Briar Preparatory Academy

She Will Break

Joe POV

I stroll down the dark hallway of the base, whistling quietly to myself. A light at the end of the corridor flips on suddenly, and I pause. Why is he up?

I quicken my pace and peer through the door frame where the light came on. I step inside, immediately straightening my shoulders and feeling a nervous prick shoot down my spine. I do my best to ignore it.

He is sitting in an armchair in the corner of the room. He is holding a cigarette, and it sends smoke up into the air. His feet are propped up, and he looks as if he doesn't have single care in the world.

But I know better.

"You didn't knock." he mutters over his cigarette.

I swallow. "Uh... sorry. Should've thought to do that."

"Oh, it's okay. Carl didn't knock when he gave me the report earlier. I guess I just don't deserve anyone's respect anymore." I see him tilt his head towards me, his body still consumed in the dark. The only light in the room comes from his desk on the opposite wall. "What do you want, Joe?"

"You requested a report every evening, sir. I came to give it to you."

He gestures with his hands. "Then hurry up and get it over with."

"She's not cooperating, sir. And I don't think she's going to. She refuses to answer anything, and inflicting pain doesn't seem to make a difference."

"Did she react out of the normal to anything you said to her?"

I think back to the way Celeste had constantly given me glares and threatening comments. I could tell that she wasn't afraid of me. But she was afraid of something...

"Sir--"

"Hmmm?"

"I think," I pause, stuffing my hands in my pockets, "I think that she cares more about her acquaintances more than herself. I threatened to go after people at BPA and she immediately freaked out. It was like a light switch came on inside her head or something."

"Did she answer any questions after that?"

"No sir, she didn't."

He pauses here. I can tell that he is glaring at me, most likely disappointed. What I want more than anything right now is to sprint out of the room and lock myself in my own, where no one can disturb me. But I know I can't do that.

"Well, then we will need to be more creative. Her resolve is crumbling. We can use those she loves to plague her mentally, but we will still need to break her physically. Maybe we just need to be more severe..." He mutters, contemplating the options.

"Yes sir."

I watch as he runs his fingers through his hair, letting out a heavy sigh. "Thank you Joe. That will be all for now. I may be making a visit to Celeste later, so be ready." He says with a smirk on his face.

I nod and walk out of the room, closing the door. Quietly, I walk down the hall. Why is it so hard for her to cooperate?

"Joe." I hear my name being called. I turn around to see Butch walking down the hall towards me.

"Yes?"

"It's Celeste. I think you might want to want to see her. And bring the Boss."

~~~~~~~~~~

Celeste POV

I jump as the door to my cell opens. I clench my fists, which are still tied behind my back and my legs are still bound to the legs of the chair. I look up with wide eyes to see who has come for me. I watch as two figures walk in. I immediately recognize the first figure as Joe. He stands at the door, leaning against the wall.