TW: needles, mild drugging, imprisonment

There was nothing I could do.

The Principal stepped into the room, and the door closed behind. Impulse slid to the ground. 

'Well this is very interesting...' I clench my hands, failing to hold back a flare of furious magic. Cub's not speaking, and to most people he'd seem surprisingly calm.

He's as scared as I am.

My eyes don't want to open. My head feels heavy, I can barely think, memories foggy. Even trying to lift my hands off the ground, or moving my legs is difficult, a pressing pain around my wrists and ankles... 

'So little Icarus had wings after all...' His gaze locks on Grian and I stand in the way.

'Get away from my friend.' I growl. 'Or I'll kill you. With the passion of a thousand Scars.' 

'Scar, don't.' 

'Listen to your little vex friend, Scar.' 

The Principal snaps their finger, and someone's suddenly holding me back, cold hands over my mouth as I struggle. 

'Who's next.' 

'You're not getting away with this!' I yell. A burst of blue magic causes a yell of panic, and I'm free. 'Get away from my friends or I kill you!'

I'm too tired to move any more, do anything except lie down. I think I dozed off again. Surely Grian would've woken me for lessons.

My terror and fury mix into a magic-fuelled emotion I don't have a name for. 

'Get. Away.'

'Scar, it's not worth it.' 

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Impulse get to his feet, slipping away into the dark. 

Coward.

'IMPULSE COME BACK! YOU'RE NOT LEAVING US HERE!' Guards appears from nowhere either side of me, holding me back as my feet dig into the ground. 

'You feeling upset, Scar? Or maybe just vexed.' 

'SCAR NO!' I hear Grian's yell moments before a sharp sting of pain pierces my skin. My vision disappears and I collapse helplessly into darkness.  

I open my eyes.

Instantly, I want to close them again, blinding white lights burning everywhere. I lift my head slightly, sore and unwilling to move. Metal bars block the way in front of me, and I can only half-see the prison there.

Who's in prison? 

Why am I in prison?!

'What's going on?' I croak. I try pull away, but chains dig into my wrists, forcing me to stay where I am. The figure in the looks over at me. Grian. His wings are chained behind him to the wall, as well as his arms and legs. And as little as I know about my appearance, he seems worse, skin pale and hair a mess. 

'Scar? You're awake?'

'Yeah? Are you alright?'

'No, I'm in constant pain and I want to kill the Principal.'

'What... happened?'

'We tried to fight and we failed. Then we got taken here I guess.' 

'Is everyone alright?' 

'They didn't kill anyone. But... Cleo and Doc tried to fight back and ended up knocked unconscious. It...it was terrifying.' 

I'm silent for a moment. 

'Are Ren and Hypno here? Or anyone else who was taken?' 

'I... I don't know. I can't see much.' 

In an attempt to survey my surroundings further, I drag myself into a sitting positions. The chains weigh down even more, reaching the end of their distance as I stare out. An almost clinical white corridor blocks between the cells on the other side. Whoever's opposite me is just waking up, the white green and blue mound revealing themselves as being Etho. He pulls on the chains. And then stops. Pulls again, opens his eyes and yanks as hard as he can, movements rough and panicked. 

'Hello? Who's there?' He calls. 

'Etho! It's me and Grian!' I can't wave but hope he looks the right direction.

'Scar? What happened? Why... why are we here? What... oh.' Realisation. 'Where are the others?'

'Also here, I think. Or... some of us are.' I count 6 cells within visibility. Etho's and two others on his side, Grian, me and... Cub.

He's still unconscious, lying in the cell to the right of mine. I can't see much of his face, but the sight of blood staining his shirt sends a jolt of terror through me. It's still bright red. 

It's still red. 

'Grian, how long have we been here?' 

'I don't know. What's wrong?'

'Cub... he's... oh notch.' Even calming my breathing is basically impossible. 

Grian's not talking. 

'What happened?' I manage to say.

'I... I don't know. They got me not long after they got you and...' 

'Stop lying or I'll assume the worst.' 

'He... lost control. Like you did. And the Principal... someone...'

'They tried to kill him.'

I take Grian's silence as a yes. My hands curl into fists, anger boiling up inside until I can barely hold it back. 

Just anger. 

Oh f***

In the confusion, I hadn't realised. The gaping void where my magic was and should be. Empty. 

It's gone.

Completely gone. 

And then I can't stop thinking about it. The hollow feeling, utter powerlessness... it's hard to stop myself from throwing up, or blacking out or fainting...

'What... where are...' 

I look over as Cub stirs, looking up, realising in moments. 

'Cub...' he looks over when I speak, eyes wide and dull. 

'Scar...?' 

The door into the area opens before we can continue talking. A guard enters, and I finally get a chance to see what one of them looks like. Brown hair, cut close to their head, some kind of white armour (basically a fencing outfit) over sickly grey skin. A crate of something's in their hands, and they drop it on the ground, opening and handing out trays of grey food through the cages. My stomach growls with hunger, and I snatch the spoon I've been given to eat with before-

'Scar, don't.' Burst out Cub. I drop it. The guard looks over, brown eyes narrowed.

'It's that or you starve.' 

'Cub? Why shouldn't I eat it?'

'It'll be drugged. And you'll eat it and feel even worse. Until...' He can't continue, and I suddenly remember what he told me. 

He's been caught before. 

Grian looks over, spoon dropping to the tray as he swallows a mouthful of food.

'It tastes horrible.'

'Yeah, it's been drugged.' The tremor of fear in Cub's voice breaks something in my heart.

'Well, you can choose to eat it...' Etho looks sharply up as the tray is slammed down in front of him. Doc groans, before letting out a very loud couple of what I imagine are German swear words. A clang of chains, I can just catch the slightly glance of him as he struggles to escape. 

'NEIN! SCH**SSKOPF!' The guard ignores, laying the last plate of food down where Cleo's lying, still unconscious, picking up their crate and leaving the room again. There's some kind of passcode I can't seem to remember, before the doors hiss shut and we're left alone again.

Oh no they're trapped.

Hehe

✨trauma✨