Valour

Chapter 3- The Circle

I'm in pain. I'm falling. I'm crying.

My head is bowed forward, tears and blood drip onto the floor, drip, drip, drip, but I'm too tired to wipe them away. To stand up.

"Please," I say to him. "I don't know."

Boots begin walking towards me until I see them from the corner of my eye. Shiny, black, clean boots.

Those are pretty boots.

"I don't know." I say again.

He crouches down until we are eyelevel. Then, he gently tucks my loose hair behind one ear. So, so gently I want to scream at him to stop.

"Of course you do." his brown eyes, almost black in the fluorescent lighting look sincerely back at me, like we're having a heartfelt conversation.

I look away.

"I don't know."

"Yes." He lifts my chin up and makes me look at him again. "You do. Now, where were we? Oh yes, what is the code Sky?"

I say nothing because my answer will be the same. Because it's the only thing I can say because-

He slaps me hard across the face.

I fall face first onto the floor. My shackled hands and the guards standing in the room are the only things keeping me from murdering him.

Hurting him. Destroying him. Rodhen.

"I swear to you, I don't know."

He sighs and shakes his head sadly, like I've just somehow disappointed him.

"How many interrogations are we going to have together until you finally break my Sky?"

"I'm not your Sky." I spit.

"Well, you're longer dear Aria's now are you? I remember exactly how I killed her and your squad. It was so very painful for them when I-"

"Shut up!"

He laughs.

I want to cry again.

But despite all of this, and even if I did actually know the code, I will never, ever, tell Rohden. I can't let my family's- team's sacrifice go to waste. I can't I can't I can't

"I can't."

"You can't do what?"

"God damn it Rodhen I can't tell you because I don't know! Just rip the chip out my throat and get it over with already!" and then I ask the question that's been nagging me this whole entire time, "Why am I not dead yet?"

He just stares at me. He has a strong jaw, and looks in need of a shave. He clenches it hard.

Rodhen would've been attractive, with that curly red hair and strong features if it weren't for his sadistic personality.

"I think you know why." Rodhen says quietly. "Now, I think we've had enough fun for this evening. " he turns to one of the faceless guards in the room, "Joyo, bring the healers in. I'm finished with her for now. Also, begin my file report for prisoner 159, I have a meeting with Empire."

Empire.

God I hate this place, these people. I need to get out of here.

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