In the city of Vir girls are property, bred and raised to be the perfect wives. To serve and obey and honor the men that rule their city.
Elaia has always been content with her place in society. She is a perfect daughter, and with any luck she'll b...
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------- CASTINE -------
I'm not sure if it's early in the morning or the middle of the night when the handlers finally come to get me from solitary. As they step into the cell, I shrink away from them, cowering in the corner.
"Mr. Morrison said you can come out now," one of them tells me, staring down at me with pity in his eyes.
"Well tell him I'd rather stay here," I spit back, running my fingers through my knotted curls. It's been a while since I showered. Two weeks, maybe three?
The dark-haired handler sighs. "He told me you would say that."
"Good. He's learning," I remark, meeting his gaze.
The other handler shakes his head and I recognize him as the guard I bathed in scalding hot tea a few weeks back. "Don't make this difficult, Castine," he spits at me, taking another step towards me.
I burst into laughter. "If you don't want me to make things difficult let me go," I snap back, still laughing.
"You know we can't do that," the dark-haired handler interjects gently. "Besides, your new roommate is arriving today," he tells me hopefully.
Oh god. "What makes you think I even want to meet her?" I ask coldly, folding my arms over my chest. I finally stand up, taking a tentative step towards them.
The one with lighter hair rolls his eyes at me. "Why can't you just be like the other girls?" He asks me.
"Because I wasn't born here. I don't belong here, and I'm never going to fit in," I tell them simply.
The dark-haired handler lets out another sign. "I know this isn't easy for you," he tells me as if he's not sure what to say. "But will you at least come meet your roommate?" He asks me.
I think about the kind of girl they would place me with- born and raised in the city, quiet, respectful, proper. She'll probably tell me all the things I'm doing wrong and tattle on me to Sebastian every chance she gets. She will undoubtedly be one of them. I nearly vomit at the thought. I'm not spending the next couple months in a room with... that.
I violently shake my head. "No. I won't," I say, even though I know my resistance is pointless. They'll drag me from this room by my feet if they have to. They've done it before.
"We can make your life very difficult, girl," the blond handler snaps, striding towards me. Somebody's angry.
I begin to back away from him but the dark-haired handler puts his arm out, stopping his coworker. "Castine," he starts, giving the blond-haired handler a pointed look, "My name is Francisco, and this is Archer. We're not here to harm you, though I'm sure it probably does seem that way," he coaxes sweetly.
I roll my eyes but say nothing.
"Our way of life is very different from your way of life. But different doesn't always mean wrong," Francisco continues, taking a cautious step towards me. "If I have to carry you out of this room over my shoulder, I will. But I really don't think that it's going to come to that," he continues, taking another step towards me as he fidgets with the sleeve of his long, black coat.
