The Cosmic Princess

Falling Apart

Song: Linkin Park - In the End

It turns out, Ibin didn't die.

In fact, that blow to the head merely stunned the furry creature. Unlike many other species, a head blow didn't kill his kind. It merely stunned him.

After Zeddicus' game, my anxiety had increased ten-fold and my fatigue as well. Zeddicus had me running on short spurts of sleep before I would be awakened. For three days, I struggled on limited sleep and not losing my mind at seeing Ibin's presumably death right before my eyes. I had been close to losing it when Ibin visited me in my cell. After, Niet's death my privileges had been revoked and I lost the room and was given a cell.

He had knew he would be okay all along, yet he hadn't even hinted to me that he would. A part of me couldn't help but feel betrayed at his limited information. The other half just felt incredibly naïve and dumb. What loyalty did this creature owe? Nothing.

"Please don't act like that."

"What do you mean don't act like that. I was drowning in grief and guilt, especially after what happened to Niet and this entire time everyone knew you would be okay.!" I yelled, not caring the soldiers were in hearing distance.

"It's not like I had choice." Ibin sounded sullen. "We are all prisoners here."

"You're right, I just forget that some of us enjoy it more than others." The sneer directed at him made him wince, before he took a cautious glance at me and then stepped closer.

"Avril, I must do what I have to do to survive." His voice was low enough that only me and him could hear his wobbly voice. "Zeddicus is in one of his moods and I have only come to warn you. He's upset."

At his words, I wanted to shrivel up and die. My body was working on maybe two hours of sleep a night, my energy was low, and my will was even lower.

Ibin opened his mouth like he had something else to say, but the swinging of the jail cell door caught his attention. Just by the awareness that seeped into me at the newcomer, I already knew who it was. Therefore, my eyes continued to stare blankly at the new gray walls of another prison.

"Get her on the bed." His words instructed.

I didn't make a move as they went towards me, but the minute one touched me I snapped. Fist colliding into flesh, and then feeling the flesh break under my knuckles was the only chance I was given before electricity humbled me.

Collapsing to the ground, now detained, I was picked back up and thrown onto the bed face first. Shudders ran through me as I tried to get control of my trembling limbs, hating how weak he has rendered me these past couple of weeks and loathing the chain I wore around my neck.

"You're going to tell me where that necklace comes from." His timbre thundered through the small, crowded cell. With brutish force, I was flipped onto my back. Ibin stood shaking to my left, looking scared for me. His two henchmen stood behind him, while he hovered over me like the reaper himself to my right.

"And if I don't?" I hissed, chin tilted stubbornly.

"I will kill you where you lay, Avril." Artic eyes narrowed at me, but either crazy or simply losing my mind from the lack of sleep I merely laughed.

"I'm your best player." I whispered softly, chin tilting more as he moved closer, so close his breath mingled with my own. "You can't kill your best player." Our lips were so closed they almost brushed, but I wouldn't be the one who moved away. Another game of power and control had started, and by the way his eyes grew tight at my words, I could tell I was winning.