NESS
I’m blindfolded as guards carry me through the island and into the Bounds. I only hear the screech of the cerulean phoenix that circles the towers, the harsh winds, and Bishop instructing the guards to process Luna for solitary confinement and me for a cell with minimal supervision. Between this and the fact that they haven’t cuffed me in any neutralizing gauntlets, I guess I’m not the threat they’ve made me out to be.
I’ll die here knowing the truth—and knowing that they know it too.
I can tell we’re inside when the winds stop, replaced by the sound of gates clanging. Throughout the halls it smells like sweat, burnt flesh, and rank vomit.
I stop keeping track of where we’re going after the third flight of stairs. Doing so only tricks me into thinking there’s a chance for escape. If I couldn’t break free from my childhood home, I have no chance inside this labyrinth. There’s power in resigning to your fate.
Inmates are cheering and roaring as I’m pushed through the halls. They see someone young, but they have no idea what power I have. I could probably use that to my advantage for a day or two.
A cell door is opened, and I’m unstrapped from the stretcher. By the time I remove my blindfold, the door is locked. I groan as I sit up. There’s a bed, a toilet, and a bloody handprint on the wall. I have a dozen neighbors down this hall and Bishop is watching me from outside the bars like I’m some caged animal.
“Did you ever think you’d be back here under these conditions?” Bishop asks.
“I don’t need small talk. This is punishment enough.”
“You’re on my turf, Eduardo, and I’m doing you a courtesy so you’re not surprised when your door suddenly opens within the next hour.” The stupidest thought that Bishop might try to help me passes through my mind. “These cells sometimes get overcrowded, and when that happens my guards unlock cells for survival of the fittest. I unfortunately can’t be on the premises when this happens, but I’m looking forward to hearing about the results of a new game to make it extra exciting—Hunt the Shifter.”
This is why I was blindfolded.
This is why my power wasn’t neutralized.
This is why they’re not bothering to put me in a custom cell.
I’m about to be in for the final fight of my life.