dimensions | original

Cell 17

Dedicated to  @zohaven for being the first person to comment on this story.

Asha made her way down the cell 8, where Mark was kept. The new hostage, Lumara Wish (Cell 17) had requested to speak to him. Not to Asha's surprise, Kinglyn had agreed. For being the co-leader of a revolution, he had too big a heart, and rarely raised his voice. Well, except for failure... Asha bit her lip, remembering the time she had ultimately failed in bring back any information to Kinglyn. That wasn't a good day.

She reached the cell, and took a deep breath. While she didn't want to retrieve Matchitehew, she hadn't wanted to stay with Luma either. Something about her just rubbed Asha's fur the wrong way. For one, she was childish. As well as oblivious. And needy.

"'All I really want is to go home.' " Asha mocked under her breath as she pressed her hand to the high tech sensor. "'I figured it out you know.'   Yeah, as if." she mumbled as the metal door swung open.

"What?" A familiar voice jerked Asha's out of her thoughts and into the real world. Asha jerked her head up to see a sitting Matchitehew looking at her with both puzzlement and curiosity on his face.

"Nothing."

Matchitehew tilted his head ever so slightly. "I don't believe that for a second." His voice was just above a whisper.

Great. Now he's gonna try and nag a response out of me. Asha ignored his statement, and pulled out the durable and versatile silver chains she had depended on for so long.

Although Asha had expected Mark to try to fight or at least resist, he surprised in the fact that he simply lowered his eyes and stayed silent.

After opening the door with the touch of her fingers, Asha led the prisoner down Cell Hall 1, turning at the end into Cell Hall 2, where Luma was being kept.

"Where are we going?" Mark questioned, his voice quiet. Asha was used to his cockiness and annoying tendency to boast, so his recent change in personality had her baffled. But, she figured, it was probably just due to the fact that he had been caught. Not just by a binding oath (such as the one he was placed in to serve Timorous) but literally, lock and key captured.

While you've most likely never been in such a position, I myself find it difficult to decide who has it worse. After all, this is Asha's job, and when she has finally achieved her mission, she finds that Mark is not at all the boastful, unashamed beast she had been accepting but a sad, afraid and ashamed boy who wants only to hide from reality. And now she wonders if her mission isn't really noble at all.

But then again, Mark thought that Kinglyn and Marsha would torture him, hurt him, but then he discovered that Marsha is gone and Asha, a beautiful, devoted teenager had taken her place. He's in the dark about what's happening, and is under lock and key. Now he wonders if they going to torture him.

But if we factor in Luma, I feel pity for our werewolf. She's going to give him hell, don't you think?

***

Luma sat patiently on the plain cell floor, rage continuing to burn inside her.

Asha's taking too long, thought Luma, annoyed. They should be back by now.

Kinglyn hadn't said a single word since Asha had left to get Mark, but Luma felt the need to both thank him and yell at him. With an internal sigh, she decided to thank him. She had heard stories from her book-loving sister enough to know that most prisoners didn't often have their wishes obeyed.

"Um." the girl began awkwardly. "Thank you for letting me talk to Mark- Err, Matchitehew." Luma corrected herself.

"You are welcome. And I believe he would prefer it if you called him Mark. From what I've gathered, he hates the name Matchitehew."

"I'm sure he does. But he deserves it." Luma said spitefully.

"I wouldn't be so quick to judge." Kinglyn countered.

Luma frowned and stayed silent.

While it only took another minute for Asha and Mark to return, it felt like forever to impatient Luma.

When the silent metal door swung open to reveal the returning duo, Luma immediately leaped to her feet, eager to speak with Mark. Or rather yell at him until he begged for forgiveness. Luma smirked at the thought. She felt she'd rather enjoy that.

Mark, mistaking her smirk as a kind, understanding smile, sighed in relief.

"Well, I guess you know about my werewolf tendencies."

The smile disappeared off Luma's face in a matter of seconds. "No thanks to you, Matchitehew. I had to find out from two people I don't know while in a prison cell!" she growled, striding across the cell towards the boy.

"And it wouldn't have been a big deal, either- would have explained a lot of things. Why that fairy at the mountain portal was so rude, and why you were hunted in Lalaland. You couldn't even mention it in passing, I wouldn't mind- I would have found it rather interesting, really. And I would have defended you- why don't you understand?"

Mark gaped at that statement, confused. In his mind, being a werewolf was the worst thing you could possibly be. And here Luma was, saying that she 'wouldn't mind' the fact that he was the First Werewolf- the cause of so much destruction. It baffled him.

Luma fought back tears as she continued her second rant that day."But here you are, completely oblivious, and have the nerve to march in here and smirk at me like the idiot you are. Even insignificant humans have feelings too, you know and you don't have the right to run around hurting them and lying to them." Her voice broke a bit. "Really, Mark- why didn't you tell me?"

Mark ducked his head in shame, embarrassed. He was having trouble trying to understand her point of view, it had been so very long since he was human and inexperienced with the world of Dimensions and it's strangeness- by now he had learned that the only way to survive was to expect the strange and unexpected.

But it clicked in his mind all the same, and he knew that at this point all she wanted was the truth.

"Luma, I thought that if I told you, you'd hate me for it. I thought you'd turn your back." Mark sighed, defeated.

"Why? You know I wouldn't do that." Luma whispered, voice hoarse.

"I can't ever be certain. Too many times someone has hated me for a single mistake I made as a young boy." He paused, then continued speaking. "It's the fact that everyone overlooked, I was so young. Only 14 and with a wolf counterpart. It was so hard to keep my temper in check- it still is- and one day I snapped." Mark knew he was making up excuses, but he wanted her to forgive him. Working under Timorous' command for so long had left him lonely and wanting a friend.

Luma nodded, and ducked her head, not speaking.

An awkward silence fell over Cell 17.

Someone cleared their throat behind Luma and Mark. They both turned around to see Kinglyn and Asha awkwardly standing in a cell corner.

"Now that we've cleared that up, I believe we have other things to attend to." Kinglyn said.

A/N: Tenth chapter is done! I'm pleased, the story is finally getting somewhere! While this scene did not turn how I imagined it would, I'm glad.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated <3