Chapter Nineteen
I take in my surroundings as I’m led down a long dark corridor, only sparsely lit by the occasional bulb hanging from the ceiling.
There aren’t many more doors down here and a subtle inhale reveals the damp smell of earth, that, accompanied by the heavy oppressiveness pushing down on me, leads me to believe that we are under ground.
I’m led to the end of the corridor and up a set of concrete steps that lead up into the wide-open space of the main part of the extensive warehouse.
I make note of the large main doors to the right of me and the normal size door I can just make out hidden behind large crates on the same side.
I’m marched swiftly across the room, one of the men tugging my arm so hard that my shoulder pops back in.
I’m aware of the pain but I’ve wrapped myself so deep in the dark inside, that I don’t truly feel it.
They pull me through another door and drag me over to a surgical table similar to the one I remember from my dream.
They roughly push me down face first onto the cold steel and secure my wrists and ankles in the leather cuffs.
I turn my head to the side, so I can at least see some of what is going on.
I have learnt from experience that not seeing what’s coming is a thousand times worse than witnessing it, at least it is for me.
Once the guards are sure that I’m properly secured, they back out of the room and the harried looking Doctor from my memory comes hustling into the room with a bright smile on his face.
“Hello again, I’m so pleased you’re here!” He grins at me waiting for a response I refuse to give. “Yes, well, let’s see if your powers have manifested, yet shall we?”
He glances over to the Man in The Suit by the door.
“Are you staying Sir?” He asks.
“No, I need to have a word with my son, keep me updated on the process.” His clipped tone shows absolutely no emotion as he turns around, leaving abruptly.
Coward.
As soon as the door has closed behind the Man in The Suit, the doctor picks up a pair scissors off of a large tray filled with all sorts of sharp and terrifying instruments.
I may not be able to feel any emotion right now, but I am perfectly aware of what sort of emotion I should be feeling.
I know that what this deplorable man is planning to do to me, it is going to hurt, a lot.
It’s also with this knowledge that my intuition kicks in.
I know that my guys are coming and I know that they are getting closer.
I also know, using that same inexplicable intuition that comes to me in times of need, that they can feel any pain I experience, which is confirmed by what Kai said to me earlier.
I know the distance is the only thing that has stopped the guys from feeling my injuries to the same extent as me.
They can’t feel what I’m about to go through.
I will protect them from experiencing this.
I focus on my Soulmate Bonds and repeat the words whispering through my mind.
Protegas me ut mea in dolore sustine, et pars non id persentiant usuque experiantur. Protegere eos.
I watch inside my mind, as a white light wraps around the bond, insulating and protecting them.
I know now, that they won’t experience what I’m about to, the same way I know that they would’ve experienced it had I not repeated those words.
Focusing back on the world around me I feel the scissors as they slide up my back easily cutting through my shirt and bra, exposing my back to the deranged doctor.
I lay as still as possible refusing to show any reaction.
He steps away and there’s a moment of silence before the booming crack of a whip thunders throughout the room and a burning line of pain opens up on the top of my back.
My body arches, trying to escape the fiery pain but I manage to hold in any sound of my agony desperate not to give him the satisfaction.
“Protect yourself!” The Doctor demands.
I can feel my magic rising in defence, pushing against the barrier that keeps it contained.
He brings the whip down onto my back again and again, over and over until there is no more unmarred skin left and I can hear the drip, drip, drip, of my blood as it overflows the grooves on the table and hits the tiled floor.
He brings the whip crashing down one final time, slashing across several of the wounds he has already inflicted, unable to hold it back any longer a savage scream bursts free from me and I pass out from the mixture of pain and blood loss.
The darkness is comforting, welcoming me like it always has.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Sage!”
I stir, trying to stay as still as possible, if I move too much the wounds on my back will open. The bastards didn’t heal them like they used to. I push the pain away and lock it in with my emotions ready to deal with later.
“How long was I out?” I croak realising my voice is hoarse from the one and only scream I let loose and the damage dickhead Brent did to me.
I’m pleased to find that they’ve at least replaced my ruined shirt with a large grey one that appears to be clean. They’ve only placed a thin layer of bandages over my back though.
“A couple of hours.” Jett says cautiously, watching me warily.
I pull myself into a sitting position, savagely ignoring the pain it causes me. I start to wriggle the hair pin from my sleeve when the door once again bangs open.
“For fuck sake.” I groan.
“That’s no way to talk to your mother Sage,” the step bitch scolds as she saunters into the room looking all pleased with herself.
“Your fucking mother!?” Erin yells, shocked and I shrug in response.
“Aren’t you curious to know what’s going on?” My mother asks.
“Sure,” I shrug, my emotions still on lockdown.
Unlike all the times I’ve had to do this to protect myself before though, this time I’m unable to unlock them.
Which I would be more worried about it if, you know, my emotions were working in the first place and I had the ability to be worried.
It’s not important at the moment, I need answers.
If my short answer gives her any pause, she doesn’t let it show and continues a monologue like a damn villain in kids show.
“I felt so honoured when Mr. Romano chose me to help with his special project. If I had known it was to look after a disgusting brat, I would’ve rethought my agreement entirely.”
The step bitch has been in the same crime organisation as Brent this entire time, the same organisation that stole me from my parents and tortured me.
Hang on a fucking minute.
“Brent Romano.” I say in a monotone voice; my emotions are fighting to come back but I can’t seem to get them to break the barrier I managed to put around them.
“That’s right, your boyfriend.” She says in a sing song voice clasping her hands to her chest and pretending to swoon, “The son of the Romano organisation, he was tasked with getting close to you in the hopes that you would reveal your powers to him. Of course, then your whorish bitch of a self, tricked him into thinking he loves you and he became obsessed, which actually worked out in Mr. Romano’s favour. ”
One minute she is ranting fairly calmly and the next, seemingly out of nowhere, her fist shoots out, the hit causing my lip to split back open.
I once again spit blood out onto the concrete floor and stare up at her stoically.
She cackles loudly as she makes her way back to the door, just as she reaches it, she calls back.
“I do hope I get to participate in the experiments on you, Sage!” She exclaims, pure glee lacing her voice. She is a fucking psycho.
The door slams with finality behind her.
“What the fuck?” Damon says quietly.
“My sentiments exactly, apparently all the fucked-up parts of my life were more connected than I thought.” I state, resuming the task of trying to wriggle the hair grip free of my sleeve.
The sudden brush of soft fur against my wrists causes me to jump, my eyes widening. Since the team were already watching me cautiously, they all notice my sudden jump and they look at me in question.
“What’s going on?” Dash booms.
I don’t reply and stay deathly still as I feel sharp teeth scrape along the inside of my wrist, as they grasp the hair grip and pull it free from my sleeve, before I can try to stop whatever it is from getting away with our one chance of escape, the slight weight of the tiny hair grip is dropped into my hand and an orange ball of fluff skitters out from behind me and comes to halt in front of me.
The small orange fox plops her butt down on the floor in front of me and looks at me with eyes that are far too intelligent for just a simple fox.
“Erm thanks.” I say sensing she wants acknowledgement for her help.
To my utter surprise she nods.
“What’s happening?” Erin asks her eyes wide.
“I have no fucking idea, she’s not a normal fox.” I reply not taking my eyes of the little creature. “Did you guys learn anything about this at the academy?” I ask.
They all seem to think about it for a moment before, Jett answers.
“I don’t remember anything but we’re only first years, so we haven’t got nearly all the knowledge that the upper years have.”
I raise my eyebrow in question, what are first years doing mixed up in this? Sensing my questions Damon speaks up.
“Like we said before it was only supposed to be a surveillance mission with a very low threat level.” He shrugs, “it would normally be sixth years or graduated agents that would get a case like this. All the students are eighteen and above so all legal adults, they make us sign a waiver before we’re allowed to attend. ”
I nod in understanding before concentrating back on twisting the hair grip in a way that means I’ll be able to unlock the cuffs. I’ve just gotten it twisted into the right configuration when Erin speaks up.
“Why are you so . . .” She struggles to find the right word, “blank.”