We're Not Evil, Just Betrayed

Chapter Twenty One (2/2)

Nervousness was something Sky often felt, but never with a woman. Perhaps it was worded wrongly in his thoughts, or maybe he was way too anxious to care. All he knew was that he was actually scared of what she was going to do to him. He was bounded, and he had forced himself to keep his abilities locked up. He could not use any of them. The magical restrictions kept him under tight lock and key until the time was right. For now he had to sit still and suffer as the woman stepped over him, softly clicking her tongue at him, her hand still tight around that whip. He prayed silently she would drop it.

Jess was not unfamiliar with what she had to do. In fact, she rather enjoyed it, along with the trauma she could inflict and how well she bended them to her will. It was just so enjoyable, and she felt so empowered. She felt like she could move mountains with their forms trembling under her, begging for mercy. "It's such a shame that you cannot speak" she begins, withdrawing the butt of the whip from the customised sheath, emblazoned with a fiery gold lace. "Usually the voice is the best part of my job" she informs as she ran a hand across the carefully tightened leather, feeling the rough texture, savouring the expression of hesitation and fear shown in his eyes. His composure was to tense and formal, barely even moving. But she could see through all that and right into his soul. His hope allowed her to.

"But your eyes will compensate, I hope" she withdraws the disciplinary object, carefully choosing where to hit him, before a devilish smirk came onto her. She threw her hand hard down, sending a sharp crackle that made him jolt, tugging hard against the chain, his scream silenced through his muteness, choked. But he had to withstand it. He would be weak not to.

     She drew her hand further back this time, and striked his body again with that same force, and he threw his head back against the wall, breathing hard as she repeated the motion. Again, and again, and again. It didn't stop, not when he could barely breathe, not when the front of his shirt was reduced to rags and not when his flesh split open and bled. The old wound that Bajan had given him had opened as well, but she didn't stop until his chest was in ribbons. He was on the verge of breaking into sobs, but he had control. He kept himself trembling against the ground, kept himself weak and kept staring through the blurry tears at the ground, body slick with sweat and pain. It had been hours...

     "Heal" she commanded, coiling the whip. He tensed, but he dared not look up. She frowned. "Heal" she repeated, kicking forward hard into his stomach, making him choke, coughing, tugging hard against the chains in a desperate and weak attempt to shield himself. When he still did not obey, she screamed at him. "I said 'Heal', did you not hear me, Sky ?! Heal ! Heal your body ! Heal your flesh ! I don't care how painful it is, I don't care how tired you are ! Worthless, disgusting, mongrel !" She didn't move to hit him, watching his writhing figure slowly compose. But yet there was no anger in her expression, just a plain amused smile as she yelled and kicked him.

     Sky choked back his sullen sob, sitting back up properly. For a moment, Jess could easily see him as a child. A frail, brittle creature, crying because a bully had just insulted him. He seemed... "so weak" she spat, knelt down in front of him, gripping his chin hard with a force a typical human did not own, forcing him to look at her. Her breath hitched slightly. Brown hazel eyes met her own, and she suddenly could see near no hope. No gold, and no warmth. Just a dead, milky brown. "Sky..." her grip softened slightly, her other hand reached up to brush his mattered hair away from his face, feeling the dampness mixed with tears and sweat. "Aren't you a poor boy...? What did Mommy do to you ?" She watched the flicker of uncertainly flash through his eyes.
"Did she beat you..? Did she lie to daddy about how bad you were ? Did you go hungry most nights ?" She gently brushed a hand across his cheek, holding his head between her calloused fingers.

     For a moment, she could see herself where he was. A young, sobbing girl, trembling as her sister held her there, gently caressing her cheek, the chains tight around her wrists and ankles. And when she spoke, her voice sounded like Aphmau's. "you're a good boy, aren't you..? You just want someone to care about you...right ?" She felt him weakly nod, even though she could only see herself. "Heal for me, okay..? Heal... I don't want you to hurt anymore..." she played the memory, watching his expression mimic the one she had so many years ago. Safe. He felt safe. And when he finished healing, when his eyes sparked back to gold, the next part of her memory came back and she reeled, retching herself from his form and her gentle yet sinister smile returned. There was no softness in her voice.

    "Good girl... Such a good girl" Aphmau taunted, drawing a blade, watching her eyes widen in fear. "What ? Did you think I cared about you ?" She pulled down a lever and Jess suddenly could not breathe as the chains pulled her back, pinning her hard against the wall. She could barely suck in enough air to keep herself awake. "Tell me... how bad is it for you that you had to be like this ? So...broken" she frowned. "Aren't you pretty ?" She dragged the blade across her flesh, earning silence and ragged breathing. Just breathy whimpers. "Doesn't Daddy love you ?" She carved the words onto her body with an anger that had been locked away for years. "Always buys you the best... always makes sure you're well taught" she scowled. "Why are you so damn pitiful ?!" She slammed the blade down hard on her arm and she hit her head hard against the wall in pain.

     "I don't understand" she let out an exasperated sigh. "Why do they love you more than me ?" She cast the blade away, moving close to her, examining the hope in her eyes. "Why are you so damn hard to break ?" She pouted.

     Her demeanour had completely changed, Jess realised through the hazy pain. She didn't act like the Aphmau she saw. The older sister who worked hard for her parents approval, who loved ice cream and brought her to the parlor every hot Sunday. What had happened to her sister ? There was an icy feeling in her eyes she could not identify. "Why are you still alive ?" She traced a finger across the words etched into Jess's body. 'Demon', 'Monster', and "Daddy's little Bitch" she giggled, licking the blood off her finger. "Mm, don't you taste good ?"

     She withdrew herself from him for a while, pushing her hair back from her shoulders. "I can't believe how resilient you are" she pouted. None of which Sky noticed. His eyes were barely open, weakly staring at her as he rasped, writhing in pain. And when she moved back and silently admired her work, that little memory of hers ended and she wasn't in her mothers basement anymore. The young, little girl evaporated and it was Sky who bore the wounds she had more than ten years ago. She took a shaky breath and took several steps back, a slow realising shock coming over her.

     "No...no, no ! What ? What have.." she pulled her hand through her hair, messing the delicate braid she had, staining the black with an shade of red. There was no way... but the evidence was here. The same cuts Aph had scribbled across her body was on Sky's, and she knew she had done worse. Before, she had sliced open people, broken ribs, ripped flesh. All her suppressed memories came forth and this time, instead of Aphmau, she was the one storming away, slamming the iron metal door shut. She was the one who left Sky weak against the wall, bleeding out and uncared for. And when the door opened again, it was not Aphmau who came in.

     It was Mitch who did.