The cell door slammed shut behind me with a heavy thud. I pounded on it until my hands were raw, until my knuckles split and my wrists turned purple with blood. The metal didn’t even rattle. Eventually the strength drained out of me, and I slid down the door to the floor. I curled into the corner, burying my face in my knees and wrapping my arms around my legs like a shield. I should have never trusted them. Any of them. I thought I’d found my people. But I hadn’t. They were liars. Cheats. Traitors. A strangled sound forced its way out of my throat as I wiped at my eyes with one arm, smearing purple across my face. I already knew how this would end. I’d rot in here. Fade away in some forgotten cell. That’s what happens to people like me. People who think differently. It’s what made me… well, me. All I ever wanted was to make people happy. And now I’m paying the price for it. After a while, minutes, maybe longer.I forced myself to stand and look around the room. The place was bare. A pile of blankets and towels had been dumped in one corner. The stone wall across from me was split by several long cracks. And at the bottom of the metal door, there was a narrow slit where they could shove food through. What am I even supposed to do here? The place was sealed tight. I knelt down and leaned toward the opening in the door, pressing one eye to the gap. I must have looked ridiculous, on my hands and knees, peering through a prison door like an idiot. Still, I managed to see a little. Another door sat directly across from mine. A hallway. So I wasn’t completely alone. Maybe I could talk to someone. But how? I started pacing the room, tapping a finger against my chin while I thought. The blood on my hands had dried now, flaking away in little purple chips. The torn skin stung, but that wasn’t exactly my biggest problem. Oh. I should probably introduce myself. I am JAERIN, former leader of the Rebellion of the Twelve Bloods. Last names are for suckers. Well. Not really the leader anymore. But still. I’m a violet-blooded Alternian troll, and I’ve always had a talent for getting into trouble. I guess this situation proves that pretty well. I’m good at puzzle solving, mechanics… and manipulation. That last one was supposed to be a good thing. Never mind. My hand drifted along the wall as I thought, until my fingers caught on one of the cracks. I pressed my nail into it and pried. A small chip of stone broke loose. Now that might be useful. I picked it up and crouched by the door again, sliding the rock through the slit and into the room across the hall. For a moment, nothing happened. I held my breath, straining to listen. Then I heard movement. “Whose mother___in’ rock just slid under my door?” The voice that came through was muffled, dry, and rough, like the speaker had been stuck here for a long, long time. “That’d be mine,” I called back. “I needed your attention. I want to escape.” My seadweller accent had grown more noticeable lately, especially as I got older. It slipped out even when I didn’t mean for it to. “Yeah. We all do,chumbucket,” the voice replied. “And we’re all still here.” “We?” “You think you’re the only one in this prison?” “Well- ah- no.” “Exactly. Have a nice life.” Then silence. This guy was going to be a pain to deal with. Fine. I’d prove him wrong. I’d find a way out of this place, and when I did, I’d get the rest of them out too. But first… After punching metal and having a complete mental breakdown, a nap sounded pretty great. I curled up on the pile of blankets and let sleep pull me under. - This story is interactable! Because I have a hard time drawing panels, I'm gonna try to go for the sort of Beyond-Cannon-ish style of just writing for a bit. This is a different story than Hivetrapped! -Next: First: You're Here!
