35. Frankie

Chapter 35

Frankie

Everything blurs except Valerie’s face. It’s all I can see, all I can focus on. My heart pounds a frantic rhythm against my ribs, each beat screaming danger, and the sounds of the present fade away like mist before the sun. I feel dizzy, and my legs are shaking so badly I think I might fall.

Suddenly, I’m not here anymore. I’m back there, in that room, reliving a nightmare I’ve tried so hard to forget...

The room materializes around me, its soft pink walls a sickening parody of innocence. Shadows writhe and pulse in the corners, as if the darkness is alive and hungry. The air feels thick, charged with malevolent energy that makes my skin crawl. The bed looks huge, like it’s going to swallow me up. Those metal bars feel like a cage. Its cold bars press against my skin, leaving imprints like brands of ownership.

I’m back in hell after a delicious respite, after tasting freedom, and now… now I’m chained again.

The air is heavy with a miasma of conflicting sensations. I can smell Valerie’s perfume, but there’s something else, something that makes me want to gag. Beneath it, the sharp bite of antiseptic burns my throat. The constant hum of fluorescent lights grates against my ears, while the taste of fear, metallic and bitter, coats my tongue. Even the shadows seem to have weight, pressing against my skin like a cold, damp shroud.

“There’s my girl,” Valerie coos, her fingers tracing patterns on my arm. Her touch is gentle, almost loving, but I know better now. I’ve learned the hard way that gentleness is just another weapon in her arsenal, as sharp and deadly as any blade.

I try to speak, but my throat is dry, my tongue heavy and useless in my mouth. How long has it been since I’ve had water? Days blur into weeks, maybe months. In this shadowed hell, time stretches and warps like the shadows themselves. How long have I been here? Days? Weeks? Not knowing is driving me crazy.

Valerie’s smile widens, predatory and cold. Her teeth gleam in the harsh light, too white, too perfect. “You did so well today, Francesca. Mr. Jameson was very pleased.”

The name sends a shudder through me, ice flooding my veins. Mr. Jameson, with his meaty hands and sour breath. He looked at me like I was a piece of meat to be devoured, his eyes roaming over me with a hunger that made me want to claw my skin off. I close my eyes tight, trying not to remember, but it’s stuck in my head. I can’t get it out.

“Look at me,” Valerie commands, her voice sharp enough to cut. When I don’t comply, her fingers grip my chin, her nails digging into my skin. “I said, look at me.”

I open my eyes, meeting her gaze. There’s something there, something I can’t quite place. Hunger? Pride? Whatever it is, it makes my skin crawl, a thousand insects marching across my flesh.

“Oh, Francesca,” Valerie purrs, her voice a silken caress that feels more violating than a slap. “You’re exquisite, darling. So much raw potential, just waiting to be... sculpted.”

She reaches for something on the bedside table, the movement graceful, almost languid. My heart rate spikes when I see the syringe in her hand filled with a strange, writhing light. The liquid inside seems to move of its own accord, tiny tendrils of radiance coiling and uncoiling within the glass chamber like living sunbeams.

The needle hovers above my skin, a metallic promise of pain and transformation. My breath catches, muscles tensing as I wait for the inevitable pierce. When the needle goes in, it burns. It feels like fire in my veins as she pushes the glowing stuff into me.

“What is that?” I croak out, my throat parched and raw as if I swallowed starlight.

Valerie’s smile is all teeth now, a predator baring its fangs before the kill. “Just a little something to help you relax and make you stronger.”

I try to pull away, but her grip on my arm is like iron, her fingers digging into my flesh hard enough to bruise. I’ll wear the marks of her touch for days, a physical reminder of my captivity. “No, please,” I beg, hating how small and powerless I’ve become. “I don’t want it.”

“Shh, shh,” Valerie soothes as if she’s comforting a child. Her free hand strokes my hair, the gesture perversely gentle. “Trust me, Francesca. I’m the only one who truly understands you… who can protect you.”

The light is everywhere. I can’t escape it. Something’s changing inside me, and I can’t stop it. It roars through my veins, primal and untamed. My heart races, and sweat beads on my skin, but beneath the terror, a thrill of exhilaration courses through me.

Even though it hurts, I see Valerie’s face change. Is she happy? Excited? I can’t tell. She leans in close, her lips brushing against my ear.

“That’s it,” she whispers, her voice thick with an emotion I can’t name. “Let it in. Embrace the light, Francesca. Become what you were meant to be.”

Radiance engulfs me, a tempest of daylight made tangible seeping into my very essence, but there’s something else there too, a power I’ve never felt before. I’m scared of this new power. It feels wild, like it could take over, but a small part of me, a part I’m afraid to acknowledge, wants to reach out and grasp it, to wield it like a weapon against those who hurt me.

Valerie’s voice seems to come from far away, echoing as if across a great distance. “You’re going to be so strong, Francesca, and when the time comes, you’ll choose the right pack — the one I choose for you.”

Pack? The word doesn’t make sense, but I can’t focus on it. The light is overwhelming. I’m lost in it, adrift without an anchor, my sense of self unraveling at the seams.

Time loses all meaning. I drift in and out of consciousness, aware only of the light that now seems to live beneath my skin and Valerie’s constant, suffocating presence.

She brings men to see me, their faces blurring together in my memory. They look at me with hunger in their eyes, but it’s different now. They seem... wary, as if they can sense the power thrumming through me and recognize the predator growing within the prey.

“She’s not ready yet,” I hear Valerie tell one of them, her voice low and filled with promise. “But soon, very soon.”

Ready for what? I want to ask, but the words won’t come. The light’s trying to tell me something. I can almost understand it. Something about power and getting back at people.

Days blur into weeks, maybe months. In this hell, time stretches and warps like the light itself. The injections continue, and with each one, I feel the power growing, changing me in ways I can’t fully comprehend. It scares me, this transformation, but it also exhilarates me. For the first time in my life, I feel strong and untouchable.

One night, as Valerie prepares another injection, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I barely recognize the girl staring back at me. My eyes are brighter, and there’s something new in them — power, maybe? It’s like I’m turning into something...

“What am I becoming?” I whisper, unable to look away from my reflection.

Valerie’s hands settle on my shoulders, her touch both comforting and terrifying. “Something magnificent,” she murmurs, her lips close to my ear. “Something unstoppable.” Her eyes meet mine in the reflection, a spark of something like pride in their depths. “You’re almost ready, Francesca. Soon, you’ll reach your true potential, and then...” She trails off, her smile full of radiant promises.

“And then what?” I ask, my voice stronger than it’s been in days. There’s an edge to it now, a hint of the power coursing through me.

Valerie’s smile widens, a slash of white in the brilliance. “And then you’ll help us usher in a new era. The light is stirring, Francesca. Change is coming, and you’ll be at the heart of it all.”

Valerie’s eyes gleam with a fervent light, as if she’s seeing something beyond this room. “We’ll reshape the world, you and I,” she whispers, her eyes gleaming with bright promise. “And those who doubted us... Well, let’s just say the coming dawn will sweep away more than just the old order.”

As the needle pierces my skin once more, I feel something inside me shift. The light no longer feels alien. Now, it feels like a part of me, an extension of my will.

My birthright.

As the familiar fiery lightning spreads through my veins, I don’t fight it this time. Instead, I reach for it, pulling the light closer, letting it seep into every part of me. It’s terrifying and exhilarating, and for the first time, I feel truly alive.

I drift off, and a spark of defiance flares in my chest. I may be changing, but I’m not Valerie’s puppet. I’ll master this power, but on my terms, and when I do, I’ll be the one calling the shots.

The light offers no answers, only the seductive promise of power, but I’m not just a vessel for their plans. I’ll find a way to use this power on my terms, no matter what it takes.

As I slip deeper into unconsciousness, I wonder what price I’ll have to pay for it. What parts of myself will I have to sacrifice on this altar of light?

In the end, will it be worth it?