I look around, stunned by all the technology. TVs line the walls from top to bottom, side to side. There are huge glass rooms, some are occupied with people who look like they're fighting, they're wearing full body suits that are hooked up to computers, there's stuff attached to their faces and any exposed skin but I can't see exactly what it is from here.
Once I'm don't scanning the room, I look over at Hayden.
We lock eyes.
He stares at me with knowing eyes. He knows where we are, what we're doing. I don't.
I stare at him with confused eyes. Sad eyes, angry eyes. I know it's not the time to be angry but right now is the time I remember our fight from however many days ago. When he took the lighter from me and chose hurting himself over me. My emotions are so complicated right now. They always are. There is no simple emotion.
"This," the man says walking into the room, slamming the door shut behind him, "Is the simulation room. The realest fake experience you'll ever experience."
My blood runs cold as he puts his right hand on my shoulder and his left on Hayden's. He pushes us to one of the glass rooms as he explains what's happening, most likely for me. Hayden's probably done this before.
"The rooms are sound proof, you can scream as loud as you want to but just know we find pain to be embarrassing here so... anyway! You'll be hooked up to our computers, we'll see your thoughts, emotions, feelings, everything. We'll even see what your seeing."
What will we be seeing? I want to ask but don't.
Hayden and I are hooked up by robots and then shoved into the room.
The second I get in, I forget everything I've been told. This is real to me. It's no longer a glass room. I'm in a jungle. Trees and plants are everywhere. I touch them and my hand comes back to me moist with the dew. The ground is soft from rain, every so often, when the trees shake, it rains.
I look around some more, where is Hayden?
I stand up from my crouching position, looking at a beautiful red follower, and walk around.
When I finally do find Hayden, his eyes glow when he sees me.
What the f*ck?
"Hayden?" I ask as he gets closer. He doesn't respond.
When he gets close enough, he kicks me. I go flying. A tree, just a few feet away from where I was just standing, stops me from going any farther.
Anger floods my body.
"What the f*ck, Hayden?!" I yell as I get up. When he tries to attack me again, I attack him back.
I punch him, square in the face. He doubles back in both shock and amazement. Blood gushes down his forehead, I punch him again.
Before I can punch him a third time, he grabs my arms and pins me to the trees.
"This won't stop till one of us dies," he says.
I'm confused by what he says. What won't stop? He sees my confusion and looks down. Then back up at me.
"This isn't real. I thought your mind was stronger than this, don't let them take over your brain."
"I don't know what you're talking about!" I grunt trying to break away from his hold, he's too strong.
"Listen, Adeline, I have to kill you."
My blood runs cold. I feel sick. I might fall over.
"W-what?" I stammer.
"It's the only way we can get out of here, just let me kill you, you won't actually die," he whispers into my ear. "You'll feel like it, but it'll only last a second and then you'll be alive again."
"Absolutely not," I say. Hayden looks shook, like he expected me to be fine with it. "What if I want to kill you?" I ask.
"You can't," he says with a laugh.
"You think I can't kill you?" I ask raising an eyebrow. He's so close to me I can feel his breath on my lips. His hands on my wrists feels like fireworks.
"No offense, Princess, but I've been doing this mg whole life. There's no way you can kill me."
"Bet."
"We can't—"
"Yes we can."
"Okay, fine. It's a bet."
And then Hayden and I break away and start plotting. I love games. I love that we can make this situation into a game.
I climb up onto the trees, high ground is always good. That's what my trainers have always said.
I watch as Hayden roams on the ground, looking around for me. He's holding something, when I look closer I see.
He's holding a motherf*cking machete.
Where the f*ck did he find that!?
A knife falls from the sky. A tiny little hand knife. It pierces the tree-bark right in front of me. I pull it free and glare at it.
This is not helpful at all. I throw the knife at Hayden from the tree. It lands on his shoulder and I jump down from the tree as he falls to the ground. I'm about to laugh in his face before I realize, this was too easy. If he's done this his whole life shouldn't it be a little harder?
Then, out of nowhere, he appears. He's holding a machete to my neck from behind me. I feel it digging into my skin. I feel my air being cut off.
I watch as the hologram of him fades to nothing. My head is too full of terror to think anything else about it other than, that's not fair.
He turns me to face him and throws me on the ground somehow both gently and aggressively. He gets on top of me and plunges the machete into my heart.
He's aiming for a somewhat quick death. I guess they don't give guns.
"I told you, I've been doing this for too long. You can't beat me," he whispers into my ear.
And with his words, I close my eyes.
One day, I will beat him.
Word count: 1028
10:26 am
10-28-23
(Not revised)
Hwhehehehehehajakaivansoswbvakaisvwbw
Off brand knife to the neck trope hdiwnshahqinsbsevwhwb
Have a lovely day lovelies 🥰
YOU ARE READING
Royal love
RomanceAdeline Palmer, the crown Princess of France, was sent to a boarding school after someone attempted her life. Suddenly, a few months into her stay at the school, people start going missing and turning up dead a few days later, tortured to death. Wh...
