Crowns on the Floor

Chapter 31:(Y/N)

(Y/N)

I switch off my PDD just as the lights switch off again and feel my way to the bed.

Now that that's done, I think I'm kinda sleepy...

I sprawl onto the mattress that's so very soft. It's probably nighttime now, and after all the emotionally draining things that have happened in the past couple days, I think I deserve a (hopefully) good night's sleep.

Amit's and Zuri's deaths may have been a lie, I wonder, probably just another trick to ruin my mental state further so they can break me easy, make me soft, pliable.

I sigh.

Geez, Why is my mind so frazzled? That Modification...

I close my eyes and after a couple troubled thoughts, the darkness envelops me. Strangely, I hear a soft hissing sound just as I fall asleep.

Hmm...

...

I jolt awake when I hear the slam of a door. It's still pitch black and I cannot see, but the hair on the back of my neck stands at attention. I feel around for my hidden pocket only to catch on a piece of clothing where it should've been.

Shit..No, no, no! Is this what I think it is?

I push the blanket aside and feel at the edges of the torn clothing. My ears ring, and I can feel myself struggling to breathe.

Someone yanked the pocket off of me in my sleep. Why didn't I feel it? My PDD's gone!

I suddenly hear loud banging outside and a bunch of shouting. It doesn't help the ringing and it worries me so so much. The ringing shouldn't be there, the shouting shouldn't be there, I shouldn't be here!

I feel tears stream down my face and my throat close up. I can't breathe and everything's suddenly too much. The ringing, the shouting of strangers I cannot see, and a darkness that suffocates me so much I can't even breathe. It's too much and I can't take it anymore.

I claw at my throat, convinced it's swelling shut as nausea threatens to take over. The walls feel like they're moving closer and my fingers feel like they aren't my own. I've never felt this kind of raw panic before and the fact doesn't help at all. 

The world spins and before I know it, my kees have buckled and my head's hit the floor with a dull thud. I squirm desperately on the floor when all goes black.

....

Amadis

My heart stops dead in its tracks as I saw (Y/N) claw at her throat as tears stream down her face.

We'd all agreed that (Y/N)'s state of mind would not be able to handle direct punishment, nor would it be useful in the long term. While Valerius and Ren had insisted on finishing off her friends, the rest of us had to explain that killing her friends would make us lose the little tangible leverage we held over her. Moreover, after reading the emergency message she broadcasted, Caspian was able to access the tablet because it seems the tablet unlocks on its own when SOS messages are sent and received.

Isn't that neat?

It also helped us discover that two rats linger in our castle. Or lingered, considering my beloved told them to run.

Eunwoo and Oliver...

Either way, we came to the conclusion that taking her tablet away was the most logical thing to do. It was probably the only thing tethering her to reality and the outside world. With that gone and a little more.. persuasion, she would be compelled to realize her love for us and we would adore her evermore.