Ch.16: “Uncovered” [Small warning for slightly sensitive topics. Nothing focused or detailed-- just mentions!] Velvet took a deep breath and offered Dianne a chair. He sat down on the edge of her bed, his heart beating fast. He had never told anyone this before. “It’s okay, Velvet…” Velvet nodded. “Well…” he started. “It all began when Axel found me as a child…” ——— Axel was a menace. Velvet knew that within an hour of knowing him. He had been thrown into the carrier of his ship with many other Crewmates who had been kidnapped just like he was, apparently waiting to be slaughtered at any moment. Velvet shivered. It was cold, and he was terrified. He just wanted to go home… even if it was by himself on Polus. After Axel was done collecting his Crewmates, he got in the ship and drove it off. Velvet curled up into a ball on the floor, shivering, and beginning to cry. But he was suddenly warm— someone larger than him was embracing him. He looked up. “There, there, little one,” said the figure. They appeared to be a grey Crewmate with two white bows, only in a different style than his own bow. The Crewmate allowed Velvet to bury his head into their lap. “Everything is going to be okay. I promise.” And just like that, Velvet was calm. Velvet spent years with those Crewmates. Axel made them do work around the ship, and as a punishment, he chained them if they couldn’t. Velvet had been chained many times since his arrival. Occasionally, Axel would visit this horrible facility and bring a couple of Crewmates inside the building. They never came out. Velvet never knew what became of them, but he could make a good guess. As much as life on Axel's ship was horrible, Velvet heard stories ten times worse about the conditions of the facility. That's where the head of the organisation, Hazel, had their base. Velvet has never seen Hazel, only heard of their immense strength and ice-cold stare. There, there were many more Imposters to keep eyes on Crewmates, much less space for the Crewmates to breathe. And while work on Axel's ship was tiring to keep up with, at the facility, it was impossible. Velvet was grateful he remained on Axel's ship. ——— “...So... he used you as a slave?" Dianne asked concernedly. Velvet nodded. Dianne shifted closer to Velvet and held his shaking hands. He continued, “I made friends with the other slaves, and that cost me…” ——— Axel’s slaves were never permanent, he was too impulsive for that. When it came time for Axel to kill them, Velvet knew he had earned his place in being one of the first to go. He had made friends with his fellow Crewmates, and often he would take the blame for something they did so they wouldn’t be punished. Sometimes, he would even go as far as sharing his food with them so they wouldn’t be hungry. Velvet had not realised that Axel was in the room at the time. “Food is not to be shared,” Axel had growled in his gravelly voice, and Velvet gasped in surprise. Axel continued, “Both of you will not receive rations tomorrow.” Needless to say, Velvet knew Axel wasn’t going to show him mercy. Gingerly, he backed up into the corner. His group had been gathered into a dark room in Axel’s ship. He stood next to another Crewmate, Felix, who held his hand. “Alright,” Axel growled. “I’m done with you. Who’s first?” Velvet's friends remained silent. A small purple-pink Crewmate about half Velvet’s size— Lilac— clung onto Velvet’s leg. Axel laughed. Before Velvet could even comprehend what was happening, Axel seized a few of the Crewmates and impaled his tongue through them all at the same time. Velvet looked away as he retracted his tongue— he couldn’t bear to see this. It didn’t take long for Axel to massacre the group. To Velvet’s surprise, he stayed alive to see all of it. When Axel was done, Velvet was the last Crewmate standing. His face shimmered with tears. Horrified, he looked around at what remained of his group. His gaze fell on two white bows, only in a different style than his own bow. He fell down to his knees and burst into tears. But Axel never killed him. ——— “What was the grey one’s name, Velvet?” “L-Lace…” Velvet stuttered. Dianne suddenly embraced him, and he felt a little better. Dianne said nothing for a minute, only hugging Velvet. “Why didn’t he kill you too?” Dianne finally asked. “At the time, I didn’t know…” ——— That night, Velvet had been given his own room. It was the same as before: Grey walls, grey floor, only colder on the inside. In the corner of the room was a metal table. Axel dropped Velvet to the floor. “Your room,” Axel said bluntly. Velvet was about to ask if he needed to still complete his chores, but he blacked out. ——— “Blacked out? Did he hit you or something?” Velvet shook his head. “After I woke up, I felt completely normal. Axel was still standing in front of me, and he asked me why I wasn’t doing my work. So as quick as I could, I ran off.” “What… I’m confused…” [...]
The story is too long so I'll continue it below! vvv [...] “I was too. For some reason, Axel wanted to use me for something different than usual. I didn’t know what that was until that night, when I had finished my chores. I was in my room, curled up into a ball…” ——— “Velvet,” Axel addressed him in a cold voice. Velvet had been working all day and was tired, but he sat up anyways. Axel had three Crewmates in his hands, which he set down. Velvet thought they might be part of his new group. He smiled at them. Axel smiled a toothy grin. He took a knife from his backpack and handed it to Velvet. “Yours,” he said. That was strange. Axel never gave him anything. Velvet turned the knife over in his hands, then looked back at the other Crewmates. Suddenly, he blacked out again. Only minutes later, Velvet woke up. Somehow, he was still standing. He gasped. In front of him, the Crewmates that he had seen Axel set down earlier were dead. Just when he thought he had seen enough death that day. Velvet looked up at Axel, who was unarmed and clean. He looked down at his hand— he was still holding the knife. As soon as he saw it, he gasped upon realisation and dropped it to the floor. “You’ll have to improve your technique, Velvet, you took many minutes to do it,” Axel grinned. Velvet began to tear up. Somehow, he mustered up the strength to cry again. He had done it. He had killed them. He was guilty. “W-wait, no!” Velvet yelled. Axel made his way out of the door, slammed it, and locked it. Velvet was stuck in that room. He hung his head, trying his best not to look around the room. There was nothing he could do about it now. He curled up into his usual ball in the corner, covering his face with his hands in shame. “Maybe I’m dreaming…” ——— “Oh my gosh!” Dianne exclaimed. Velvet nodded in acknowledgment. Dianne asked, “Velvet, if you didn’t mean to do those things, then how was Axel making you do them?” “He used a curse on me.” Dianne stared in shock. “Did… did he make you… do it again?” Velvet nodded. “Lots of times. Sometimes I watched myself do it. Other times I’d be sent to another world, trying to get out…” “How long…” “I-I don’t know. Years. All the way until I got here.” “So that’s why he was looking for you…” Velvet nodded. “But why would... why did...” Dianne trailed off. “...It was another way to torment me. He found it... funny. That he could force a Crewmate to act like an Imposter.” Dianne paused for a moment, face lit in abject terror and disgust. “I’m so sorry, Velvet…” Velvet felt Dianne hugging him again. It was a few minutes before either of them spoke. Dianne suddenly froze, thinking. “You know what?” she said, “If Axel ever comes back… he’s not going to lay a finger on you. You want to know why? Because I will protect you from him. And so will the rest of the crew. And if he comes near I will do everything in my power to scare him back into the hole he crawled out of.” Velvet smiled. He told her he’d do the same for her, and she smiled back. His hands still shook— a byproduct of his torture. Dianne noticed this and grabbed them with her own hands. He smiled. His hands were steady in hers. Hee hee VELVET LORE!!!!!!!!!!!! Guess who's making the shadow in the picture eheheheehe Credits: - The art, storyline, and characters belong to me (@Fiopper_Dinka_Do_Die) - My friends for inspiration :D - Innersloth for Among Us
