No Answer

A steady drip of water sounded across the landscape. It was soothing, at least for anyone else it was meant to be soothing, she turned over on the cold hard dirt and watched as another drop slid from a crack in the ceiling and hit the floor. Was it a crack? Her vision swayed, what was it?

Time fluctuated, she brought a shaking hand up to her face. Clenching her jaw she made steady work of the plastered strands of hair across her face. The dried blood hindered her progress and she stifled a whimper when her fingertips caressed her left eye. After a fifteen minute interval of discovering wounds and wracking her brain for answers the wounded girl forced herself to sit up.

She had been walking to the store with her sister, mom had sent them out for a few last minute ingredients. A loud screeching sound played in her mind, her sister had been screaming, a hand had wrapped around her throat. She clutched her head desperate to remember, her foot, she had wrapped it around a pole as hands dragged her into a vehicle. She cried out as her one open eye connected it's gaze to her broken right foot.

The pain stunted her and she re-awoke some time later. She looked around, slowly her surroundings came into focus, the floor was made almost entirely of dirt, surrounded on all sides by dirty bleak cement walls. There was no door, looking up she realized she had been dropped in. Well judging from the pain in her back thrown in was more accurate. The trapdoor up above was the only way in or out, it was the crack letting water In. Fighting back tears she called out for help. Hours of screams and questions left unanswered quelled her voice and she laid there quietly.

Two days later she had steeled herself, after setting her broken leg as best she could her plan for escape was ready. With time her injuries had either worsened or turned into gnarly bruises, she thought of her family who must be looking in a frenzy and moved. She had to get out.

She stumbled across the dirt, her foot dragging awkwardly as she moved to a corner. The trapdoor was in bad shape, all she had to do was make the crack bigger. The girl found a steel rod buried in the dirt floor and flung it up. After her third attempt the latch opened.

"I knew I was right, you are a fighter."

She stilled in fear, the voice continued, "you must be confused, you cannot heal yourself, you don't know why you are here, and you are wounded. Well, come on up, if you want your ability to heal returned, all you must do is show us you have it in you." A flimsy ladder came tumbling down and upon deciding that her situation was perilous enough as is she climbed up.

The stench of blood invaded her sense and she emptied her already depleted stomach, her situation had become much worse after she arose from the hole in the ground. She gaged that it had been over two weeks since she has been taken. The man had led her into cavernous room, the floor was once again dirt and the walls had cages all around. The cages were full of mostly wounded people, he had walked her to a cage.

"Your new home. If you wish to be allowed to heal, every day for five hours your cage door will open. You must win a match, make someone else here completely loose consciousness and you win."

The man had left.

She had quickly learned, everyone here while of different ages, nationalities, races, and works of lives were healers. They had been taken around the same time and many had already resorted to murdering those around them for food and a chance of slight pain relief. The cages were off limits but anything else was valid, and they were always being watched.

Two weeks later, she had still refused to move, her eyes full of a dark determination she glared into the camera. From another room talks of removing her were become popular, that is until the deciding voice spoke. "She's the strongest one here, all she needs is a little motivation, she has younger siblings. Put him in."

The man had returned dragging with him a young boy, he held a shiv in his hand and with a wicked grin called out. "The first person to kill this kid, gets to leave their cage for a week. Showers, meals, clothes... all up for grabs."

For the first time she had moved, not for gain, but for defense, the child's defense. It was a gory sight and from the monitoring room they watched in awe. She truly was a fighter, she took four people on, fended them off and utterly obliterated them. Her actions weren't skilled, instead they were feral and vicious, hellbent on saving the child. After exhausting her every means she pulled herself and the child into the cage shiv in hand.

Time had passed, how long, she didn't know. Then It all turned black. Her vision distorted and she fell to her knees, she had failed, it had all failed. The tears came pouring out, streaming endlessly. Laughter, cold and uncaring reached her ears, the man was speaking. She ignored it, dragging herself forward, she pulled the rod out of her side, felt the blood escaping and with painful breaths reached the body of the small child. She cradled the body into her arms, the laughter continued, in the other room they laughed. They had finally broken her.

She wiped blood from his mouth, and as sudden as it had commenced it stopped. She wiped her tears and looked up, he was still talking, chortling in between phrases.

Eyes dark and dead she charged. It would no longer be enough to escape, she would ruin them all.

She had nearly succeeded in taking his life, well she would have but reinforcements had arrived, and as they threatened to take his body away she had released her hold on Silver. Blood seeping from her injuries she screamed out, "Give him back! NO! DANNY, NO!"

With a violent gasp Violet woke.

Down in the living room, and unaware that she had awoken, the group listened intently to the representative from the Ruenen.

It had been four days since Violet's near death experience.

Kieren had disappeared and only reappeared late last night.

He had been covered in blood -not his- and try as they might they had been unable to attain answers from him. Now as this uncaring and slightly nervous woman spoke to them, they realized they were never going to get any answers, not from the Ruenen.

"So you mean to tell us," Ted interjected, "that you have no idea how this happened to Violet, or who did it. You only guess that it must be some occult group using an unheard of method that is surely forbidden and unattainable, but the Ruenen will keep searching?"

Tom looked around, "that's basically not an answer at all!" His annoyance was reflected in all but Kieren who was looking out the window and clearly not paying attention.

"I understand your frustration, but we are using every resource to look into this-"

"Sure," Zen shook his head, "we get it, you don't know a damm thing, is there anything else you do know?"

She froze in place, Tom looked over and the unspoken question Alex had wanted to ask came hurling out of his mouth, "will her ability return?"

The woman clasped her hands nervously, "They think yes, in maybe two weeks."

Sweat formed along her temple, "also, I was asked to pass along a message. We understand that a team member of yours was Injured but we must ask that you maintain proper etiquette during this time. Please do not go about looking for answers yourself. You must not endanger Lord Zordyk any further. We were lucky that only the girl was-"

A slap echoed across the room, Alex balled her hand into a fist ready to strike again. "Her name is Violet you useless bitch!"

It was really quite lucky, at least for the woman that Alex had gotten to her first. For the first time since she had arrived Kieren had given her his attention and had he gotten to her first a slap would have been the least of her worries.

The woman clutched her face is shock... "I... I..."

"Leave!" It was Kieren who had spoken and he approached her slowly with predatory moves, "I am no fool, they sent you only because you are not of the bloodlines and I cannot command you to speak the truth. You have nothing I require. Leave my home and do not return."

She turned on her heel and fled as Violet listened from above. Maybe it was time for a talk.