Differential

Differential: Division Eleven

Differential: Division Eleven

I groaned, my whole body aching. I pulled my limbs together, trying to keep myself from falling apart. But something stopped them.

I pried my eyes open, feeling a cement floor dig into my hips.

I was in a cell. Three solid walls and a barred door in the fourth.

Oh hell.

I yanked my arms closer, trying to break the cuffs. Even my ankles were bound. But where they touched my skin, a terrible numbness flowed through my hands.

They were coated in Hematite. They were smart. Not pure Hematite, because that would kill me. But just enough exposure that I would always be weak.

A sob escaped me, and I yelled, "Help! Someone-!"

I didn't even know why I was still alive, just that it couldn't be good.

I pulled on the chains again, but weaker this time. A foggy haze was already clouding my senses. If only I had worn longer pants. Then the cuffs on my ankles wouldn't be so bad.

I screamed, half hoping someone would hear me, and half in defiance of the darkness that was invading my mind.

I lifted my head from the ground, seeing a figure shadowed in the doorway.

"Good. Your awake. Don't even think about trying to escape. This cell is lined in Hematite. Do you know what that is?"

A broken laugh caught in my throat.

What was Seth doing right now? Was he trying to find me? Where was Camilla? I hoped that bitch would rot in hell.

Another figure appeared by the doorway and I shrunk back as they began talking in a foreign language.

The door to my cell swung open, and I was on my hands and knees, crawling away from them. I wouldn't let them touch me.

A loud commotion echoed down the hall and suddenly both figures stopped, turning and leaving my cell. The door clanged shut as the two Bræum went off toward the noise.

I sagged against the wall, already hungry and thirsty. But even worst was the cold. I could do with out the food and water, but sunlight, I needed that like a plant. Without it I would die. Another gene I got from my mom.

Screams echoed down the hall, to my cell, and I curled into a ball, trying to cover my ears. But the cuffs prevented that, being connected to the ones around my ankles by another chain.

The Hematite overloaded my senses, clouded my vision and sent my eyes fluttering. My arms and legs were numb, already loosing to the effects of the stone.

In a brief moment of clarity, I thought about burning the stone down, melting it until I was no longer trapped. But none of my gifts worked. The Hematite prevented it. I was useless, lying there waiting for my fate to catch up to me.

Unbelievably, I fell asleep.

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When I awoke again I immediately wished for blissful sleep again. My head was pounding in time with my heartbeat. My muscles so sore it hurt to move. But worst of all was the creeping numbness. It felt like pins and needles all over my limbs, and it was only getting worse.

I pulled myself into a semblance of a sitting position, propping myself against the wall. I took a deep breath, trying to clear my thoughts, to think. If I could focus I could make a plan. Try to get.....

The thought floated away, leaving me empty. My hearing was muted, everything feeling as if I were underwater.

Suddenly there was another figure standing in the doorway, the hatred rolling of him crushing me.

Before I could blink two Bræum were in my cell, pulling on my cuffs and sending waves of numbing pain through me.

I gasp as the cuffs fell away and I was pulled to my feet. The world spun on an axis, and I felt like I was on a Tilt-A-Whirl.

I tried to regain my composure, tried to fight back and get free, but my limbs wouldn't respond. The Hematite had been near me too long.

When I finally got my feet under me, I was shoved on a table, binds placed around my feet and hands.

"Stop!" I yelled, hoping they would listen. But I knew in my heart they wouldn't. Why should they? They were creatures of evil. And I was a lone spot of light in this darkness.

One of the men laughed, and shook his head.

"Your kind are so weak, it's pathetic."

This was bad. So, so bad.

That thought continued to run through my head as I tried to make sense of what was happening.

When I saw the dust in the vial, I didn't understand. Not until I saw the color. Black and blood red.

I screamed then, knowing what was coming and desperately trying to stop it. But I was helpless. There was nothing but darkness around me.

When the Bræum blew the dust over my body, I closer my eyes, breathing out. I would keep as much of it away from me as I could.

As the crushed Hematite settled over my body, I felt myself drift away. It must have been some kind of subconscious defense. I knew what was coming, and knew it would be very bad. So much so that my body and mind shut down until it could handle it.

That didn't keep me from feeling the first sting of darkness.

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Why?

That was the question of the year. Why were the Bræum keeping me here? Why had Camilla handed me over? And why we're they doing this?

Over and over, day after day I was put through some form of torture. All forms of Hematite were thrown at me. The worst by far was the liquid, injected strait into my veins.

It burned so fiercely it felt cold. And until my body had cleaned out the toxins, I hadn't been able to move. It was the worst experience ever. Something I wouldn't wish on anyone.

I had thought I would die. I had wanted to die. But no, I lived through it.

Now though, I didn't know what to say. It had been over a week since I first got here. I had almost no hope left of Seth finding me.

What would happen to me? Would I wither away in the darkness, never to see the sunlight again? I didn't want to think about it, but now all I had was time to think about it.

But Camilla and the crazy guy had both in some way said I would die. So what was the purpose of this? Why?

I should have known I wouldn't like the answer.

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