Vess’ eyes shot open, staring up at the stone ceiling. The cold metal table still chilled her back. The restraints still held her tightly, wrapped around the thinnest parts of her arms and legs. Her body felt hot and sore, like a dull fire surrounding her bones. ‘Was that a dream?’

Her breathing started speeding up as she moved her head around. The machines still surrounded her, flashing with all colored lights. Her thoughts didn’t feel quite coherent yet, her focus being drawn to the blinking colors.

“Your brain acted a little odd there, Vess.” The man appeared in her vision, drawing her focus back up to the ceiling. He had a questioning tone to his voice. “I think we’re getting closer. Making some progress. What do you think? How do you feel?”

Vess turned avoided eye contact as tears started to cloud her vision. She instead glared at the stone above him, trying to will her powers to work for once. Nope. Nothing.

“Still not keen on talking? That’s quite unfortunate. Messes with my data a little, but that’s fine. Just means more tests.” The man started undoing her restraints. Vess had half a mind to thrash and run again, but her body was too tired. She was sure that even standing on her own would be close to impossible right now.

“I’ll get you back to your siblings now, all safe and sound in your cells.” He picked her up and started walking back to the room. The lights of the hallway were still painfully bright as always.

“You know, you are the first to go back conscious. This could mean that you are starting to react to the shocks. Perhaps becoming more willing.” The man seemed to be trying to worry her, though he was possibly talking to himself. Either way, she didn’t like any part of what he was implying.

As he entered the room with her, Tony stood and pointed at him. “Don’t you fucking drop her again, you reckless son of a-”

“Watch your language, Tony!” The man answered with a mock scolding. He turned to face her brother, “You wouldn’t want your mute sister to pick up any bad words, now would you?” His tone dropped, still keeping a positive lilt, “She’s awake.”

A soft silence washed over the room, but not the kind that was comforting, like a blanket. This was like a tissue, thin and fragile. It didn’t impede any movement or sound, nor did it wrap around Vess’ chest like a rope.

The man put her down gently and started unlocking the cage. Tony knelt down and seemed to whisper his words. “Vess? Are you feeling okay?” She nodded, though she still felt extremely sore and tired.

There was a strong tug on her arm as she was roughly shoved into the cage. The ever heavy bracelet was removed from her arm, leaving behind the same chaffing red mark.

But the man didn’t leave.

He held the bracelet out to Zach, “You’re next.”

Zach shook his head with a look of confusion. “I thought Vess was the last one for the day?”

“Yes, but that was before something showed up on her test. I just need to test my hypothesis. It will only be for a little while.” He held a sick smile on his face, radiating false comfort. The man stepped towards him, causing Zach to shuffle back a little. The man’s smile dropped a little. “Please don’t make this harder than necessary. It’s really not that big of a deal.”

Vess watched as Zach’s eyes flickered towards Jordan, looking for some form of advice. Jordan’s lips pressed tightly together, eyes looking between him and the man, before giving a small nod.

Zach sighed and stood up, offering his arm to the man. The bracelet clipped on and Zach was taken out of the room, leaving Vess awake in her cage.

Alone.

Vess just sat, drawing in the dirt. Her older siblings were talking, but she let the conversation pass over her. There was something… wrong? Maybe not wrong, but different. Like a little prick in the back of her mind. Her thoughts were slower, and not all together. Like smoke.

As she started to push through this smoke, it got more persistent. Slowly, Vess felt a buzzing move over her brain, turning from smoke to static. She stopped drawing her symbols and hugged her knees to her chest.

“Vess! Are you feeling alright?” Nya’s voice cut through her thoughts. ‘Her thoughts?’

“I’m ok.” She signed, albeit slowly. Nya frowned, “You look a little sick.”

Vess started trying to think back on what the man had said about her brain when she remembered her dream. ‘No, not dream. It can’t have been.’

Thankfully, the light leaking from the hallway was just enough to see each other. She frantically waved to her other siblings, gaining their attention. “I saw something!” She signed. “Melissa! I was able to talk to her. I told her everything I could remember. She said the teachers are already looking! They’ll find us soon!”

Nya sighed, shaking her head slightly. “Oh, Vess. It was probably a dream. I don’t think Melissa’s able to talk to us like that. She doesn’t know where we are.”

“Maybe she does.” Jordan argued, though Vess knew she didn’t. “She’s also gotten stronger at an advanced pace. Maybe she can talk to us through some kind of connection.”

“Melissa has always had to be pretty close to us to get her abilities to work on us. Plus, I don’t even think her abilities can translate into coma induced hallucinations.” Nya’s tone turned bitter, in a way Vess hasn’t heard before.

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“That’s a harsh way to put it.”

“It’s a true way to put it.” Tony butted in.

They continued to argue, but their voices seemed to fade out. The buzzing turned from static to fuzz, wrapping around Vess’ head. It started making her feel dizzy, as her heart seemed to stop beating.

She pressed the heal of her hand into her eyes, rubbing up to her forehead. A small voice seemed to claw at her hearing, begging to be heard. ‘You should rest. You’re safe here.’ It was soft and comforting in a way, but it scratched at her brain in a dangerous way, triggering her sixth sense.

Vess shook her head, partly trying to get rid of the voice. She covered her ears, pressing hard until she was touching her own eardrums. ‘Please. It will feel better. Warm. Safe.’

“Stop!” Vess gritted through her teeth. The voice wasn’t painful, but she still didn’t want it. Something in her gut screamed ‘Danger!’ as the voice called ‘Safe.’ She pressed her head harder, arms shaking with force, as she rocked on the floor.

**************************************************************

Tony was trying to play moderator for his sister’s argument, while also trying to calm them down. The two continued nearly shouting at each other over the logistics of Melissa’s powers. Or at least that’s how it started, now switching topics to hope.

“I think it’s a little insensitive to say that when Vess is just trying to find a thread of hope!” The older of them gestures to the youngest without taking her eyes off Nya.

“I don’t think we should believe in false hope! We can’t rely on anyone outside of this room right now!” Her tone had turned somewhat sad.

“Nya, we can’t just squash any hope like that! It might be the only thing keeping us sane.” Jordan croaked out. “I can’t think that we are alone or I won’t have any reason to sit down here, eat some shit off a tray and getting shocked.”

“Stop!” Tony turned towards the small voice to his right. Vess was sitting on the floor with her hands pressing against the sides of her head. Her eyes were shut tightly.

The other two seemed to fall silent at the youngest’s complaints. Nya was the first to speak up, “Vess? Are-… Did we overwhelm you?”

Vess started rocking on the floor, hands still firmly clasped over her ears. Nya dropped to her knees, eyes fixed on her sister. “I’m sorry Vess. I’m just a little… I’m sure the teachers are looking for us, but-”

“Liar!” Vess spoke at a louder volume this time, loud enough for all of them to hear.

“Vess, I don’t think she’s lying to you.” Jordan tried, “We’re all a little stressed right now, trying to find a way out. It’s not fair to take it out on you. Max definitely has noticed we…”

Jordan trailed off as Vess started hitting her temples. Her rocking became more sporadic. Tony got down on the floor in worry. ‘Damn these bars’. “Vess! Hold on, just breathe. Can you do that for me?”

“Shut up! Shut up! You’re a liar! Get out!” She started hitting the ground in frustration. Tears started falling from her eyes.

“Vess? What’s wrong?” Jordan scooted closer to their crazed sister.

**************************************************************

The voice was still wrapping around her. It was like a fire, warm, but no where near safe. Vess kept trying to bring herself back to her sibling’s voices.

‘Everything will be alright. Just come to me. I will keep you safe, dear.’

“Liar!” She shouted at the voice. She rocked more forcefully, trying to ground herself. She felt overwhelmed by the false calm of the voice. She hit her temples. ‘Maybe if I could pass..’

‘Good idea. Just sleep and everything will be better when you get up.’

“Shut up! Shut up! You’re a liar! Get out!” She screamed and started hitting the floor. She needed to stay awake at all cost.

‘No dear. Sleep. I will fix everything. Relax.’

She continued to hit the floor, kicking her legs like a child throwing a tantrum. She felt tears run down her cheeks in frustration. She didn’t want to listen to the voice. She didn’t need the warmth, her siblings were here.

She opened her eyes, not remembering when they closed, and looked to her siblings. Her breathing was picking up, following her heart hammering in her chest.

‘They will protect you. You can sleep.’

They were there. Her siblings were safe. She stopped hitting the ground, still crying. The voice found a grip. “No. I- I don’t want to. I don’t want to.” She started babbling, arguing with her body that was betraying her. She was starting to slump forward.

**************************************************************

Jordan watched her sister kick at the ground. Tears spilled down her face, drawing lines in the dirt caked on. “Vess? What’s wrong?”

Her eyes opened, wide and wild. Her pupils seemed to have shrunken down to pin pricks. They darted around, from Tony to Nya ending at Jordan. Her breathing started picking up, properly throwing her into a crying fit.

“Vess, can you hear me?” Tony asked slowly, signing it along side his words.

“No.” Jordan felt her heart pick up, before the youngest continued, “I- I don’t want to. I don’t want to. I don’t…” She continued to repeat herself over, and over again. It seemed like she was starting to relax a little, slumping forward.

Jordan couldn’t tell why, but she didn’t feel like Vess should sleep. Nya seemed to have the same though as she spoke up, barely a hint of worry in her voice. “Vess? What don’t you want? You don’t have to sleep if you don’t want to. No one will force you.”

She didn’t answer. Instead, her eyelids fluttered, closing briefly. Her body was much lower to the floor now. “Vess stay awake.” Jordan said sternly. It was no use, as her eyes finally closed and she dropped like a puppet with cut strings.

**************************************************************

‘You trust your siblings, yes? They will be here when you wake up.’

Their mouths were moving, but Vess couldn’t hear any of the words. She felt a million miles away as her body relaxed.

‘Do not worry child. Your friends are waiting. You will be safe.’

Her friends. Julia. She misses Julia a lot. Her eyes fluttered, flashing from dim to dark.

‘Goodnight child. I will keep you safe.’

Vess felt the warmth fully wrap around her mind and body as she slumped forward onto the dirt. Her eyes were closed before she hit the floor.

**************************************************************

The man began strapping Zach to the table that was becoming the bane of his existance. He was painfully familiar with the routine, getting hooked up to the dreadful machine and then preparing for hot, stinging pain. His heart always hammered in his chest and he almost wanted to close his eyes to block out the image of the machines, but he just couldn’t. He couldn’t show this monster that he was winning.

As he was finally situated, his siblings yelling came from down the hall. He could make out the voices of his older sisters, but none of the words. The man sighed and turned to the door. “Tell me, are they always so goddamn loud?”

Zach refused to answer him, though it didn’t really seem like he was looking for one. He continued to set up his machines as Zach braced himself for the electricity. He tried not to tense, knowing that the shock through his system would do that enough for him.

The yelling from his siblings seemed to quiet down, before there was a sudden shout, “Liar!” The small voice echoed down the hall, almost silencing the machines around him.

The man turned to the door in shock. “Was… Was that the small one?” He asked slowly. Zach pressed his lips together, looking towards the door himself. The man turned back to him and walked forward, hands coming down hard and shaking the table. “Is that the youngest? Vess! Is that her?” He shouted at him.

“Shut up! Shut up! You’re a liar! Get out!”

The man looked back to the door. He growled and stepped away, “Don’t move. Maybe you’ll be saved after all.” He rushed out the door and down the hall.

Zach started thrashing against the restraints, trying to loosen it. They don’t budge at all, leaving him trapped. He turned to the door and took a breath. “Fight it, Vess! You’re stronger than that fucker!”

He kept screaming until his voice was cracked and sore.

**************************************************************

Nya watched her sister fall into a heap right as the man burst through the door. He was lit like a shadow, his eyes were wide and crazed, fixated on the center cage. He stepped into the room and started smiling like a mad man, which he very much was.

“Yes! It’s finally working!” A few words were enough to make Nya’s heart sink straight to her stomach. He ran forward to the cage, dropping down to her level. He looked at her with the intensity of a wild animal. He breathed out whispers, like little pleads. “Come on. Take hold.”

Tony looked towards Nya, silently asking if she had any plan. “Come on, Vess. Wake up!” Jordan called from her cage. She looked to the other two with a new kind of fury in her eyes, a mix of anger and concern.

‘They could be losing her. No…’ Tony yelled from beside her, “Just focus Vess! You’ve got this!”

“Come back to us, Vess! Please!”

“You can do this! Focus on us!”

“Enough!” The man whipped around and pulled out his pistol. He pointed it at each of them. Nya shrunk into herself and covered her ears. She started shaking at the sight, her head starting to hurt with phantom pain.

“I will not have you sway my experiment! This is controlled science! No extra factors!” He spit out, still waving around the gun. He turned back to the youngest, the rest remaining silent.

“Let’s see what you can do on your own.”