Fury and Flame | 3

5 | 5

D E L P H I N I U M

Chains rattled when I jerked awake. Though I was blindfolded, I knew where I was.

An ONNT cell.

The same place I'd been put after the fight with Gigi. And where I'd been before my interrogation. This was the first time I'd been put in here voluntarily.

      I wondered how much time had passed since I'd been put here. Hours? Days? I supposed it didn't matter since I still had yet to encounter Marcella Krasowski.

      There were a thousand questions welling within my mind. What if I couldn't make it out myself? I'd told my teammates to come for me if I didn't come back, but what if they couldn't get in? The only way they'd been able to rescue me last time was because they'd still been working for the ONNT. Now, we were all wanted fugitives.

      And then there was the largest question: because of my fugitive status, what would Krasowski do with me? I doubted she'd kill me, but she'd undoubtedly rough me up. And then perhaps try to throw me into a maximum security prison or an insane asylum.

     Another thought occurred to me, horrible in its suddenness. She'd experimented on our mothers, ultimately producing the nine of us. Would she do it again on me?

    Trying to test my bonds, I gave another jerk. I was in a straitjacket again, chained to the ground of the cell. After focusing all my strength into using my power without vision, I saw—or felt—a flash of the room: one of the small white cells I'd been thrown in after the fight with Gigi.

    That meant they'd purposefully not kept me in one of the highest security cells, encased in layers of bulletproof glass. But that didn't make sense—I could break out of this cell easier than the other. There were countless possibilities they'd put me here, but the most probable was for easier access to me. The thought jarred me. What would they want easy access for?

The door was unlocked and opened suddenly, but I didn't flinch or even move. I was used to this by now.

I waited as the soldiers' squeaking boots approached me. There were five, maybe six. Not enough to be transporting me somewhere else. No, they didn't intend to take me out of there.

So I was expecting the blow to my ribs, even when it came swiftly and powerfully. I doubled over the best I could, my breath not coming as it should've. A breathy gasp came from my gagged mouth as I was hit again and again from all sides now. But I remained strong, no matter how much the pain was making me shake.

If I only had the concentration, I could have had the chains wrapped around their necks in seconds. But I did nothing; letting them do what they wanted with me would lead me to answers faster. Besides, they still thought I was here unwillingly. It needed to stay that way until I got to speak with Marcella Krasowski.

     From this beating, I knew I'd see her soon. They needed me weak and vulnerable before they brought me before their leader.

      And when I saw her, I'd show her just how powerful I had become.