It's another new day, but were still stuck in this awful snow covered world! The time that my team and Avery's... team were able to be off training has now expired and we have to go back to training.
We all meet up in the morning and head down to the cafeteria. When we arrive, we see everyone is already there and eating. "Food doesn't get served this early usually..." I hear Louis comment.
"I wonder what certain people are planning..." I hear Cloud say with suspicion. Looking over I can see the Guards with Sebastian and Rain.
No, Owen...
"We all need to eat, we have no choice but to go there." I hear Avery speak up. "Yeah, you're right." Kelsey answers her and we all take a breath in, slowly walking in together.
I hear Ricky groan when he spots me. "Food's being served early today." Paige tells us, handing us some plates with food on it for us to take to our table.
We used to sit at different tables, but now we have just sort of taken to sitting together, both our teams after what we have been through. I take a sneaky look, seeing Sam's flower is still on the kitchen isle...
As we all sit, our jaws drop seeing that is proper food, but all fattening foods covered in sauces I physically can not stomach.
I look at Avery and the Guys to see them chowing away... The sight of it makes me want to be sick! I look over at my friends to see them eating too. I place my hands on my stomach, feeling the painful groan of hungriness, but I can't eat of any of this!
I push my plate away from me slowly and turn my head to look at Sebastian and Rain. A smirk is on their faces and then I lock eyes with Rain.
"Is something wrong, Valerie, dear?" I hear her taunt me. She knows all about my condition, what I can and can't eat.
I feel anger rising inside of me and I rise to my feet, I hear Avery drop her fork. "Valerie, what are you doing?!" I hear her whisper. "Valerie, what's upset you?" I hear Louis ask under his breath.
I push my chair back, turning around as quickly and angrily as possible. "Aww, seems like someone is a little angry today." I hear Rain tease, standing up with Sebastian.
"Something wrong, Sprout?" Sebastian says in a fake sweetness. "You knew, Rain! You knew!" I shout.
"Knew what?" She asks me back, looking confused. Great, she's playing dumb about it... I see Ricky's eyes are just waiting to burn into mine as he sits in the corner, observing me.
"Rain, I can't eat fatty food! I have anorexia!" I cry. I hear an audible gasp around the room. "Oh my god..." Cloud says.
She puts her hand on her chest. "Really? I would never have known, Valerie, dear. I am so, so, so sorry!" She says back in a sweet fake voice.
"Well, beggars can't be choosers unfortunately. We try to be accommodating. Maybe have a small taste?" I hear Sebastian comment back with his hands behind his back.
"No, you guys were aware of my illness from day one! There's always something easy to digest here."
"Aw, well, let's just say that perhaps I'm angry with a certain so and so who went out into the frozen wastelands and that I had to waste my time looking for her to save her sorry ass. Wouldn't you agree, Sprout?"
I grit my teeth and clench my fists. "I cannot believe any of you! Do you even realize that Sam was the leader and not me?! I'm not pinning this on her, but we all agreed that every one of us would go out there, together rather than stay here with the likes of you all!"
I see Ricky stand up angry. "Go ahead and push my buttons, Valerie. It will not end well for you if I get to have my way!" He yells.
I decide I've had enough and give him a rather rude gesture with my finger. I hear him stomp his foot and let out a raged yell.
"Alright, alright, enough! You have made your statement, Sprout. You can leave here while your friends all enjoy this delicious breakfast. Now go, but may I sincerely remind you that, you are the one who *begged* me to bring you home from the Frozen Wasteland." Sebastian chuckles and I feel Rain grab my upper forearm, pulling me away from the cafeteria and my friends.
It hurts hearing my friends call my name, but soon it fades as Rain roughly forces me to walk with her.
"Where are you taking me?!" I cry trying to pull away, but she only grips on tighter and says nothing. "Rain!" I yell and she stops.
"What, Valerie?!" She snaps. "Where. Are. You. Taking. Me?!" I yell back.
"Getting you out of Sebastian's way for the moment." She retorts back.
"And you're dragging me back to the sleeping quarters?!"
"That's the plan, Valerie, dear" She responds gripping my arm tighter and pulling me towards the sleeping quarters.
---
When we arrive, she unlocks our door and pulls me inside. "Stay here." She says, mildly annoyed, pushing me and I hit the floor. "Wait, please don't do this! I beg of you! Rain, please!" I cry, trying to stand up in time, but all I manage is to grab the door handle after she has closed the door and I hear the door lock.
Banging my wrists on the door, I yell for her to come back and let me out but all I hear is her distant laugh and the words that I take some time to, 'cool off.' I sink down, back against the door and pull my knees up, under my chin and wrap my arms around them, feeling tears start to slide down my cheeks.
I stay there, my back against that door for what feels like literally hours. I do stand up every so often and head to the bathroom to drink from the tap so I don't end up dehydrating, but other than that I am beyond hungry. I also step out onto the balcony, but there is no way off it from here and I can see everyone has vanished from the cafeteria.
No members, my friends, leaders or Guards. This makes me feel really uncomfortable...
I lean back against the door again, sitting there for countless more hours till I see the day become afternoon...
---
I feel the wooden door hit my back, knocking me flat on to my stomach.
When did I fall asleep?!
"Get up, Valerie Woods."
It's Rain. I sit up slowly, rubbing my sore eyes and muscles. I see her standing there, but there is someone else behind her which I can't quite make out.
I hear something drop onto the floor.
I look over seeing something, but it is in a packet...
"Hurry up and eat it. Sebastian wants you." She scolds me roughly and pulling me up off the floor to drag me somewhere. I grab the food just in the nick of time as we leave.
She keeps a tight grip on me again, but she leads me over to their house as I slurp. It's yogurt and doesn't really fill me up.
Soon we arrive at a big room with a mahogany desk, chandelier on the roof and large windows. Rain lets go out of me, I race over the windows, putting my hands on it to look out.
"You can see the whole city from here!" I exclaim and noticing people walking around now. I can see my Friends down below running towards the sleeping quarters. No! They aren't going to find me there because I'm here where they can't see me!
"That glass is sound & shatterproof, you know?" I hear Rain say from behind me. She's got her arms folded and blocking my only exit, aka our point of entry.
"Why don't you go take a seat while we wait for my hubby, hm?" I hear Her suggest and I growl, walking over to the fancy desk and sit right on-top which annoys her slightly.
"You didn't say where." I laugh. "Okay, fine. You can have that 1 point, geez." She mumbles back. Slight victory! At-least I took her down a notch slightly.
After what feels like forever, I hear the sound of footsteps and I look up, seeing Rain move aside. It's Sebastian and he claps his hands together, approaching me. "Ah, Valerie, you came."
"It's not like I had much of a choice!" I growl. "Aw, well. A slight oversight, Valerie Does it really matter?" He says, pushing up the glasses on his nose a bit with his finger.
I go to speak, but he shushes me and takes a seat at the desk in which I jump off, retreating, but Rain shoves me forwards away from the exit that I end up standing before Sebastian.
"Do you know why I have summoned you here?" He asks me. I shake my head.
He stands up, walking over the window and signals for me to follow him. "When you look out there, Sprout. What stands out to you?" He asks me.
Why is he being cryptic? "Bravery, selflessness. My friends." I retort.
"Huh, really. I see a foolish girl who thinks she is better than us, knows better than me. Having friends will only drag you down.
You saw where it got poor Samantha. She's dead because of you, Valerie. You're still alive so that is something you still have compared to her.
She lost everything including her life."
"None of that is on me, Sebastian. She made her decision and so did I. We all did." I say back, but he doesn't even flinch.
"You know something, Sprout. Regardless, I would have never left you out there to die in that snow. You're too valuable to me. Can't have you dying on me, now can we?"
"But Sam is dead. Isn't she worth just as much as my life?"
"No, not really. She's human and before we accelerated you and your friends, we tested your abilities.
You're a diamond in the rough. You're stronger than your friends. Why do you hide it?"
"What are you saying?! You tried to save Emily's life, didn't you?"
"Nah. One you've seen one Human, you've seen em all. Saving her would not be worth it."
"So you are saying that you let her die from Merge poisoning and did nothing to help her?!"
I hear him clap. "You guessed correctly. You really are a smart one, Valerie.
You'll go far, but, you're not at the level I wished you were. If you didn't keep angering me, getting sick, you would have attended training. Frankly, I think were both gonna have a little problem now. Don't you agree?"
I gulp, not knowing what to say to this. He turns around to face me. "Do you know what it means to be elite?"
I shake my head. "No idea."
"It means being the best." He says a second after. I see him him a button on his desk and a room opens off to to the side.
It's adorned with hundreds of clothes on racks, shoes on display on their boxes.
"This is our hall of elites. Step closer and have a look." He says, pushing me forward by his hand on my back that I have no choice, but to head deep into the room. I eye the suspicious coat and scarf from Owen's observatory hanging up and Rain directs me to some clothing on a mannequin in the middle.
It reminds me of the armor, uniform people like Ryland wore before our city was reformed, but this is sturdier, brighter.
"What did you think of it, Valerie?" I hear him question. "It's beautiful. Looks expensive and really high quality..." I respond, seeing Rain looking at a green coat and ruby rimmed glasses the same shelf as the coat and scarf that belongs to Owen.
"You know something, Valerie? You remind me of a girl named Dana in your personality and spirit. You're both the same in every way, but. Well, let me tell you something. You both have one thing that sets you apart from each-other.
She was obedient in the end, and you? You are not. You have been a pain in my butt since day 1 that you ended up here."
"Then let me and my friends go home! That way we will be out of your hair."
"And why would I do a thing like that?"
"Because it's the right thing to do and you should let everyone else here go home too." I respond and I see him shake his head.
"Not happening. You're a diamond in the rough. I just told you that, Valerie. I would like to see you from now on co-operate with me, with us. Would that be so hard?"
I feel my anger boiling. "I'll never co-operate with you, Sebastian!" I yell and I spit at him too which cuts him off guard. Rain looks shocked too.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Fine, be like that, Valerie. But remember. I control your destiny and if there is something that I want you to do then I will do it and you will do it too."
"What is that supposed to mean?" I ask and I feel him grab me my my clothing, throwing me into the wall next to the armor.
"Sebastian, stop this, please! Why me?! Why am I so special compared to others? I don't understand it! I'm not special!"
"You're telling me that you haven't figured it out, Sprout? You're the one person who has ever really stood up to me without backing down even a little to avoid a fight and I have a problem with that also.
You know, here's what I suggest. I will give you a second chance to play my games and do as I ask or well, I can't promise no harm will come to you or your friends from now on in the future. Your answer, Valerie?"
I look at him in shock. His going to do something to us and me if I don't start doing what he wants from now on...
"Tick, tock, the clock is running away from us, Valerie" I hear him say. I sigh and open my mouth to give my answer.
"Yes, okay, fine! Whatever you want!"
"Good. I'm glad that you have come around, Valerie. We both shall start seeing eye to eye from now on, hmm?"
I feel him grip my arm, pulling me to my feet. "You know something also, Valerie?"
"What?"
"I want to see how the armor looks on you. Put it on." And he let's go off my arm. Seriously? He wants me to just put the armor on in-front of him and his wife?
I just stand there, not moving. "I don't see you doing as I'm asking, Valerie." I hear him say.
A few seconds pass and I see him getting angrier. "Ricky!" He yells and I see him walk in. "What, boss?" He asks.
"Go catch our little friend, Avery for me, will you? Take her down to my lab and restrain her. I'll be down there soon." Sebastian says to which Ricky leaves.
I put my hands up. "Wait, wait! I'll do it! Okay?! I'm doing it!" I say.
"Go on, show me and my wide here then." He retorts. I put the armor on over my clothes so they can see.
I hear Sebastian clap his hands. "What do you think, darling?" He says addressing her and places his hand on her shoulders as she walks right up to him.
"Splendidly obedient, but also elite." She answers.
"Yes." I hear him respond back. "Take the armor off. You can go back now, Dana. Uh- I mean Valerie." He taunts.
I take the armor off as they both laugh at me and they let me leave their office.153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyKhPgZU57t
