there is no light but mine; semper
Oct 8, 2013 20:02:50 GMT -5
Post by semper on Oct 8, 2013 20:02:50 GMT -5
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Pepper Rebio
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A small and frail smile graced your lips as you felt Sonnet’s fingers crawl across your pale, stained skin. It was nice to, for once, be able to touch someone else without the preposterous expectation of stealing their life being thrust upon you. You were used to contact with an unwilling Salt as she either comforted you after verbal abuse or huddled to keep warm, but with Sonnet you weren’t sharing warmth or helping him recover from some kind of abuse. Physical abuse, however, yes – you wanted to comfort him and somehow break his silence, which you achieved, and it was certainly a pleasure to hear his mellow baritone voice again.
The warm thoughts were cut short by the sound of rough footsteps coming down the squeaky stairs. You turned your head, hazel eyes seeking out the familiar (and unwelcomed) silhouette to emerge from the shadows, quickly followed by the dreaded voice. ”Next fight is in two days. Pepper versus Sonnet. Good luck.”
Your skin has always been deathly pale due to the lack of sunlight, but then even the very faint shades of color drained from your face, leaving you looking stark white. Your eyes, wide and glistening with a new-found terror, stared at the stairs as the man turned and left.
Your mouth ran irregularly dry as the dots quickly began to connect in your head. There’s a reason Sonnet is the favorite among the adults. He had won every fight for such a long time, he had killed far more people than you had, and all the while he somehow kept his sanity. He was a vicious killing machine that somehow you befriended and now all that intimacy was being ripped away.
What was worse, however, was that you realized you were going to have to fight Sonnet – and I’m going to lose. You didn’t want to hurt him, not after all those friendly conversations and times he helped you calm down after a fight when Salt could not. He never once yelled at you, unlike Salt, and he didn’t deem you crazy when you were screaming for the non-existent Fanta to answer you, pleading forgiveness from a ghost.
Sonnet was your best friend, but all of a sudden you were utterly terrified of him.
The breath caught in your throat and you made a few quiet gasping noises, gaze dropping to the ground. You had prayed for so long to not be tossed into the dirt arena with any of the few people you loved but it was a fool’s dream (and I am very much a fool). You were going to die by the warm hand that held your own and the severity of the situation struck you like the sharp crack of a whip across your back. (But what a lovely hand to die by.) No longer would you take peeks into his cell and look for that smiling face – but what if he started to hold a smug look on his face? Sonnet must know that he could very easily destroy you: you, the sick one; you, the naïve twin; you, the blundering fool who screamed for the dead to answer you. He’s already won. You had already lost your sanity, what else could Sonnet take to dehumanize you more?
”Pepper?”
Quickly you jerked your trembling hand back to your body, and in your haste you struck the knob of your wrist against the metal bar, sending shocks of pain running up your arm. A sharp yelp escaped your mouth and even startled yourself; you clamped a hand down over your dry and cracked lips, nose puffing out air quickly as the stone-cold terror began to set in. This boy across from you was not a friend but someone to be feared. You lowered your hand and caressed it to your chest, avoiding meeting Sonnet’s gaze with your wide eyes.
”I’m going to die, aren't I?”