Rin felt a surge of strength, breaking through her narcotized haze. She had no weapon. Except… her hand tugged. The IV line was deep inside her inner wrist. Rin gripped it and yanked it out, barely feeling the pain. Red droplets of blood flecked on the white sheets.
Their backs were to her, deeming her no threat.
Rin all but fell off the bed, her bare feet silent on the cold floor. Bent at the waist, she stumbled toward Sabine, holding up the IV needle, and she drew her trembling arm back. With a low cry, Rin stabbed the needle in the back of Sabine’s shoulder. She gasped in shock, turning with angered eyes to find Rin’s stumbling form.
Rin seethed. "You will not… use me anymore."
Talor started to step forward, but Sabine held him back. She shoved Rin’s hand away, then reached up to yank the needle out. She eyed the bloodied end, then tossed it to the ground. Her hands trembled as she did so. It was barely a second that the needle had been in her. Was it enough for whatever drugs they’d given Rin to take effect?
"You will pay for that, Vesperin. I would hurt Kiton in retribution for your actions, but there is only one whippinggirlhere."
Talor caught Sabine as she stumbled.
"Do not make this harder than it has to be," said Talor.
The door shut behind them, and Rin sank to her knees, head bowed as she stared at her reflection on the shiny, white floor. A singular tear dropped from her lashes, plinking to the ground, making her reflected form shimmer like a diamond.
The room was utterly dark,a stark contrast to the brightness before.
How did she get here?
Rin sat up, feeling a lot better. The last thing she remembered was… trying to stab Sabine. She’d collapsed onto the floor and cried. Had she fallen asleep, succumbed to terror and exhaustion?
The room was dark and moody, with low lighting. The walls were a gleaming, metallic black. Strips of lighting ran down the corners, like blue neon. A glossy mirror was right across from her. She saw her reflection in it. She looked awful. Her white hair was a tangled mess, tumbling down her shoulders, while her skin was sallow, cheeks sunken, and dark hollows beneath her grey eyes.
The bed was tucked into a hollow of the wall. The whole space felt cozy, yet to Rin it felt like nothing more than a trap.
The mattress was soft beneath her as she slowly folded down the dark sheets and threw her legs over the side of the bed. She grew dizzy, so she closed her eyes to let it pass. It was only when her eyes were closed that she remembered everything Sabine had told her.
If…
If Rin killed herself, wouldn’t that be easier?
The thought was uncomfortable. Could she, if it truly came down to it? She was going to die anyway. She would just bespeeding it up a little. She swallowed. Something pressed into her throat. It didn’t hurt, but it wasthere—uncomfortable.
She reached up to touch her throat, feeling something sleek and thick there. Like a collar. Rin’s head rose, eyes opening, as she stared at herself in the mirror before her. The room was small, making her reflection look distorted and fragile. Her eyes were so wide, like two grey clouds floating in the galaxy. There was a band of darkness around her pale throat.
She felt around the edges, reaching around to the back of her neck. Her breathing grew louder in fear.
"Vesperin," came a measured, low voice.
Rin’s head snapped up.
A dark form stood in the corner of the equally dark, small room.
The low lighting that ran in strips along the walls seemed to glow brighter for just a second as Kit stepped forward. He wore all black clothes, heavy boots, and a sleek armor plate on his chest. It looked unyielding, yet bent as he moved, like liquid. It was the softest thing about him, that armor. Everything else, even down to the way he canted his head, was robotic.
Rin froze.
"K-Kit." Her voice trembled. She hated how weak she sounded.
"Vesperin," Kit said again, and in this quiet space, the words seemed to envelop her entirely. Her eyes burned.
Rin was trapped with him here, and she remembered what Sabine had said.
If he does not want you to get hurt, he will do exactly as we say. And he will get a reward out of it, too.
She was going to be sick.
