They Called Me FIVE

LANCE

I blink back my surprise. The voice was so undiscerning, so playful, and full of misplace humor it's hard to imagine it came from the same person whom I talk inside my head back in the rooftop 70 days ago. 

A spray of blood got me in my left eye. I squint. Two other skully warriors are on their way of decapitating Magnus' leg. Beads of sweat flush out of his scalp. His blonde hair has now transform into pined thick wood chipped color. 

"Hey, Magnus! How's without kneecaps coming up? Can you walk?" Seven asked. 

"Oh yes, I can't! But I could fart over your fake ugly face feigning dead in front of me if you want. Free of charge." Magnus answered in my head. 

Wait, was that really him? He looks like he passed out in his chair. His two hands, and one leg missing.

"Right, now I can finally dedicate this special song, composed by your ever great adorable me, SEVEN THE CUTEST! Be honored, lowly Seeker!" Seven made a noise between a cough and choke sound in her throat before humming a tuneless I have Two hands nursery rhyme tune. 

"You listen too loser Five," she snapped. I'm not sure I should respond. 'Yes, maam' or 'Are you insane? Magnus is in the middle of getting all his body parts sawed off and all you can do is sing?'

Because I think all this conversation is only going on in my head. I must be going crazy.

"You're right, Five. Listen one song from this idiot and your brains will scream 'let me out of here' inside your skull." Magnus remarked. Seven seems to not let it affect her as she sings in out of tune voice,

"I have no hands, Faeries butchered it off! Hold them up high, so bloody and gory. Clap my feet softly, one, two, three, oh I forgot I lost one leg!"

"Gamiti skýla"

I'm not sure I heard him right. But I could have sworn those are the same two words my chemistry teacher muttered under his breath when I accidentally put his lab gown on fire. And that was back in grade school. When I search the net, it means "f*ck off, b*tch." 

Seven wasn't contended. She kept singing her own lame version of two hands on a loop. Annoying no one except barely holding onto life Magnus.

"Magnus?" 

No answer. 

"I lost two legs~ they cut it off, make it wear pink Santa shoes and wrapped –"

"Seven, stop for a second." She obliged. "What?"

"Magnus isn't responding. It can't be he -" I can't utter the word 'die' even in my own thoughts.

"Oh, naïve loser Five, I'll let you know that bracelet he receives from the Deities is more than just what meets in the eye. It keeps you all alive for as long as you're sticking together. Like horny bananas."

"Twin bananas." I corrected. "There's no such thing as horny bananas."

"Whatever. Anyway, the gems that was stored in there, the thirteen gems, represents each one of you. That's what keeping you all connected. The more you seek and find out the others, the stronger your bond is, the lesser the chances any of you Twelve Eklektos dying. You're interjoined. As if you're having twelvesome with Magnus." 

'Twelvesome'. By manly instinct, I'm hating that word already. I never knew Seven was a pervert. Nothing in her appearance nor manner suggest that she is. 

"Don't you dare. My master is not like that." Seven said.

"Master?" 

"Seven. You just badmouth her! I will not forgive you."

"Hold on, aren't you Seven?"

"I am."

"Then who are you referring Master Seven?" 

Magnus answered the question for me. "Five, I should probably tell you that the person you've been seeing with ever since I appeared in Opra is not really the 'real' Seven. It's that poser."

"What do you mean?"

My question wasn't answered as Lista shouted. "That's enough for the day!" 

Magnus body was dragged from the opposite door where I was shoved into. Lista is walking in front of me. I heard his voice, sneering voice taunting me. Telling me to give up, to just do what they want or he''ll have no choice but to make Magnus suffer even more.

After our brief exchange in my head, how casual and pretty normal Magnus sounds like, I wasn't worried about him. I got the feeling he's already gotten use of the pain and just either feigned exhaustion to play with his captor's feelings. 

That's the vibe I got after he guttered "Bring it on." 

Lista... I wonder if Magnus knew who he really was. I'm not in the position to break it to Magnus. 

I've learned to never meddle with other people's business in the hard way. It's because of my unnerving drive to "save everyone" that I'm exactly on this mess right now. 

I can't only blame Dad, Lista and Meira for betraying me. I'm part of it too. If I didn't make irrational decisions.... Things would have been different by now. 

I wonder where Dad is. What happened to him. Lista keeps hanging around me. And I got tired staring at his pathetic ugly face with misshapen nose. 

When I was shove right inside of my cell, a small zipped, like a mosquito bite zapped in my head. I groaned. 

"Ehem. Telepath test, one, two, three, Lance can you hear me?" It was Magnus. 

"Loud and clear," I said. 

"Good." He affirmed. 

"I see you haven't changed Lance, you're nose is still squashy ugly." He noted. I instinctively touch my nose. 

"Like I have time to trim and massage it to make it larger than french bread." 

"But you seem stronger though. There's a dangerous aura hanging around you. Did you notice those nasty skully warriors with no skin? They kept their distance. That means you're intimidating them." He said, I snort. 

"If that was real, then, can you tell me how exactly am I doing that?" 

Magnus ignored my question. 

"Oh, I see you've been training by yourself. Good job. Don't stop Lance. You'll need all the training you can get for when we break out from this hell." Magnus said.