Shame.

Dan knew the emotion that attacked his mental state as he laid on the ground covered in rags.

He was slumped over, slowly waking up. His hands desperately reaching towards his face, wiping the welling droplets that fell from his eyes. The attempt was fruitless. He ended up missing so many, because they kept coming in swarms, drizzling down his face towards his tongue. Their salty flavor stung and refused to go away, confirming this was his reality.

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” he thought and gave up trying to hide his face from his oppressors.

Above him were two figures.

Both were female, glaring at his pathetic state hard enough to feel as though they were drilling holes in his brain.

The one to his right was looking smug, as if she fought a great battle and won. There was an air about her that reminded Dan of an empress; if that empress were a cold-blooded snake.

Like the snake she was, she had a lean build. Very ladylike in appearance, but once someone saw through those scales of hers they’d suffer her “startle display” and feel threatened immediately. As she moved, emerald earrings rattled against her person, a kind of warning sound alerting prey of her presence.

Dan shivered visibly. This woman’s stare could turn one to stone if they looked hard enough. The mere thought made his legs turn into jelly, it was a miracle he didn’t collapse right then and there under that predatory gaze.

He turned to his left to see another woman.

If the woman to her side was like an empress, this lady, as Dan could only describe, looked like a princess. She was rigid in stature but it showed her unbreakable attitude. Delicate eyes sewn with malice stared hard at him. She covered half of her face with a turquoise fan, so he was unable to see her face properly, but her aura was domineering, much like Miko’s.

“Wait, Miko? Who was that again?” Dan wondered.

A face didn’t come to mind. The more Dan struggled to think about the said person (if it was even a persona at all) the foggier his memories became. He tried to search again, but nothing came up, as if there was an empty space in his mind.

“In fact,” now that he thought of it, “What happened before this?”

He couldn’t recall what exactly was going on nor why he is in the state that he’s currently in.

… What was I doing again?

Dan became panicked once more.

Actually, why was I crying earlier? Where am I?

His brain kept berating him with new questions, but he could find no answers. Utter dread hit him like an anvil to his skull. He broke out into a sweat, trying to recollect his breathing.

Why am I here, who are these people? Didn’t I suffer enough, there was something… something troubling happened. I can’t remember… wait, what happened, why was it so troubling?

Putting his hand to his head as if it hurt, Dan made an attempt to suppress his stream of consciousness from overflowing. Yet, no matter what he did, his thoughts would not subside.

It took one of the ladies to bring him back from his inner turmoil.

“What a despicable child. After a slight disagreement you hide with your tail beneath your legs? You don’t deserve to breathe the same air as us.” The Empress sternly commented.

Dan’s whole body jerked.

What exactly was going on, he must have done something for them to treat him this way. There always was an explanation to everything, so why isn’t there one for this scenario?

“Sister, don’t waste time with this trash,” the Princess warned. She gave him a once over and Dan saw her eyes wrinkle in disgust. “He’s just a filthy rat that strayed into our home.”

Not true.

Wait, why wasn’t that true?

He felt as if he knew these ladies, and was somehow wronged by them. Looking at them again made his stomach uneasy, it’s as if their entire presence felt off somehow.

“I concur,” agreed the Empress, swaying her head causing those pesky earrings to rattle again. “Let’s not waste our vitality. Come sister, let us go and let this one wallow in his sins.”

The Princess felt utterly satisfied leaving this boy in the dank room, she could not wait to take her heels off of the putrid floors in which this child walked on. Just thinking about it sent shivers down her spine.

The two made their way towards the door which was the only light source in the concreted space that was now Dan’s living quarters. He watched as they headed into the brightness as he was left in darkness surrounded by all of his fears.

No, I can’t let this be it. There must be something I can do.

He watched their retreating backs, every step they took made him even more nervous about the thought of being secluded in this dump. He can’t have that, no, he won’t have that.

Without thinking he called out.

“Wait!”

The Princess, arrogant as she was, kept going without looking back at the sunken boy. The pure white enveloped here entire being, swallowing her whole.

It was the Empress who’s heels had halted.

Half in the dark and half in the light she turned back, eyes red with venom, and hissed at Dan’s lowly figure.

“What?”

“Um.” Dan hesitated, he didn’t think this far.

There’s no going back now.

“Whatever I did, I was wrong. I’m sorry. Please don’t leave me.”

The Empress stared back at his expectant gaze, drawing out his hope and his despair. She watched his face, looking for his sincerity, Dan did not know.

A drip could be heard in the corner of the room. Then a second. It acted as a clock counting down the seconds. Drop after drop, Dan felt the agonizing sting of suspense that clung to his brain.

The only thing he knew was that it took a whole minute, sixty drops, of her glaring at him until she squashed his anticipation.

“You will rot down here until the ball is over. You, a maggot, should not be allowed near the prince do you understand.”

Dan did not.

A ball? A Prince, like in a fairy tale?

But he nodded anyway, showing his compliance. Whatever it was, he’ll get out of the way, he did not want a worse fate happening if he disobeyed.

The Empress did not change her fierce expression, but just nodded.

“Good. See? That wasn’t so hard. You should have agreed the first time.”

Then she walked out, letting the metal door shut behind her, and leaving Dan alone in the darkness with his confusion.