Jennifer's back arched as she let out a strangled scream, just as the Dracanae standing behind her dug the sharp knife into the Legacy's back.
"This is your punishment!" The Dracanae - Kelli - snarled.
Jennifer twitched. She opened her mouth, letting out a yell. "Just kill me already!" She sobbed, her legs straining against the bonds around her ankles.
The girl's hands were each tied to either side of a wooden post. Another wooden post ran vertically, creating the cross from what Jennifer guessed was Christianity. (To anyone that believes in this god: I do not mean to offend anyone.) Her feet were tied together at the base of the cross, which stood in the middle of the room.
Somehow, Jennifer's clothing had been stripped, leaving her naked and bloody.
The thought of someone undressing her unnerved her.
"Answer me, godling!" The Dracanae hissed, digging the knife into Jennifer's skin once more. Darkness crawled on the outskirts of her vision as the monster repeated her question.
"What did you do to deserve this punishment, girl?"
Jennifer hung her head, trying to fend off the pain. "I- I did nothing to deserve this punishment." She whispered stubbornly.
The Dracanae didn't seem to like her answer.
"100 more strikes!" She growled, and dimly Jennifer wondered if the monster was marking over the thin, pale one-inch lines that already covered her back vertically from her shoulder blades to her lower back.
Then the darkness overcame her, and she fell into unconsciousness.
Jennifer whimpered as she was thrown into her cell. They didn't bother to chain her to the wall, this time, and she held the Telkhines' stare as they locked the metal door to her cell.
Still naked, Jennifer shivered as she stumbled to her feet and collapsed onto the makeshift 'bed' to pull the thin, scraggly blanket around her shoulders.
The cell was small enough that she could tell where she was, using her other senses to cover for her blindfolded eyes.
Her hair that had grown long in the time she had escaped was now chopped roughly where the Dracanae had marked her. In a way, Jennifer missed it, and the way it had been a symbol of freedom.
Tears ran tracks down her dirty cheeks.
She missed her parents. She missed her brother, Jamie, and her sister, Ellie. She missed her aunts, and she missed her uncles. She missed her teacher, Chiron. She missed Lee, who had been her first companion and whom she loved like a second brother.
Pain filled her - in her back, from the marks the Dracanae had left. In her chest, from the wound still tender above her heart. In her stomach, empty and shrinking. In her still blindfolded eyes, sore from being hit as her first punishment.
Jennifer slumped against the wall, trying to stay awake. Being back here would most likely make the nightmares ten times more vivid.
She didn't notice, already slipping between consciousness and sleep, the metal door opening with a soft squeal. She hardly felt the Cyclops pick her up, dropping the thin excuse for a blanket back on the ground.
When Jennifer opened her eyes she was back on the wooden cross.
Confusion clouded her already clouded brain. She shifted, trying to avoid splinters. Her eyes were flickering.
Then the door opened, a mostly human-looking guy entered. He held up a knife, eyes crossing over Jennifer and her frame as he studied the girl.
Instead of standing behind her, like the Dracanae had, he faced Jennifer. The guy held up a picture of the human anatomy. Panic started to set in, silence was never good. Jennifer closed her eyes despite the blindfold.
When he plunged the knife in, she let out a scream...
And woke with a start.
"Now, now, little early for screaming," A different Dracanae tsked.
Instead of a cross, Jennifer was chained to the wall. Her heart started pumping, fear crossing her face. When she heard the door open, she closed her eyes.
Please, no. Not again. Please! She prayed.
Her prayers went unanswered.
A hand trailed across her stomach carefully, making Jennifer cringe as the hand rested over a faded scar.
Hey, another cliffhanger! *evil smile*Thank you for reading.
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Have a good day or night!