Margaret remained silent, unable to form words, and the weight of the room pressed down on Rose. Her gaze drifted to the oldest child, a boy who reminded her of Lucas for just a fleeting moment.
"I'm Levi," he introduced, holding Daniel in his arms. His white cloak stood out, and to Rose's horror, he wore the same bracelets as her-white and silver.
Rose's throat tightened, struggling to process the information.
Levi spoke with an eerie detachment, as though he'd been trained to recite facts. "Grey cloaks and grey bracelets indicate a once or active sexual life."
Rose's face drained of color. She glanced around the room, noticing that nearly all the older children wore those same grey markers. She felt her heart sink as the adults, too, seemed to grasp the implication, gasping as they stared at the children.
"Yellow," Kim chimed in, her voice shaky, "indicates a sexual infection and a future destined for brothels." Rose's stomach churned as her eyes locked onto the yellow bracelet wrapped around Kim's ankle, and another boy who seemed equally horrified. The reality of their fate was written on their faces.
She caught Marcus glancing at Lilian, who desperately tried to cover her own yellow bracelet, shame washing over her pale face.
"Pink means we've only been with one man, and we're meant to become nuns," Margaret whispered, her voice fragile. Rose leaned against the wall, her legs threatening to give out beneath her. The room spun slightly, the horror of what she'd uncovered suffocating her.
Marcus's gaze shifted to Rose's ankle, his confusion deepening.
"White and silver mean we're virgins, reserved for a rich person," Levi answered, as if reading Marcus's thoughts.
Marcus's expression of shock now focused on Rose's face, the realization setting in. Rose, feeling his stare, quickly looked away, her mind racing.
The silence was thick, oppressive, as the pieces of their horrifying reality slowly fell into place.
The room remained heavy with tension as another boy, standing off to the side, broke the silence. His voice was low and monotone, as if repeating something he'd heard countless times before.
"Blue indicates that the person meets the standards for becoming a guard," he explained.
Rose's gaze shifted towards Marcus, who had a blue bracelet tightly clasped around his ankle. Marcus's face twisted with anger and disbelief, the weight of what the bracelet meant clearly settling in. The idea that he, could be turned into one of the very people who now held them all captive was too much to bear.
The room was now filled with murmurs, panic spreading among the adults as they began to understand their fates. The children, some too young to comprehend the full horror of it, clung to each other in fear.
Rose's mind raced, piecing together the twisted structure of this nightmare. Each bracelet, each color, marked their roles in this cruel system, their fates decided for them like cattle being sorted. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself, her mission more important than ever.
She couldn't let this happen to these people-especially the children.
"And black?" Ryan asked in a whisper.
All the older children, and even those wearing black bracelets, looked down.
Rose had a suspicion, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.
"The person in charge of all this... he's someone important in medical research," said another girl with a black bracelet, her voice barely above a whisper.
YOU ARE READING
Found Obsession
Misterio / SuspensoDetective Roselyn Hansley wakes up to a nightmare she can't remember. Drowned by a serial killer and left for dead, her body survived-but her memories didn't. Stripped of her past and thrust into a life of uncertainty.. As Rose returns to her work...
