Rage and Ruin | 2

4 | 1

D E L P H I N I U M

      I didn't know how long I had been chained to the ground for. All I knew was that I was in a cell at the ONNT headquarters and that I was in deep, deep trouble.

      From what I surmised, it had been hours since I'd been locked in here and no one had come by for me. The ONNT leaders, Hunt included, were probably trying to figure out what to do with me, I realized. After all, I had destroyed two entire underground maximum-security prison cells and almost brought down the roof on everybody. I was just lucky that Benny's glass enclosure hadn't been broken during the fight. Had that occurred, we'd be in even worse circumstances than we were already in.

My blood chilled when I questioned what would happen to me next. The ONNT officials already regarded me as a dangerous liability and now I'd shown just how capable of destruction I still was. I'd be lucky if they didn't decide to keep me locked up like this for a long time.

I knew I'd acted rashly. It was something I rarely ever did, and this time, the one time I acted without thinking, could have had catastrophic consequences. My body was still humming with power. I curled my hands into fists. I'd always thought that it wasn't fair that the ONNT had kept us sanctioned in the compound. Now, I was seeing why they'd chose to do it. Now, I was wondering if it was enough.

I hadn't seen what they had: eight deadly people. For a long while, we'd lived and worked in harmony. Sure, there had been small disagreements but there was nothing that affected the grand scheme of things. But that was before all these secrets hidden from our pasts resurfaced. When we began to collectively reveal who we really were, things began to get ugly.

When I'd first been brought in by Hunt, I'd been suspicious of the newcomers. I wasn't sure who they were, and therefore, who to trust. Because of the deep grasp Imperium still had on me, I wasn't sure who would be the first to try to slit my throat, so I stayed on guard day and night around them.

Once I got to know them and slowly befriend them, one by one, I realized how stupid I'd been to think they were all out to kill me. Not everyone in this world was bad.

But now I was realizing that they were more dangerous than I'd thought. Benny had said it himself: everyone was hiding things. This latest fight with Gigi proved that no one was safe. No one had wanted to hurt me before. What would happen when they actually did?

I pushed the bad thoughts from my brain. It was bad enough that I was going to be stuck in here for a prolonged amount of time, I didn't want to make it worse.

      I sat there on the floor for an unknown amount of time, barely able to move because of the chains restricting me, trying not to remember how similar this situation with the chains and bag over my head was to some in the Imperium fortress.

      Then, I heard the door unlock and swing open. I stayed perfectly still, unsure of what would be happening next. My instincts told me to fight, to scream, to unleash my fury on this place. But those instincts were set in place by Orion so I simply waited.

The bag was pulled off of my head. I blinked a few times, staring into the light. The air in my lungs felt cool and light after having my face covered for so long.

Hunt himself loomed over me, regarding me with a sharp gaze. Behind him, two armed soldiers stood alert.

"I didn't kill Gigi's mother. I wouldn't do that," I told him, hoping that he would know I was telling the truth and not just desperate to escape a lie.

He let out a long breath through his nose before answering, "I think I believe you, Delphinium."

      "You...do?" I had to admit, it was not the response I'd been expecting.