me. "Well, I'll be okay. Don't you worry about me, okay?"
"What if you don't come back?"
"Of course I'll come back. Even though they can hurt me, they can't kill me."
"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice quivering.
I nodded furiously. "Yes."
"Locus." This time it was Tenchi.
"What is it?"
"Locus, I have to tell you something. You are the chosen one."
I didn't absorb what he said. "Great."
I turned back to Carter and Jon, and took a deep breath. "How do I get there?"
"Take a left when you get to the end of the hall, near where you come in for meals. When you see a pile of chains, stomp on them. The first aid kits are hidden in the drawers under the candles."
I nodded. "Okay, thanks."
"You ready?" asked Carter.
"Yes."
She walked over and pressed the button that opened the bars to the cell. Immediately I slipped out and fled down the hall, her words pounding in my head. Left, stomp on chains, under candle. Left, stomp on chains, under candle.
What good would stomping on some chains do? I wondered, but I convinced myself to listen to Carter.
I turned left, almost without thinking, and saw the chains.
I stood in front of them and pondered for a moment. Should I? Of course I should. But why? What good would it do?
Before I could change my mind, I brought my foot down on the pile of chains.
I stared surprise at what I saw.
Stomping on the chains had opened some kind of passage in the wall. It swung open to reveal a room.
The room was warm, well lit, and even had a TV. I scowled. How could they let us live in such horrible conditions while they sulked in luxury?
Quickly I hopped inside.
The moment I did, the wall slammed shut again. I looked back to see how I could get out once I had the gloves. I saw a small red button on the wall. That was probably the way out.
I turned back. What had Carter said to do again? Oh yes. Pull out the drawer under the candle.
There was no candle.
But upon further inspection, on top of one of the bed-side dressers, I found a small, fragrant candle that was obviously not used for light.
I pulled out the drawer under it. There was a huge collection of orange rubber gloves.
I grabbed as many pairs as I could and stuffed them in the pocket of my ragged jeans.
"Well well well."
I heard Hench's voice behind me.
Pain struck my stomach, and everything went black.
"Locus."
I stirred gently.
"Locus."
My eyes fluttered open to look up at Mokuba. His eyes stared down at me, full of concern. I realized I was lying on a cot, though I wasn't sure whose.
"Are you alright? Oh gosh, I knew they'd hurt you, I knew that would happen!"
I smiled weakly. "Are you saying that you don't believe in me?"
"No, no!" cried Mokuba. "That's not what I'm saying at all!"
Tenchi's figure loomed over me, which was strange. I was used to looking down on him, not the other way around.
"They hurt you pretty bad, Locus. Hench stabbed you."
I picked up my hand and brought it over to touch my stomach. It hurt, but that wasn't what frightened me. My whole upper body was encrusted in my blood.
Mokuba's eyes leaked worry. "Tenchi, quick! Get the medicine!" Normally I would have laughed at this kind of franticness.
Tenchi was ahead of him, pouring the whole vat of medicine across my body. Then he took a rag of some sort and began to scrub off the caked blood.
It stung horribly, but I kept my mouth shut.
Until he reached my chest.
I had no shirt on.
I grabbed his hands tightly and looked up at him, betrayal echoing in my eyes.
He gently pushed them away. "Locus. In times like these, this kind of thing no longer matters."
Mokuba peered over his shoulder, watching him work.
Tenchi realized this, and turned to face him. "Go to the other side of the room," he barked. "I need to talk to Locus in private."
Mokuba pouted, but did as he was told.
Tenchi turned back to me. "Hench couldn't have gone any further than he did."
I shook my head. "Yes, he could have."
I sat up, ignoring the searing pain in my stomach. "Did he kill anyone?" I demanded to know.
Tenchi shook his head.
"Well? What'd he do?! Tell me!" I cried frantically.
Tears streamed down Tenchi's face. "I don't know how to say it."
"Just say it!"
Tenchi hung his head. "He.......he raped you."
It took a long time to absorb what he said. But when I did, I just paled and fell onto the bed. Then everything went black.
I awoke later, many things that Tenchi had said echoing through my mind. The rape thought stood out. I had no memory of it. I had no pain, no horrible thoughts. Nothing. I was just emotionless. Probably shock, as I look back now on those moments.
But another thought stood out, too.
You are the chosen one.
Again, I had no thoughts. I wasn't surprised, wasn't excited. I felt like I had known all along. Though I hadn't.
All those bastards had to do was repeat my name while holding the necklace.
It began to piece together. That's why they wanted my name, but didn't want Mokuba's.
But the pieces fell apart again. They didn't know I was the chosen one. They only knew we knew who it was. Though we didn't.
The rape thought appeared again, and it made me all the more determined to get out.
Suddenly I heard a metallic sound. I sat up in my cot and looked at the entrance of the cell.
There stood Mokuba.
My eyes widened. "Mokuba!" I exclaimed. "How did you get out?.........WOAH!"
Blood was dripping down his front.
"Tenchi...."I whispered weakly, and fell down in my bed again, unable to get up.
I woke again the next morning. I didn't remember what had happened the previous day, and I sat up, my stomach stiff.
Tenchi walked over to my cot and loomed over me. Again, I was used to looking down on him.
"Mokuba did this so he could get revenge on Hench for what he did to you," Tenchi explained. "It was a very noble thing to do."
"Is he okay?" I asked frantically.
Tenchi nodded. "He's fine. And you will be too."
Tenchi brought his face close to mine.
I didn't think about Yugi.
I didn't think about the age difference.
I didn't think about incomplete trust.
The kiss was a long one that lasted until Mokuba stirred.
I pulled away slowly, unsure of what to say.
I'm fourteen years old.
I just kissed an eleven year old.
But I loved him. I knew I did.
Though I still could not completely trust him.
Featuring songs...
"Tomorrow" by Avril Lavigne
"Tourniquet" by
Evanescence
"Everything's OK" by Hazie
"In The End" by Hazie
"Thirty Minutes" by t.A.T.u.
"Imaginary" by Evanescence
"My Immortal" by Evanescence
"Give Unto Me" by Evanescence
The doorbell rang. The sound echoed through my small house. I raced downstairs and opened the door. A short boy about the age of ten was standing there, with long black hair and a sober look on his face.
I summoned him in. He always came to me with his troubles. And his messages from his brother.
We sat down on the khaki couch, as we always did, and he leaned against my shoulder and sighed heavily. "Hey."
I stroked his hair. "You got something to tell me?"
The kid nodded. "My brother wants to see you. He says he has something very important to talk to you about, and it's something I cannot know and only you and him can know. When I asked it what it was, he threw me against the wall."
I was startled. His brother loved him more than anything in the world. And he told him everything. Even some things that he didn't tell me.
My boyfriend walked in on us. "Hey, Locus. Mokuba coming to see you again?"
I nodded and held Mokuba close to me. "Yugi, I am kind of busy right now. I need to go to Seto's office. I'll be back as soon as I can."
Yugi nodded, looking confused. "Alright. But I expect you back in a couple of hours."
"That's okay," I said. "That's all the time we'll need, I think. Oh, and Mokuba is staying with us tonight."
As I walked out the door, Mokuba looked up at me with shining eyes. "Really?"
"Sure, kid," I said, ruffling his hair. "Anything for you."
He smiled up at me. I beamed. It was nice to have someone that looked up to you.
But I didn't know that I would be gone for a lot more than a couple of hours.
About twenty minutes later, we entered the city. I could see the Kaiba Corp. building sticking up above the others in the big city. I had a feeling that I was being followed, but I didn't see anyone when I turned around.
"Mokuba," I said slowly. "Is there anyone else here with us?"
Mokuba shook his head. "Not that I know of."
"Anyway, you have to tell me some more, please. Did you hear your brother say anything about what he was talking about, or anything at all?"
Mokuba shook his head, making his long hair fly all over the place. "Nothing at all. He just said he needed to talk to you urgently."
We didn't talk much the rest of the walk there. It didn't take long to reach the building. I punched in the code to get into the building, then started up the long elevator to Seto Kaiba's office on the top floor.
Though I normally didn't like elevators, I made an exception to this one. It was made of glass, and you could see throughout the whole town.
A small 'ding' told me we were at the top of the tower. I stepped out of the elevator and into the highly organized, almost blank room, except for two men guarding the door into the office.
They recognized me immediately, but did not let me in off the bat. "Master Mokuba," one of them said. "Did your brother send for her or is she on a social visit?"
This question always bugged me. I never came to see Seto Kaiba on social terms. The only reasons I ever came to Kaiba Corp. was to talk something over with Seto or to come pick up Mokuba for some fun little treat. Mokuba was like my pet. He followed me everywhere and I loved him like he was my little brother instead of Seto's.
"Seto sent for her," said Mokuba.
The guards opened the doors and escorted me into the office.
Seto Kaiba's eyes pierced the darkness inside the room. Slowly he left his seat at his huge computer and walked over to me. "Thank you. You are dismissed," he said to the guards, as if they were his personal slaves. But before they left, they added, "Please do not let Mokuba hear what we are saying."
They left.
Once the door closed, Seto let out a long breath, as if he had been holding it for a very long time. "I have something to tell you," he said solemnly.
"So I've heard."
"Do you know that necklace that Mokie always wears?"
I nodded. I knew the one he was talking about. Mokuba always wore a necklace with a golden duelist card on it. Open it up and there was a picture of his brother.
"It is infused with some sort of magical energy, somewhat like the Millennium Items. And I am using the energies for a secret project. But someone is after it. He only goes by the name of Volton. And he will do anything to get his hands on that necklace. You must not give the secrets of the necklace to him."
I was confused. "But what are the secrets of the necklace?"
"I'm getting there," said Seto. "It is able to free people from the state of mind slaving. It can also, if placed in the wrong hands, give the power to rule the entire world. You are able to do this by chanting the name of the Chosen One and staring deep into the card. Locus, you must not tell anyone. Even Mokuba. Do you promise me this?"
I nodded. "I promise."
"Now," Seto told me slowly. "It may be hard. But you must keep your promise."
I didn't know what he meant by that.
Seto walked back over to his computer and sat down in his chair. He began to work again.
I knew what that meant. I was dismissed.
I exited. Then I turned to the guards, but to my surprise there was only one. "Please tell Master Seto that Mokuba will be staying with Locus Bashea tonight."
The guard nodded, and added, "You will find Master Mokuba on the second floor."
I thanked him and got back in the elevator, making sure to stop by the second floor.
Ding.
I stepped off the elevator and looked around me. I had never been on the second floor before. It looked similar to the top floor where Kaiba worked, but without the guards. There was someone there though, someone in a small window, similar to those in a doctor's office when you come in to check in a patient. She was a young girl about my age, with long brown hair and a gentle face.
"Are you Miss, uh, Banshee?" asked the girl.
I nodded. "I have come to fetch Mokuba."
The girl smiled and indicated the back door.
I turned the knob and entered the room. There was a desk in the corner, and a shelf on the other side, facing the desk. It looked comfy- cozy, unlike Kaiba's large computer room.
Mokuba and the *other* guard were sitting at the desk. When Mokuba saw me, he bounced up out of the seat. "Ready?"
The guard slumped down in the chair. "I'm exhausted. I've never taken care of a kid before. I don't even know what's going on!"
I smiled. Mokuba had probably been bothering him about what Seto Kaiba and I had been talking about upstairs. Personally I didn't think it was that serious. Real people never get captured or anything like that. That kind of thing only happened in cartoons. Or stories. I laughed at the impossibility.
"Oh, it's raining!" I cried when we stepped outside.
"Why don't we get a taxi?" asked Mokuba.
I smiled. "Good idea." I put my coat around him, to keep him from getting wet, and stood at the side of the road. "Taxi!" I called. "Taxi!"
Mokuba decided to help. "Taxi! We need one. We're waiting..."
I laughed quietly and pushed him lightly. He pretended to be mad and pushed me back.
And then up drove a taxi.
We got inside of the car and closed the door. "How much will it cost us to get down to Westlock?"
"I do it for free," rasped the taxi driver. "Because we're not going to Westlock."
Confused, I asked, "Where are we going?" (I know, I can be kind of slow sometimes.)
Mokuba tapped my shoulder. "I think we're in trouble, Locus."
I nodded. "Where are we going?" I asked again.
"We are going to my headquarters, Miss Banshee."
I gasped in horror. "How did you know who I am?"
The taxi driver chuckled. "I have known who you are. I have seen you before, though you may not have seen me. "
My eyes narrowed as I realized who I was talking to. "Volton!"
Volton nodded. "Yes. Very good."
Mokuba looked up at me. "Who is Volton?"
"A bad guy," I told him simply.
"And I am going to get the information out of you two. I promise you that." Volton laughed. Then he pressed a button, and I smelled something strange.
Then I blacked out.
When I came to, I was sitting in a small cell that looked like a prison cell. It was damp, gray, and stony, and smelled like mildew.
I looked around me and saw two small cots in the corner near some chains and an unusual looking table that was undoubtedly used to set food on.
Mokuba was sitting huddled in the corner, shivering. It was then I realized I was freezing cold.
He smiled when he saw me. "Hey."
I smiled back grimly and fetched a blanket from the bed. His shivering slowed. "Better?"
He nodded slowly. "Locus. Why are we here?"
"I don't know," I told him, though I think he knew very well that I knew why we were here.
"I want to go home." he stood up and walked over to one of the cots, where he sat down.
I sat down next to him and put my arm around him. "I know. So do I. But we'll just have to wait it out, won't we?"
"Uh-huh."
Two men who needed a shave walked in front of our cell. "Hey. Bitch is awake. Time to take them to the boss."
I stood up. "What do you mean?" My face was red from the word they had used.
"We mean that Volton needs to see you two."
"Why?" I asked coldly, standing up straighter.
One of the men laughed. "Ooo, she thinks she's dignified. Like she's worth something." The other man joined in his laughter. My blood boiled.
"Come on kids," said the other guy. He opened the gate to the cell and grabbed our arms as so we could not get away. Not like we could, anyway. We wouldn't know where we were going.
As he led us down the hall, Mokuba looked up with his eyes shining with tears wanting to come out. "I'm scared, Locus."
"I know," I replied understandingly. I reached out to him with my free hand, as to put my arm around him, but one of the men slapped it, and I quickly brought it back to its place.
The room we entered was dimly lit. We couldn't see much of anything there, except for a small light on the opposing wall. There in the shadows was a figure of a man. Volton.
He stepped into view and smiled, revealing many missing teeth. "Thank you Hench. Ratear. You may go now." 'My' man let go of my arm and walked back out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Mokuba and I were alone in the room with Volton. I felt a hot fear coming from deep inside of me.
"You both know why you have been brought here," he said coldly. I didn't think it was a god time to tell him that Mokuba knew nothing, so I kept my mouth shut, and so did he.
"There is some information you hold that I will have," said Volton. "I promise you, I will have it in time."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"I mean that I will force the information out of you, if I have to."
"How?" asked Mokuba meekly.
"By means of this," Volton thundered, and suddenly the room lit up. I shaded my eyes, not used to the brightness.
When my eyes adjusted, I gasped at the sight that surrounded me.
Metal contraptions stood all around the room. Chains, knives, and many other items I did not recognize came into view. So did some machine on the cieling that emitted tiny electric shocks every few seconds. Below it was a table that held a person down. Sharp objects were everywhere, and there was even a casket-looking thing that I knew was an iron maiden.
"That is how I shall get the information out of you two," laughed Volton.
"Now," he continued. "We shall begin extracting the information from you tomorrow. Right now, you have something else I want."
Volton whistled, and his two men came back in. They also had to shade their eyes from the blinding light.
"Ratear, you are dismissed. Hench, stay right here. Find their names for me. I have to, uh, *tend* to the other guests."
Hench nodded, and Ratear and Volton exited the room.
Hench took my hand and led me to one of the strange looking platforms. "Lay down."
I looked and didn't see anything that looked dangerous, but this was a torture chamber and I had to watch myself. "No."
"Lay down," he barked, and threw himself on top of me, pressing me down firmly to the platform, where I was immediately strapped down. "I need your name. I can't keep calling you bitch."
"You will not have it."
Hench smiled. His smile was almost purely gold. "Oh, I'll have it alright." His eyes began to glow, and I could feel my arm twisting. You could almost hear the bones splintering. I grimaced, but did not cry out. I wouldn't give him satisfaction.
He looked at me mockingly. "I could do this all night, girl. Now what is your name?" My arm twisted further, and I had to clench my teeth. I looked over at Mokuba. He was deathly pale and looked like he was about to pass out.
"Give me the name, or your little friend gets it!" Hench raised a whip.
"L-Locus..."
He grinned. "Very nice. Now how about your friend. Who is he?"
"Don't tell him, Locus!" Mokuba cried, but Hench raised his whip again, and the boy shrank back in fright.
"Mokuba."
Volton stepped back inside. "I know who the kid is, you imbecile! I just need to know about the girl."
"Yes, Master." Hench stepped backwards and did a kind of half-bow. It was disgusting how he almost worshiped him.
"Put them in Cell Eighteen," said Volton.
"Yes, Master."
Hench grabbed the collar of my shirt and threw me into the grimy cell. It looked a lot like the one we had been in before, but not as cold. I didn't know if I had gotten used to the cold or if this cell was slightly warmer.
I winced as my arm hit the ground.
Hench saw it and said a few words, and the pain lingered, but I could feel the bones inside reassemble themselves, and all that was left was a small throb.
I looked over at Mokuba. I was glad they hadn't harmed him in any way. I hoped they wouldn't. He was only a defenseless little kid. They couldn't hurt him, could they?
Tears were streaming from his eyes. "I *really* want to go home, Locus," he said, between sobs.
"I know," I whispered, pulling him close to me. "So do I. But we'll ride it out, won't we? We'll ride it out." And I said that over and over, rocking back and forth, until he fell asleep.
I lifted him off the cold, damp floor and into the cot. I stood back and looked at him. He looked so much younger when he was asleep. Tears welled up in my own eyes, in worry for him. I loved him like a brother, and if anything happened to him...
I couldn't bear to think about it. So I got into the other cot. I didn't know what time it was. I didn't care. But I fell asleep quickly, despite everything that was on my mind.
"Grub's ready!" Hench yelled from outside the cell, and I heard the sound of plastic on rock. I looked up and blinked, letting my eyes adjust. I saw a bowl full of something I had never seen before. I also noticed the cell bars were open.
Hench was standing outside waiting. "Well, come on then!" he said.
Confused, I asked, "Come where?"
Hench looked genuinely startled. "Volton didn't tell you? We aren't all evil here. We let you socialize with the other prisoners. You should know that."
"Why are they here?" And another thing, I asked myself. Why bother to slide the bowl into our room if we are not going to eat in here anyway? Talk about pointless.
"Confidential reasons. Mostly secrets we *need* to know," he replied.
"Oh."
"Now I shall cuff you," he said, "as so you may not get away."
I got out of bed and obediently held out my hands. He placed metal cuffs upon them and secured them, then motioned to the other bed. "What about your friend?"
I looked back and saw that Mokuba was still asleep.
"Why can't we just let him sleep?" I asked. "He is so young."
"Because we have rules here," Hench growled. "Now come on, we don't have all day, if you don't hurry you won't have breakfast at all."
I had to practically beg Hench to bend the rules by removing my handcuffs and letting me carry the sleeping kid into the place they called the 'café.' In it were a bunch of people eating the strange porridge-like substance in all the bowls. I took a seat next to another young boy around Mokuba's age, with flourescent teal hair. He scooted away when he saw me, as if he was afraid.
An older girl sitting across from me smiled. I noted she wore lots of bracelets with spikes and studs, and her hair was short and had random pink and blue streaks in it. She held out her hand, and I saw her arm was covered in marks that looked like whip wounds. "Hello, are you new around here? Name's Day Tripper. Or at least that's what they call me. My friends, I mean."
I shook her hand. "Locus of the Banshees. And this is Mokuba," I said, indicating the kid next to me, who was just beginning to sit up and rub his eyes.
"G'morning, Locus," said Mokuba, yawning. "I'm hungry."
"Hey, Mokuba," I replied. "We're at the café."
"Oh." He was still half asleep.
"Hey..." I said to Day Tripper, remembering. "Who was that kid who scooted away from me when he saw me?"
Day Tripper motioned her hand as if it was nothing. "Oh, that's Tenchi. He doesn't trust anybody. He never talks. I think he's kind of mentally challenged or something like that. Or just shy. Nobody knows him well enough to find out."
I shrugged. Not like I didn't care, but I wasn't sure what else to do.
"What do they call this stuff?" I asked, taking a large bite of my 'porridge.'
"I'm not really sure," said Day Tripper. "The men call it wheat-meal, but I think there is something else in it. It slowly kills you. You don't know when it's coming, though. And you can't tell either."
I almost spit it out. "Why do you think that?"
Day Tripper laughed. "I didn't mean to frighten you. It's a rumor that's been going around for some time. I have no clue if it's true or not. Most people think that it was just started to scare the new prisoners."
I looked over at Mokuba. He didn't seem to care. He was so hungry that he was taking large bites out of his bowl. But he didn't seem worried anymore either. And I didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing.
Suddenly a bell sounded, making me jump. "Breakfast is over!" cried a fat man wearing an orange suit.
I got up slowly and took Mokuba's hand. "Not much time to eat, is there?" I asked, pasting on a smile.
Day Tripper shook her head. "They can't afford it. Too many people to torture, so little time." Her face turned grim, and she turned away.
I felt like grabbing on to her shoulder, asking her to stay. I had so many more questions.
Mokuba tapped me on the shoulder. "Hench is coming."
He was right. And he had his whip, too. Everyone in the café turned their heads to look. A kid shuffling by me said, "Everyone always gets interested when he comes in with the whip."
"Bad news, kids," he said, coming up to Mokuba and I. "New person. You'll have to share a cell with someone."
He looked over at the kid with the red hair. "How about you, Tenchi? You can let these two use your cell, can't you?"
Tenchi shook violently and nodded. If he was delirious, I could see why. Fright.
Hench must have noticed that everyone was staring at them. "There is nothing to see!" he barked. "Get on back to your cells." He stared at the whip in his hand. "Shit. That is why everyone was looking at me," he whispered. I hoped Mokuba hadn't heard that.
"Now Tenchi here," Hench began, placing his hand on Tenchi's shoulder, making him flinch, "will show you to your new cell. Come along now." Hench left.
"Cell's this way," said Tenchi meekly. He waved his hand for us to follow him, and started down the long, dark, drafty hallway.
The new cell didn't look much different than the old one, except that it had three beds, one for each of us, I presumed.
Tenchi looked at his watch. "One hour till our session," he said slowly. His face fell, and he went to sit on his bed.
"Session of what?" asked Mokuba, his voice shaking a bit.
"Torture," said Tenchi.
Mokuba drew back. "Wha...?"
Tenchi nodded grimly. "That is how they get secrets out of us here."
Mokuba turned to look at me. I nodded too.
"They probably won't do it to you, kid," said Tenchi. "You are much too young and could die from it."
Mokuba's eyes welled up. "I could what?"
"Get over it kid, they're not going to torture you," Tenchi repeated.
He wrapped his arms around me. "Don't let them."
I held him close. "I won't let them. You're going to be fine. Everything is going to be alright. You can do anything, remember?" I had once told him he could do anything after his stepfather's abuse. He had the scars to prove it.
He nodded, but he didn't seem very convinced. I looked to Tenchi for help in any way, but he seemed to be lost in his own little world.
I sat down on the wet floor and Mokuba put his head on my shoulder. I could feel my shirt getting damp from his frightened tears. It was then that I realized that I was crying, too. Because I wasn't sure about what Tenchi had said either.
And I wanna believe you
When you tell me that it'll be okay
Yeah I try to believe you
But I don't
When you say that it's gonna be
It always turns out to be a different way
I try to believe you
Not today
And I don't know how I feel
Tomorrow, tomorrow
And I don't know what to say
Tomorrow, tomorrow is a different day
Yeah it's always been up to you
Now it's turning around it's up to me
Gonna do what I have to do
Just don't
Give me a little time
Leave me alone a little while
Maybe it's not too late
Not today
And I don't know how I feel
Tomorrow, tomorrow
And I don't know what to say
Tomorrow, tomorrow is a different day
Hey yeah hey yeah hey yeah hey yeah
And I know I'm not ready
Hey yeah hey yeah hey yeah hey yeah
Maybe tomorrow
Hey yeah hey yeah hey yeah hey yeah
And I know I'm not ready
Hey yeah hey yeah hey yeah hey yeah
Maybe tomorrow
And I don't know how I feel
Tomorrow, tomorrow
And I don't know what to say
Tomorrow, tomorrow is a different day
Tomorrow it may change
I didn't know how many minutes had passed before we pulled away, but when I looked up, I saw Hench standing outside the bars. That face that in such a short time I had already begun to hate.
"Time to go," he growled. "We have others waiting."
Shakily I stood up. Tenchi came beside me, and Mokuba clasped my hand as if it were the only piece of life he had left, and as far as I knew, it could be.
"It's going to be okay," I said as we walked down the hall, more to myself than to Mokuba. "We're going to get through this."
We went back into the dark room that we had been in the previous day, the one with all the contraptions that now looked so much more evil, now that I was about to face them. Or maybe it was just the candle light reflecting off of them that gave them a more sinister look.
"What should we do first?" asked Hench. At first I thought he was talking to himself, but I realized there was another figure standing in the shadows. Volton, I presumed.
"Hmm..." came Volton's voice. "Start off with the knife today, I suppose, or your whip. Either one I am fine with, or both. And don't show any mercy. Even to the kid."
Fear filled me to the brim and spilled over. "You can't do anything to him!" I cried. "He's only ten...he can't handle it!"
"You think we care about you?" asked Volton. "The only reason we are bothering to even keep you two *alive* is because you have information we want."
The lights came on once again, and my eyes stung.
Volton's eyes narrowed when he saw Tenchi. "I told you to change his schedule, Hench," he growled. "He will not be having his session until three from now on. You shall be punished." He took out his whip and lashed Hench, ripping his shirt and letting a howl break free.
Breathing hard, he bowed. "Yes...master." Then he took Tenchi away.
This act upset Mokuba greatly, and he clung to me. His body shook and he cowered away from Volton as he drew nearer.
"I am not going to do anything to you," Volton said, smiling sweetly when he saw him, then continued to the door. "That is not my duty. Now, I am off to be somewhere. Good day to you. And," he added, as he stepped out the door, "Good luck."
The moment he disappeared, Mokuba began to hyperventilate.
"Stop," I said, trying desperately to calm him down, but to no avail. "Please, this won't help you, it'll only make things worse."
"What if something happens to me?" he whimpered.
"It'll all be okay. I promise," I told him, stroking his hair. But I wasn't so sure of myself. And I didn't want to show it, as it might upset the kid, but I was very afraid.
He threw his arms around me. "I don't want anything bad to happen. I just want to go home. I want to go home. I wanna go home!" he screamed.
I felt slightly embarrassed and felt like stepping outside and apologizing for the disruption, but I was more appalled to staying here and protecting the person that really needed to be talked to.
I sat down on the floor and gently pushed Mokuba down next to me. I spoke to him slowly in Spanish. I didn't care if he understood me or not, but I don't think he really cared, either. I didn't realize how tense he was until he released it while I held him.
I felt sorry for Tenchi. He had nobody to hold *him* when he was afraid.
The doorknob opened and in strolled Hench, as casually as he was just stepping in for a visit. Except he had his whip.
"Are you ready?" he asked, smiling. He spit a heap of something brown on the ground that smelled like tobacco. "You will tell us what we want to know, I'll make sure of that."
As afraid as I was, I stood my ground, hoping I wasn't paling. "Give me all you have got."
Hench smiled, more than ready to. But before he did that, he grabbed Mokuba by the neck, ripped off the necklace, and put it in his pocket. He threw Mokuba down on he floor.
He moaned slightly and stayed down.
I immediately rushed to his side. "Mokuba! Are you alright?"
"Your friend will be fine," said Hench. "As long as I get what I want."
I stared at him with eyes full of anger. He stepped closer to us, and I jumped in front of Mokuba, afraid more for him than for my own safety.
He smiled, and I hated him for it. "Step aside."
I didn't budge.
"If you do things my way nothing will happen to you. Now *step aside!*"
"It's him I'm worried about!" I yelled. "Do whatever you want to me. I will not tell you anything. Just don't hurt him. Please."
"I'll keep that for future reference," said Hench slyly, though I had no idea what he meant by that whatsoever.
Hench cracked his whip on my back.
I thought I had felt real pain. Many times. But I hadn't. It felt as if I was being skinned alive, and in a way, I was. I could feel the blood running down my back and soaking into the back of my pants, mixing with the dirt and grime and creating a foul odor.
I clenched my teeth to keep from crying out. But I made sure not to. I didn't want to make him happy.
I seemed to anyway. He knew I was holding back.
"Now you know what pain feels like. Do you like it? Did that hurt? Huh? Well, get used to it. Because you are going to be getting this until we get what we want. Hear me?"
"Just...don't...hurt
the kid," I said
chokingly, holding
back tears.
"Why not?" asked Hench. "I do this everyday. You don't think I will stop just because some bitch told me 'just don't hurt the kid'? Well you know what? I'm not that stupid. You think I'm stupid? Huh?"
I just
stared at him.
I didn't
realize I was
biting my lip
until I tasted
blood.
"Sorry, hon. That's the wrong answer." The whip cracked again.
I closed my eyes, waiting to feel it. But I didn't.
I looked down and saw whip marks on my leg. But for some strange reason, I hadn't felt anything. And that scared me. It scared me more than if I *had* felt it.
Hench frowned. "Dammit, musta broken a nerve or something. This'll make it better." He threw some kind of dart at me. I hardly felt where it pierced my skin, but I could feel something flowing through me.
Suddenly my back was on fire. My leg was on fire. I dropped to the floor, trying to stay conscious. Though my vision was horribly blurred and distorted, I could see Hench's figure looming over me.
"Ready to tell?"
I shook my head. "I am never going to tell you anything. Never, ever, ever!" I sounded like a small child, but I didn't care. I had gotten my point across.
I tried to kill the pain
But only brought more (so much more)
I lay dying
And I'm pouring crimson regret and betrayal
I'm dying, praying, bleeding, and screaming
Am I too lost to be saved
Am I too lost?
My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation
Do you remember me
Lost for so long
Will you be on the other side
Will you forget me?
I'm dying, praying, bleeding, and screaming
Am I too lost to be saved
Am I too lost?
My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation
Return to me salvation
I want to die!
My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My wounds cry for the grave
My soul cries for deliverance
Will I be denied Christ?
Tourniquet
My suicide
"Sure is a stubborn one," said Hench to himself. "Well, if you won't tell me anything, maybe your friend will!"
I had to stop him. "He knows nothing!"
Hench turned around, his eyes narrowing. "Excuse me?"
"He knows nothing," I repeated.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
I nodded. "This information was kept from his knowledge."
Hench did not waver, nor lower his whip. "How much do I care? I do what I am instructed to."
Painfully I stood up. "Don't lay a finger on him." I looked at Mokuba cowering on the floor. My heart broke for him. And that made me try even harder. I couldn't let anything happen to him. For now he was my responsibility. And I wasn't going to let anything bad happen to him.
"Whose going to stop me?" asked Hench mockingly. He shoved me back on the ground, and I could not get back up. "Stop stalling. We have other people waiting, you know."
"Exactly."
"Like I said before, stop stalling. The faster you let me the faster you can get back to your cell. Isn't that what you want?"
"Not good enough for me. I want for both of us to be able to come back to our cell now, and I demand that the boy is unharmed."
"Well, too bad for you now!" Hench cracked his whip.
I covered my ears so as not to hear him cry out, but I did not shut my eyes in time. I hated the way the whip snaked along his small body, leaving a slice in his side. A part of his shirt was torn off, and blood began to trickle down.
Coughs or sobs, I didn't know which, racked his body. He lay trembling on the floor, and Hench cracked the whip a second time, this time grazing his shoulder.
"Why do you do this?" I yelled, crying uncontrollably. "I already told you it is useless."
"Ah, but you gave me the vital piece of information, if you recall. I could do anything to you, and you wouldn't tell. But you care for this wretched heap..." he gestured to Mokuba, who was now laying in a pool of his own blood. "And I suppose if I endanger someone you truly care about, maybe I could get the information out of you that way. It is settled then. I shall continue to torture *both* of you. Maybe then we will see things eye to eye."
The door opened and Volton stepped in. "That will be enough for today, Hench. We have others waiting, you know.
Hench lowered his whip. "Yes, Master."
He turned to us. "Well, get up! You two need to go back to your cell now. Go!" he barked.
I tried to get up, but couldn't. Pain had drained my strength away.
"I suppose you'll just have to pick them up and carry them..." said Volton, "Because we have others waiting..."
Hench sighed and picked me up.
I angered. I didn't want to b e humbled by being carried back to my cell by someone such as him!
Somehow I got my second wind and hopped out of his arms. "I prefer to *walk,*, thank you."
"Fine with me," said Hench. "I'll take the kid."
I knew that Mokuba wouldn't want Hench taking him back, so I argued. "I'll take him, too."
"Fine then," said Hench. "Just get yourself out now. I demand it."
Slowly and painfully I limped over to the small boy lying on the floor who, moments later, had been full of life.
Come to me when you need me
Immerse yourself in my soft, warm light
I cleanse your soul and dry your tears
We'll force it down his throat and take flight
I've sen your pain as a throbbing breath
I've seen you cry when you're afraid
I've seen you fall when all else is fallen
But I've never seen you walk away
Until today
But everything's ok
Everything's ok
Don't worry your life away
It's ok
And so are we
When you need a say
Whisper in my ear
When you want to scream
Tell me what you fear
And I'll make it go away
Cause everything's ok
I've seen what they've done to you
Though bruises fade the pain will linger
I'm losing sleep over them
I hope the rain washes it away or
I'll take the stand and push them down
My protection cannot be broken by force
I'll embrace you in my arms
Unaware of my wounds and remorse
And here we'll stay
Cause everything's okay
Everything's ok
Don't worry your life away
It's ok
And so are we
When you need a say
Whisper in my ear
When you want to scream
Tell me what you fear
And I'll make it go away
Cause everything's ok
I'd wash your wounds when you were in pain
I stood up and fought them in your name
We'll take them down 'cause they're to blame
And everything'll be ok
I knelt down beside the kid and gently scooped him up into my arms. He felt heavy, and his blood dripped down and stained my arm. At this point I didn't feel any pain myself. I was only concerned about Mokuba being safe.
I looked down into his face. His eyes were closed, and his chest was moving, so he wasn't dead, though I knew that was virtually impossible.
Slowly I stood up and crept back down the hall. Amazingly I knew my way back to the cell.
"See you tomorrow!" cackled Hench, and grabbed the arm of a blonde teenage boy with spiked-up hair and pulled him inside. He closed the door, and I hoped I could not hear any screaming coming from out cell. I felt sorry for those whose cells were almost right next to the torture room.
When I reached the cell, I pressed the button that opened the bars and stepped slowly inside. The bars closed automatically. But I didn't really notice.
Tenchi was sitting on his cot, emerged deep in thought.
I didn't bother to get his attention. I just set Mokuba down on the cot. His eyes fluttered open, then he squeezed them shut.
'I can't believe they got him,' I thought to myself. 'He is so young. They had no right to do something that brutal to such a small, innocent child.'
Tenchi awoke from his daydream. "So they got the kid, huh? Oh, I bet you got stuck with Hench. He isn't that bad until it comes to the Sessions. Then he gets really brutal. He has fun with it, I think. I can see he got your friend after all."
"Well, duh," I said impatiently. "Can't you tell?" I immediately regretted what I had said. "I'm sorry, Tenchi. I am just really worried about him. I mean, what if something terrible happens to him or something? Not like it hasn't already, but..."
Tenchi sighed. "Sadly, it gets worse than this."
I remembered my thoughts out in the hallway. "Can you hear screams from here?"
Tenchi shrugged. "Sometimes," he said. "But you'll get used to it. Not the most pleasant sound in the world though."
He stepped towards Mokuba slowly.
I jumped in front of him as a reflex, almost afraid he would do something.
But he didn't. He gently pushed me aside and brushed his hair out of his face. Mokuba let out a long, deep breath, as if he had been holding it in for a very long time.
And then it came. Something I knew was going to happen sooner or later, from one of us.
The loud, piercing sound that meant utter misery and pain.
For a moment I thought it was coming from me. It was now that I realized how much pain I was in, now that Mokuba was safe.
But it wasn't me.
It was Mokuba.
I dropped onto the cot next to him. I was much too weary to try and comfort him. I felt so helpless, like I couldn't do anything. And I couldn't. I didn't know what to do. So I did what first came to mind. I rubbed his hair and began to cry heavily. Then I let out the same scream that was lying deep inside me.
Tenchi's piercing gaze softened, and he put his arm around me. He was wise beyond his years, and seemed to have seen much more than a kid his age should have seen.
"I know what to do for him," said Tenchi slowly. "Just stay right here."
I stopped crying and looked up at him in confusion as he walked over to the wall and pulled out a brick. He held up a small vat of something and grinned. Then he came back over to us.
"What is it?" I asked, not sure whether to trust him or not.
"Something I got from the guards. It's the stuff that they give people to relieve pain so they can inflict more, because sometimes, if people get in too much, they faint, and they don't want that, so..."
"Let me take it first," I pleaded. "And if it works, I'll let Mokuba have some. This way, I'll know if you are telling the truth or not."
Tenchi looked slightly hurt. "You mean, you don't trust me?"
I shook my head. "I'm sorry. But I am not taking any chances."
Tenchi sighed. "Alright. Now only drink a sip. And put a tiny bit on those whip marks, too. Okay?"
I agreed, and took a sip out of the vat. I was surprised at what I tasted, and I forced myself to swallow it. It was not apple pie, I tell you. But I took it anyway, then I dipped my fingers in it and spread it across the gashes. The liquid caused an unpleasant stinging sensation, but nothing that lasted more than a minute.
But he was right. The pain was more annoying than anything now.
Tenchi smiled. "See?"
I nodded. "You are right. But if I find out you have drugged us or something..." I shook my finger at him.
He let a laugh break free. "I didn't."
"Good."
"Now what about your friend. What did you say his name was? Morkba?"
"Mokuba."
"Oh. Right. We still need to do him. I don't think he'll like this very much. Do you want me to hold him still?" he smiled, kind of mockingly, as if he thought he was a little baby.
I shook my head. "He'll be fine. You don't know the half of it."
Tenchi cocked his head. "Alright."
I sat down beside Mokuba, who was clearly awake, and was in a lot of pain but managed to stay brave.
"Alright," I whispered in his ear. "I want you to drink the stuff that Tenchi gives you. It won't taste good, but it helps, honest. Okay?"
"O...Okay."
I felt as if I was talking to a toddler or something, but if I had someone older to look after me, this is how I would liked to be talked to in this kind of situation. I wished someone were here to do this to me.
"Just swallow it," said Tenchi, and he dropped a little into the kid's mouth.
He spit it out. "This...tastes...horrible..." he moaned slightly and started breathing hard.
"Shh!" said Tenchi harshly. "You want them to hear you? I'm not supposed to have this stuff!"
"Mokuba, please. We need you to drink it. It'll make you better. Okay?"
"Okay." I could tell he just wanted everything to be over, and for him to wake up and let it all be a bad dream. Unfortunately, it wasn't a bad dream. This was reality.
Tenchi tried again, and this time Mokuba swallowed it. Coughing, he sat up, grabbed his shoulder, and fell back down again.
I leaned in close to him again. "Now you may feel some stinging okay? We're gonna put some of this stuff-" I raised the vat again, "On those whip marks."
I could tell there were butterflies in his stomach. "The whip hurt a lot more than this will," I assured him. He was kind of making this a lot harder than it had to be.
Slowly I ripped off part of the bottom of my shirt and wet it with the liquid in the vat. Then I pressed it on the gash on his shoulder.
He winced but kept quiet, as Tenchi had told him to.
I continued until I was sure I was finished, then doused myself in some of it again.
"Just wait a minute, Mokie," I said. "It'll feel better soon, I promise." I laid his head in my lap, and he fell asleep in minutes.
I looked up from the sleeping kid and stared at Tenchi.
"Why are you here?" I asked.
Tenchi narrowed his eyes. "Why do you want to know?"
I shrugged. "Just curious, I suppose."
Tenchi sighed. "Something about this necklace. It was worn by a little kid, and his older brother told me about it a couple of weeks ago. Somehow Volton found out and I ended up here."
I gasped. Could he know Seto Kaiba? Then I shook the thought out of my head. No matter how similar the story sounded to my own, it couldn't be, because he didn't seem to recognize Mokuba at all.
"What was his name?" I asked. Just to make sure.
"Why?"
"Oh, I just wanted to know."
"No, it was nothing. Forget I said that, okay?"
"Did his name happen to be...Seto Kaiba?"
Tenchi drew back in surprise. "You know Seto Kaiba?"
I nodded and gestured to Mokuba. "This is his little brother. The one with the necklace. They took it today."
Tenchi's eyes widened. "Oh, no, we have to get it back!"
I cocked my head. "Why? He doesn't know how to use it!"
He shook his head. "He could find out. It's not that hard."
"But he doesn't know who the Chosen One is!" I cried. "How could he know that? I don't even know that."
Tenchi looked down. "I think he does, Locus. I think he does."
A gong rang from outside the cell and a voice echoed through the hall. "Grub!"
Tenchi got up. "You coming?"
"I don't think so. I'm not that hungry."
He shrugged. "Suit yourself. Just don't come crying to me if you get hungry later." He winked, and I wondered why.
Some large bodyguard opened the bars this time, and I watched as he put the handcuffs on Tenchi and led him down the hall. The handcuffs were much too large for Tenchi's wrists, and he knew it too. So why couldn't he just escape when he could? There was too much confusion in this place.
I sighed heavily and looked down onto Mokuba's face, still in my lap. I needed to get him off. My back was cricking, and my legs were falling asleep. I lifted him gently and set him down on the cot where I could have mobility.
Then I realized how exhausted I was. I didn't care if I was sleeping in Mokuba's bed. I just laid my head down next to him and fell asleep.
I'll be there through and through
I'll be there to comfort you
Nowhere bound, homeward bound
Spirit lost and spirit found
Trapped inside this cold dark cell
Stepping slowly, then you fell
Show me who you want to be
And I will set you free
Forever I will be by your side
And I will never let you go
Doesn't matter if the sun will rise
As long as you're safe and not alone
And when I drop your hand
I hope you'll understand
In the end
In the end
Laying here, sleep is here
Don't know what I'm doing here
Hope is inside you, somewhere deep
You're so much younger when you sleep
Only to wake to wounds and blood
For me to wash and that's enough
Scars run deep through my tattooed body
That light will have to wait
Forever I will be by your side
And I will never let you go
Doesn't matter if the sun will rise
As long as you're safe and not alone
And when I drop your hand
I hope you'll understand
In the end
In the end
We'll escape
They're not gonna catch us
We will get out
Run where they'll never find us
Go where
Nothing else matters
Except for us
I was awakened to two pitches of screams coming from the 'torture room.' One was a boy's and one was a girls. I recognized the girl's as Day Tripper.
Once again I felt that horrible helpless feeling, as I wanted to do something to help them but could not.
The boy's scream I could not make out. I couldn't tell who it was. Probably someone that I hadn't met yet. There were plenty of them.
I didn't like being so close to the 'torture room.' It was disturbing to hear other people feeling what I had felt and I wanted to make it stop.
I sat up and looked around for Tenchi. He wasn't there. He would have been done with his lunch by now, I would think.
Then it hit me. Tenchi was the one being tortured now!
Again I felt helpless. I needed to do something but could not even get out of this tiny cell.
Tears streamed down my cheeks, but I curbed them as fast as I could. If Mokuba woke up and saw me crying, he may find out that I am afraid and that might scare him even more.
I flopped back down onto the cot. Something told me it was around four o'clock in the afternoon, and I was still tired. It was amazing how much of a toll pain can take on your body.
Mokuba stirred, and
opened his eyes. "Hey,
Locus."
I smiled as best I could. "Hi."
He coughed slowly. "I'm hungry."
I sighed. "Lunch is over, Mokie. I'm sorry."
He sat up slowly, and I put my arm behind him to support him, avoiding the horrid whip marks.
"I'm really scared, Locus."
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. "Me, too. But we're gonna pull through. You'll see."
"If I don't die first."
I was startled. "What makes you think you will die?"
He shrugged, then grimaced and clenched his fists. "I just think so."
I could tell he was just as afraid as I was, and probably more.
I've been watching you from a distance
The distance sees through your disguise
All I want from you is your hurting
I want to heal you
I want to save you from the dark
Give unto me your troubles
I'll endure your suffering
Place onto me your burden
I'll drink your deadly poison
Why should I care if they hurt you
Somehow it matters more to me
Than if I were hurting myself
Save you (save you)
I'll save you
Give unto me your troubles
I'll endure your suffering
Place onto me your burden
I'll drink your deadly poison
Fear not the flame of my love's candle
Let it be the sun in your world of darkness
Give unto me all that frightens you
I'll have your nightmares for you
If you sleep soundly
Give unto me your troubles
I'll endure your suffering
Place onto me your burden
I'll drink your deadly poison
Fear not the flame of my love's candle
Let it be the sun in your world of darkness
Give unto me all that frightens you
I'll have your nightmares for you
If you sleep soundly
Fear not the flame of my love's candle
Let it be the sun in your world of darkness
"Do you need some more of the medicine?" I asked. Tenchi probably wouldn't mind if I had a bit of extra.
He just closed his eyes, and I could tell he did.
I removed the brick and took out the vat. Then, using a fresh piece of cloth from my shirt, I cleaned the wounds once again. Then I did my own.
I hadn't been thinking about the screaming anymore, and I hadn't noticed them until now. They had suddenly ceased. The torture was over.
I panicked. What was I to do with the vat of medicine? I couldn't put it back behind the brick. The guard that brought Tenchi back would see it. I screwed the top on as fast as I could and placed it under the covers of the bed, and hoped Mokuba wouldn't roll onto it and crush it.
One of the other henchmen that I had not seen before held a severely beaten, barely conscious Tenchi. He opened the bars of the cell and threw the boy inside. He didn't seem to notice. I suppose that when you reach a certain level of pain you can't feel any more, it has reached its tip and cannot get any worse.
Once the bars were closed again and the henchman was gone, I immediately rushed to Tenchi's side.
"Get...the flask," he murmured.
Quickly I got the vat of medicine out from under the covers and poured a little into his mouth. Then I ripped another piece of my shirt off and wet it with the liquid. I pressed it into the marks.
I actually didn't see many whip marks at all. There were a couple, but his body was covered with what looked like knife wounds. There were also a few burns in some places, as if he had been shocked again and again with electricity.
He began to regain his consciousness. "How's Mokuba?" he asked, coughing slightly.
"He's fine," I said gently. "And you're going to be too." I forgot he was used to this kind of treatment, but I still couldn't help myself from trying to comfort him.
I got up and got a sheet from my cot. I picked Tenchi up with it, as so as not to come in contact with his blood, and carried him over to his bed. Then I took out a rag from my pocket and wiped away as much of the blood as I could.
"Don't you people have a decent first aid kit around here?" I asked, flabbergasted.
Tenchi nodded. "Most of the guards have one. The only reason they do though is to keep people from dying and to keep them conscious. Pretty useless actually, but they have a good cleaning solution and some gauze in there."
I nodded. I had to get my hands on it.
"Guard!" I called. "Someone help!"
A large, muscular guard (with a look on his face that said 'duh.' I'll call him Mr. Stupid) ran in front of the cell. "Uh, whaddaya want?"
"Tenchi's losing blood fast!" I screamed. "We need gauze and a cleaning solution."
He tossed us a roll of gauze. "Well what do you need the cleaning solution for?" he asked suspiciously.
I thought quickly. "Uh, for cleaning the sheets?" I smiled lopsidedly.
Mr. Stupid shrugged. "Alright. But no funny business okay?"
I tried hard to keep a straight face. "Alright!"
Once he left I realized I was the only one up and about. Tenchi was down, and Mokuba was so young, he needed a bit more rest before he would be up again.
I sighed. The second day would be even worse. We would be in pain before the torture even started.
I pushed that thought out of my mind and began to work on all of our wounds. It took awhile, but I was pleased with myself when I was finished.
Another gong rang, and I could tell it was time for dinner.
Mokuba was awake now and was able to stand up, kind of hunched over.
"Are you coming to dinner Tenchi?" I asked.
"No, not today," said Tenchi. "Is that okay?"
I nodded. "See you later."
The guard came to open the bars, cuffed us, and led us down the drafty hall. Since the whole building was lit only by candlelight except for the café, it cast an eerie glow and the shadows danced on the walls, giving me the creeps.
I chose a seat besides Day Tripper again. She looked exhausted, but still managed to be energetic.
She brightened up when she saw us. "How was the first day?"
Mokuba moaned, and I helped him limp over to the table and take a seat.
"It wasn't exactly Happy Camp," I said, chuckling.
"What'd they use on you?" she asked. "Knife? Whip? Electric needles? Iron Maiden? None of the above?"
Taken aback, I asked "They actually use the iron maiden on people?"
Day Tripper shook her head and smiled. "Nah, they just keep her on display to scare the newcomers. Sometimes they tell Volton what he wants to hear right then and there, just because of her." She raised her fist, and the studs and spikes on her bracelets glimmered. "Someday, I'm gonna get out of here."
The fat guy brought us a plate with some kind of mystery meat on it. I smelled it, and took a bite. It wasn't the best thing I had ever tasted, but it would have to do. I heaped my plate with the stuff, and gave some to Mokuba. He was eating with his good arm.
I leaned in to talk to Day Tripper when I was sure Mokuba wasn't listening. "I'm thinking about telling them," I whispered between bites. "I can't have them doing this to little Mokuba. He can't handle it."
Day Tripper looked taken aback. "No! You don't want to please them! We want to shut them down, that's what we're gonna do!"
I sat back in my seat. Clearly she disagreed with me.
I decided to turn the conversation into a different direction. "How long have you been here?"
She shrugged, and took another bite. "A few months, I guess. After you've been here awhile, you lose track of time. It just doesn't matter anymore."
"When are we gonna get out of here?" Mokuba asked.
I looked over at him sympathetically. "I don't know, Mokie. Soon, I hope."
He put down his fork and held his head in his hands. "I'm not hungry anymore, Locus. You can have it if you want to."
I pushed the plate towards him. "Mokuba, you need to eat something."
He shook his head. "That's okay. I, I'm just not feeling too good."
I put my arm around him. "Oh, okay. Dinner's almost over, and then we can go back to the cell and you can go to sleep."
He nodded. "Okay."
I looked up at Day Tripper. She was looking at him with sad eyes. They seemed to say, "I don't know how long he's gonna make it."
Then she looked up and waved. A bunch guys that looked like they belonged in a street gang walked over to us.
"Hey guys!" she cried, and gave them all a high-five. There were six of them, and they all wore 'motorcycle dude' outfits.
She turned to us. "These are my friends. Guys, this is Locus and Mokuba."
They all waved. "Hi!"
One by one, Day Tripper indicated them all.
"This is Flash. He forgets a lot." Flash was a tall boy with spiky, blonde hair and a tattered red shirt with a skull on it. I recognized him as the young man they pulled into the 'torture room' when I had left.
"Brutus." He was large and looked like a cartoon character, with a small head and a round body. Not someone I'd like to meet in a dark alley. But he smiled, and I knew he was friendly.
"Volcano." He looked like a nice kid, but by his name I assumed he had a quick temper, and would suddenly blow, like a volcano.
"Twitchy." I could see why he was called that. He couldn't stop twitching, and he was wearing a black shirt that did not compliment his dark skin. It said 'KKK is KK-Krap.'
"Neanderthal." Neanderthal was large and hairy, but his face was gentle. He wore the same shirt as Twitchy did.
"And last but not least, Baby Backstreet. We named him that because he looks like Aaron Carter!" and he did. He looked about eleven. Much younger than the rest. Probably someone's little brother.
Now, you're probably wondering what the point of Flash, Brutus, Volcano, Twitchy, Neanderthal, and Baby Backstreet are but they will help me. You'll see!
"Day Tripper!" said Flash. "Who are these minis?"
Day Tripper
frowned. "I just
told you. Locus and
Mokuba."
Flash laughed and punched her on the arm. "Just kidding ya baby."
She broke into a smile. "Oh alright. But don't you go pulling any of your tricks on these two."
I laughed and put my arm around Mokuba, who was smiling shyly.
"Dude!" said Twitchy. "Tu es hot!"
I cocked my head. "Huh?"
Brutus smiled. "He's kind of hard to understand sometimes. He speaks Spanish, and when he's talking absentmindedly, he mixes some in. What he's trying to say is he likes you!"
I smiled and bit my nails nervously. I was taken. No, I hadn't forgotten about Yugi. And I spoke Spanish, too, but that sounded weird. Trying to speak two languages at once.
GONG!
"Well, there's the bell," said Flash. He seemed to be the one who did most of the talking. "See ya lata, Day Tripper. Eh, Locus, Mokuba."
I grinned. "See you tomorrow at breakfast."
The group left and Day Tripper hooked arms with Flash, and I decided it was time we headed back to our cell.
Tenchi could sit up now, and talking. "You know if you get hungry I have some hidden food. It's behind another brick. It's nothing but stale rolls though, but I save them for a special occasion."
So that's why he had winked at me earlier.
I shook my head. "We just ate. But thanks."
Tenchi looked irritated. "Hint, hint. I'm hungry!"
I smiled. "Oh. Sorry. Which brick is it behind?"
He pointed to one that had scratches in it, by Mokuba's cot.
I walked over and pulled it out. There were a couple of hard rolls in there, but when I broke them apart, they were still soft inside. I gave a half to Tenchi, then slid the roll back into its hiding place.
Then I walked back over to Mokuba, who was now sitting on his bed. His face was bright, and his eyes were shining.
I sat down next to him. "What are you thinking about, Mokie?"
He shrugged with one shoulder, which looked very funny. "I'm thinking about how we can get out of here."
I leaned in to listen. I hoped he had some kind of a plan or something like that.
"I think we should create a group called The Get-Out Gang, or The Escape Gang. It would be me, you, Tenchi, Day Tripper, and all of her friends. We could come up with plans with them during meals."
"We'd have to go to all of the meals," I pointed out.
"I don't care," said Mokuba. "We need to get out of here." I couldn't deny it. He was right.
Out of sight, out of mind
Out of time to decide
Do we run, should we hide
For the rest of my life
Can we fly, do we stay
We could lose, we could fail
In the moment it takes
To make plans or mistakes
Thirty minutes, a blink of an eye
Thirty minutes to alter our lives
Thirty minutes to make up my mind
Thirty minutes to finally decide
Thirty minutes to whisper your name
Thirty minutes to shoulder the blame
Thirty minutes of bliss, thirty lies
Thirty minutes to finally decide
Carousels in the sky
That we shape with our eyes
Under shades, silhouettes
Cast in shame, crying rain
Can we fly, do we stay
We could lose, we could fail
Either way, options change
Chances fail, trains derail
Thirty minutes, a blink of an eye
Thirty minutes to alter our lives
Thirty minutes to make up my mind
Thirty minutes to finally decide
Thirty minutes to whisper your name
Thirty minutes to shoulder the blame
Thirty minutes of bliss, thirty lies
Thirty minutes to finally decide
About ten minutes later, another gong sounded, and I looked at Tenchi in confusion. "The meals are over, aren't they?"
Tenchi nodded. "But after dinner we go into the washroom, clean our sheets, and take a shower. The men won't have bloody rooms. They think that's disgusting. And I don't blame them. So it's a rule that you go."
My face twisted into a thoughtful expression. "We didn't have to go to it last night."
He stared at me. "Were you just brought in last night?"
I nodded.
He grinned. "I should have deducted that. Didn't know about the torture or the cleansings or anything."
I smiled back, but only for a moment. The large guard walked up to us and growled, "Time to go. Bring your sheets."
Once we gathered up the sheets, which were stained with blood, the guard opened the bars and let us out. As usual, we were handcuffed, and he led us down the opposite hall.
The washroom looked like some kind of medieval room, with washboards and a collection of curtains with washtubs in front of them. No doubt used for washing.
A guard threw us each a washboard. I almost fell over when I caught mine. It was a lot heavier than I imagined it to be. Then he indicated to a tub. "That's where you'll wash."
I took Mokuba's hand and walked over to the tub. It was large and deep, and sitting on the side was Day Tripper and her friends.
I placed my sheet on the washboard and took a seat next to her. She grinned when she saw me.
"Hey. Mokuba had an idea back in the cell. He thinks that we should all get together during meals and come up with a big escape plan. He wants to call us 'The Get-Out Gang.'"
Day Tripper snapped her fingers. "Great idea. But we're gonna have to do something about that name."
She looked over and saw Mokuba looking very hurt.
"Sorry. But how about the Escape Gang, or something?"
I shrugged. "I don't care what we call it. But what do you think?"
She nodded and scrubbed her sheets furiously. "The
Escape Gang we are! But you can't trust that Tenchi kid.
Nobody knows anything about him, and you two are the only
ones that can ever get him to talk."
Mokuba frowned. "I'm still calling it The Get-Out Gang," he said under his breath.
"How come the lines are so long?" Mokuba asked, looking up at me. We had been standing in the shower line for almost an hour.
"Because there are a lot of people here and not many showers," I explained. Day Tripper and her friends had finished a long time ago. She had promised to tell us a secret of getting one of the first showers tomorrow at breakfast.
"Next!" At least the line was moving. We were behind four people. It wouldn't be long now.
When it finally came to our turn, the young woman who was running the shower stalls stopped us. "You two just hold on one minute. I need your names. Real names, not nicknames. I haven't seen you before and I want to make sure you're not trying to play any tricks on me by going twice."
"Mokuba Kaiba and Locus of the Banshees," I said softly so nobody would hear us.
I noticed that she was holding a clipboard. She checked something off, probably our names, and let us pass. "Boys on the left, girls on the right. No less than three minutes. Starting now."
Immediately I rushed to my side of the showers. There were six stalls, and five of them were taken. I hesitated, then stepped inside.
There was a corner to put your clothes in so they wouldn't get wet, but we didn't have the luxury of a towel, so they would get wet anyways. I was going to wash them anyhow, to get the bloodstains out.
They weren't all mine.
I thought about what the young woman had said. Three minutes. Not much time to shower, I said to myself. I removed my clothes and immersed myself in the small washtub. I couldn't sit down, so I poured it on myself little by little. It was extremely cold, and there was some debris in it (I thought I spotted an insect wing) but it would have to work. There was nothing else.
In no time I had rinsed my clothes off, too, and just in time. The gong rang, I pulled my wet clothes back on, and stepped out of the showers. Mokuba was not there yet.
I didn't have to say anything. "Your friend was having some trouble working the shower, and everything. Whalebone's helping him with it."
"Okay."
The young woman sighed. "Damn kids. Don't know anything at all."
"Mokuba is smart," I argued. "And he's been through a lot. People need to give him a break."
A young man strode into the room and broke the line, walking up to the young woman. "Hey, Carter baby," he said, caressing her hips. "Can I take an early shower today?"
Carter smiled. "Of course you may, DJ. Go in right now. I've reserved Stall 5 for you. It's got nice warm water."
I hoped Mokuba got warmer water than I did. Speaking of Mokuba, where was he? And where was Tenchi? I hadn't seen him since we had gotten here.
I shrugged it off and sat down next to Carter and waited for Mokuba to come out of the washroom.
I sighed. I had been waiting about ten minutes. I was about to tell Carter about how long he was taking when I heard his voice.
"Uh-huh," he said. "Si, ella es Locus. Ella es mi bien amiga." (Yes, she is Locus. She is my good friend.)
Mokuba walked out of the washroom entrance, carrying his clothes and wearing an unidentifiable (and rather large) garment around his waist and legs. Following him was Twitchy, wearing the same thing, although his fit better than Mokuba's did.
"Mokuba!" I cried, standing up and hugging him. "What took you? I was about to have someone go in after you!"
He smiled.
"I didn't know you spoke Spanish," I continued.
"I don't," he replied. "I just picked some up from you."
"Anyway, I had some trouble turning on the water, and figuring out how to wash my clothes and me without getting too wet and everything," he motioned behind him. "And Twitchy helped me."
I looked up into Twitchy's face and grinned. "Hola." (Hello)
He smiled back. "Tu amigo es lindo. Yo amo pequeno ninos." (Your friend is cute. I love little kids.)
Flash walked out behind him, followed by Brutus and Neanderthal. "Can she even understand you?"
Twitchy nodded. "Can understand. Ella habla Espanol." (She speaks Spanish)
Flash turned to me. "Really?"
I nodded.
He laughed out loud. "Then you can translate. I only know bits and pieces."
I grinned. "Okay, why not?"
Once again, you may be wondering what the point is of the Spanish language. But it comes in handy later.
Paper flowers...
Paper flowers...
I linger in the doorway
Alarm clock screaming, monsters calling my name
Let me stay where the wind will whisper to me
Where the raindrops as they're falling tell a story
In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds up in the sky
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me
Don't say I'm out of touch
With this ramp and chaos, your reality
I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge
My nightmare, where I built my own world to escape
In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds in the sky
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me
Swallowed up in the sound in my screaming
Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights
Oh how I long for the deep sleep dreaming
The goddess of imaginary light
In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds in the sky
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me
BACK IN OUR CELL....
"Tenchi!" I said, snapping him back to attention. He was in one of his usual little trances, and I wanted to talk to him about something. "Tenchi!"
"Huh?"
"What do you think about forming a group that meets at meals and tries to come up with plans to get out of here."
Tenchi shrugged. "I dunno."
Taken aback, I asked, "What do you mean, you dunno? You DO wanna get outta here, don't you?"
He stared at me. "Of course I do," he replied calmly. "But with whom are we forming this group?"
"With Day Tripper and her friends," I told him.
Tenchi narrowed his eyes. "You can't trust Day Tripper. She's a street kid."
"Day Tripper is my friend," I argued. "And even if she is a street kid, she wants to get out too, and we need a good plan."
Tenchi looked amused. "I suppose we could try. But that means that we'd have to go to every meal, you know."
I nodded. "That's what I told Mokuba. But that's also what we're gonna do. Okay?"
"Okay, whatever. But I still don't trust Day Tripper."
I wondered if I should tell him that she said the same thing about him. But I didn't say anything.
Mokuba tapped me on the shoulder. "I'm not feeling very well," he reminded me. "I'm going to bed now, okay?"
"Okay," I whispered, and took his hand.
I tucked him in and hummed a little song I had learned when I was younger. Muffled sobs came from under the covers.
Concerned, I lifted them up. "Mokuba. What's wrong?"
"Everything," he whimpered. "I want to go home. I don't feel good. And the places where they whipped me hurt."
I looked over at Tenchi, and nodded. He understood what I was trying to tell him, and blew out the candle that was the little bit of light we had in our cell.
I stroked Mokuba's dark hair, and the crying slowly died down to a slight shaking. When I was sure he was asleep, I cleaned his wounds again, rather clumsily, because I couldn't see, then stumbled over to my own bed on the other side of the cell.
Despite my long nap I was thoroughly exhausted. I couldn't believe I had only been here one day. It felt like an eternity.
But I couldn't think anymore and my eyes were growing heavy. I simply could not stay awake. Promptly I fell asleep.
I awoke to a strange retching noise. Slowly I rubbed my eyes and sat up. My leg and side were on fire, and I was extremely stiff. It couldn't be morning already, I thought, as I swung my good leg over the side of the bed.
It was still dark, but light enough to be able to see (or maybe I was just used to the ark, I couldn't tell). I tiptoed over and removed the brick so I could get the medicine, and then I saw him.
"Locus," said Mokuba weakly. "I really don't feel very good at all."
I nodded. "I know. But go back to sleep and then maybe you will feel better."
Mokuba pointed to the ground. I saw some puddles of water that smelled rather foul.
I gasped. If he was sick...I don't know what we could do. Not like he could get any kind of treatment. Plus, we had torture everyday. He couldn't be sick, he just couldn't!
I walked back over and laid him down in bed. "It's okay. You just need to go back to sleep."
He tried to sit up. "But what about the floor?"
"I'll take care of it," I promised. "You just need to go back to sleep," I said again, more firmly this time.
He didn't protest. And in a matter of minutes, he was asleep again.
At least he didn't throw up on his clothes, I thought to myself. Washing wasn't until tomorrow afternoon.
Reluctantly I got up and placed a piece of cloth over the wet spaces. I expected to begin to feel sick myself, from doing this, but I didn't. I knew I was doing something good. Though it would have been better to let the workmen do it instead of me, I though.
The gong rang that told me it was time for breakfast. I didn't know if Mokuba was coming or not. I got up and looked around, and he was sitting on the edge of his bed. Apparently Tenchi was already there.
I blinked at him. "Are you coming to breakfast this morning?"
Mokuba nodded. "I'm not going to eat anything though. But I have to come."
I smiled. He seemed to be feeling a little bit better.
A man I had never seen before let us out of our cell and cuffed us. But before I could stop him, Mokuba blurted out, "Where's Hench?"
The man scowled. "Not here now. Shush. Or you get whip. I tell Volton, you be big trouble for him. Extra hurt time ouch."
I had to keep myself from laughing. His English wasn't very good. I wondered if it was just because he was foreign, or stupid, I didn't know. I just hoped he didn't speak Spanish. But I didn't want to get 'extra hurt time ouch.' So I kept my mouth shut.
The café wasn't very crowded today. In fact, almost half the people weren't there. I spotted Tenchi on the other side of the room, at the same table as Day Tripper. She waved, and I grasped Mokuba's hand and walked briskly over.
"Hey!" I cried. "Where is everybody?"
"Food poisoning," she said. "Something with the food yesterday. Brutus and Neanderthal had it too. I'm guessing you guys didn't have it."
"Actually, Mokuba did," I said, pointing down to him.
Day Tripper frowned. "Why'd he come to breakfast then?"
"Get-Out Gang Meeting," he said simply.
She smiled. "Okay then. But I think another good time to talk is work- time. We have it four times a week, if you guys haven't had it yet. Work- time is when we go outside and mine. There's also a dance every week, and it's tonight, not long after work-time."
I didn't think I heard right. "A dance?!"
She nodded, and I could tell she was trying to keep herself from laughing. "Yeah. Weird, isn't it? But they do dances on inspection days so everyone is in high spirits. Did you know this is an illegal setup? The police come inspect every week, thinking it is an everyday prison. They just say the wounds are from numerous failed escapes. Kind of stupid, actually, but they're fun and a good time to talk."
I still wasn't sure if I
believed what she had said.
"Tell me more about work-time."
"Work-time, like I said before, is when we go outside and mine. There is a coal deposit back behind the building, and that is what Volton and his men depend on for the money for the food and dances." She scoffed in disgust. "They're rich anyways. They just want to get even richer."
"I'm rich!" Mokuba piped up.
"Mokuba!" I scolded. "That's rude!"
He shrunk away. "Sorry."
I turned back to Day Tripper, feeling a little guilty. I had never yelled at Mokuba before.
"So do you have a plan or anything?" I asked.
She looked slightly irritated. "Haven't really had any time. I was kind of busy with Flash last night. They caught us though. En flagrante delicto. But knowing him, he's probably forgotten that we have extra mining duty this week."
I winced. That kind of thing didn't need to be said around Mokuba. But he probably didn't know what it meant anyways. I hoped.
"Is there any kind of a fence around the mining area?" I asked.
Day Tripper nodded. "An electric fence. Try to get away, and ZAP! You're..." she trailed off. "I've seen it happen before," she whispered.
I tried to change the subject quickly. "Maybe we could dig a tunnel or something under the fence."
But Mokuba wasn't ready to change the subject. "Did the guy get burnt to a crisp? Was there smoke coming off of his head? Did he die?"
I put my arm around him. "Mokuba," I said, motioning to Tenchi at the table beside us. "Why don't you go talk to Tenchi for a while?"
He frowned. "I can tell when I'm not wanted." But he obediently went over and sat next to Tenchi.
I turned back to Day Tripper. "Anyways, what do you think of the tunnel?"
She shook her head. "It would be way too obvious what we were doing. And it would take forever."
Suddenly she snapped her fingers. "Rubber gloves!" she cried. "That's what we can do!"
I cocked my head in confusion.
"Rubber absorbs electricity."
I nodded. I knew that.
"So maybe if we wear the rubber gloves, we can get through the electric fence. There is a small hole near the right at the bottom. If we keep our hands on the fence the entire time, maybe we can get through."
She was right, but there was one thing I didn't know. "Where are we to get rubber gloves?" I asked.
She leaned back in her chair. "Well, I'm not really sure. But I have an idea. They have first aid kits in the rooms where the henchmen sleep. There's bound to be rubber gloves in there. But what we need to do is somehow get out of our cells, get in there, find the first aid kits, take the gloves, and get back to our cell without being seen. And that is not an easy thing to do."
"I can do it," I said, "If I knew how to get out of the cell."
"See if you can use the candlestick," Day Tripper said.
"Candlestick?" I asked in confusion.
"Yeah, doesn't your room run on candlelight? Most do. I got lucky and got an oil lamp. But if you blow out the candle, you can use the candlestick to reach through the bars and press the button to open them."
I took my first bite of the porridge in front of me. "Well, I guess," I said. "But then I wouldn't be able to see what I was doing."
"I suppose you're right."
"Breakfast is over!" the fat man rang the gong, and the café became a traffic jam as everyone went back to their cell.
I'm so tired of being here
Suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave
Cause your presence still lingers here
And it won't leave me alone
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you screamed I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me
You used to captivate me by your resonating light
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face, it haunts my once pleasant dreams
Your voice, it chased away all the sanity in me
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you screamed I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me
I tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me
I've been alone all along
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you screamed I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me
I didn't know how I got through that morning's torture session. It was just a blur of cutting my arms with knives. I was so absorbed in my own turmoil that I didn't even know Mokuba was there with me. I didn't know if they had cut him, too. Until the end.
Hench backed me up to the wall and stabbed me once more. The blood ran down my arm and dripped onto the floor. I winced and looked up at him with hating eyes.
Then he turned away. This time he backed Mokuba into the corner of the room. I was almost blind with my own sweat, blood, and tears, and I could barely see.
But I could hear.
"No! Go away! I don't want you to hurt me! No! Please no! Don't cut...NOOO!"
That was probably one of the most horrible memories I have of the place. You probably know what is going on.
I stood up slowly and ran to the other side of the room blindly and shoved Hench out of the way. He fell to the floor and fainted.
I wiped my eyes and looked down.
Mokuba was in the corner, crying hysterically. His shirt was under Hench's shoulder. A long knife wound ran up his arm, and the knife was still sticking out.
I looked at Hench. I didn't have much time to work. I squeezed Mokuba's hand and extracted the knife. It made a horrible squelching sound as it slipped out.
He was shaking heavily, and I knew it would take a lot more than last time to calm him down this time.
Hench stood up dizzily and tossed him his shirt. "Go back to your cell," he said, breathing heavily. "Session's over for today."
I helped Mokuba to his feet, and walked slowly back to the cell, where Tenchi was waiting.
I laid the kid down and cleaned myself up, and sat down next to Tenchi. "Day Tripper and I have come up with a plan. But we'll have to wait until tonight to carry it out."
Tenchi's eyes widened. "What is it?"
I leaned in and told him.
"Do you think we can pull it off?" he asked in amazement.
I nodded. "If we try hard enough. But it'll be very difficult. That is why I think I should try it tonight. That way if I get caught nothing will happen to you or Mokie."
"But what if something happens to you?" asked Tenchi, sounding slightly afraid.
I drew in a deep breath. "Well, it's better than anything happening to either one of you two."
"But still..." Tenchi's voice trailed off. He changed the subject. "I really think you need to clean Mokuba's wounds. It's almost time for me to go. And he's not looking too good. Did they use the knife today?"
I nodded.
Tenchi sighed. "Well, that's not the worst of it." He obviously didn't want to talk about that anymore, because he walked over to the wall and pulled out the brick that hid the vat of healing liquid and the first aid supplies.
"Thanks." I took them from him and went over to the bed, and sat down next to Mokuba. His chest was moving up and down, and he was still crying softly and shaking.
"It's ok," I said softly. "We're gonna get out of here soon. Day Tripper and I came up with a plan already. So we get to go home. And nobody's going to do anything to you anymore. And we're gonna live happily...ever...after. Just like in the stories."
"But those stories aren't real," he replied weakly. "That's never what really happens."
"This time it will," I promised. I laid a cloth soaked with antiseptic across his arms. He squirmed slightly, but cooperated as I worked. "I remember the day you were born," I said. "Do you want to hear the story?"
He nodded. "Ok."
"Well," I began, wiping at the gashes. "Seto and I were in the room when you were born. Seto was six, and I was five. At the time, I was Seto's best friend, and he invited me to come see you being born. But your mother lost too much blood during the birth. Right before she died, and I could tell she knew she was going to, she handed you to Seto. The last words she said were, 'This is your brother, Seto. His name is Mokuba. Take care of him for me, please. And never let anything happen to him.' And Seto promised.
"Your father was so sad after that. When you were four, Mokuba, he still wasn't over his wife's death. He left, leaving you two at the orphanage. And Seto played chess with Gozaburu Kaiba, won, and he had to adopt you. But he mistreated you two terribly. But once Seto gained control in Kaiba Corp., he rid the world of Gozaburu, regained contact with me, and that's how we ended up meeting."
"Is that the whole story?" he asked.
I nodded. "Pretty much. You remember everything at the orphanage and everything after that, so I didn't really need to tell that part, but I felt like it!"
He grinned.
"Hey," I said, leaning in. "We have a plan to get out of here."
Mokuba's eyes widened. "Really?"
"Yes," I said. "But we're going to have to wait for the dance I think. That's tonight. After work-time."
"I don't want to go to work-time."
"I think you have to, Mokuba," I told him. "But it'll be okay. It's a good time to talk about how we are going to try and get out of here."
"I don't want to be here any longer, Locus," he said. "It's past time we got out. How long have we been here anyway?"
"This is the third day," I said.
He looked genuinely surprised. "It seems a lot longer than that, doesn't it?"
"Uh-huh."
But our small conversation was disrupted by Mr. Stupid, coming to open the bars and get Tenchi.
"Come on, kid," he said. "Time to go. We got others waiting."
I didn't know why he said that. Tenchi wasn't taking a long time or anything.
Slowly and reluctantly he made his way to the opening of the cell and let himself be taken away by Mr. Stupid.
I felt this would be a good time to go to sleep. We didn't have long until lunch, so we didn't have much time.
"Lunch!" said Tenchi weakly.
I sat up and rubbed my eyes. "Already?"
"Yes," he said.
Slowly I got out of bed and shook Mokuba awake. "Time to go to lunch."
"I'm not hungry, Seto," he said.
"This is Locus," I reminded him.
He opened his eyes and smiled. "Hey."
I grinned. "Lunchtime."
"All right!" He hopped out of bed, trying to ignore the pain in his arms.
Mr. Stupid was waiting at the entrance of the cell with the handcuffs, as usual, ready to bring us into the café.
"Well come on now."
I took Mokuba's hand, careful of the knife gashes, and started to the entrance.
Then I heard a cold voice say, "Wait." Volton.
"Uh, what is it, boss?" asked Mr. Stupid.
"Them three aren't going to lunch today."
"Why not?"
"Don't question me. They are making me suspicious, and I think we'll keep them in isolation for a while. They won't be going to dinner, either, or the dance. But for work-time, we'll make an exception."
No meals or dance? That would mean our only planning time would be work-time!
"What the hell?" screamed Tenchi. I toppled backwards, surprised about hearing such a strong word coming from such a little kid. "You can't keep us from our meals. That isn't right."
Volton's mouth curled up at the edges. "It's right *here*."
"Uh, boss, don't you think we should bring them something? What if they die?"
"They won't die, sir. But perhaps we'll, um, never mind."
When
they
walked
away, I
stared
at
Tenchi.
"What
was with
the
overreact
ion?"
He shrugged. "Just something I learned. If they see you suffer, they get happy, and sometimes the dumb man gives you stuff."
I smiled. "I could kind of tell you were faking it. And we have those rolls, you know."
"Psst."
I looked over at Mokuba, and he was looking as surprised as I was.
"Psst."
"Tenchi?" I asked in confusion.
"Psst. Tenchi." It was coming from outside the cell.
I crept over to the bars and peeked out. There I saw the girl from the washroom, Carter, and her friend.
"We're gonna get you out of here. Day Tripper told me your plans. I can open the bars if you like."
I cocked my head. "Are you sure? Can we trust you?"
She nodded. "Of course. I didn't want to work here in the first place. I hate what my father does. But I have to."
I drew back slightly. "Volton is your father?"
"Yes." she hung her head. "And this is Jon. He is the son of Hench."
"Hang on," I said. "I need to talk to my friends about this."
I turned around and faced Tenchi. "Can we trust her?"
Tenchi nodded sincerely. "She's the one who gave me the rolls and the medicine."
"Were you listening?" I asked.
"Yes. I should go."
I shook my head. "You can't go. You know all about this place."
"But I also know where the room is where the rubber gloves are kept," he argued.
"Why can't I go?" asked Mokuba.
I knelt down next to him. "Because it's extremely dangerous. I'm afraid that if you went you'd get hurt."
His eyes welled up. "What if you get hurt?"
"If I get hurt." I hadn't thought about that. But my friends were depending on me. "Well, I'll be okay. Don't you worry about me, okay?"
"What if you don't come back?"
"Of course I'll come back. Even though they can hurt me, they can't kill me."
"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice quivering.
I nodded furiously. "Yes."
"Locus." This time it was Tenchi.
"What is it?"
"Locus, I have to tell you something. You are the chosen one."
I didn't absorb what he said. "Great."
I turned back to Carter and Jon, and took a deep breath. "How do I get there?"
"Take a left when you get to the end of the hall, near where you come in for meals. When you see a pile of chains, stomp on them. The first aid kits are hidden in the drawers under the candles."
I nodded. "Okay, thanks."
"You ready?" asked Carter.
"Yes."
She walked over and pressed the button that opened the bars to the cell. Immediately I slipped out and fled down the hall, her words pounding in my head. Left, stomp on chains, under candle. Left, stomp on chains, under candle.
What good would stomping on some chains do? I wondered, but I convinced myself to listen to Carter.
I turned left, almost without thinking, and saw the chains.
I stood in front of them and pondered for a moment. Should I? Of course I should. But why? What good would it do?
Before I could change my mind, I brought my foot down on the pile of chains.
I stared surprise at what I saw.
Stomping on the chains had opened some kind of passage in the wall. It swung open to reveal a room.
The room was warm, well lit, and even had a TV. I scowled. How could they let us live in such horrible conditions while they sulked in luxury?
Quickly I hopped inside.
The moment I did, the wall slammed shut again. I looked back to see how I could get out once I had the gloves. I saw a small red button on the wall. That was probably the way out.
I turned back. What had Carter said to do again? Oh yes. Pull out the drawer under the candle.
There was no candle.
But upon further inspection, on top of one of the bed-side dressers, I found a small, fragrant candle that was obviously not used for light.
I pulled out the drawer under it. There was a huge collection of orange rubber gloves.
I grabbed as many pairs as I could and stuffed them in the pocket of my ragged jeans.
"Well well well."
I heard Hench's voice behind me.
Pain struck my stomach, and everything went black.
"Locus."
I stirred gently.
"Locus."
My eyes fluttered open to look up at Mokuba. His eyes stared down at me, full of concern. I realized I was lying on a cot, though I wasn't sure whose.
"Are you alright? Oh gosh, I knew they'd hurt you, I knew that would happen!"
I smiled weakly. "Are you saying that you don't believe in me?"
"No, no!" cried Mokuba. "That's not what I'm saying at all!"
Tenchi's figure loomed over me, which was strange. I was used to looking down on him, not the other way around.
"They hurt you pretty bad, Locus. Hench stabbed you."
I picked up my hand and brought it over to touch my stomach. It hurt, but that wasn't what frightened me. My whole upper body was encrusted in my blood.
Mokuba's eyes leaked worry. "Tenchi, quick! Get the medicine!" Normally I would have laughed at this kind of franticness.
Tenchi was ahead of him, pouring the whole vat of medicine across my body. Then he took a rag of some sort and began to scrub off the caked blood.
It stung horribly, but I kept my mouth shut.
Until he reached my chest.
I had no shirt on.
I grabbed his hands tightly and looked up at him, betrayal echoing in my eyes.
He gently pushed them away. "Locus. In times like these, this kind of thing no longer matters."
Mokuba peered over his shoulder, watching him work.
Tenchi realized this, and turned to face him. "Go to the other side of the room," he barked. "I need to talk to Locus in private."
Mokuba pouted, but did as he was told.
Tenchi turned back to me. "Hench couldn't have gone any further than he did."
I shook my head. "Yes, he could have."
I sat up, ignoring the searing pain in my stomach. "Did he kill anyone?" I demanded to know.
Tenchi shook his head.
"Well? What'd he do?! Tell me!" I cried frantically.
Tears streamed down Tenchi's face. "I don't know how to say it."
"Just say it!"
Tenchi hung his head. "He.......he raped you."
It took a long time to absorb what he said. But when I did, I just paled and fell onto the bed. Then everything went black.
I awoke later, many things that Tenchi had said echoing through my mind. The rape thought stood out. I had no memory of it. I had no pain, no horrible thoughts. Nothing. I was just emotionless. Probably shock, as I look back now on those moments.
But another thought stood out, too.
You are the chosen one.
Again, I had no thoughts. I wasn't surprised, wasn't excited. I felt like I had known all along. Though I hadn't.
All those bastards had to do was repeat my name while holding the necklace.
It began to piece together. That's why they wanted my name, but didn't want Mokuba's.
But the pieces fell apart again. They didn't know I was the chosen one. They only knew we knew who it was. Though we didn't.
The rape thought appeared again, and it made me all the more determined to get out.
Suddenly I heard a metallic sound. I sat up in my cot and looked at the entrance of the cell.
There stood Mokuba.
My eyes widened. "Mokuba!" I exclaimed. "How did you get out?.........WOAH!"
Blood was dripping down his front.
"Tenchi...."I whispered weakly, and fell down in my bed again, unable to get up.
I woke again the next morning. I didn't remember what had happened the previous day, and I sat up, my stomach stiff.
Tenchi walked over to my cot and loomed over me. Again, I was used to looking down on him.
"Mokuba did this so he could get revenge on Hench for what he did to you," Tenchi explained. "It was a very noble thing to do."
"Is he okay?" I asked frantically.
Tenchi nodded. "He's fine. And you will be too."
Tenchi brought his face close to mine.
I didn't think about Yugi.
I didn't think about the age difference.
I didn't think about incomplete trust.
The kiss was a long one that lasted until Mokuba stirred.
I pulled away slowly, unsure of what to say.
I'm fourteen years old.
I just kissed an eleven year old.
But I loved him. I knew I did.
Though I still could not completely trust him.