The Peregrines

Chapter 25

As I woke up once more, I felt a tender ache all over my body. Sitting up gradually, I saw my mother's coat draped over me, ensuring I stayed cozy during the cold unforgiving night. Looking around the room, I noticed the Ymbrynes all asleep in their own spaces, with my mother sleeping just a few feet away from me. 

Slowly getting up on my feet, I started to wander around the room in search of an exit. The sound of a door being opened caught my attention, making me instantly alert. I turned my focus to the door and saw a silhouette that I recognized. I watched as the silhouette approached me, walking with a slight limp.

Seeing Bryce in such a state immediately alarmed me. He seemed to be in an even worse condition than before. It was obvious that he had faced severe consequences due to my disobedience. Without hesitation, I hurried over to him, disregarding the pain I felt all over.

"Bryce, oh my god," I murmured softly as I carefully grasped his arm and observed his appearance. His eye was swollen, his lip cut, and his cheek, neck, and arms were bruised. He appeared as though he had endured the depths of hell, and what was even more distressing was that he seemed completely shattered. "Bryce?"

"You need your shot," He spoke in a hoarse voice as if he had been shouting for hours, likely due to the pain from the torture he endured after exiting the room. Raising his arm, he showed me the needle he held, prepared for injection. I raised my gaze to him, feeling afraid, bewildered, and hurt. I shook my head slightly, never breaking eye contact with him. "He's watching, Kira," He warned in a very quiet voice.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked. Bryce didn't respond, but I went ahead and spoke anyway. "The injections... Are they taking away my peculiarity?" 

"They're a suppressant. Caul says this one is your last shot," He replied back quietly. 

I stared at him, I honestly didn't want it, I never wanted to retaliate more than anything in my bipolar life this severely. I was furious, absolutely starving, my body ached from abuse and unhealed wounds, I was worn out and mentally burnt out, I couldn't find peace of mind and I felt like lashing out because of it. However, I knew deep down at this point that there were too many risks and severe consequences and I couldn't bear to see my brother suffer even more because of me.

"Okay," I whispered gently while nodding, indicating that I would calmly take the shot without resistance or hesitation. I'm only doing this for his safety.

Bryce gently took my arm and cleaned the injection area before gently giving me the shot. "There's a heavy sedative in this one, you might wanna lie down after this," Bryce warned and I nodded. Bryce completed his task and hobbled out of the room, making sure to lock the door. I returned to my cozy sleeping area, grumbling to myself about everything before dozing off once more.

**MANY HOURS LATER**

I opened my eyes to find myself surrounded by bright lights and me just casually staring up at the white ceiling. As I took in my surroundings, I realized that I was in a room that seemed to be a mix of a laboratory and a hospital. When I tried to sit up, I noticed that my body felt incredibly numb, giving me the sensation of floating even though I wasn't.

I noticed I was trapped inside a thick glass box, so I quickly got up and began hitting it with my fist and kicking it with my bare feet, hoping it would shatter. Unfortunately, my efforts were in vain as the glass remained intact. I didn't even hesitate to throw my whole body at the glass, but nothing happened.

Across the room, I noticed a door swing open, and a nurse in full uniform entered. As she put on her gloves, she saw that I was awake and approached me with an eerie smile on her face. When she turned around to her desk, she pressed the red button and water started pouring beneath me. I'm going to drown if I don't get out of this stupid box! It was then that I noticed a bunch of needles connected to my arm. Before I could react, I blacked out unexpectedly.

**8 HOURS LATER**

When I regained consciousness, I was completely disoriented, exhausted, and weighed down. Bizarre memories kept rushing into my mind, leaving me unsure if they were from a dream, a premonition, or reality. 

I remember laughing while sitting next to Caul, giving him a big hug. Another memory that stands out is seeing my mother... But it was all different...Twisted... It was actually my mother who was hurting me, but Caul... He was there... And... He stopped her... He stopped my mother from hurting me further.

No. This is all wrong! My mother would NEVER hurt me, Caul would! ...Is it possible to twist someone's memories? Is that what's happening to me? No, it can't be, this feels too real to be altered like that... Unless these are the memories that were erased from my mind before I was taken away to a loop.

Opening my eyes, I found myself gazing at the ceiling. I really need to stop doing that. The surroundings revealed a bizarre hospital setting, with patients secured to their beds and medical staff in white coats taking notes on their clipboards. Looking down, I noticed that I was completely wet, although I didn't feel cold.

I suddenly sat up and noticed a strange sensation, as if I was tugging on something. Then I felt a sharp pinch and glanced down to see that I was connected to an IV. Without hesitation, I ripped it out and quickly got out of bed, making a beeline for the nearest door. Suddenly, out of nowhere, two wights appeared from the corner near the door, standing in a particular position, not aggressive but as if they were prepared to catch something like in baseball. I stopped abruptly with my bare feet and turned around to find another pair of wights slowly approaching me. 

"Get the hell away from me!" I barked as I stretched my hands out in front of me.

I experienced a tingling feeling in my hands, then they began to warm up and feel fuzzy. Suddenly, light appeared, and without hesitation, I hurled it at the closest wight, sending them flying across the room. My damn peculiarity is back! The suppressant wore off!!

"Back off!" I warned them again, this time feeling a little bit more confident.