girlwithout | underneath the skin: part two

God, it’s bright.

It’s the first thing she notices. The lights are white and harsh and make her eyes ache just to see, but she forces them open because she has to figure out where she is.

“Ah. You woke sooner than I’d expected for a girl your age.”

Her uniform’s gone. She’s wearing her undershirt and the uniform pants with everything useful removed, no shoes, her hands cuffed to the chair behind her. Contents of the room: two metal chairs, one metal table. One guy in Second Shadow clothing, currently threatening her.

“We know why you’re here. Why both of you are here. What we don’t know, what really has us stumped, is… who told you about it. I have a simple offer – the very same offer being made to your partner. The first of you who tells us what we want to know will die quickly. The other…” He pauses for effect, the asshole. “…not quickly at all.” He leans in and pats her on the shoulder genially, like he’s a teacher or a principal talking to a delinquent student. “I’ll leave you to think about this for a few minutes.”

He leaves her alone in the room.

(It’s too bright.)