'Kitchen' by definiton was always a pleasant image in Lily's mind. It was the idea of a nice, clean place with polished surfaces, fruits in a bowl, sweets in the cupboard, and the kind of order that was the signature of Nanny and everyone she supervised. It was glittering white porcelaine plates and cups with roses on them, and the smell of spices and all her favorite foods. It was milk and cereals in the morning, and Daddy with a newspaper, and Maman in her dressing gown drinking a tiny cup of coffee.
Yes. 'Kitchen' for her meant an essential part of 'home'.
Not this kitchen, though.
Not at all.

The collar shocked her again, and the nice memories were gone in a rush of pain. Lily braced herself against the wooden surface of a nearby table and bit her lips, straining to stay on her feet. A muffled cry still escaped. Dammit. The first time this happened, she thought she was going to die. Now she knew she wouldn't. At least not from the collar.
When her memories wandered, her senses wandered, and whenever that happened, it meant her powers were active, and a potential threat to humankind that needed to be surpressed at all costs. Not like sensing precious metals could do anyone any harm. But they did not make that distinction. Lily was secretly glad they did not find out about the other opportunity either.

The guard nearby was watching her with mild curiosity. Lily suspected there was some kind of a bet involved. Everywhere in the camp one could hear cries of pain every now and then, as the mutants with low control over their powers paid the price for their genetic code. She drew a breath, and looked up at the guard. He was always there, at the kitchen door. He had grabby hands.

There were other prisoners in the kitchen, all of them women and girls. The place was huge, incredibly hot with no fresh air, and there were several big bowls filled with whatever passed for food in the camps. Most of the ingredients that went into it were rotten or spoiled by the time they arrived. Lily was determined to make the most of it. They were cooking for the other prisoners.

One of the girls walked over to her with a plate of raw meat in her hands. She couldn't have been more than 15 years old, and she did not speak any English, but in the past two days since Lily got assigned to kitchen duty she had been one of the people she worked with. She spoke in her own language, Lily could tell she was asking if the lady was all right; she forced herself to smile and stand, even if both the smile and her feet were shaky. There were colorful dots swimming before her eyes and all the cuts and burises of the past days were throbbing with pain.
"I'm fine."

As fine as you can be right after being shocked. As fine as you can be when surrounded by guards who can do to you whatever they want. As fine as you can be when you are working all day together with women and girls with no hope and constant fear. As fine as you can be after telling yorself for days that this all was just a bad dream. As fine as you can be knowing there are people out there willing to risk their lives to come and help, and knowing what they will have to face. As fine as you can be when you spent your life as the only child of a wealthy American family and suddenly you find yourself in the middle of a nightmare.

As fine as you can be in the camps.

When Alexandra walked across the bridge that delivered her to her daily forced labor, she didn’t look down where the male inmates were working to build another level for the Camps. She had stopped doing so a few days ago. She had found out that it was easier to isolate herself from the world around her. When she’d been assigned to laundry she picked up a portion of the room that was unpopulated. When she’d been sent to scrub floors she’d ignored every attempt of conversation from any of the camp inmates.

She was dangerous to anyone around her. She was already guilty for their presence in the camps. And she didn’t want anyone else to get hurt because of her. The door in front of her opened, leading into the already familiar corridor where the cells were located. However, that wasn’t their stop. Two more doors and Alexandra found herself in front of a room that was labeled as kitchen.

A guard was posted by the door while several others were scattered across the room, each equipped with the device of doom that activated the shock collars. Or, in her case, the shock bracelet. “New one?” The male guard asked, scanning the molecule manipulator with lust-filled eyes. Blue eyes burned holes trough the guard’s head in response. “Yes. She’d been assigned to kitchen duty. At least for today.” Alexandra imagined Miss Stix behind her smiling. For a brief moment, she wondered what the next assignment would be. Perhaps building the new level with the male prisoners? Nothing surprised her anymore. “Does she speak English?”

Alexandra shifted her eyes toward the guard with curiosity. “We have one of the foreigners assigned to kitchen duty and the other prisoners don’t know enough English. We could use a translator.” Behind her, Miss Stix nodded. “She speaks, yes.”

Alexandra, however, had stopped listening as soon as the word ‘foreigner’ had been mentioned. She was worried. The only foreigners she was aware of were her friends. And she hoped that somehow, they managed to escape capture.

Thoughts were something precious for her ever since her arrival at the camps. She never got enough time to think. Something or someone interrupted her. In this case, she was pushed trough the kitchen doors. She frowned, glancing over her shoulder at Miss Stix. “Keep an eye on her.” The man nodded briefly and Stix departed. “Go to the one by the table.” The remaining guard said, pointing to one of the many girls in the kitchen. A grin appeared on his face as his eyes loomed over Alexandra’s body. He wasn’t joking when he said he’d keep an eye on her.

Sour-faced, Alexandra moved away quickly, feet carrying her to the woman who had been indicated to her. Her heart beat faster as she approached. She wasn’t one that prayed, but now she did.

God don’t let her be one of my friends.

Lily pushed herself away from the table to stand on her own feet; if she kept looking like she was about to collapse, one of the guards might come over to put his hands all over her, or even worse, one of the prisoners might decide to help and they would both get yelled at. She put her weight back on her feet. Could be worse.
It was incredible how fast her body was getting used to dealing with the worst kind of pain in mere days.

"Go, take this to them" she pointed at the plate in the girls' hands and at the women around one of the huge cauldrons. She knew the girl only understood the gestures, not the words, but speaking kept her sane and composed. She could hear the guards speaking, and turned to look at the door. A new prisoner arrived. It happened more and more in the last few days.
Except this time it was Alex.

Lily's eyes widened. Oh dear God. This was not supposed to happen. Kaz was supposed to get captured, mainly because he was insanely reckless, and she got caught because, well, she was weak and not really useful, but Alex?... And who else?...
She was glad when the blood left her face it could have been the after-effect of being shocked.
They pushed Alex towards her. She didn't understand what they were saying, but she could see her face, and she looked.... scared? worried?... Lily swallowed. Alex was the strong one. The independent one. She was not supposed to be scared.
She was also not supposed to meet any friends in a place where she had been sent to spend her hours of labor duty.
Lily cleared her throat, and picked up the bowl of vegetables she'd been carrying. Walking a few steps closer, she tilted her head as she looked at Alex.
"Do you speak English?..."

Air left Alexandra’s lungs rather quickly and unexpectedly. Blood was drained from her face in an instant, matching Lily’s pale skin. Bitterly, she was reminded why she didn’t pray so much. If there was someone up there, then it had deaf ears when it concerned the molecule manipulator’s words.

Alexandra breathed in, deeply, in order to compensate the lack of air from before as she stopped in front of Lily. At her question, she nodded slightly, yet unable to talk. She glanced over her shoulder for a moment, looking at the guard, finding his eyes firmly locked on any of her movements. Clearing her throat, Alexandra looked back at Lily. “Yeah, I’ve been assigned to help you with the translations.” She spoke, loud and clearly, so the guard would hear her.

A quick glance was thrown around the room, searching for any surveillance cameras. She knew that if they existed, Stix would most likely watch them. She couldn’t afford putting Lily in danger. Alexandra spotted several, scattered across the room. Changing her position so her face wouldn’t be clearly visible to any of them, Alexandra lowered her voice until it gained the title of a whisper. “Lily, what the hell are you doing here?”

“Yeah, I’ve been assigned to help you with the translations.”
Alex played along. Good. Lily was not sure why she was doing what she was doing, but somehow it felt like a good plan not to show the guards they knew each other. Extending her hand in a polite gesture, she glanced at the bracelet Alex was wearing. She hadn't seen that before. It was always the collars...
"Welcome." she nodded, then followed her friend's glance. Oh, she noticed the cameras. Great. They were everywhere, all the time. The idea of being observed gave Lily the creeps.
“Lily, what the hell are you doing here?”
She didn't know. Of course she didn't. Lily wondered again if she was the only one who got brought in... she had to know.
"We are making food for the prisoners." she explained in her normal voice, and gestured at the plates and bowls on the tables and the women working around them. "Walk with me."
As they walked across the kitchen Lily pointed out a few things as if explaining what whas what. In the meantime, in a much lower voice, she was talking about something entirely different.
"I was brought in with Kaz." she said hurriedly "I have been working here in the kitchen for two days now. How did you get in here? Are you hurt?" she paused, glancing around and noting the guards were occupied with staring at some of the other girls at the moment "What about the others?..."

Alexandra played along. Still a bit pale faced, but acting skills kicked in rather quickly. She nodded at Lily, following the girl and giving additional nods when she explained what would their task be today. Bowls of vegetables and meat stood on the table. Alexandra wrinkled her nose, those stuff didn’t look like they were fresh. Most likely, they needed to be thrown into the garbage. She sighed, her heart sinking more into her chest.

While Lily was explaining in a low voice matters that presented more interest to her, Alexandra gestured one of the girls to her. A brief look was thrown in Lily’s direction when she mentioned Kaz being captured. Kaz…was…captured? How the hell did that happen? The girl approached, looking at Alexandra curiously and probably expecting her to speak English. “Help us to take these to slicing.” Alexandra said in Romanian, her hand gesturing toward the bowls of vegetables on the table. Blinking slightly surprised, the girl nodded. “Should I call someone else to help?” Alexandra shook her head. Again, the girl nodded and picked up a bowl, waiting for Alexandra and Lily to do the same.

Alexandra picked one up and looked at Lily. “Let’s do something before we attract the guard’s attention.” She suggested, before lowering her voice once again. “I got captured when the Resistance bombed the Senate. I don’t know who got captured… I was knocked unconscious. I … just hope that it was only me.” Alexandra let her eyes travel to the bowl full of vegetables as she thought of all the people who were at the Senate. Slate, Sara, Sam, Streak, Shin, Sebastian. And the guy who’s name she didn’t know. Did any of them make it? Alexandra didn’t want to think about it. Would she be able to cope with Sam being in the camps as well? How could she look at Lily if Streak has been captured? Alexandra sighed, looking back at Lily. Perhaps it was better if she didn’t know what happened. Back on the topic. “How the hell did you and Kaz get captured?” The girl motioned them toward the area where several women were slicing vegetables or meat with sulky faces. With small steps, Alexandra started to walk in that direction.

“Let’s do something before we attract the guard’s attention.”
Lily nodded, and picked up another plate, handing it to Alex before she took one for herself, and started walking over to the bowl, fast enough to look natural, but slow enough to give them some time to speak.
“I got captured when the Resistance bombed the Senate. I don’t know who got captured… I was knocked unconscious. I … just hope that it was only me.”
Lily hoped so too. Because if someone as strong as Alex got captured, and the others didn't make it either... well, frankly, they didn't have much chance getting out of the camp anytime soon.
“How the hell did you and Kaz get captured?”
Lily frowned, putting the plate down onto a nearby table and proceeding to go and stir the 'food' in the bowl. "He turned himself in." she murmured "Just kinda forgot to warn us. So I tired to help him when they came for him... and got caught in the crossfire. Pretty dumb, huh."

Alexandra gritted her teeth. Why the hell Kaz turned himself in? Seriously, she couldn’t find any good explanation for him doing so instead of going into hiding somewhere. Alexandra sighed. So Jewel and Kaz were here. Who else? Were there any left so she could hope for some sort of rescue?

She let the bowl drop on the table, choosing to be slightly distanced from the rest of women chopping the vegetables. And she grabbed a knife, wishing there could be a damn way to hide it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the guard keeping his attention focused on both of them.

Frowning she picked up a tomato and started the chopping. “Did anything happen to you here? Were you hurt or something?”

Lily shook her head as she picked up another knife - they barely had any edge and if they'd happened to stab someone with a kinfe like that, it would have curled up, totally harmless. Still, the guards were staring at them all the same.
"I'm fine, they didn't hurt me."
Much. Besides the pushing-around and a couple of slaps to show who's boss when she was captured. Nothing to leave a permanent mark.
"So, what's it with the bracelet and the special treatment?" she asked, gancing at Alex as they worked "Are you in trouble?..."
Yeah. All of us are.
"... And what's the plan? We wait and try to survive?..."
That sounded like a very reasonable plan. Survive, wait, and hope the other were out there trying to find a way in. They had more chance than the ladies with the shock collars/bracelet trying to find their way out...

They didn’t hurt her. Or so Lily said.

Alexandra didn’t bother to question Lily further. Being a mutant prison, she guessed that guards weren’t friendly and they found something to bug the inmates about. But she didn’t want to know. A pretty lie was better than the horrible truth.

The molecule manipulator simply nodded in acknowledgement while she tried to continue to chop the tomatoes. As a side note, her nails would have cut trough vegetables better than the knives provided.

"So, what's it with the bracelet and the special treatment? Are you in trouble?... And what's the plan? We wait and try to survive?...”

Alexandra paused, looking at Lily and sincerely not knowing what to answer to either question. Eyes traveled down, stopping on the messy counter top. “It’s complicated.” Answer to the first and second question. Perhaps one of the lamest answers ever but in the current situation, the best one.

Alexandra sighed, returning her attention to her assigned task. “And… yeah. We wait. I can’t do anything, really. I’m in isolation. I don’t know who got captured and who not. I-” -wish I could do something more. But she couldn’t. She was blind and deaf and locked out from everything else happening. She didn’t say anything else. Just gritted her teeth and continued to chop the tomatoes, feeling weak, angry, bitter…

“And… yeah. We wait. I can’t do anything, really. I’m in isolation. I don’t know who got captured and who not. I-”
Lily sighed and kept on working, pretending to be indifferent about the other women around her, even Alex.
She'd never seen Alex like this before. She was always strong, and determined, and ready to fight. And she was much better at the whole superhero thing than Jewel.
"It's all right, Alex" she whispered with the shadow of a smile "It's going to work out eventually. I am sure the guys are already looking for us, and they are going to take this place apart if they have to."
She really believed that. They were just that kind of people.
"We just have to play smart and avoid trouble, and wait for our chance, right?" she concluded, finishing the cutting and wiping her hands on her apron "This will be over in no time at all."
It was almost like a special ability. Believing what you say, even if it does sound impossible.

If there was anyone left to go looking for them, Alexandra added to Lily’s words, chopping the vegetables with such a passion that one might have thought that she was chopping the guard’s head instead of the harmless tomato.

Avoid trouble, Lily mentioned. Of course, that lead to the question on how exactly was she gonna avoid trouble when she landed in a sea of troubles from day one? But Lily was right. For most of the inmates that was the best way to deal with the situation. Maybe not for her and a few others but if the others stayed off the radar then their life in the camps would be easier. As easy as life could be in the camps.

Alexandra sighed as she pushed the chopped vegetables into a bowl and gestured the girl from before to come to pick them up. “You do that. Don’t fight with the guards. Don’t disagree. Unfortunately, they are the ones having the upper hand in here.” And they had unpleasant ways of making people agree with them.

As the girl appeared next to their side and picked up the bowls of chopped vegetables, Alexandra started to move back to pick up another round of vegetable to chop mercilessly.