I sat back, rolling my eyes at his terrible answer. Why I expected anything more than a stupid response, was a mystery to me. He started talking about some girl who will tell us everything, some kind of celebrity. Yeah, right, like how you said you'd answer all our questions, Ollie?
Already, he began to leave, not allowing us to have a choice. I elbowed Jae a little too hard and whispered, "This entire thing is shady."
Oleander headed to an elevator and we went to the bottom floor. From there, we start descending more stairs that the elevator didn't reach. He opened a door for us, waving us in with a smile that sent shivers down my spine. I couldn't understand how Jae could follow this man so easily, or how she was seemingly so calm. My fingers were itching to punch him and run away.
Candy elbowed me, catching my attention.
"This entire thing is shady." She whispers, causing me to roll my eyes.
"I thought we planned on discovering Purple's secrets. We can't do that if we ask around the townspeople. I'm not leaving until I have a more clear idea of what's going on in Purple."
I turn to Ollie and make sure he can't hear us.
"No, I don't trust any of this either, but if they think we're going to resist them without question, they'd probably hypnotize us or something."
I follow Ollie into a dark corridor, dimly lit by a black light every couple yards. Before we begin our walk through the hallway, Ollie turns to us.
"Now I have a few things I need to explain before we speak to the girl. First, she's not necessarily a normal person. She has a few issues and would much prefer to be with as little people as possible at one time. Therefore I'm going to have to ask you two to take turns with her. Don't worry, the other can wait just outside the room, but you won't be able to hear anything. Second, since her behavior is a little…eccentric…she's kept separated from you. No physical contact is possible. It may seem a bit weird and you may not understand why, but just trust me."
He straightens himself up, fixes his tie and smiles.
"Any questions before we continue?"
I step forward. "I'll go first."
I don't look at Jae as I walk through the hallway, feeling rather inferior and angry. The man finally opens the last door and I slowly go through, sweating nervously. He shuts it behind me, and I'm left alone in a stone room.
A soft hum hits my ears first. It was a violin. I blink a couple times to see a pale girl about my age encaged in a glass box. She faces away from me, her hair long and white down to her mid-back. I had a sudden urge to touch the silky-looking locks. Suddenly, she stops playing, aware of my presence. The girl gazes cautiously at me with tired, piercing purple eyes. Eyes don't normally stand out on a person, but hers was the brightest object in the room.
"Hi," I whisper, unable to say more to the dazzling, yet melancholic sight in front of me.
okokokok not gonna rp jae for a bit shes just sitting in anticipation for u
I pause my violin upon hearing her footsteps. My eyes open as a big smile spreads across my face, to which I quickly lower it when I turn around to her, lowering my violin. I gaze at her, the fear and awe fighting for dominance over her eyes. She's curious, but she doesn't want to take the risk, yet she took it anyway.
"Hi," She whispers, breaking the silence. Causing me to snicker.
I hold my hand up against my mouth and let out a gentle giggle, taking a few steps closer to the glass.
"Do you have any sweets for me?"
I chime, awaiting her response.
I was taken aback by her sudden laughter. I was even more shocked at her strange reply. "Do you have any sweets for me?"
I cocked my head, mentally going through my inventory. "No, but I guess if I did I couldn't give any to you." My body began to move on it's own, far too curious to listen to my head. I stepped forward and brushed my finger against the glass, looking at the girl. "So, what's your name?"
I frowned at her, furrowing my brows and pursing my lip.
"Bit stupid of you." I mutter.
I say, watching her drag her finger along the glass, her eyes in a gaze.
"So, what's your name?"
My eyes widen in frustration as I point at her.
"You can't even live up to your name and you want to know what mine is? Unbelievable."
I respond, huffing at her and turning away to face my back at her.
"You can't even live up to your name and you want to know what mine is? Unbelievable."
Immediately I stepped away. This girl wasn't human - no way. How did she know my name? I didn't want to piss her off any further, so I tried to remain calm. "I never told you my name. For the record, I live up to my name in a different way. If you'd look at me, you'd see my hair contains the colors of most candies. If that's not enough, then I suppose it's fair that you don't tell me your name."
"I never told you my name."
I grin and tilt my head, waving her off, refusing to even look at her.
"Why would you have to? It's not like you're keeping it a secret or anything."
I can hear Candy growing uncomfortable, but she keeps her cool as she speaks in defense.
"For the record, I live up to my name in a different way. If you'd look at me, you'd see my hair contains the colors of most candies."
I turn my head to examine her hair, my eyes tracing every gradient that colored her hair.
"If that's not enough, then I suppose it's fair that you don't tell me your name."
I eye her up and down and smirk, nodding slightly in approval.
"Which one do you like? Violet? Adrian? Ollie? Personally, my favorite is Violet, but don't tell Ollie, he's a bit sensitive." I whisper the last part and wink at her.
okokjadfkhk JAE
Has it been too long? I don't know, I'm worried for Candy, I hope she's okay. I look over at Ollie.
"Are you sure she'll be okay?" He grins and nods, reassuring me with a gentle voice.
"She'll be fine, the little girl is almost completely harmless."
Almost?
A sense of anxiety ran through my chest as the girl recited the names of all the people we've met along the way. Except Jade, I thought. The realization calmed me down, and I smirked, deciding to play along with her. "I won't. Violet it is then. So, why are you behind glass?" I stepped back up to the barrier.
"I won't. Violet it is then."
A certain confidence emanated from her bones as I furrow my brow slightly at her, reading her body language.
"So, why are you behind glass?" I tilt my head to the other side as my eyes follow her, the rest of my body remaining still in alertness.
"I asked them to put me here. The question is, why aren't you running?" I let my smirk grow as I continue.
"There's only a few things that are keeping you from running out of all of this and leaving Purple, and the source of all that is just beyond those doors. Why would you let a stranger manipulate you like that? Don't you think she lead you here for a reason? After all, she's born a Purple. It was her destiny to be here, but you?" I purse my lip in a fake pout.
"You're her victim."
"Hell yeah I am," I say, laughing a bit. The only way to deal with this girl was to match her wild energy. "Let's say you're right. Let's say, she knew I would sit next to her on the train, that she knew I would follow her here. Why is that a bad thing? I'm glad I'm here. I rather be her victim than a victim of everyone's rumors. I'm not running because I'm not afraid.
"Your turn. Why should I be running? What's so bad about here?" I figured we would be shooting questions back and forth, like a game, so I dealt my cards. I licked my teeth in almost excitement for her reply.
"Hell yeah I am," She responds, an unidentifiable energy begins to radiate from her. I raise an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Let's say you're right. Let's say, she knew I would sit next to her on the train, that she knew I would follow her here. Why is that a bad thing? I'm glad I'm here. I rather be her victim than a victim of everyone's rumors. I'm not running because I'm not afraid."
I'm taken back by her response, but I mask it with a scoff at her words.
"Your turn. Why should I be running? What's so bad about here?"
I raise an eyebrow at her last response.
"What's so bad about here? Well, would it even matter? Purple is your last option! You've been everywhere and they've all come as a disappointment to you. Even if you don't like Purple, you have nowhere else to go. But then again, Purple is perfect anyway, just ask anyone here."
I tilt my head towards the door, nodding at it.
"Ask your dear friend. Do you really want to leave her and break her heart? It's not like she'd rather live in a place where she doesn't fit in."
Slightly disoriented by her contradicting points, I hesitated. "I don't plan on leaving here. The fun is just getting started," I grinned widely. I began to panic, as I couldn't think of another question that she might actually have a straight answer for.
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind. I remembered something strange that Oleander had said, explaining the glass. No physical contact is possible. It may seem a bit weird and you may not understand why, but just trust me.
There were holes the size of my fingers in the cage. If I got her close enough, I could touch her. It was risky, but Jae was right. If we are to uncover Purple's secrets, we have to do it head-on.
"I see you play a violin. Can you bring it closer?"
She looked confused, causing the corners of my mouth to twitch into a smile. I'm so close.
"I don't plan on leaving here. The fun is just getting started," She grinned, peaking my curiosity. What is she planning? Who is she? She's not normal, in fact, I doubt she's even human.
"I see you play a violin. Can you bring it closer?"
Why?
Suspicious, I pick up the violin and the bow, walking closer, my feet curling at having to walk closer to someone.
"I gave it a name. Do you want to know it?"
Violet seemed rather surprised at my reactions. That made me wonder whether anyone in the past has acted this way. Were they this scared of the encaged girl?
She made her way towards me with her violin. I pretended to look at her intrument, but in my head I was figuring out where she was close enough to touch.
"I gave it a name. Do you want to know it?" She was close enough!
"Yes," I said as I stuck my finger into the glass hole, brushing the pale girl's cold skin. What did I just do?
"Yes," She mutters as I lean on my right foot, turning the violin to face her.
"It's name is Jade. I think it fits nic-"
Suddenly, I feel her finger graze against my skin.
"Wh-what have you done?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
The lights in the room begin flashing violently before going out completely, the electricity bursting through it's cover. The glass walls shatter and fall onto the floor. Tears spill out of my eyes as I start screaming, trying to get the ringing out of my ears. In anger, I run towards Candy, stepping on the glass and grabbing her by the neck and slamming her against the wall.
"GET OUT! GET OUT OF THIS ROOM! YOU ARE FROM HELL!" I shove her towards the door and fall to my knees, clutching my head, screaming.
The door opens and a few people step in, urging Candy out of the room.
The lights are back, the glass wall was restored, with me in the middle of it.
Darkness.
Where am I?
I couldn't see anything. I couldn't remember how I had gotten here, wherever here was. All of a sudden, a distant crying sounded to my left. I walk towards it, and eventually I see a girl with her back to me. My voice was unable to make any noise to call out to her. I touched her shoulder, and when she turned around I saw-
I woke up gasping for air, Jae looking at me with wide eyes. Memories of Violet's screams and glass falling flashed in my mind. My arm began to throb. It was wrapped in some dirty cloth, underneath was probably a cut from the glass. I struggled to breathe as my neck felt tight and sore. In fact, everything hurt. What just happened? Who did I see in the dream? Was it a dream?
A voice echoed in my mind, the last thing I heard before blacking out. You are from Hell.
this is Jae now!!!
I watch Candy in a panic as her eyes flicker back and forth from conscious to unconscious. A few men, dressed in official looking get-ups, dragged her out of the room after a few seconds of screaming from the other girl. My heart raced when I saw Candy's face; her skin pale, her eyes glazed over in a trance, her body completely limp. It was frightening, to say the least. For a few moments, she regained consciousness. Her eyes focused and she looked at me, her mind slowly realizing the world around her, but it was no use. Her eyes rolled back into her mind and she fell limp, passed out fully. I clutched Candy as she rested in my arms, my tears running down my cheeks as I look up at a panicked Oleander.
"Why the hell did you bring us here?!" I scream at him, my words shaky and broken.
"I-I don't-this has never happened before." He muttered out, bending over in attempt to comfort me. In anger, I shove him away, causing him to fall back and hit the wall.
"You fucking sickos! This is on your hands!"
After some time had passed and things were calmed down, Ollie walked closer to me and whispered, "I think it's time we head home. It's been a long day for the both of you."
My eyes gradually opened, vision still blurry, but I immediately recognized where I was. Oleander must have brought us back to the apartment. I wasn't surprised that he knew we checked into this complex.
I was on the couch, but no one else was in the room. Slowly, I sat up and made my way to the kitchen. I grabbed the water bottle on the counter, downing the entire thing. How long has it been since the incident? What happened? I chose to touch her to answer questions, but it only arose more.
And who was the girl in my dream?
I hear footsteps and turn around to see Jae looking at me, relieved. "Hey, Jae."
I hear movement in the living room, and realize that Candy is awake. Quickly, I rush to the living room to find the couch empty. At first, my heart sank, but then I hear her gulping down a water bottle.
"Candy!" I call, my voice full of relief.
"Are you okay? How's your arm? Do you remember anything?" I begin asking tons of questions that bounced across my mind for the past three hours. I was so relieved that she's okay, but I'm worried she's not the same.
I look down at my arm, as if it would tell me if I was okay. "Yeah, I'm good. Strangely, I do remember everything. Here, let's sit down." We move to the couch and I explain to her the story, and what happened. It was a bit difficult to recall, but I managed. "So, I asked her about the violin and she told me it's name was Jade, which was kinda weird. Then, I touched her and everything kind of fucked up. She pushed me into a wall, then I had this dream and…"
After I finished explaining, I looked up at Jae and was greeted with a face full of fear and confusion. I hoped she believed me.
"So, I asked her about the violin and she told me it's name was Jade, which was kinda weird. Then, I touched her and everything kind of fucked up, She pushed me into a wall, then I had this dream and…" For a few moments, I'm speechless.
"It's name is…Jade? Could that be a coincidence?"
I look down at Violet's arm and exhale slowly.
"Is it hurting? I wonder if there's any painkillers in the cabinets."
I'm still filled with questions and I want to ask Candy them all, but I've also got something in the back of my mind, waiting to be spoken. Now's not a good time, though. She's still recovering.
"Is it hurting? I wonder if there's any painkillers in the cabinets." Jae says, about to get up to look for medicine.
"No, considering she knew the name of every person we've associated with. It means something. No, I'm fine, my arm is fine. Jae, I'm a strong person believe it or not. Oh, I'm sorry you didn't get the chance to talk to her, by the way."
I looked at Jae, pleading for her to stop caring about my well-being and start helping me figure out what was going on. Physical wounds heal easily. I may be shocked by recent events, but if I find out the cause of it, it'll calm me down. I prayed that Jae understood that.
"No, considering she knew the name of every person we've associated with. It means something." I begin to stand up to look through the cabinets, but Candy grabs my hand.
"No, I'm fine, my arm is fine." I pause and sit back down, wishing I could still help in some way.
"Jae, I'm a strong person believe it or not." I sigh and nod, trying to formulate more questions.
"Oh, I'm sorry you didn't get the chance to talk to her, by the way."
I stiffen up for a moment, but take in a deep breath and shrug my shoulders.
"I didn't want to talk to her after what had happened anyway. I just wanted to know if you're okay." I'm silent for a moment, considering telling her. I mean, what's the harm, right? She brought it up.
"About that, actually…" I begin, my voice shaky.
