Losing Game

"What the fuck is that-"

"Read the files, Sword." The woman said, her voice cold, almost calculating. She looked up from the documents in her hands, her eyes slightly narrowing as she met my gaze. Then, with a sigh, she pushed herself away from the wall, her movements slow, deliberate. The faint click of her boots echoed in the small room as she walked over to us.

As she stopped in front of me, she bent down, her gaze narrowing as she examined me. The intensity of her stare made me feel exposed, like prey under the watchful eyes of a predator. I blinked, jjrealizing that I had unconsciously sat down on the floor when we entered. I couldn't remember when I'd dropped to my knees. The room around me spun slightly, and I glanced around in confusion, my head throbbing with unease. My whole body was shaking.

What were they going to do to me? Were they kind? Or were they... they? My thoughts scrambled together in a panic, and I couldn't focus on anything but the overwhelming sense of dread that clung to me.

"I will get Vexley," one of the soldiers said, his voice quiet but firm, as he stepped toward another door—one that had been hidden in plain sight, almost blending with the surroundings. It closed behind him with a quiet click.
"I'm sword and this pretty lady is Elaine." The man said, gesturing towards himself and the woman.
"So, what's your name?" Sword asked, his voice sharp and curious but there was a cocky grin forming his lips. He leaned forward, scanning Crystal and me with an almost disinterested air, as if he was bored already. The woman straightened herself and sat down in a chair next to Sword, her eyes lingering on us. Her stare felt like a weight pressing against my chest.

"Crystal.", Crystal replied.

"I don't know...", I croaked, my voice hoarse, barely above a whisper. The words barely escaped me, thick with a lifetime of fear and confusion.

Both Elaine and Sword raised an eyebrow at the response, but the way they did it was starkly different. Elaine's eyebrow arched with cold calculation, while Sword's had a tinge of amusement.

"You don't know? Why not?" Sword asked, leaning in closer, his tone mocking.

"Read the goddamn files, dumbass," Elaine sighed, rolling her eyes. Her patience had already worn thin.

"Well, I didn't. So why?" Sword sneered, clearly unconcerned by Elaine's irritation.

"He got here when he was ten," Elaine explained, her voice a mixture of contempt and indifference. She turned her gaze to me, her eyes colder than before, almost clinical. "Of course, he forgot his name."

Sword's expression shifted, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. He glanced at me and then back to Elaine. "Don't worry. She's always like this." He shook his head, feigning hurt, as Elaine scoffed.

"Why is your name Sword?" Crystal suddenly asked, standing up, her voice tinged with a sharp edge. She had been sitting too, but now, there was a certain unease in her posture. She looked like she was strong—perhaps stronger than me—but there was something broken about her, something hidden beneath the surface that I couldn't quite place.

"Why is your name Crystal?" Sword shot back without hesitation, grinning as he stood up, turned the chair around, and sat down again, manspreading nonchalantly as he looked down at her.

Elaine's eyes flicked down at him, her gaze heavy, almost judgmental. I didn't notice the room at first, too consumed by the tension, but now that my eyes wandered, I realized it was painted a sickly yellow, with two brown tables and five chairs scattered around the space. It looked... sterile, unwelcoming. The light was too warm, almost suffocating. I glanced up at it, the intensity of the light searing into my retina.
What were they going to do with me? Where was I? What had I gotten myself into?
Why? Why is all that happening? Why and who are Elaine and Sword why... why aren't they hurting me?