RAW TORTURE

(alternate ending to chapter 19)

Locusta pulled down the sleeves of her shirt further over her hands, not withholding the wince that flitted across her features. Her hands were alight in a newfound agony, a type of pain Locusta wasn't confident she could adjust to. 

"It hurts all the time, doesn't it?" A small, gruff voice broke through the tense silence. Locusta didn't need to look up, instantly recognising it as Bruce's, knowing it as well as the back of her hand. She'd watched so many interviews of him in her reality and followed his research closely. He was a remarkable man, and she'd threatened him. Now, he was concerned. Or seemed to be. 

Locusta merely nodded. She didn't possess the power to speak, fearing the truths that would spill past her lips. She didn't want to confide in the man that the pain was constantly evolving and how she was terrified how she wouldn't be able to adapt fast enough. She didn't want to tell him about how she lay awake at night, her fingers frozen in a curled position, too paralysed with pain to move an inch. She couldn't tell any of that to a stranger, yet alone her idol. 

Bruce shuffled towards the girl, his body close enough that she could feel the heat emitting from his body. She gulped nervously. She never met her role models before; this was a brand new, terrifying experience. 

He turned his face so that he was solely focused on her. His voice was low, low enough that none of the prying ears in the plane couldn't listen in to their conversation. "I know what it's like. My body feels as though it's being stabbed by needles every time I breathe, and it's something that's hard to block out. I tried everything to stop it; it only got worse with time." 

"Mine started off as tiny sparks." Locusta confessed, her words so quiet she could barely pick up on them herself. Somehow, the doctor managed to hear it, his features softening. It wasn't pity spread across his features - it was understanding. 

"I can't promise it's gets better, but I can promise that this pain won't dictate your life forever." 

Locusta wanted to believe him, she really did. She wanted to pour every ounce of trust that she had into that one sentiment; she knew it was naive. She was constantly living her life with caution, too afraid for her hand to even brush a plant, hands cradled close to her chest. The only thing she would let her hands harm were herself, and those that deserved it. And even those didn't deserve that extent of justice. 

"I'm sorry I pointed a gun at you." 

Bruce laughed. "Don't worry about it, kid. Even if you did pull the trigger, you wouldn't kill me." 

She picked up on the depth to his tone. How he spoke so nonchalantly of his other side, yet she heard a resentment lingering behind the words. It was barely there, but she heard it nevertheless. She'd heard it so many times from her own mouth that she would be able to hear it in complete silence. 

"Thank you, Bruce." 

He reached out, his hand hovering in the air. It was inches from her shoulder, almost brushing with the fabric of her jacket. Her heart raced. He pulled his hand back. Her heart dropped. 

Locusta knew she would never have human contact again. She missed the weight of a hand on her shoulder, an arm wrapped around her middle. Yet at the same time, it had been so long since she had that kind of affection addressed towards her that the feeling was a distant memory. She realised she couldn't truly miss something if she couldn't remember it. She just hoped she forgot it soon - the temptation of touch was a raw torture she couldn't endure much longer. 

-

sadly this section didn't fit well with the original chapter but here it is for all to enjoy!!