(Tw: frostbite and amputation)

Cold confession

The freezing chamber was unlike anything Violet or Dash had ever experienced. The moment the metal doors sealed shut, the temperature dropped sharply, and their breaths turned to mist in the icy air. Frost crept along the walls and floor, shimmering like a cruel mockery of snow. Their thin prison clothes did nothing to protect them, and the cold seeped into their bones almost immediately.

Violet clenched her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering, her body trembling uncontrollably. She glanced at Dash, who was already shivering violently, his arms wrapped around himself as he crouched in the corner. His lips were tinged blue, his good eye wide with panic as he exhaled short, visible puffs of air.

"We have to stay close," Violet said, her voice shaking. She moved toward him and dropped to her knees, pulling him into her arms.

"Alright" Dash muttered, his voice barely audible. She wrapped herself around him, crouching low and shielding him with her body as best as she could. Her arms tightened around his small frame, her chin resting on his head. The cold felt like knives slicing through her skin, but she focused on keeping Dash warm.

He held her tight trying to give her some warmth. But his smaller arms didn't shield her enough.

Minutes dragged into eternity. The cold was relentless, numbing her limbs and sapping what little strength she had. Dash shivered against her, his breaths shallow and uneven.

"Vi," he whispered, his voice so faint she almost didn't hear him. "You're shaking too much. You're gonna—"

"I'm fine," she interrupted, her voice cracking.

But she wasn't fine. Her left arm was already losing feeling, her fingers stiff and unresponsive. She clenched her jaw, trying to push past the pain and focus on Dash.

As the freezing air clawed at her, memories began to flood her mind. She saw Dash in the lab, writhing in pain as the chemical burned his eye. She remembered his damaged eye, the way he had clung to her after they returned to the cell, and the haunted look on his face when he realized he was blind in one eye.

I didn't protect him, she thought bitterly, her tears freezing against her cheeks. I should have done more.

Dash stirred in her arms, his voice trembling. "Vi, you're crying."

"It's just the cold," she lied, her voice barely more than a whisper. She tightened her grip on him, ignoring the sharp sting of frostbite creeping up her left arm. "I'm fine."

When the scientists finally pulled them from the chamber, Violet's left arm was completely numb, the skin a sickly, pale blue. The guards dragged them back to the lab, separating Violet from Dash despite his protests.

She was strapped down onto a table, her arm stretched out as the scientist examined it with clinical indifference. "Frostbite has set in. The tissue is necrotic. Amputation is necessary."

"No! Wait!" Violet gasped, but the scientist ignored her, signaling to the guards to hold her down.

The pain was indescribable. Violet screamed as the blade cut through her flesh, the sound raw and guttural. Dash was restrained in the corner, watching in helpless horror, his voice hoarse from screaming for them to stop.

When it was over, Violet was dumped back into the cell, her body weak and trembling. Dash caught her as she stumbled, lowering her gently so she could sit on the floor. Looking in horror at her crude, bandaged stump.

"Vi…I'm so sorry" he said softly, his voice trembling. "I tried… I swear I tried to give you some warmth but I—"

"It's okay" she interrupted, her expression blank. Her empty eyes looking at the wall, or rather at nothing.

"Wha'..." He said incredulously.

"I'm fine," she continued, forcing a weak smile. "It's just… an arm. I can manage without it."

Dash's fists clenched, his frustration boiling over. "Fine? FINE?" he snapped, his voice loud enough to echo off the cell walls. She flinched, startled by his outburst. But she said nothing.

"I'm so tired of hearing you say you're fine! Vi, you just lost your freaking arm, and you just give me that fake smile and tell me you're FINE? You're not fine, Vi.!

Her gaze slowly lifted to meet his, her expression cold. "What do you want me to say, Dash? That it hurts? That I'm scared? Would that make you feel better?"

"Yes!" he shot back, surprising her. "It would, because at least it would mean you're being honest with me for once! I see you, Violet. I see the way you fake those smiles and act like you've got it all together. I see that something happened in that room with that guard—don't tell me it didn't! I see the way you freeze up every time he looks at you. I see how scared you are."

Violet's chest tightened, her breathing shallow. "Dash, please…"

"No, I'm done pretending everything's fine just because you say it is!" he shouted, his voice echoing off the cell walls. "Why won't you trust me? Why won't you just talk to me? Is it because I'm your little brother? Because you don't think I'm strong enough for you to lean on? Or is because you think I can't handle it?"

"BECAUSE I CAN'T HANDLE IT!" Violet shouted, her voice shattering the tense quiet. Her fist trembling, her tears finally spilling over. "I can't even think about it without wanting to scream. I don't know how to tell you without falling apart, Dash. And I can't—" Her voice broke into a sob, her chest heaving. "I don't have the luxury to fall apart."

Dash stared at her, stunned into silence.

She wiped at her tears furiously, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I'm the big sister, supposed to be the one in charge! It's my job to look up for both of us and I know I'm doing an awful job, I can't stop them from hurting you; I can't even stop them from hurting me. But swear I'm trying, Dash! I'm trying so damn hard!" Her voice cracked as she choked on her words. "I'm trying to hold it together for you, so you don't have to pick up the pieces."

She stop talking as she buried her face in her remaining hard and started to sob.

Dash's anger melted into guilt as he watched her break down. He knelt in front of her, hesitating before placing his hands gently on her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Vi. I shouldn't have pushed you. I just… I hate seeing you like this."

She let out a shaky breath, her tears streaming silently now. "I'm sorry too. For snapping at you… for your eye."

Dash pulled back slightly, looking at her tear-streaked face. "Don't apologize for my eye, Vi. Don't apologize for any of this. And if you ask me, you're doing a pretty good job as a big sister.

Violet let out a shaky laugh, tears still spilling down her cheeks. "You're just saying that."

"I mean it," Dash said firmly, pulling her back into a hug. Violet buried her face in his hair, her sobs softening at his words.

For Dash, hearing her admit that she wasn't okay felt like progress. She hadn't told him everything or what happened exactly but she'd let him in

, and for now, that was enough.