Backstab

Chapter 16: The Key

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I didn't struggle as the guards guided me down the unpleasantly familiar, dreary hallways, possibly because my mind still hadn't fully grasped the situation yet. The corridors we trekked through were dully lit and uncomfortably cool, the air still and dry like an old subway station. The hallways were also bitterly quiet, the only sounds I could hear being the rhythmic thump of our footsteps. The quiet was somewhat soothing; however, allowing my thoughts to drift to a few of the endless questions that plagued my mind.

Blue finally had us, of that I knew. But what I didn't know was what was next? Why had Blue gone through so much trouble to find us, specifically me? Also, what did Blue mean when he called me 'the key' behind his plans? More questions bubbled inside my head, but by this time we'd reached Blue's office, and the guards had abruptly stopped walking. After unlocking the door with the same silver key, the head guard stepped aside and motioned for me to enter. Taking a breath, I stepped slowly through the doorway.

Though I had expected to see Blue's old, familiar office where we had stolen the map from, this one was noticeably different. For one thing, we didn't take the stairs getting there, so we were presumably still on the second floor. Also, though the large oak desk resembled the one from his old office, the papers and supplies stacked on it were noticeably cleaner and neater. Pinned on the pale blue wall behind his desk was another map of the Institute, similar to ours but with every room neatly labeled in thin, scratchy handwriting. Behind the desk in a large black swivel chair sat Blue, his jaw set and the veins along his neck bulging, as though he had just finished yelling at someone. When he saw me, however, all signs of anger melted, to be replaced with a look of satisfaction and arrogance.

"Baby," he said, rising from his chair and motioning for his guards to close the door.

I took a half step back as he walked around the edge of his desk, his eyes sparkling mischievously. He crossed them room in a few, measured strides, coming closer until he had backed me against the wall. As Blue came ever closer to me, I felt my situation comparable to that of a canary trapped in an iron cage, unable to do anything but watch as a its tormentor the cat crept up upon it. Such was a horrible, helpless sort of feeling, one that kicked my senses into high gear and begged my limbs to take flight. And yet, there was nowhere to go.

Swallowing, I watched as Blue moved his body inches away from my own, his lips brushing softly against my ear. "There's no knife to protect you this time," he breathed, resting his right arm on the wall beside me. "There's nothing to stop me."

Shakily, I let out a long breath, my body tensing. Thankfully, he came no closer, moving to lift my chin with his cool hand.

"Not this time, I'm afraid," he said somewhat softly, though regret and longing were in his voice. "I have much bigger plans for you." He took a big step away from the wall, and then strolled casually back over to his desk.

"What do you want from me?" I questioned, my voice surprisingly steady.

"What I want? I want a lot of things from you, but not all of them I am willing to share." He said sweetly, pausing for a brief moment. "Right now you're, probably expecting me to rant out my plans to you, unveil my secrets like all villains do when they capture the hero. Then later the hero, you, escape and foil my plans, and you and your friends get to live happily ever after." He flashed a smirk. "I will tell you my plans, don't get me wrong, but not because I am stupid. Simply, because I know that no matter how hard you try, there is nothing you can do to stop me." By now Blue was reseated in his chair, settled into a corner of it like he was lounging without a care in the world.

Despite my attempts to withhold it, I felt a shiver run down my back at his words, at his complete confidence that I was at his mercy. Mostly because I feared he was right.

Seeing that I had nothing to say, Blue continued. "The first time I saw you dance, I was...entranced. With your grace, with your passion, with...you. Of course at the time I simply believed that it was because I had never seen such dancing, but that was not the case. Even the second time I could not take my eyes off of you, nor could almost anyone in the entire theater. But, it wasn't until you tried to escape that I realized the full potential of your talent."

I drew a small breath, but said nothing.

"When you dance, you are like a hypnotist. You manipulate people's minds; put them under an almost literal spell. Unlike a hypnotist, however, people are willing you watch you; they allow themselves to lose their sense of everything in your movements. And that is a quality that has never been captured before, a rare and powerful quality."

"I…don't understand," I stammered, though inside I knew exactly what he meant.

"You see, when you and your friends tried to, escape, you used your dance as a distraction to steal from various people, including me. If you and your friends can do it, why can't others? People can use your dance as a distraction, or to manipulate someone into giving them what they want. So I simply 'sell' you in time slots to wealthy suitors who need this quality, accompanied by a guard of course, you dance, they get what they want, and then they send you back and the process repeats."

"That's insane," I breathed after a moment, my hand balled into a fist, "I'll never help you, and it will never work."

"Oh I think it will," he smiled, "you and your friends already proved that. And you will help me. Unless of course you'd like me to kill your friends."

"You wouldn't," I responded instinctively, though something deep inside of me told me he would.

"Wouldn't I? Granted, I wouldn't necessarily want to, considering the girls bring in good money for my shows. But if you don't cooperate then I will have no choice."

"You can't just kill them, someone will notice, they'll find out what you're doing in here and shut you down."

He raised an eyebrow. "Looks like someone's grasping at straws now. Regardless, the authorities still think SweetPea is out there, and Tyler also, so killing and dumping them wouldn't be too hard. And as for her sister…there are ways of making deaths look like accidents."

"You're insane, you're a monster!" I was at the verge of tears now, but I struggled to fight through.

"None of that has to happen if you just do what I say. Go where I ask you to, dance, and come back. And when you are old and can no longer serve my purposes, I will let you all go free. Just like that." Blue said with a note of finality.

"I won't… I can't…" I struggled to find words, a single tear sliding down my cheek.

Blue smirked. "I'll give you time to think in your own quiet cell, but choose wisely. And until you do..." he called for his guards to open the door. "Put her in room 415, and make sure she's comfortable." His gaze turned towards me. "Until she gives me an answer, don't give the other prisoners anything but a small cup of water each day. In contrast, feed her 3 meals a day, small portions, but good food. Don't bring her back until she agrees to work for me."

With that, the guards dragged me out of Blue's office. As they closed the door, I could see Blue's victorious smile, his fierce eyes never leaving my face.

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SweetPea lay flat on the cool ground, trying to ignore her pang of hunger. She stared at the plain white ceiling until her vision blurred, before tiredly moving to an upright position. It was hopeless. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how many scenarios she played through in her head, she couldn't think of one where they came out on top. Blue had every upper hand, and he had used it all to his advantage. He knew that she couldn't leave her sister, and had used Rocket to bait his trap for them. And they had walked right into it.

At the memory of this, SweetPea winced. They had thought that they would be safe, that because they had escaped once they couldn't be captured again. They felt… invincible, they had felt confident despite the obvious risks. Even she, who usually was the most clear-headed of the group, had been blinded by her love for her sister, by Baby's confidence, and Tyler's subtle encouragement. And as a result, they were all paying the price now.

Still distracted by this, a sudden itch appeared at the back of SweetPea's neck, and she instinctively scratched it. As her nails dug into her skin, they caught on a thin metal chain. Surprised, SweetPea lifted the metal chain off of her neck, staggered to find it part of a long forgotten necklace.

"Tyler, Rocket, come over here!" SweetPea called quickly, summoning them from the other end of the room.

"What is it?" Rocket demanded, concern coating her words.

SweetPea held up the necklace, receiving amazed and hopeful looks as the examined the object hanging at the end of it.

"We still have the key."

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A/N: There it is! Sorry this is a day late, but I've had a busy week. Unfortunately next week will be too, especially with Christmas on Sunday. Still, I'll try my best to update on time. Thanks again to all the readers and reviewers!