Understanding - Repkyle

twelve

Song: Sunflower
by Shannon Purser
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Adora's POV (special)

When I wake up my eyes feel stingy and raw. The light in our 'cell' never gets turned off, so we don't get a break in the dark. I watch as tiny dust particles float in front of my face and smile when Catra wakes up on the bed a few feet from mine. She yawns and reaches her hand out to me, which I take into my own.

"Maybe they'll come for us today?"

She asks. I nod and squint over at the wall. The cell is all white, with a glossy floor and shiny walls. The door is built in somewhere, and you can only open it from the other side, so there's no point in trying to escape. We've tried to climb up to the vents, but they're way to high up to get to.

Our beds are small and only a couple of feet apart, but it feels like we're ages away when we're sleeping. Catra can't even curl up with me anymore, because I can barely fit alone.

"I thought I heard growling or something last night, but I think I just imagined it."

I say, stretching out my arms and  lifting my legs out onto the floor. Catra groans and folds her arms.

"You sure you can't summon She-Ra or something?"

She mumbles. I shake my head and rub my eyes.

"I don't think magic works in here. Otherwise, Glimmer would have teleported in already."

Catra opens her mouth but instead of her voice a loud clanking sound comes from the wall. The slab of door hidden into it slides open and the woman from before waltzes in, her heels clicking against the floor as she makes her way over to us. I glare at her but she just smiles.

"Adora, it's about time I show you something."

She says, smiling as though she just gave me a present. I frown over at Catra, who's already shooting her a death stare. I stand up and nod, following her out of the cell and into the dark corridor. The crystals that were glowing the first time we came here are dark now, and it's no longer as welcoming as we were first led to believe.

"Your sword looks beautiful up on my wall, don't you think?"

The woman says as we enter the hall, and points up at the sword mounted above where we first spoke. I look to my feet again and continue to follow her.

"Aren't you going to tell me your name?"

I ask. She stops walking and brushes a piece of snow white hair from her face before smiling at me again.

"I'm Astra. Of course, you don't know me. I'm from Latura."

She says. Her voice is smooth, like water rippling over stones, so I can't tell if she's lying or not.

"Latura?"

I say. She sighs and wraps an arm around my shoulders. I tense up where she's touching me and try to regulate my breathing so she doesn't notice.

"I live in this ship, on another planet, usually. I used to live with the first ones, before that place was all blown to bits."

I shake my head and push myself away from her.

"What? What do you mean, blown to bits?"

She frowns at me and steers me over to the sword.

"There were two planets. One of them, I was from. Most of the first ones escaped to the second, however. Etheria. That's where we are now, correct?"

I don't answer, so she continues.

"But then Etheria was... gone. It disappeared, and nobody knew where it went. Of course, my planet was still there, and Horde Prime thought it was necessary to blow it up for good measure."

The lump in my throat rises up when she says this. Her planet... destroyed?

"I'm... I'm sorry that your planet was destroyed. But why do you need me?"

She looks down at me and sighs.

"Because with you, with She-Ra, my people will be safe. Most of them vacated to another planet, Latura, but we don't have any magic, or technology, other than this place. With you... we could build an empire."

Beads of sweat gather on my forehead and under my arms, but I maintain a sturdy stance. Astra runs a finger over the grooves and edges of my sword before turning to face me with the biggest, most fake grin I've ever seen.

"Oh, I forgot to mention it before, but two of your friends were caught snooping around last night in my cameras. If they're caught in here again- they'll be taken to Latura as my prisoners."

I shake my head and try to think of who it could have been. Was the growling I heard last night Rogelio?

"Wait! Why won't you just fly us over there now? Why wait here?"

Astra shrugs and places a cold hand on my cheek.

"Because when the princesses come to save you, I'll capture them, too. I need all the magic I can get."

Her voice echoes around the hall, but I shut it out as best I can.

Hopefully the princesses know better than to come in here.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

That was super hard tbh lol, I was trying to come up with a compelling story for this Astra lady and it was really hurting my head but I think it payed off a little, right?

-Rose 💗