The reality of the current time came back to her within a few hours. She realized where she was and why. She remembered having mixed the truth serum herself, following her father's study on the subject. She remembered why he had been so obsessed with finding the right mix, all the way up to his death. And now she knew why she hadn't gotten her memory back as most slaves did. It was a punishment for her father's sins.
—
Emptiness. Why was his head this empty? There was an echo of silence. A scary nothingness. It made him curl in on himself, scared of this feeling he didn't understand. His hands tried to hug himself, a body he didn't know. It felt bruised, it hurt squeezing, and yet he did, it was all he could do.
He didn't know how long he'd been awake, but it couldn't have been more than minutes when a brutal alarm was heard and the sound of shuffling bodies filled his ears. He looked around for the first time, only to see dozens of other men and women get to their feet. He did the same, quickly realizing that he was naked as opposed to them. They shed their simple uniforms as they lined up though, and they all walked out a door. Everyone threw their simple items of clothing into large bins by the door, before they showered in freezing cold water, hardly having the time to lather up and rinse off. There were no towels, they had to air dry as they kept walking. He tried to copy what everyone else in the line did, it felt essential to not stand out.
He fumbled with getting his shorts and shirt on, and he was shivering with cold by the time he reached what looked like a cafeteria. Though, it's not like they had any choice of what to eat. A tray was shoved into his hands, with some sort of grey mush and a cup of water.
When it came to sitting down, this was the first time he saw any individuality. They could choose where to sit. He went to sit by a table that was empty, scared to choose wrongly. The grey mush looked disgusting, and tasted worse. His instincts told him to eat it anyway. He drank his water, and just finished when a guard of some sort yelled out:
«Virgins, this way!»
Had he heard that right? Virgins? He saw a few people quickly stand up and walk to the door.
«Yo, that's you,» someone said, nudging him and for some reason he felt it was probably true. He got up and followed the others out, leaving his empty tray on a table by the door.
Inside a large room with tile flooring, they lined up. There were six of them.
«Ah, fresh meat,» a soldier said, obviously the one in charge here. He stopped in front of their newest slave. «You don't even know your name yet, poor little thing.»
The fake compassion dripping from his voice made the so-called virgin look at him in anger. That was his first mistake.
«So tell me, then.»
The second one was talking when no question was asked.
«Shut the fuck up, slave!»
His legs were kicked from the back so that he fell to his knees, groaning at the impact. As he scrambled to get back up, he saw the slaves around him shaking and looking to the floor, and he pressed his lips together as best he could. It was difficult when he received several smacks across his face.
«Do not talk unless it is to answer a question your master has directed at you.»
He tried to stay strong during the abuse that followed.
Beatings became regular. He got used to it. He also got used to the horrible food, the cold showers, and the way the guards looked at the slaves. The disgust, the utter contempt of the pathetic slaves. He stayed away from the others as best he could. He didn't form any connections and talked to no one.
—
*Flashback*
«And you are...»
«You know who I am, Hwang Hyunjin. I'm the one who's going to save your fucking ass.»
«So confident,» the world's most beautiful man said with a smirk. He usually was the one to take that role.
«Yeah, well, when you know what you're doing, it usually brings confidence.»
He rolled his eyes and handed her a file. «I'm not just going to take your word for it, doctor Bellani.»
«It's Bell. Dr Bell.»
«Right, yes, of course, dr Bell.»
«I'm ready to work,» she said.
And she did. She worked hard to prove that she was in fact trying to finish what her father had started. The disaster he had created, she wanted to reverse. She got to know the Butterfly movement, and mostly, she got to know its leader, dr Hwang Hyunjin. Maybe it was a bad idea, but they worked so much and had little contact with outsiders. Turning to each other to fulfill some basic human needs was natural. And Hyunjin loved her, Aelia knew that.
*End of flashback*
YOU ARE READING
Take Me Home // Ateez // Stray Kids
FanficAfter an unexpected escape from the Mansion, Aelia finds herself in a Safe House. Who is a friend and who has alternate motives? And what do the butterflies have to do with it? As a former slave, life looks empty. Aelia has to find her way in life...
