The Price of Power

Chapter 4

     I could see him across the train platform from me. He just got off the train, his head instantly twisting from side to side as he started to search for me. He wore a black t-shirt with a picture of his favorite game character on it, a perfectly tailored navy blazer, and some tightly fitting jeans. I started to head towards him, a stupid grin stretching across my face. "My little dork," I thought, "always so cute and energetic."

    As he spotted me, his entire face lit up, his eyes shined like a million stars, and the biggest, most beautiful, and sincerest smiles I've ever seen stretched across his face. He bubbled over with energy, almost glowing, as he half ran, half skipped over to me, closing the space between us quickly.

    I could feel my heart beating with every step he took, my every though was of this amazing person right before my eyes. At that moment, I felt as though I could fly. He stretched out his arms and captured me in the biggest hug I've ever experienced. As we hugged, we rocked back and forth in circles. The rest of the world seemed to melt away, all the stares, the noise, the bustling train station around me, it all faded into the background. There was just him and me and this connection between us. I sunk into his chest as I breathed in his wonderful scent. A warmth spread through my whole body. In that moment, I could feel it. I felt it deep within me and knew it was true without a doubt in the world. I was home. He was my home. He was.

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    A sharp pain pierced my heart, like a knife carving out my heart all over again. At least carving out whatever was left of it, I hadn't of felt whole in weeks. He was my home, but now I am homeless. Tears stung my eyes as the memory faded back into the darkness. As I lost my grasp on the rest of the image, the only the left for me to hold onto was the picture of his face. His beautiful face. It brimmed with kindness and love that I could only ever wish to see again. Eventually, that too faded into the darkness.

That darkness seemed to shroud my heart, the pain pulsing through my very core. I whimpered softly as tears started trailing down my cheeks. I missed him so much, and I would do anything to have him back, but he didn't want me anymore. The thought of his rejection and his cold demeanor these past weeks burned me, like coals being pressed against my hear, searing my very soul. As I opened my eyes, I could feel all my will power draining. My happiness and purpose of being had left weeks ago. As my current predicament came back to the forefront of my mind, I had to wonder why I was fighting so hard when I had nothing left to fight for.

I found myself starring blankly at the florescent lights buzzing softly above. I stared into them mindlessly as dark rings began to dance on the outskirts of my vision. I could hear some of the others murmuring around me as my tears continued to silently stream down the sides of my face. Alec... his name rolled through my mind, drowning out everything else. It haunted me, a hollow shell of a name that once inspired such pure joy. My voice hitched in my throat as a whispered sob escaped my lips.

"Guys, she's up," a voice called out next to me, "damn, Dr. Mad must of done a really number on her." I turned my head towards the voice. It was Steven. I stared into his green eyes in confusion, remembering that he went after me. Why was he already up? I looked past him and it seemed most of the others were up already, tubes sticking out of all of them.

"I told you that kicking him was a stupid idea," he said tauntingly at me.

"Hey, Andrea," Max called out to me, my head rolled back over to face him. As I moved my head, my head pounded with a dizzying headache, much like the one from when I first awoke here.

Max had a gentle and concerned look in his eyes as he looked me over, "What's wrong Andrea? Did he hurt you?"

It was then that I realized that I still had a steady stream of tears running down my face. I could feel a light pink flush across my face. I went from the badass who managed to fight back to the girl who wakes up in tears in what felt like mere moments. I tried to shrug my shoulder up so I could wipe away the tears, "It's nothing. Wait," I realized quite suddenly that my shirt was missing as I wiped my cheek against my bare shoulder.

I stared down at my chest, only my black bra left covering me. Light, red scratch marks covered my chest. A tube protruded from my abdomen. While I could feel the soreness there, and from the other two tubes attached to my lower regions, I realized much of my body actually ached. One area in particular was extra sore, as thought something had been repeatedly rammed into it. I could make out a couple faint whitish stains on my skirt. I shuttered to think of what that monster had done to me while I was out.

"Maybe next time you'll listen to me when I tell you that somethings a bad idea," Steven mocked when he saw the shock spread across me face over my exposed body.

"Shut up," Max snarled at him, I could see anger flaring up in his eyes as he glared past me at Steven. His features instantly softened the second he looked back at me, concern filling his eyes once more, "It's ok Andrea. You did your best to fight him for us. God I wish I was awake to see it! He deserved that and a whole lot more. Whatever happened after, I'm going to kill him when I get out of these!" He began violently pulling at his handcuffs.

"Oh? You're really just going to kill him for touching her? That's what you're most upset about? What about the rest of the s**t he did? What about kidnapping us? Chaining us to beds? Sticking tubes up our asses?" Steven scoffed.

"Oh shut up you ass," a voice called out from across the room.

"Dead is dead," another piped in, "he deserves it just as much for any one reason as the next."

"What you did was amazing Andrea! Don't let Steven make you feel bad about it, and don't let Dr. Mad take that away from you with whatever he did to you." Max was still radiation warmth and concern as he looked deep into my eyes.

A sob caught in my throat, looking into those kind eyes of his. It's stupid, I know it is, but that look in his eyes reminded me of the way Alec used to look at me. The way he would jump to my rescue at the slightest hint of pain from me. It didn't matter from what. Sometimes I had just burn my hand a little, reaching into the toaster oven without a mit, and he'd be right there. My hand in his, as he made sure I was really ok.

I knew they all thought my tears were from what had happened to me after Dr. Mad took me. Maybe it was for the best that they all continued to think that was the cause. Honestly though, I hadn't even begun to process that, I've barely even been able to process that I had been kidnapped and strapped to a bed. No, I was far from being able to face any of that. My heart was still stuck in the pain and turmoil I had been overwhelmed by for the past three weeks. I was virtually unable to cope with anything outside of it. It made me feel cold and numb to anything else. There had even been times just this past week where I might of been ok with the idea of being hit by a truck. At least then I wouldn't have to continue feeling this way.

My earlier realization that everyone else had woken up before me suddenly came rushing back to the foreground of my thoughts. I looked around the room once more just to double check. Sure enough everyone seemed to be wide awake, all with their own set of tubular attachments. Most were off in their own conversations with each other, a few paying attention to Max, Steven, and I, and others were just starring off into space either absorbed in their own thoughts, or were just disassociating. It was hard to tell.

I turned back to Max, confusion covering my face, "Why was I the last one to wake up? I was taken right after you."

"I don't know," he said softly, "When I woke up the half of the room that went before me had already woken up, and you and the other half had already been returned and were still passed out."

"He didn't bring you back until after he had finished with everyone else," Mayu's voice rang across the room, all the other conversations halting. Being the only one to of woken up by the time I was taken, she was also the only one who would of seen everything, at least as much as there was to see in this room. "I thought he had killed you." That last sentence rang across the silenced room, hanging heavily in the air.