Reflection

21

The torture lasted for about five minutes, but it felt like an eternity. I heard myself scream and sob, but no matter what, I refused to beg. There was no way, no way, that I was going to beg to him for no reason. It wouldn't help, he wouldn't stop, all it would do was make him feel more powerful.

Finally, finally, the pain stopped. I lay gasping for air, still sobbing. Cain knelt next to me. He didn't seem surprised by the bloody tears, which sickened me, because he seemed used to it.

He frowned down at me, his sharp features partially hidden in shadow. "Now. I'm going to start over," he said. "I'm forming an army of Blood Children, and I would like you to join. What do you say?" He smiled then, and it looked out of place, horrifying.

I struggled onto my elbows—my body was still aching—and spit on his shoes. He growled and used the shoe I'd spit on to kick me in the jaw, hard. I fell to the ground. He kicked me in the rib cage, and I heard the sickening crack of bones breaking. Pain exploded through my body, but I just bit my lip and stayed silent, because I knew it was nothing compared to what was to come.

"Let's try this again," Cain spat, and the pain once again shot through my body.

After about five rounds, Marcus was panting. "Serenity," he said, "It's wearing me down. Your turn."

Serenity stared at him, dread evident in her pretty eyes. I lay gasping and sweating and twitching, knowing that Serenity was going to make it ten times worse. "I can't," she said, to my surprise.

"Oh, don't tell me you've gone soft," said her brother teasingly.

Cain's eyes flicked toward her, and I could see a thin mask of calm under his face, disguising the anger that lay beneath it. "Do you actually like the girl?" he snapped. Marcus' breath caught.

"What? No, of course not!" Serenity responded. I hadn't realized it, but a small flicker of hope had lit inside me. Her words killed it immediately. "It's just..." Serenity continued. "It's Adam. He'll be upset—"

"Did I not promise that if you helped me, Adam would be yours?"

Serenity nodded. I made a choking noise. "Then help me," Cain said, "and that promise will be kept."

Serenity looked back at me. I'm sorry, her eyes seemed to say, and the now familiar pain exploded inside me.

•  •  •  •  •

Adam was startled by an ear-splitting scream. It wasn't out of surprise, or anger, or grief, or fear. A scream like that could be caused by only one thing: pain. That's the sound someone makes when they are truly in pain. And the worst part was Adam had a guess as to who it was.

"Is that—?" started Mr. Owens, but he broke off. Then he said, in a barely audible voice, "Scarlett?"

Adam didn't answer, but yanked down on the chains again. His wrists were bleeding from the metal slicing into them, but he didn't care. The screaming continued, and then, abruptly, it stopped, filling him with alarm. Adam glanced at the ceiling as if he could see what was going on, but all he saw was the moist stone.

It's strange, he thought. He had thought he couldn't stand Scarlett, that she infuriated him. So why did it drive him crazy when she wasn't by his side? Why were her screams so agonizing, as if he were the one being tortured?

There was the rattling of chains across from him, and Adam realized that Mr. Owens was pulling on them. Another scream pierced the air, and Adam cursed under his breath. What were they doing to her?

•  •  •  •  •

James was bored out of his mind. He had started to obsessively worry, because that was the only thing he had to do. He wished Ellie would talk to him. She had stopped glaring a while ago, but now she wouldn't look or speak to him. At first he thought she was asleep, but she was playing idly with her fingers.

He had made a few attempts at conversation, but Ellie would either ignore him completely or snap something that made it clear the conversation was over. That was when the screaming started. It shot through the cell walls, echoing throughout the stone room. "Scarlett," Ellie had whispered, and James swallowed roughly around the lump in his throat.

After about the sixth round of screams, the door burst open. James blinked ferociously in surprise as light flooded the room. He hadn't even known there was a door, since the room was partially hidden in shadow. But that only made since. How would they have gotten him in, or out? But then again, he thought with a sinking feeling in his stomach, maybe they hadn't planned on getting him out.

The person standing in the doorway was a silhouette against the harsh light. As his heavy boots thudded towards James, he got a better view of him. He was tall and muscular, with sharp features, brown hair, and sky-blue eyes. Ellie was staring at him as well, her eyes wide with surprise.

The man's presence seemed to drain the energy out of James. He slumped against the wall, looking at him through heavy lids as he took off his chains and roughly yanked him to his feet. He marched out the door, dragging James after him. The door slammed shut behind them, cutting off Ellie's shouts and insults.

• • • • •

The pain cut off abruptly, leaving me numb and gasping. "Why are you doing this?" I sobbed.

Cain didn't answer. Instead, he leaned down next to me, for the sixth time. "Join us."

"You are a filthy, undeserving monster," I spat, speaking with as much force as I could muster. My voice was so hoarse from screaming it was barely audible. I shifted my gaze to Serenity. "And you. You are a rotten, backstabbing bug." She flinched. Cain smiled toothily. It looked forced, and the skin around his mouth cracked, as if he had never smiled. "You think I'm bad? I'm a Saint compared to my brother."

He stood and turned. "This isn't working. Elijah, bring him in." A man stepped through the door, dragging a dazed looking James behind him. He chained him up next to me. I could barely move, but I tugged slightly on my chains at the sight of him.

Cain knelt down next to James. He suddenly had a stake in hand, one that I had not noticed before. With a steady hand, he held it over James' chest. James struggled feebly. Cain looked up at me. "Okay," he said, "this is how it's going to work. You join us, or the boy dies."