Chapter Twenty Two

*Ariya*


The shock of seeing Keo made me forget what I was supposed to do for a second. I felt a pull in my chest, happy he was alive. I was lucky that the one way glass was to my back and that there were no cameras. Olivia usually hid in the back to be a big reveal. I suddenly grew very angry that they had Keo. I wanted to kill Boss right then and there, but we would never make it out. Keo stared at me expressionless. My eyebrows pushed together and I let my eyes change and my fangs came out.
“Well, what do we have here? What’s your name?” I asked, letting my fangs go back to canines and my eyes go back to normal.
“Keo.” He said, eyeing me suspiciously, playing the part.
“So, Keo. Why don’t you tell me what you know?” I said playing my part.
“Go to hell. You think I’m going to tell you anything?”
I laughed, “Don’t you know how this works? You realize we’ll get all the truthful answers out of you, one way or the other right?”
“What with a Switch? I’m so scared.” Keo sneered.
I smirked, “You realize there’s no one who can stop a Switch from getting into your mind right?”
“There is though. The Navi.” Keo said confidently.
“Is that so? Because I don’t see any Navi around here that can prevent my friend from getting into your mind.” I told him hoping he would understand that I had no idea how to keep them out of his mind. I hadn’t seen Keo in 14 years. His real name was Keothi. Most that knew him only knew him as Keo, only a few knew his full name. I didn’t know if anything had changed in the last 14 years.
Keo smirked, “My mind is already locked, but you’re welcome to try to break through.”
A weight lifted off of my chest as I realized he meant Drake. Drake must have locked his mind and protected it before they went looking for me.
“Have it your way.” I said, stepping to the back, while Olivia moved forward.
Hiding in the shadows, I figured I would try to create a block on Keo’s mind. As Olivia stepped forward I focused on Keo’s mind. I thought about creating a shield over it. Olivia pulled out an electric rod and jabbed it into Keo’s side. Keo hollered out from the pain. Somehow a force pushed Olivia back. Annoyed that it didn’t work, Olivia tried again. She rammed the rod into Keo’s side again. Keo cried out in pain from the electricity. His eyes flew open this time. Keo’s eyes were pure black. Suddenly Olivia got thrown backward. I helped Olivia up as Keo’s eyes went back to normal. Olivia’s nose was bleeding.
“I told you, you could try.” Keo sneered.
At that moment, Boss walked in.
“If he can’t be broken by our Switch, then you know what to do, Ariya.” Boss said.
“Boss, I don’t know if torture is going to…” I started to say.
“Just do it, Ariya!” Boss shouted at me.
I clenched my jaw. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t hurt Keo. Not how he wanted me to.
“What? Don’t have the stomach to torture someone, little girl.” Keo baited me.
I knew he was giving me the go ahead. I grabbed Olivia’s electric rod from her and jabbed Keo in his thigh. Keo screamed in pain.
“Tell us what you know!” I shouted.
“Never! But keep going with the electricity, it’s starting to tickle. Probably the only effective technique you have anyway,” Keo spat at me.
I punched him in his stomach, hard. He doubled over, coughing. His lips lightly brushed my arm and I knew it was his way of telling me that it was ok. He could take it.
“Sorry, I don’t like bringing out the big guns immediately, you know? I may be a girl, but keep in mind, you’re being beat up by a girl right now.” I sneered back.
“Apologies,” Keo said as he looked up at me, “You definitely have a strong swing. That doesn’t mean I’m going to tell you anything though. You’re welcome to keep trying.”
I clenched my jaw. Angry at Boss for putting me on the spot, I would make him pay. I took a few swings at Keo, hitting him in the face. I hated myself for doing this. The door opened and Justin walked in. I hit Keo in the gut again and he coughed up blood.
“Tell us!”
“Sorry little one, you’re never going to get anything out of me. You’ll have to kill me before you get me to talk.”
I grabbed the electric rod and jabbed Keo in the gut again with it. He screamed in pain.
“Give me that.” Justin said to me, trading me a knife for the electric rod. Keo looked at him wide-eyed.
I turned back to Keo and with sorrow in my eyes I raised the knife.
“Last chance.” I told him.
“My real name is Keothi. And I’ll die before I talk.” Keo said looking up at me, a smirk on his face. At that moment it was like something clicked into place for me.
As I brought the knife down, Justin grabbed my hand and Olivia jabbed me in the back with the electric rod. I cried out in pain as the current went through me. Keo stared at us, wide eyed. While I was being electrocuted, Justin put cuffs on my wrists. Then he grabbed both of my elbows squeezing them together holding me in place.
“What the hell is going on?!” I shouted confused, looking at Boss.
“We have it on good knowledge that you’re a Navi, Ariya.” Boss sneered.
“You’re wrong.” I told him.
Justin shoved me hard against the wall. I hit the corner of the window right above my right eye. Keo growled in the background. Blood gushed out from the wound. Justin grabbed me and faced me to Boss again.
“Boss, look at me! I’m bleeding. If I was a Navi, would I be able to do that?” I pleaded with him.
The door opened again and Mya walked in. “Stop lying, Ariya. Admit what you are.” Mya told me.
I stared at Mya, wide eyed. She pulled out a knife and sliced her hand open. Mya gasped in pain and the blood flowed out from her wound. I stared at her hand. I resisted the urge to turn.
“Mya! What are you doing?!” I cried out.
Olivia jabbed me in the side with the electric rod again. I cried out in pain as I tried moving away from the current. Justin held me in place. Every time they electrocuted me I got a little hungrier. Mya’s hand didn’t help matters at all either.
The door opened up again and Link walked in. Link walked over to Mya and grabbed the knife. Then he walked over to me.
“Stop lying, Ariya. They know the truth. They know you are a Navi. They know you are Drake’s granddaughter. So stop lying already.” Link told me.
Link pointed the knife at my throat and I tried to move back but Justin wouldn’t let me. Link smirked and used the knife to cut my shirt off. I was terrified. By doing so, Link revealed the scar on my chest from where I’d been impaled. At least he was nice enough to leave my bra unscathed.
“Interesting how you could get a scar that big in the center of your chest and not die,” Boss cooed.
“Let me go.” I pleaded, my breathing picking up, I was so scared I was sure Keo was going to feel my fear. I was sure everyone could feel it.
“You know, after they told me, I remembered something, Ariya. That night, 14 years ago, I ran into Drake’s grandchildren. I tried to kill the girl that night. She stared at me with fear as I brought my sword down. However, the little boy got in the way to protect her. He shoved her out of the way and my sword missed where I wanted to hit. Instead, I gave the boy an upside down Y shaped scar on his left eye. The same scar you have now, Ariya. Which is interesting because you just got yours. But it reminded me of that. And this boy, Keothi, has that same scar over his left eye. You both have the most interesting gray eyes I’ve seen. As I went to kill the boy the first time, Drake showed up and instead of killing me when Drake had the chance, he got you both out of the way and saved you. That didn’t last too long though. I got the boy later when they were trying to escape. But the girl, she got away.”
I stared at Boss, nervous of what he was going to do next. I didn’t remember all of that. I remembered trying to escape. I remembered Keo dying, but he’s here, alive. Boss drew a sword and grinned his demonic grin. My breathing quickened. Boss took the sword and plunged it into my chest. Right where I’d been impaled. I roared in pain, then spit up blood.
“How does it feel, Ariya? To know that you were betrayed by everyone here?! Your team told me the truth and exposed everything. That boy over there, the look on his face tells me I’m right and that he cares about you.”
I gasped for air. Looking at Boss. He looked at his work, proud. He grabbed the sword and twisted it in my chest. I cried out in pain.
“Take her to interrogation room 5! We’ll deal with her in a minute!” Boss shouted victoriously. “Oh! And chain her up! I don’t want her sitting in a chair!”
Blood ran out of my mouth from the wound that Boss gave me. As Justin shoved me out of interrogation room 3. All I could think about was what Boss said mockingly.
“How does it feel, Ariya? To know that you were betrayed by everyone here?!”