Roxy told them everything.
She told them the simple, awful truth. She talked about the dark basement with no windows.
How she had bled while reading books and books trying to find a way to return back to a place only she mattered.
She talked about the cold, hard floor where she had to sleep. She told them about the bad food. She explained the scary machine and the painful shocks that made her body hurt so much.
The six men just sat there and listened to her. They did not interrupt her story. They did not yell or break things, even though she knew they wanted to. But she could see the deep sadness and burning anger in their eyes.
Torian held her hand the whole time. He held it so gently, like she was a delicate flower that might break. Syris looked down at the floor, his jaw tight. Caspian wiped a tear from his eye. Kaelen and Ren stood completely still, breathing heavily. Zarek looked like he wanted to burn the whole city down to the ground.
