Blood Thinner

Chapter 6: Sealed with a Kiss

*Chapter 6*

So Charmaine the nobody recovers in weeks time, says Velvet's guard with words falling with the lemon-glazed donut crumbs and tone hottening with his coffee. Velvet wasn't supposed to hear that as the donuts and news were supposed to go back and forth between both victims' guards, but she found it out while getting her daily dose of poison one morning.

Her medic stopped complaining about their job, and Velvet had absolutely no problem with that. Stick the needle in, inject her, pull it out, make sure she doesn't bleed. Maybe they're still salty about Velvet's supposed innocence that day, or maybe they're relieved for the same reason.

It's not nice when girls die.

What is nice is the security letting their steel walls down just a smidge and realizing that Velvet isn't a monster, no sir. Just because she bashed someone against a table when she first got here doesn't mean anything. They finally saw through their judgmental lenses that she's not a threat — and that it isn't right to keep a Queen locked up forever. She needs to be out to serve her people and put them in place! Well, that's how she saw it. They just figured she 'behaved' long enough to be out among the peasants — disgusting, but not nearly as disgusting as her solitary cell.

As relieved as she felt to finally feel some sort of freedom, Velvet gave credit where it was due when it came to that place. It allowed room for her to practice what she did best: thinking.

About what, you ask? Simple pleasures in life — money, music, and power. Those little things she had before but her brother stupidly stripped from her out of a guilty conscience.

That reminder pissed her off for the first few weeks, but as always, she didn't let go of it for the sake of her baby brother.

He's young and dumb, that's all. Velvet's always been the smarter sibling with the strongest hold to her conscience. But her darling partner...he's soft. And incredibly stupid. And Velvet figured that out long ago.

Veneer needs guidance back to the right path, that's all. He needs her more than she needs him — which isn't at all, truth be told, but she wouldn't hurt his feelings with that she would. Her goal now is to be the best big sister she could be and steer her naive sibling back where she wants him. Nurture him, teach him...put them back on top.

All he needs to do for that to happen is do what she tells him to. She has his best interest at heart and he has hers. Veneer knows to trust Velvet with his life.

The problem was actually getting in contact with him.

It's fine. Nothing comes easy, she knows. The challenge entertains her.

Her guard speaks to her in a warning tongue — Velvet nods and does the needed responsive hum on occasion, like they were fully communicating and not like a servant clearly not knowing who his superior is in both riches and relevance. He's just a hair away from getting on her last nerve with his 'Behave yourself' and 'Don't make me regret taking these off' and 'Don't bite anyone' nonsense before her shackles clattered loudly to the floor.

Her hands slowly expand to embrace their newfound freedom.

Filthy.

The unforgiving conditions of her chains left her porcelain hands in an eye-sore state, but she'll get that sorted later.

It's time for her to embrace her citizens— and make any rebelling thoughts against her disappear into waves of wariness.

"Any complaints about you and that needle's gonna disappear for a whole week." Her guard warns one final time as if trying to scare her...ha! Can't scare evil.