Y E L L O W  C A R N A T I O N

Elena wasn't the slightest surprised when she awoke to a room of white. Too many times had she seen black followed by blinding white. It was normal now. She grimaced when she moved, a sharp point digging into her wrists. Handcuffs locked her hands together, and her feet were bound together with rope. Clicking her tongue, she sighed. She supposed that it was reasonable of Lieselotte to limit her movement. She had tried running, after all. Plus, she could now fight.

Looking down at herself, Elena frowned. Her jacket was gone, leaving her arms bare and more vulnerable. She peered down at her hands, wincing without her glasses. She really needed to get contact lenses.

The glass was mostly gone, which surprised her, but Elena could tell that her hands weren't properly treated. It was more she expected from Lieselotte though. Inclining her head, she frowned. Maybe Lieselotte did have a heart. Or maybe she just needed her hands to be in working condition. Probably the latter.

It didn't take long for someone to notice she was awake, and Lieselotte was quickly called over. When Elena looked up, the first thing that caught her eye was the blinding pink lipstick. Choking on nothing, she cleared her throat in an attempt to cover her cough. The color hurt her eyes, and she much preferred the white.

Gulping as she met Lieselotte's pale eyes, she tried to stand to no avail. Elena leaned against the wall in an awkward half crouch half sitting position. They stared at each other, taking in the other's appearance and stature, sizing each other up in case anything happened.

Elena lifted her chin up in defiance. Her eyes flashed when Lieselotte gave her a pointed look. It went on for some time, the glares and gesturing, but eventually, the silence was broken. And Elena was not proud that it was her who did it.

"Lieselotte," she said.

"Elena."

Elena clenched her jaw, biting down on her lip. Blood almost immediately came out, and she realized that she had been drawing blood more often than not. Her immune system must've hated her.

"I'm sorry, dear, do you prefer Heiyue?"

Stiffening, Elena's mouth parted. She shivered but not from the cold. "Who gave you that name?"

"Darling, I know everything there is to know about you."

Elena didn't doubt the fact for a second. She swallowed hard and changed the subject. There was no use to badgering something that she couldn't change. If anything, she just didn't want to talk about her name. She'd done enough of that with Steve.

The thought of him sent chills down her spine. The Avengers must have reached Roanoke by now. They were probably searching for her.

Elena frowned. "What day is it?"

Lieselotte only smirked. "Happy birthday."

Snapping her head around, Elena drew her eyebrows together. "Birthday?"

"November third, dear. One year older. Isn't that exciting?"

Elena blinked. She'd forgotten about her birthday. Besides, she hadn't celebrated it in a long time without Christine to pester her. Elena wasn't quite sure how old she even was. She wasn't sure if she even cared.

"November third?" she echoed. "You mean I've been out for a whole day? Where even are we?"

Lieselotte rolled her eyes. "Not Virginia or New York, that's for sure."

Shifting in her position, Elena winced. She struggled against the handcuffs, purple bruises forming all around.

"I'm going to assume we're in some sort of lab," she said between her grunts, "and that you want me to work on something."

"Smart girl." Lieselotte chuckled. "It's nothing big, so don't go giving your excuses. Besides, you've had your practice. Your serum is better than mine."

Elena straightened. Her eyes widened. She had missed a day, which meant that she was to inject the serum again today. Her eyes flickered to Lieselotte, who grinned at her panic.

"Don't worry, you'll get your doses whenever you earn them."

That took a moment to sink in. Her words struck her like a fist. Elena blinked. "You're blackmailing me?" she choked. "With that?"

Lieselotte rolled her eyes. "I think we had this conversation once," she sighed. "And I believe you agreed to work for it."

Elena looked away. Her thoughts raced through her head, a building hurricane. She had walked right into Lieselotte's trap. She was cornered like deer at a hunter's mercy. Not for the first time she wondered how she'd gotten herself in this mess.

"I'll do it," she slowly said, sulking when Lieselotte brightened.

"Great!" she exclaimed, rubbing her hands together. "We'll give you the serum on Fridays, so you can have the weekend off, and—"

"What?" Elena jumped up, somehow not toppling over. Guttural noises were emitted from her throat, some that she wasn't sure if it was even human. "What do you mean on the weekends?"

"Sometimes, I wonder if you even know who I am." Lieselotte snorted. "Your vision will be returned to you every weekend. That's normal nine-to-five working hours, right?"

"I didn't agree to that," Elena stammered. She hopped forward, trying to catch her balance with her bound hands. She looked into Lieselotte's eyes.

"You agreed to work for the serum," Lieselotte said. "You didn't say how often the serum was to be administered. I'm still honoring my word."

"I can't even see my hands when the cells are there!" Elena retorted.

Lieselotte glanced at one of the guards that stood outside the door in exasperation. "You want to knock some sense into our guest?" she said. "She's being awfully ignorant today."

The guard didn't move, and Lieselotte tsked. "Hm, too bad," she muttered as she turned back to face Elena. Reaching into her pocket, she fingered Elena's glasses and tossed them towards her. "Has it ever occurred to you that I want you to be able to see cells?" she asked before turning. "Your dinner will be here soon. Your shift starts tomorrow. Ends at five. This'll all be a normal job. You'll see."

Shutting the door behind her, Elena glared at its whiteness. The click that sounded told her that it had been locked. That was to be expected though. Scooting towards her glasses, Elena struggled to get it onto her head. The handcuffs would cut into her skin everytime she moved, sending a sharp shock. She wondered if she would even be able to eat her dinner.

Thankfully, both her hands and feet had been loosened when dinner came. To her surprise, Lieselotte even permitted her to have her freedom even after she finished eating. If anything, Elena thought that she was being kind for once, but the thought sent laughter straight through her.

She was thinking of the very person who had put her in this predicament. Who had blackmailed her. She was thinking of the person who had caused her to be cursed with the cells in the first place. How could she be kind?

Elena almost laughed herself to sleep, and tears even formed in her eyes. She shook her head as she tried to suppress herself, knowing fully well that she wouldn't be laughing the next day when the cells returned. When she was truly at Lieselotte's mercy.

...

You know I may not have planned this story, but at least, we're FINALLY getting somewhere. I can't really say anything about the chapters to come because spoilers, but I'm so excited for y'all to meet Wilhelm whenever he comes around. He's like my baby.