*(Is this all we see?)*

~*Chapter 55*~

—Mentions of self harm, suicide and suicidal thoughts, offensive terms, violence—

Midnight spit out a chunk of blood as his hands were ripped behind his back, quickly covered by the cups over his hands and chains leading to the wall. He tugged at the restraints. Zara stood above him. Her smile was sinister, disgusting, a look of joy that made no sense to him.

"You're so funny. Thinking you could get away." She kneeled. "I'm not dumb kid. I've done this before."

"It wasn't my intention to be seen." He spat. Blood dripping from his lips after he spoke. "I really just wanted to know what they were saying...I wanted to know if they knew anything."

She clutched his chin with her nails scraping his skin. "I told you kid." She sneered. "I'm not fucking dumb." She threw his chin to the side, swaying her hand in front of her to make a chair appear from dark sparkles. Zara slumped into it. "You're so lucky I don't end your pathetic life right now."

'She's right, you are pathetic.'

"Why didn't you?" He questioned.

Zara sighed. As if she was thinking for a moment. She blew air up when she looked up. Her long ponytail flopped on the metal. Her eyes met him again. "I have plans for you Midnight. Plans that involve not killing you. And these plans are much more important than kidnapping you and just killing you."

"Isn't killing the most important thing to assassins?"

"Not when we have a plan." Zara observed her nails. "There are so many things, so many lies they tell you about us." Her nail curved around her finger. "Those good guardians tell you so many lies that make us seem so bad."

"Are you sure they're wrong?" He asked, trying to defend his family. More blood spit out from between his teeth. The smell of blood stronger in his nose and burning his throat. "Only I would know the truth." She sounded overly confident.

"The truth?" He scoffed. "What truth Zara?"

"You're so snappy, Jesus, you could blow my ears off." She adjusted in her chair. "I don't need to tell you any truth."

"Asshole."

"Faggot."

He froze from his attempts at escape. He held his wrists close to eachother. His body slumped back, tired, but also weakened from what she said. 'That's what those--that's what they used to say. That's what--' Midnight shook his head. It hurt. Those thought hurt. He kept his face low, but high enough to look at Zara. "Ooo that struck a cord. You must really be one." She laughed while pointing at him. "So sensitive. Where's your leader abilities? Where's your emotional shield? Where's that strength you are supposed to have from your mother?"

He didn't reply. 'Don't give into her taunts.'

"Aw. He's so sad. Little boy, so afraid of himself. Afraid of his powers. Afraid of the impending war." She got up, once again moving close to him. "Afraid of liking a boy who doesn't like him back."

"Shut up." He hissed. "Shut the fuck up. If you bring up his name...I swear I will kill you."

"Try." She whispered. "You don't even know what you're doing, not unless I help you, not unless I teach you."

He gritted his teeth, shaking in his chains, he lashed out at the leader like a dog barking at a stranger. "Oo scary. Did you do that when Levi—"

He kept his mouth clamped shut. His teeth clenched together so tight it hurt.

"Or when Nick abandoned you?"

"Fuck off." His voice was now more of a plea than anything else. Not anger. Not fury. His pleas were close to sobs. He sounded weak. She would notice that. Midnight shut his eyes. "Nick didn't abandon me."

"That's what you like to think, isn't it? The optimistic approach. You've been around good for too long."

Midnight lifted his eyes. "You don't know him."

"And you do?" Zara made an almost scoff of doubt. "You liked him the day you fucking met him, you didn't even know him." Midnight bit his tongue. He didn't like him, he just felt differently about him. 'But didn't you feel that way days after meeting him?'

Or maybe it was that day.

His chains stopped tightening, he backed up, his head shaking in denial. Maybe just sadness, maybe it was disappointment in himself. 'I do want to see Nick again. Is he still worried about me? Does he care?' Midnight hoped he did. 'But at least he doesn't have to deal with defending me from Levi.'

At least he didn't have to defend him at all. He wasn't a burden to Nick when he was away.

"Aw." Zara finally spoke, her words were thin in the thick blood smelling room. His knees fell over next to himself. "He's finally listening. He's finally knowing his worth." She knelt close. "It's about time you realized." She smacked his head over to another side. Zara backed up, letting the chair disappear with a wave of her hand."Take care of him. I want him out when I get back." She laughed. A cackle. "I have some buisness to attend to."

~~~~~~~

His body ached. A sharp burning ache. Like he was on fire.

Midnight didn't clearly remember what they did...well...sort of.

Kicking. Punching. Magic. Threats with the poison arrows. The memories of the boys...of them...resurfaced during the time. It made him forget what was going on in the time. The more he tried to fight back the more they did it. The more they beat and hurt him. His head ached and throbbed. Blood trickled down the side of his temple. His cheek was scratched. But that's all he could feel.

The rest was numb.

He wasn't even asleep, hoping by his labored breathing and shut eyes the assasians watching him would think he was. Or maybe, for a little while. Just so they would give him a break.

It wasn't clear what Zara was doing or where she was going. 'Is she going to hurt my family? Dawn almost saw me.'

She might have.

No. No chance. It was just a small movement. Dawn was probably dumb enough to think it was a squirrel. She would make jokes about squirrels looking like stalkers whenever they were at the guardian bases. 'They might have been assassins. Shapeshifting hasn't been a power guardians have had for a while...but maybe...' His brain was too tired to think anymore.

Bang!

Bang!

'Huh?'

The soung of powerballs smacking the doorway of where he was was loud. It hurt his ears. He blinked. Sounds of struggle? The assasians watching him were yelling. He only recognzed them by their pointless banter while he was out.

"Where's Zara." A familiar voice said angerly. A familiar..? 'Mom!' "Dawn go get your brother."

Dawn didn't seem to say anything, only running footsteps approached him until they came to a sudden halt. "Midnight?" She was next to him. She was there. "Midnight?" She pushed his shoulder gently. Another pair of footsteps quickly approached. "Midnight!" Cold hands touched his face. "Oh my son. We need to get him to the sick bay, quickly." 
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