The Neverseen's Last Resort

26

Dex

Dex grunted, trying to wriggle free from the chains that bound him to the hard, cave walls. For the past few days-- weeks, however long it'd been-- Dex had been drugged and sedated. His stomach growled, begging for sustenance. But the only food he ever got was strange slush with mysterious chunks in it and filthy mud water for hydration. 

Each cell could hold two prisoners, and lucky for Dex, he was paired with Linh. She'd filter the water with her abilities, but she was too weakened to really do anything more. 

He could hear Tam and Stina grumbling and complaining. Stina, complaining. And Tam, grumbling. 

"I'm hungryyyy," Stina would whine, every five minutes. And when food actually came, "I don't want this. I want Mallowmelt. Ripplefluffs**. Something!"

"Shut up!" Tam would say when he finally snapped. But not ten minutes later, the cycle restarted and Stina would be whining again. 

To his right, Marella. Alone. The rest of the Collective had been dragged off somewhere "special"-- according to Gethen. He'd read their minds enough to know all the secrets about the Black Swan. And all the secrets they had in general. 

All. The. Secrets. It was not Dex's favorite moment when Gethen learned of "the kiss". 

The time when Sophie had kissed Dex to prove they weren't meant to be? Yeah. That kiss. And Gethen had howled with laughter, literal tears spilling from his eyes and he was breathless from all the laughter, afterwards. That was probably even worse than the kiss itself.

But whatever secret Gethen had learned from Tam, Dex had to find out later. 

"Dex?" a voice croaked, and Dex flinched at the sudden noise. Briefly forgetting the chains that restrained him, Dex tried to rush and help Linh. But the chains yanked him back and his back slammed the rocky wall, adding to his already bruised and bleeding back. 

"Dex," Linh groaned, sitting up. The sedatives for her must've worn off, too. 

"Are you okay?" Dex asked, and Linh tried a smile as she nodded.

"Fine. Just..." she paused, her drugged mind trailing off before it found the right word, "Dehydrated," she finally said. Dex nodded.

"Me too. What about the air?" he asked. Multiple times now, he'd seen her draw water particles from the air. But, "It's too dry here. How long have I been out?" 

"I just woke up two hours ago," Dex shrugged, "I dunno." 

Linh nodded, letting out a sigh. And Dex felt bad for her. Because, for the few times they'd both been awake together, Linh had done her best to stay optimistic. She'd kept smiling and telling Dex someone would rescue them. Or Mr. Forkle would find a way. That somehow they'd escape. 

But now, it seemed as though she were at her breaking point. Her smile was faded, and her voice was filled with hopelessness. She had given up, and if Linh had given up, Dex knew it was time to accept the truth. 

They weren't escaping. Sophie was who-knows-where. And there was no one left to rescue them. 

Locks clicked from down the rocky hall, and footsteps boomed, echoing throughout the hollow caves. Dex and Linh both strained, fighting against their chains to see through the rusty, metal bars. 

At first, Dex had thought the Neverseen had returned with more sedatives. He tensed, mentally preparing for the pills to be shoved down his throat. But, luckily, that wasn't the case. Instead, "Wraith?" Linh called, as two cloaked figures dragged a limp, bleeding body down the hall, "Wraith!" 

But Linh's calls were ignored as the men continued down the hall and through the doors where the rest of the Collective had been taken. 

Tears welled in Dex's eyes. They were stuck. All hope was lost. It was only Keefe, Fitz, and Biana now. It was all up to them. The entire being of the Black Swan rested on his friends' lives. Sophie's life rested in their hands. As did Dex's. And Linh's. And everyone else.

Next to him, Linh was crying. Stifling her sobs with her cape. They were small squeaks and whimpers, what you'd expect from someone like Linh. In the cell to Dex's left, Tam grumbled.

"It's hopeless. There's no getting out." And Linh cried harder. 

"No," Marella said, "We need to trust the others. We have to trust them. We have no other choice. Hope is all we have left. Let's not let the Neverseen take that, too."

Those words, though little, seemed to make their depressing situation, if only the littlest bit, better. And it also brought back Linh's smile.

"You're right," she agreed, wiping her running nose on her cape, "Let's hope. Show the Neverseen how strong we are. We're unbreakable. Strong. We'll fight as long and hard as we need. We will win." 

"What? Three kids in charge of saving the world?" Tam scoffed, and Dex found it surprising Stina hadn't said a word. Was she still sedated?

"Let us have our hope, Tam," Stina grumbled, and Dex nodded. Nope. Definitely awake. Her next words were barely a whisper. Yet, despite the wall between them, Dex still heard her mutter, "It's all we have left." 

"Yeah," Dex added, "Don't go from Bangs Boy to Mr. Negativity," though the attempt at a joke fell flat. No one said anything. But he could practically hear Tam's eyes roll. 

More footsteps. This time, Dex knew what it was. 

An unidentifiable figure unlocked Marella's cell first. And he flinched as Marella gagged and choked on the pills before finally swallowing them. Fifteen seconds and thud! She was asleep. 

To his right, two other members were dealing with Tam and Stina. Thirty more seconds and thump! thump!

Then it was Dex's turned. They stormed the cell, drugging Linh first. Making sure she was fully asleep before they moved on to Dex. 

He tried to resist, gluing his mouth shut tightly. But it only took seconds for them to pry it open and shove the drugs down his throat. 

Dex moaned, a sleepy feeling washing over him. But he shook his head, doing his best to stay awake. He tried to fight the drowsiness that was setting in.

Fifteen seconds passed. Dex shook his head to shake himself awake. His brain rattled against his skull, but he ignored the dizziness as he pried his eyes open. 

Thirty seconds. 

Forty.

Fifty.

Almost there. Almost a minute. But the sleepiness was growing heavier on his eyelids. And he knew it wouldn't be long. A punch to the gut knocked Dex to his stomach, clutching it tightly. But he was already on the floor. And the sedatives were taking over. 

Dex's periwinkle eyes fluttered, straining to stay awake. But it was too late. His eyes closed and the last thing he heard were the Neverseen's voices. 

"What now?" One asked.

"Now? Now, we prepare for the final stage. Let's prepare the moonlark."

The words followed Dex into his dreams, haunting them.