“I know, love. I know. You’ll be safe, I promise.”
“It’s cruel to give someone hope, Cayden.”
His response is instant, like he expected my answer and already knew how to respond, like he doesn’t want a slither of doubt in my mind.
“It’s crueller not to, love.”
Chapter 15:
Madam’s office is once again crowded with far too many people to be comfortable. Bella and I sit opposite each other while the Commander, Overseer, Madam, and Major all stare down at us. Their eyes pierce through me, and make my blood run cold.
Something about this mission report feels dangerous. The eyes on us make a dread build in my stomach. Something is wrong, I know it is, but I can’t figure out what. Do they know Marcus? Do they know Cayden has told me things I haven’t reported? Do they know we’re breaking? No, they can’t.
“PX-3, what did you do this afternoon?” Madam asks.
“The mission, ma’am. I engaged with the target, trying to find out more information.”
Her gaze hardens, and I feel the unease growing in my stomach. There's definitely something they know that I don’t, and I really do not like that. “PX-3, what were the rules of the mission?”
“We were not permitted to read, ma’am.”
“Oh, so you did hear me. Was it blatant rebellion, then?” My heart drops in my chest. He knows.
Wolvrin had warned me to be careful of my surroundings, but I wasn’t. I had been foolish enough to believe that we could get away with the disobedience. This was a test, and I failed on all accounts.
“Take them both to the chair.”
“No wait!” I scream, letting my emotions get the best of me for the first time ever since entering The Academy. “It was me, it was just me. Bella didn’t read. She told me not to, it was only me.”
Silence. No one dares to say a word while the Overseer processes my outburst. Bella’s eyes widen as she begins to shake her head, silently telling me not to take the blame for this. But I have to, I won’t lose her, too. I won’t lose another assigned partner.
“PX-57, you are to return to the assigned bunk room. And PX-3…”
I feel a prick in my arm, and before the Overseer is able to finish, the world starts to spin and my mind goes blank. “B-Belllaaa…” The words slur as they leave my lips, then suddenly I feel a hand on me, no, two hands. I’m being carried. I try to kick, but my legs don’t move. And then suddenly, the world goes dark.
?
My head aches and a groan escapes as I start to come back to reality. I hear a dripping sound, like a tap hasn’t been turned off. It takes me a moment to realise whatever it is, is dripping on me. I look around, realising I’m at surface level. The moon shines through the broken roof looking down at me. Water falls from the roof, down onto me.
I’m in the chair. Metal manacles bind my wrists and ankles. I’m vulnerable, I’m weak.
I cannot break, I will not break.
“PX-3, you’re awake.” Madam’s voice fills the broken room. I can’t see her, not with my head still pounding and my vision still blurred from the sedative or whatever drug they gave me. I try to move my arms away, but they’re weak. There’s no way for me to get out of this.
“Who is Cayden, PX-3?” It’s the Overseer this time. I see the blurred outline of a person walking towards me, but I can’t feel the fear I know I should. It’s freezing, I’m freezing.
I’m going to die here.
“I don’t—I don’t know,” I mumble, trying to lift my head up. But it’s heavy, so heavy and it lolls back down to my shoulder. After several attempts, I manage to rest against the back of the mental chair. The room is still a blur, faces are still blurred, but I don’t miss the way my body is reacting, telling me this isn’t good.
My heart is racing. I hear the beat in my ears with every pump in my chest. My head spins, trying to warn off whatever drug they gave me while my hands won’t stop trembling from the cold. It’s so cold.
My jaw is trembling, body shivering as I try to adjust to the water slowly dripping down from the ceiling on me. It’s low-level torture, freezing someone. At first, it’s not a big deal, but the longer you wait, the closer death becomes.
“There is no reason to lie, PX-3. It won’t make this any easier.”
I’m not lying, I’m not. Cayden hasn’t told me anything. He never tells me what I want to know, he doesn’t even answer my questions properly, he just evades them. He only tells me pieces, the fact about the storage unit was the most I had gotten from him.
