The water continued to roar past her, deafening. You can’t show emotion, a wary part of her mind hissed in her ear. You have no empathy. Charlotte swallowed, closing her eyes and trying desperately to still her racing heart.

“James,” she yelled again, desperately trying to ignore the rising panic in her throat. “James, answer me,” she repeated angrily.

Suddenly the silence was broken and in the darkness she heard a gasp and spluttering. “Charlotte?” James coughed, as the cameras raced to find him, bobbing out on the water.

“I’m here,” she sighed relieved. “I’m over here – follow the light from the camera”. Very slowly, James fought against the current towards her, missing her exact spot by about ten feet, but finding the same ledge. 

“We n-n-need to g-get out,” James spluttered, heaving himself on to the ledge with her. Charlotte sidled towards him, awkwardly. Her limbs were heavy from the cold water, uncoordinated. She moved beside him, very aware of how much he was trembling.

“Which way is out?” Charlotte whispered, trying to keep her teeth from chattering. James looked at her carefully, his features caught in the blue glare of the camera, his green eyes searched her face. He was asking her something, she knew it. She could feel it inside her; but he wouldn’t say it. He wouldn’t voice it. She watched him carefully for a moment, his trembling body, his blue lips and his pale skin. She couldn’t say if it was due to the camera or the cold water. She found herself wondering if James was ok. She could see the same question mirrored in his eyes. She forced a slight smile and nodded, answering his unspoken words.

This seemed to pacify James. He glanced around and then suddenly shot his hand towards the closest camera, not quiet reaching it but holding it motionless with his alteration. Charlotte watched as if effortlessly the camera began to rotate steadily, its blue light growing brighter and brighter. The other cameras hovered about watching the scene unfold below them as the blue light filled the room, casting an eerie glow over the roaring, subterranean river before them. It was a wonder that they had been able to make it to the ledge. Charlotte was fully aware that it was pure luck she had found the foothold in the wall. The water roared before her, grasping at her legs and trying its best to sweep her back into its depths.

The blue light filled the entire space; a large cavern with high cement walls and a crude vaulted ceiling. The water glistened in the blue hue from the camera as the torrents rushed passed them. There seemed to be no entrance other than the gaping hole in the roof they had come through.

“There’s no way out,” Charlotte growled finally. James glanced at her, gritting his teeth as he tried and failed to supress a shiver. The cold was making it hard for Charlotte to think.

“Of course there is,” he said breathily. Charlotte watched him carefully. “Well, he wasn’t going to make it easy. Look, over there,” he said pointing a trembling hand towards the far wall. Charlotte followed his gaze staring at the blue lit wall across the biting water.

“What are you talking about?” she asked, looking back at him. His eyes appeared a strange aqua green in the ghostly light.

“The middle section is different,” he explained. “Look there are two seams – there and there, about an arm span apart”. Charlotte stared from him to the wall, uncertainly. “Why would a solid cement wall have seams?” James asked with a wide smile.

“It’s the way out?” she replied, though her voice was uneven from the cold water. “Can we get over there?”

“Not without going back in,” James said. “There’s only one way across. I mean I could try, but I just…” He zoned out for a moment, staring ahead unseen. Charlotte watched him, questioningly, trying to read his mind. She knew that some part of him was working on their escape, but what he saw ahead of them she could not truly tell. If he was anything like her, he would see their surroundings differently; she could see the fear in people, taste it, and sense it in its infinite manifestations. He saw the world too, through his own senses, his own inbuilt abilities, unique to him alone.

“What is it?” she whispered, as the camera light grew dim. It stopped rotating and gained control over itself, instantly returning in to position with the other cameras.

“No, we have to swim. The construction of the room is deliberately unstable. It is like a mine field. If I start pulling and twisting the room this way and that it will bring it down on top of us,” he explained in a shaky, whispered voice. His lips were tinged with blue as he pressed them together, his breath rising in front of him in an icy cloud. “They do this sometimes, to stop it being so easy,” he laughed shakily. “Adds more of a challenge to the whole thing”.

Charlotte coughed a wheezy laugh, glancing back towards the far wall. Her legs were heavy and she felt weak and dizzy from the cold. The icy water seemed to suck the very air from the cavern, leaving breathing to be an arduous task. She had never felt such a bracing cold, a cold that reached her bones and confused her mind. No doubt that was Elmhirst’s aim. “So we just swim for it?” she grumbled. She knew if they waited much longer they would have little chance at finishing the course, or even making it out of the tunnel for that matter.

James nodded reluctantly. The last thing either of them wanted to do, was jump back into the icy water. Charlotte knew it would take everything in her just to reach the other side. James seemed to be having the same concerns. For he turned towards her staring at her with a tight expression. His green eyes searched hers. She could see the worry in their depths; she could feel the fear emanating from him. “We need to swim straight. The water is draining out through a grate beneath the surface over there. It will drag us that way and will do everything to pull us under. You need to fight it”.

“But, how do you know?” she asked, glancing to where he had indicated.

“I just do… I’ll explain later,” he shivered. “We need to move now”. He eased himself down into the water, inhaling sharply despite himself. Charlotte followed him, clenching her teeth. He looked back at her and nodded tightly, his expression full of concern and worry. She shook her head as he turned away, trying to dismiss the intense peak in his fear. It was tempting but she fought it, trying to stay focused on the task in hand. This was something she had to do herself. This was something they both had to do alone. She couldn’t fail and need him to rescue her in this. She was as strong as he was, if not stronger in so many aspects but one wrong move could devalue her greatly.

She inhaled shakily, ignoring the worries plaguing her mind and together they pushed off from the wall. Immediately Charlotte felt the currents begin to drag her beneath the icy surface. It took every ounce of strength she had to keep her head above the water. She lost sight of James in the dull light, but trusted him to make it. She had enough to worry about. The current dragged her below, the icy water filling her nostrils and mouth, she broke the surface spluttering and coughing but she continued kicking towards the distant wall. Her eyes were watery and stingy from the cold, and she had no feeling in her fingers, feet or face.

With a last push she stretched out for the wall. There was no ledge on this side and she groped the wall for anything to hold onto but there was nothing. It was smooth, polished cement and unyielding beneath her frozen fingers. The camera closest shone slightly on the wall, revealing the seam James had pointed out from the far side. She tried prying it open with her fingers but nothing happened. Fear caught in her throat as she kicked against the current. If it was a trap, a ruse to mislead them, they had just jeopardised their chances and perhaps their lives. She banged on the wall, trying to keep her panic hidden from the cameras. It was almost impossible to grip on to the wall.

“There has to be something,” she spluttered, fighting against the unrelenting wall. “There has to be”.

“Charlotte,” James gasped, appearing breathlessly beside her.

“I can’t find anything,” she said, trying to keep her head above the water. “There’s nothing – were you wrong?” The muscles in her arms and back were beginning to ache, as she tried to cling to the wall.

“No, I was right. Just hold on,” he said, taking a deep breath and disappearing beneath the water. Charlotte didn’t know what to do as she was left alone. She was considering going beneath the water to try and find him when the walls beneath her fingers began to rumble. James appeared, his blonde head breaking the surface as Charlotte lost her grip on the wall, which was now grinding and moving into a new position. James caught her around the waist, getting a better hold on the wall which had now become staggered steps, pushing back and stopping at intervals.

James held Charlotte tight to him as he waited for the wall to stop its repositioning. Charlotte was breathless, as she clung to him with all her strength, and both she and James were shivering. She felt as if she would never be warm again. “Are you okay?” James whispered, so quietly that Charlotte doubted the microphones even picked up his words. Her whole body hurt, her muscles were protesting the slightest movement.

“Cold,” she breathed in response, as James searched her face questioningly. He nodded tightly and lifted her out of the water onto the first step. Charlotte moved back from the water as if it was toxic, as James hauled himself out of the depths after her. “I will never be warm again,” she whispered, unable to stop her body from shaking.

“We need to get moving. We need to heat up,” James sighed, struggling to his feet. Charlotte reluctantly stood up too. Her entire body tingled, but she knew she had to be strong in front of the cameras. She couldn’t even imagine what else they would have to face. The cameras still followed them and for the first time Charlotte wished they were not there, that she had a moment to get her thoughts straight; but they would never afford her that.

She forced her body to walk up the steps, as she unhooked the dagger from her belt. She couldn’t stop her teeth from chattering or her limbs from trembling, but she knew her body was adapted to deal with these extremes. She knew she would be okay once she started moving. The steps were shallow but they stretched up far beyond the vaulted ceiling of the cavern before petering into another corridor. The walls, floor and ceiling were all polished cement and strip lighting gave the corridor a stark clinical appearance, just like the hospital.

Charlotte strained her senses to try and figure out what would be next, but all seemed silent. The turmoil and noise of the water still echoed in her ears, a powerful memory. The tunnel was long and they walked quickly, too on edge to run, too cold to be overly-cautious. It twisted this way and that, every section as identical as the last. Charlotte wondered briefly where the others were, but didn’t voice her curiosities. She had seen a different James today, and it was strange, but she felt she didn’t know what to say to him. She knew there was something different between them now. Their usual conversations had always been arguments or underhanded remarks, but this exhibition seemed to allow them find a common ground. It was strange because she had expected that having to work with him would have forced them further apart. She had no doubt that James had believed that too, and Elmhirst had seemed particularly delighted at the idea all those weeks ago when he announced their new roles. The exhibitions were always full of surprises, she sighed inwardly. This was no different.

Finally their seemingly endless path diverged, splitting into three apparently identical tunnels. Charlotte stared at each in turn as if they would reveal some secret to help her in their choice. “What do you think?” James asked finally, frowning.

“I’m not sure,” she said slowly. “They all seem the same”.

“Almost,” James agreed. “The first is very slightly sloped downwards, while the third slopes slightly upwards. The middle is flat, the same level as this corridor”. He gazed from one to the other trying to see more.

Charlotte bit her lip. She knew this was where everything could go wrong. If they chose the incorrect path, it would mean they would either fall into a trap or have to backtrack and lose valuable time. They also had to win. It wasn’t really optional. She stepped quickly towards James and reached up to whisper into his ear.

“Kill the microphones,” she breathed so lightly, she worried he wouldn’t be able to hear her. James looked at her doubtfully before half nodding. It happened without him giving a second glance, each of the three cameras powered off, the light vanishing as they fell to the ground like dead flies. Charlotte glanced at them in slight amazement.

“What’s wrong?” James asked in a rushed tone. His green eyes were clouded as he searched her face.

“He wants to lead us to the others – he wants a fight, right?” she said. “The right path will lead us to the others, the wrong path will lead us to nothing important. If we find the others, we will find the way out”.

“Yeah, but we are still playing a guessing game,” he replied, confused.

“Well no…” she said slowly, her stomach knotting with doubt. “I can find them. I can tell you who is where by their… fear,” she continued, looking at him earnestly.

“But I thought you said…” he started.

“I know, I know and I still stand by that. I could kill them, I could kill you – I mean it’s a huge possibility. Really I don’t think winning is worth it,” she rushed, “but I could try. I mean you could stop me, couldn’t you?

“How?” he asked seriously.

“I don’t know,” she groaned. She was racking her brains as if the answer would come to her. She knew she had to choose. Maybe it was reckless even considering it, but it would give them an advantage. She was getting cold again, standing in her wet clothes. “It’s like I’m a different person. It sort of takes over. I mean I know it’s wrong, but that part of me is so strong that given any space it could destroy everything – everyone,” she breathed.

“Charlotte, you can do this. You are stronger than any of your alterations,” James said, almost frustrated. “You need to stop leaving them control you and control them”. Charlotte stared at him uncertainly. “It’s not the time – I don’t know if it will ever be the time,” he muttered, “but I couldn’t always control my alterations. It was like they controlled me. Dreams, games, training, anything could set them on a rampage. It took a lot of practice before I could control them, but I had to believe I could. You will have to show them what you can do at some stage and they can’t have any notion that you are not in absolute control. What good are you to them otherwise?”

Charlotte opened her mouth to argue but knew it was just wasting time. “I’ll try – just glance. I am not going to deep. I just need to locate them right?” she murmured more to herself. “But you may need to stop me – snap me out of it”.

“I’m here,” he said. “I have to put the cameras back on though. Elmhirst is going to be furious I interfered with them in the first place”.

“Fine – just I need you to think of something happy, something safe. If I feel your fear it could distract me,” she breathed.

“Got it – now do it,” he ordered as the cameras sprang back to live, zooming almost angrily about their heads.

“Stand behind me,” she said, sheltering him almost.

“Something happy?” James whispered to himself, but Charlotte was already lost in her own mind as the dragon she had so little control over stirred, rearing its awful head and snorting flames in anticipation of the hunt. She held it back, its anger sending a nasty stabbing pain across her temple. She was refusing to give it space. If she did it would be the end of her game, and quite possibly the end of her life when Elmhirst got his hands on her.

She paused, scanning the tunnel to the right first. It took seconds for her to realise there was nothing there, just empty darkness. The next tunnel showed a little more. It took Charlotte only moments to locate the Blake twins and Lucio and Holly. They were all together, fighting. It was harder to try and pull her alteration back, as they all began to panic, feeding the monster with their fear as they sensed its presence. It sent Charlotte’s heart racing in excitement, adrenaline kicking her senses into overdrive. Charlotte managed to drag it back though, with the thought that the next tunnel would hold more treasures for her alteration to explore. She found Vimal Chopra but his mind offered nothing. He didn’t respond to the presence of her alteration, so it moved on locating Harry Thornton who was already in an angry, fear-driven panic. A little further on Michael Waddell and Iseult were carving their own path. Michael stumbled as Charlotte found him, his breathing changing and his heart racing. Charlotte, she heard Iseult growl as her best friend covered her head and closed her eyes, as if that could block Charlotte out. She knew where they were, but no matter how hard she tried to pull back her alteration she couldn’t. It was overpowering her, strangling her weaker mind, rearing back its ugly head, ready to strike...

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