My Short Stories (+ prompts for you to use!)

Short Story: "The Villain's Trainee"

She slowly regained consciousness, a dull pain pulsing at the back of her head--an unpleasant reminder of being hit over the head by the one of the villain's men.The girl inhaled sharply as she opened her eyes. Her vision flared painfully, the dimly lit room seeming as bright as the sun to her in that moment. She blinked several times, impatiently waiting for her eyes to adjust.

"Oh good, you're awake." A smooth voice cut through the silence, startling the girl. Her limbs tensed, making her aware of the cold, metal chair she was bound to. The man allowed her a few moments for this realization, watching her tug at her restraints uselessly.

Her breathing hitched, though she tried to disguise it as anything other than fear. The villain was not fooled, however, and watched her carefully, calmly sitting in a chair across from her. She finally looked up at him. "Let me go," she said, struggling to steady her voice.

The villain stood up, making her heartbeat skyrocket. "This is what you wanted, isn't it? To get inside my base? Well, here you are," he replied in that same steady, honey-soaked voice that could freeze you in your place even in its calm state.

The girl swallowed and managed a small smile. "Yeah, somehow I expected a different outcome..."

Her smiled faded as the villain stepped closer to her, breath catching in her throat.

"Did you? How exactly did you think breaking into the base of the most feared being alive would go, hm?" he purred.

"Well...I suppose you could say I was being optimistic. Or...foolish. One of those two," she replied.

Something of a smile ghosted the man's face as he studied his hostage. He moved closer to her still, crouching in front of her. She froze in place, watching his every move. He reached for her, unzipping her jacket.

"What-what are you doing?" the girl spluttered nervously.

"Relax," came the reply, a command low and final.

The girl shut her mouth again in silent panic.

Instead of what she had expected, the man reached inside her jacket, pulling a wallet out from the inner pocket. She slowly let out the breath she had been holding, doing so as subtly as she could so as not to draw his attention back to her. If he had noticed, he paid no mind, opening the wallet and looking inside.

He pulled out her ID, studying it. "Aria J. Blackwell," he read before meeting her gaze. "Well, Aria Blackwell, why exactly did you want inside my base so badly?"

She swallowed, meeting his gaze in return. "I...um.....wanted a cool topic for my English paper?"

The villain snorted, amused. "Cute. Try again, Sweetheart."

She bit her lip for a moment, eyeing him tensely. "I...thought... Well, I think...that you could help me with something."

He raised an eyebrow. "Help you? Me? What gave you the impression I'm the charitable type?"

"Maybe not...charitable, per se...but...hopefully flattered enough that I came to you instead of a hero to look past that fact?"

A smirk tugged at his lips. "That's your big plan? Flattering me into helping you?" He leaned in close to her ear, hot breath brushing against her skin. "Tell me, do you think it's working out for you?"

Aria bristled, muscles tensing.

"You're a naïve little thing, aren't you?" the villain continued in a murmur, pulling back enough to look at her, examining her features.

She took in a shaky breath. "You don't even know what I need help with yet," she said, waiting for how he'd respond.

"What makes you think I care? What makes you think I won't just kill you for breaking in to my lair? Slice open that pretty little neck of yours, hm?" he asked softly, leaning in closer to her again to lightly trace a finger over her throat.

Aria watched him, terrified, struggling to control her ragged breathing.  It took a few moments for her voice to return to her, a soft squeak of a voice. "If you were going to, you could have done it by now."

"Oh, I could have. But you see, I do have this habit of playing with my food. It's more fun that way," he replied with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"But aren't you curious?" Aria asked. "I could have come to anyone. One of the heroes. But I chose to ask you."

The villain studied her, gaze softening just a little. Just enough that a flicker of hope sparked in Aria's chest. "Fine, I'll humor you. Why me? What do you need help with?"

An involuntary smile claimed her lips at the small victory. She forced it back, not wanting to look too pleased or confident. "I...I have powers similar to yours, but I can't control them. And I'd like you to train me. The heroes would just treat me like a threat to them for having powers like yours; they'd fear that I'd turn into you."

The villain straightened and circled her chair. "Why would I train you? So that you can eventually become as strong as me and try to take me down?"

"You think I could really become that powerful?"

The villain frowned, stopping in front of her again. "You're missing the point. You're a liability. And a potential threat."

"I don't want to defeat you or take over the world or join the heroes' squad, I just want to be Aria Blackwell. And Aria Blackwell has power she can't control, and I need your help to fix that."

He studied her again, long and hard, letting an uncomfortable silence fall over them. "I have conditions."

"Okay..."

"You will always listen to me and do exactly as I say. You will be loyal to me and me alone. You will stay inside of the base in only the areas I give you access to unless I personally accompany you elsewhere. You will not ever interfere with my plans, even if you get a sudden urge to play hero. Failure to keep these rules will result in a slow and painful death for you and anyone you care about, understand?"

Aria paused for only a split second before nodding. "Yes. I swear."

The villain waved a hand, Aria's restraints disappearing. The villain flashed a white smile, captivating and dangerous. "Welcome to the team, Aria Blackwell."