"Lukkas?" I said, terrified.

"I...I pledge loyalty to the community."  He stuttered, scooting away from us frantically. He hit the corner of the cell and yelped in surprise.

"Lukkas? It's okay, you promised you would be okay?" I whispered.

I could see his chest heave as if there was no tomorrow. He ran his hands through his hair, leaving a small trace of blood that I could faintly make out.

I crouched down next to him as slowly as I could.

"I- I pledge loyalty to the community." He stumbled over his words again.

"Lukkas, you don't have to say that. You don't have to." Quinn came and joined us.

He violently shook his head. "I pledge loyalty to the community." I heard him mumbled. I was too focused on his tears to hear him anymore.

"Lukkas, the community is bad." I heard Quinn say, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Lukkas' flinch sent his shoulder flying into the bar behind him. He bolted up, a shriek escaping his lips. He tripped over Quinn's ankle and dropped to the floor.

"I pledge loyalty to the community!" He sobbed over and over, shaking and squirming. Hands were covering his neck and his was curled into a ball on the floor.

"Lukkas!" I screamed, worried. "Are you okay?"

"I pledge loyalty to my community, I pledge loyalty to the community." His words were empty of meaning that wasn't fear.

They didn't brainwash him so that he would endlessly follow them. They brainwashed him to break us, to scare us. Which only meant they didn't need us.

"What's wrong with him?" Quinn yelled over Lukkas screaming.

"He must think that we'll hurt him." Lila responded.

I pulled Lukkas up next to me. "I pledge loyalty. I pledge loyalty to my community." He muttered meeting my eyes.

"It's okay." I breathed, trying to keep my voice calm. "Look." I pulled his arm next to mine, pointing at the names.

He stopped and stared. Watching his eyes closely I saw them soften.

"See? You're supposed to me my soulmate." I explained, feeling Quinn and Lila's eyes.

Meeting my eyes and looking up his smile disappeared. The light I saw in his eyes was gone.

"I pledge loyalty to my community." He droned. Even though he was looking at me it was almost as if he couldn't see me.

Heartbroken I didn't make a move to stop him from getting up.

"Rain... He isn't trying to..." Quinn trailed off, running his neck.

"Well, looks like the broken broke his friends." A voice cooed, light flowing in again.

"Who are you?" Lila asked, shielding her eyes.

"I pledge loyalty to the community." Lukkas murmed proudly as he stood.

"I'm the Senator." she explained, smiling. "And I'm here to take you away. For good. But no worries. You'll support the community members by leaving." She said satisfied, speaking on short sentences.

"What?" Quinn asked confused.

"We're going to kill you." Ally said cheerfully, stepping out from behind the Senator.

"Sorry I didn't introduce. This is Ally, and she will be the next Senator."

"Wow Ally. I'd say you have big shoes to fill... But your feet are bigger than any shoes." I didn't meet their eyes, hoping it added to the I-don't-care theme.

"Get up." She prdered curtly.

"Nah." Quinn said, following my lead and sitting down. Lila followed with a smile.

"She said get up. Ally is your superior." The Senator rolled her eyes.

"Superior eye sore." Lila mused. "Would you mind leaving? I don't want you to spread your ugliness." She added a fake frown to tie the whole thing together in the ultimate package of sarcasm.

"Can I take care of them?" Ally asked, stepping forwards.

"Of course. But don't be lineint." She smiled and left, heels clicking.

"I need four guards for each." Ally said after turning to a nearby guard who immediately sprinted down the hall.

"Wow, you've really changed since I last saw you Ally." I yawned.

"And you haven't?" She lifted a disapproving eyebrow.

I shrugged.

"I pledge loyalty to my community." Lukkas said, eye glued to Ally.

Ally looked at Lukkas, eyes flashed, and looked back at me.

"I watched." She said.

My whole body stiffened.

"That's right Rain. I saw it all." She paused, leaning forwards until her tiny brain was almost through the bars. "Do you want to know what they did to him?" Her eyes glistened.

My hand snapped forwards, smacking the smirk off her face and miles away. "I'll kill you one day. I promise, if I ever do anything to better my life, it will be killing you." I hissed in her face.

"You'll be dead by then." She laughed as the guards entered.

Four men hoisted me up. I didn't struggle, but kept my eyes on Ally instead.

I felt a blade cut into my arm, but didn't care. My arms and legs each had someone connected to them. Apparently they didn't care about my head banging against the side of the cell. Actually, they found it rather amusing.

We reached the door, which Ally held opened. I couldn't see anything and was waiting for my eyes to adjust when Ally leaned over me.

"One more thing. I'm going to let you watch them die first."
.                                .                                 .
I was outside, and it was cold. Quinn, Lukkas, Lila, and I were standing on a large platform that was normally used for announcements or celebrations.

I could see we were still wearing our old clothes. My head was throbbing and my feet hurt.

Our hands were tied over our hands with small pieces of metal that cut into my skin. I could make out a bar that connected us, like what they used to have to hang people.

Oh. They were going to hang us.

"To make a better community!" I heard people cheering.

At the front of the crowd, I saw my parents and Robin. I made eye connection with my mom. She was standing tall, Probably not caring what would happen to me. My dad's eyes were lowered, ashamed of having a traitor in the family.

Robin was screaming my name, drowned out by the crowd. I could see him trying to escape our mom's grasp.

"Forget me Robin. Do better than I did." I whispered to him. At least he's survive, even if it was under the reign of the Senator.

He shook his head sadly. Please, I could see him mouth.

I looked away from him. Next to me Lukkas was standing straight, his hand curled into the Pledge Symbol.

"And now, the Demonstration." The Senator stepped on stage, holding a fine wire.

Crowds were chanting. But I couldn't hear them. I could only hear the thousands of thoughts pounding my brain.

I saw a flash of black to my right. I turned my head, thinking it nothing, back to Lila, who was having thread wound around her neck. She was staring blankly ahead.

The Senators arm flew back as if an invisible force had yanked on it. I heard a faint scream of paint, then someone yelling.

Rough hands grabbed me. I struggled, terrified. Maybe they were going to torture us instead, or brainwash us like Lukkas.

"Damn, just shut up kid." I heard a gruff voice. "We're friends."

It was good enough for me so I went limp. He cut my hands free and I could see others doing the same for Quinn, Lukkas, and Lila.

"Great, and sorry, but still friends don't worry." He said. After a moment of confusion, I felt my head jerk and slipped away from conciousness.

Dun dun dun. My goodness gracious gosh wonder what he is???

No? You know who it is? Well I mean not his name or anything obviously, but like who he's with?

Cool, because you should. How akward would this be if you didn't and I was still rambling.

I mean, not that I ramble. I'm not absent minded, I just get distracted. Shoot that sounds familiar.

Like deja vu! Deja do you know who deja vu? Inside joke that makes zero sense.

Alright now I'm made cause my phone just made all this bold text go unbold and I had to spend like, two seconds fixing it. Er. Mer. Gerd.

You don't even like, understand my life.

With that cheery reference I shall leave those of you who don't understand that reference to got get liv- kidding, kidding, it isn't well known. But I'm still disappointed.