(Tw: uncomfortable touching)
Lingering threat.
The days after the test blurred together in a haze of exhaustion and pain, but Dash had started noticing something—something that gave him a strange, fragile sense of hope.
Most of the time, Violet's eyes were hollow, her expression distant, as though her mind was somewhere far away, beyond the cold walls of their prison. But there were moments, fleeting but undeniable, when a faint sparkle returned to her gaze. Sometimes, when they talked in hushed whispers in the dark, her mouth would twitch, almost like she was about to smile. Other times, she'd slip into the sharp, sassy self he remembered from before—offhand remarks or clever quips that felt like pieces of the Violet he used to know breaking through the cracks of her trauma.
He saw it again now, as they sat side by side on the cold cell floor, backs against the wall. Violet leaned her head back, staring at the ceiling, her arms wrapped around her knees.
"You know," Dash said, trying to break the silence, "when we get out of here, first thing I'm doing is eating an entire pizza. By myself. You can have, like, a slice."
Violet let out a quiet huff, almost a laugh. "A slice? Generous of you."
"Hey!..I think I've earned a full pizza after enduring 10 minutes of shocks" he teased, shooting her a sideways grin
"Yeah, yeah, hero of the year," Violet said, rolling her eyes. "But in that case you can have the pizza. Meanwhile I'll eat a pint of ice cream all by myself, no sharing."
Dash's grin widened. "Fair enough."
For a moment, the weight of their situation seemed to lift, just a little. The banter felt natural, a faint echo of the life they used to know. He could almost forget where they were, what they'd endured.
But the illusion shattered when the sound of boots echoed down the hallway. Dash instinctively got closer to Violet.
The cell door clanged open, and two guards stepped inside. Dash tensed immediately, his instincts flaring. One of them was the guard who had dragged Violet back after her punishment for their escape attempt, the one with a lingering gaze and a sick smile. The other guard seemed disinterested, his posture slack and indifferent.
Violet went rigid, her body trembling. Dash glanced at her, alarmed. The spark that was in her eyes minutes ago was gone, but they weren't back to being hollow either. They were now wide with terror. She wasn't just scared—she was petrified.
"Let's go," the disinterested guard muttered, gesturing for them to stand.
Dash stood first, stepping in front of his sister protectively.
The smirking guard's lips curled into a disgusting grin as he reached out and brushed Dash's shoulder, his touch slow and deliberate. Dash flinched, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He looked at the guard, uneasy, but froze when he followed his gaze. The guard wasn't looking at Dash—he was staring at Violet, his gaze a vile mix of amusement and intent.
Violet's terror deepened, her eyes widening even further as she stared at the scene in front of her. And when the guard's hand began to slide down to caress Dash's arm, she snapped out of her frozen state.
"No," she said suddenly, her voice sharp and panicked. She stepped in front of Dash, putting herself between him and the smirking guard."I'll go with him."
Dash blinked in surprise. "No, it's fine. I'll—"
"I said I'll go with him!" she said sharply, her voice louder than he'd heard in weeks. She turned to the other guard, the disinterested one, and added, "You go with the other one."
The smirking guard tilted his head, his grin widening as if he'd just won some twisted game.
"Good girl," the guard murmured, his tone sending a shiver down Dash's spine.
Dash's stomach churned as he watched the guard's hand find its way to Violet's shoulder, his fingers curling around it possessively. She flinched, her entire body trembling under his touch, but she didn't pull away.
Dash's fists clenched, but Violet shook her head at him, her subtle warning clear. He gritted his teeth as the second guard, uninterested in the exchange, grabbed his arm and hauled him toward the door.
As they were led down the hallway, the smirking guard kept his hand on Violet, his thumbs tracing slow, deliberate circles on her arms. She kept her head down, her entire body stiff with tension.
And then… the guard put his hands on her upper chest just below her suppression collar. Violet seemed like she was about to hyperventilate, her eyes filled with unshed tears.
When they reached the lab, the guards handed them over to the scientist. Dash leaned close to Violet, whispering urgently. "What's going on? Why did you—"
"Be careful around him," Violet interrupted, her voice low and urgent. She didn't look at him, her eyes fixed on the floor. "Promise me, Dash. Never—NEVER—let yourself be alone with him."
Dash blinked at her, alarmed. "Vi, what—"
"Promise me," she insisted, cutting him off, turning to look at him. Her eyes were pleading, desperate.
Before Dash could respond, the scientist's voice cut through the air, sharp and clinical. "Quiet. We're beginning."
Dash clenched his jaw, his mind racing. He didn't know what Violet it's trying to save him from, but he could see it in her haunted eyes—it was something far worse than he could ever imagine.