I had only been in the dungeons below the castle two times, one help drag an unconscious spy into his cell, and the other to fetch Sky for dinner on one of the nights he went down to ask some questions to a squid/player mutation.
Neither were very pleasant experiences.
The dungeons were a dank, dark place. Filled with the noises of complaining prisoners, the smell of saltwater and the darkness that never really went away.
I received a few glares on my way past cells, but I kept my eyes fixated on a cage perhaps... Bigger than the rest. Jason's.
The larger cell was a complete waste, because I found him huddled up in a corner, his dark blue skin a tinge greener than the others. When I realised he was asleep, I plonked down to a stood that was no doubt used by Sky, and stared at him for a while.
It had been about 20 minutes when he stirred and caught sight of me.
For a second he inspected me, before walking slowly forward and touching my arm.
"Just making sure you were real." He explained, sitting back down on the damp cobblestone floor. His eyes traveled down my face until they reached my neck, where a few scars peeked out of the sweater. "They took you, didn't they?"
"Only for a month or so." My voice lacking emotion. "How've you been?"
"They won't let me out of the cell." He told me. "I have a few problems from time to time. Flashbacks, losing my temper, stuff like that."
"It's good to know I'm not alone with these problems." I say, thinking of the outburst last night. "The squids didn't hurt you, right?"
"They would punch and kick me in interrogations. But obviously I didn't get the worst of it." He motioned towards the scars on my neck. "Are they everywhere?"
"The only parts showing are the parts they left alone." I chuckled darkly, looking over to see Sky walking his way over, his head down.
"Looks like I get two visitors today." Jason said with fake enthusiasm. Sky looked up, slightly shocked to see me.
"Hannah-" I cut him off.
"I'll let you have your time, I'm hungry anyway." I muttered, walking past him before he could protest.
-...-
I didn't end up getting much at breakfast, just a bit of bread and water, not bothering to stay or go to the leaders table at the front of the room. I had caught nearly all of them staring at me once or twice, I guess I'll have to apologise later.
As I was walking back to my room, I noticed Bri and Jerome talking in hushed whispers around the corner. I could've just walked past them, but I'm only human.
I retreated back around the corner and listened carefully to what they were saying.
"Of course I saw it Bri!" Jerome told her in a whisper. Saw what? Are they talking about me? "Whatever she did back there was definitely that stupid squids doing. I knew that something was going on the moment they threw us out."
What in the world were they talking about? The chair? Whatever they were talking about they should tell me sooner or later, so I decided to go.
Bri was in the middle of saying something when I walked out behind the corner and quickly nodded at them, acting like I hadn't heard what they were saying.
They smiled in return and started lying, talking about when they think the squids could attack next.
As soon as I got to my room I started to feel myself getting angry.
"Why the hell are they hiding stuff from me? I'm perfectly capable of helping them, maybe even the most helpful since I was in their fucking base for months!" I muttered to myself, pacing around the room. I finally stop at the mirror, my eyes finding the more prominent scar on my throat.
*FLASHBACK*
"Erg! Just stop being a little stubborn bitch and give me answers!" The king screamed, flinging the knife he was holding towards me, my body twisted, dodging the nearly fatal blow, but leaving a new cut across my collarbone.
I didn't speak only spitting at the floor in front of him.
This only angered him more so, making one of his tenticals wrap around my calf and fling me to the wall. I made no sound as he continued to fling me from wall to wall. Never hard enough to break anything, but hard enough to leave my body aching in protest.
"Why couldn't I have gotten a weaker player!" He shouted, picking me up by the ankle and holding me up upside down. My face showed no emotion as he sliced more and more parts of my body, finally getting so angry that he held the knife to my throat.
"You won't." I state simply. Staring him down with a smug looking smirk.
"I will, then maybe I could get another, maybe weaker one of your friends for answers." He chuckled at the death glare he was receiving from her. "Still got no words for me?"
"Do it. They won't let another come down here." I spat back at him. The smirk dropped from the Kings face, but a grin replaced the shocked expression as he pressed harder. The blade broke skin. But I kept my mouth shut and my gaze straight at his devil eyes.
He pressed it further, still not far enough to go into my windpipe, but hard enough for me to feel an amazing amount of pain. As if to prove his point, he began the wiggle the blade around in my neck.
I let out a small whimper, my eyes holding back tears. I thought of Jerome, was he clinging to the others for support? Or was he locked away, ignoring the others.
Finally giving up, the king pulled the blade back, throwing me to the opposite wall and stormed out of the room.
After being washed of the blood, I was dragged to my cell, avoiding the gazes of other players as they looked upon her broken expression. A single tear rolled down her face as I whispered his name.
"Jerome..."
The sight of the ground of my cell floor flying at me was the last thing I saw before I blacked out.
