Insurrection [On Hold]

38 Hallucinations

Lights flash and pounding echoes. I'm dragged to my feet and shoved forward. I force my eyes open to a blurring room. All I know is I'm being led to a door.

"Raksana, it's okay. We've got you." My brother holds my hand.

"Gale?" I mumble.

"Hold on a little bit longer."

The door opens revealing a sea, the water swirling into a whirlpool.

"No. No," I scream, pushing back against Gale, but he only shoves me toward the water until I can see into it. Nate's bloody body circles around and around, his eyes open.

I reach out for him, screaming louder. Hands slam into my back and for a moment I'm weightless as the water rushes up to meet me.

The cold water punches me, and I push my head up, gasping. Jareth stands at the edge of the pool that I now see I'm in. Gale was never here. Another hallucination. I'm more awake now--more alert.

"I thought we would try something new." He examines his knuckles. "You don't mind, do you?"

I swallow, some of the pool water going down my throat. "No."

Jareth crouches and grabs my hands, dragging me toward him. For a moment he holds me there, staring into my eyes. "Why don't you just give up?"

"Because who am I if I do?"

"It's such a shame you're stubborn. A waste of potential you know?"

He attaches my wrists to a different type of handcuffs that are chained to a black pole. He taps the side of the cuffs and needles dig into my skin. I grit my teeth, closing my eyes.

"Fall asleep," he says, "and it will lower you into the water. Now, why were you in our prison?"

"I've been imagining what you would look like in Lumiere's prison."

He rolls his eyes, standing and walking to the door. "Sweet dreams, Princess." He flicks off the lights and leaves.

Time passes like a photo album. Pieces stand out, like when they come to ask questions, and at other times, nothing. It's forgettable. Sometimes there are bursts of light--flashes of color. I live for the forgettable though. Those erased moments are what keeps me from admitting that Lumiere is supposed to come for me.

But I doubt they'll come.

The water laps gently at the edges of the pool, lulling my eyes to close. Behind my eyelids I see Nate clearly. I knew him for such a short time, but he is what I hold to. I have to have something to care about, and he is it. The one who didn't treat me like a doll.

Water rushes down my throat, and I can't breathe. I grasp for the pole the handcuffs are attached to, trying to pull myself up, the needles ripping my skin. I should have been raised up after I awoke. I thrash, needing air.

Hands wrap around me pulling me up, the needles retract from my skin, and the handcuffs fall to the ground. I gasp in big lungfuls of air and cough up water, sitting on the ledge of the pool, my legs still submerged. Jareth and Maxon hold onto me.

I start crying, feeling broken. I'm never getting out of here. "Please, just stop. You're going to kill me."

Someone walks into the room, and I turn to see who it is. Every stands still, his eyes wide.

"Every, tell them to let me go. I can't do this any longer."

"You aren't supposed to be here." Jareth moves away from me. "Get out."

Holding his ground, Every asks, "What are you doing to her?"

Rather than moving away from me like his brother, Maxon clenches my arm. "Interrogating her."

Every crouches beside me. "I know that, but you've been at her for three weeks and has she given you anything?"

Jareth motions to me. "We've finally broken her, now she'll talk."

I shake my head.

"Would you like to go back in?" he asks.

That does it. The tears come again. "No, please, don't." I curl forward onto my legs, facing Jareth. "I was only supposed to be here until my father sent someone to get me, but no one is coming for me." I look up at him through the lens of my dripping hair. "I always knew that, but I thought if I kept waiting maybe I'd be wrong and someone would come. But they all hate me; none of them would risk anything for me."

Jareth places his boot on my head and shoves my forehead into the ground so I'm bowing. "We'll strengthen our security." Grabbing my hair, he hoists me to my feet. "Here, Every." He shoves me against his brother, and I stumble into Every's chest whose arms come out to steady me. "She's under your care now."

I am so incredibly sorry that I've taken so long to update this. I really want to get this book finished so hopefully I'll be updating more often.

Also I'm still (on July 12, 2017) taking over Wattpad's Instagram Story till Friday! I'm going to HQ this morning!