447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgXb3muQGa
"You knew Sebastian and Erik when we saw them at the store?" I questioned, making sure I was hearing her correctly.
She lowered her eyes and played with her fingers for a long second before saying anything. This small gesture was Tessa's reaction when she was asked a question she didn't want to answer honestly.
"Yes, I knew them, but I didn't want to tell you right away because of all the stress you are already under."
I let my head drop. "How could she lie to me? I told her everything, even my scar from Arizona. I would have been so happy for her, and nothing else would have mattered." I painfully admitted to myself, my heart breaking into pieces.
Question after question flew through my mind, bombarding my thoughts. Raising my hand over my face, I then gently rested my fingertips on my forehead.
"Did you know Sebastian was my mate?"
Tears pooled in her eyes making the deep brown color within shimmer. Grabbing my hands in hers she gently rubbed the back of my hand. "I'm so sorry. I wanted to tell you mo-."
"I ordered her not to tell you anything." Sebastian's voice rang loudly across the bare hospital room, his words a punch to my stomach.
Staring at him with wide eyes and a half open mouth, the heat inched its way up to my face as I swelled red. How dare he order my baby sister to do something she didn't want to!
Ripping the wires off of my chest and the tubes out of my arms, I grabbed my clothes that laid in a heaping pile by my bed. I wanted to get out of this hell hole, to be as far away from everyone as possible.
"Veronica, stop! What are you doing?" Sebastian yelled, taking a few steps closer to me.
I put my hand up and shoved him back hard, pulling the cotton fleece over my head. Grabbing my phone, I stomped out of the door. Every second I stayed, I was like a ticking bomb towards a mental asylum. I needed to get out of here.
"I order you to stop!" Sebastian growled, his voice strong and unwavering.
Golden door knob in my hand, I spun on my heels to look at him, eyes glaring at him in disgust. "Your orders don't apply to me, I'm not one of your puppets. So if you'll excuse me, I'm going home."
Storming out of the door, Erik dashed out of the door, using his chiseled body to block the hallway so I couldn't pass. He placed his hands on my shoulders, eyes glittering with unsaid apologies. "Just wait. Let us explain!" He cried out.
Before I knew it, my hand shot up, fingers digging into his throat. "You're just as bad as they are!" I screamed.
His eyes squinted as his soft voice echoed in my head.
“Baby, please.” He begged.
I couldn’t hurt him. No matter how angry or hurt I was, I could not bear to see him in pain. I instantly released my grip, watching as he slid down the grey colored wall, a look of shock and pain written over his face.
My whole body was shaking. I was losing control. After my encounter with Miranda, the urge to destroy everything in my path was overwhelming. The anger spreading like wildfire, refusing to die down. 447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHvzjVXBTT
Staring up at the creamy white ceiling I attempt to calm myself. Instantly, the shuffling of feet quieted alarming me that everyone was still in the same vicinity that I left them in. What now?
The rogues in the cells. Miranda’s voice whispered. You have 3 days left.
I had to do this. Now.
With that thought in mind, I headed towards the basement, quietly opened the door and snuck inside.
Standing at the threshold, the darkness seemed to creep up the old wooden steps and pour into the hall. Without any light, walking down the stairs was a suicide mission.
Sliding my hands slowly along the wall, I tried to ignore how the cold cement scraped along my skin. As my fingers passed over chunks of broken cement, they finally felt something dusty, but smooth. A switch. "Bingo." I smiled.
Flipping the switch, the stairs fully illuminated and I easily made my way to the bottom. My heart started racing and beads of sweat glistened on my forehead. As I walked further into the basement, I heard the clinking and rattling of chains.
Little by little the clinking got louder, but there was nowhere to go except through the heavy metal door. Taking a closer look,there was a simple padlock hanging from two rusty metal eye plates.
I used to work for a locksmith, so hopefully I wasn’t that rusty after such a long time. Pulling out two bobby pins from my hair, I quickly got to work.
Pulling apart the pins, I bent one into a hook and straightened out the other to use as a tension wrench. Inserting both into the lock, I wiggled and jostled it until all the pins set and the lock popped open.
I gently took the lock off the door and placed it in my pocket. The weight tugged on my jeans, making them hang slightly lower than the usual.
Opening the door, the musty scent that took over the damp basement was mixed with the stench of ammonia. I carefully lifted up the collar of my shirt and placed it over my nose, blocking off some of the smell.
It was an extremely long walkway. With each passing second, I was growing more and more uncomfortable. My stomach twisted into knots and my hands turned clammy. My gut was telling me to run, but my head commanded me to remain still.
Taking a step forward, the room swallowed me whole. Lining the walls were steel bars that slanted from the ceiling to the floor. A concrete wall separated each compartment , creating multiple cells that were about 6 feet wide and 6 feet long.
Wandering farther into the hall, I stopped and observed the small area. Hovering about two feet off the ground and anchored to the wall with heavy chains was a bed. The other side was a stainless steel toilet and sink that was merged into a part of the wall. I shuddered. Thank goodness I wasn’t imprisoned down there.
Metal shackles dangled from the wall above the bed. There was enough chain length to use the washroom, but not enough to step out of the compartment.
"Hello?" I called out quietly, my voice echoing hollowly across the cells.
"Over here." A young man’s voice answered.
Turning around, hands wrapped around the bars and a face peeked through the gap. I slowly walked towards the cell, my gaze unwavering.
"Who are you?" I asked, scanning over his thin body. His brown hair was messy and knotted like a raven’s nest. It was evident this young man needed a haircut and a shower. The oil that rested on his skin was mixed with charcoal soot from the cell.
Stepping into the light, I could finally see his full complexion, drawing my attention to the large scar over the bridge of his nose. "My name is Cade." He breathed out.
"Perfect, exactly who I was looking for," I murmured to myself. Finally, something was going the way I wanted it to.
"How many of you are there?" I asked, looking at all of the cells and taking mental notes.
"There are 7 of us ma'am," he smiled.
For some reason, Cade made me very uncomfortable. The mere smile on his face gave me goosebumps and his rigid and jerky hand movements were enough to give people the creeps, but I just pushed the feelings aside. I needed to get this done and over with.
I had already completed part one of my plans: making everyone believe that I was mad at them. Now I needed to execute part two. These rogues needed to know I was the one in power. I would decide who would live and who would die, who would get out, and who would remain in.
"Are you going to let us out or what?" He asked, the sides of his lips pulling up to form a malicious cheshire grin as a small grunt slipped from his throat.
I turned my attention to the young woman in a cell next to Cade's. Her red curly hair fell over her eyes, but I could see it. A criss crossing pattern of scars over her face.
Why were they all scarred? Instinctively, I brought my hand up to my face to touch my smooth skin. What did they do to deserve this?
Turning my attention back to Cade, I stepped closer to the ice cold bars, aligning myself perfectly between the gaps so he could see my face. Beaming with confidence, I spoke quietly.
"I will be back in a few days with a plan on how and when you will all be released. As long as you are in these cells, you belong to me and will answer solely to me. When you are released, you will continue to obey me until you are handed over to your leader. If you choose to stray or defy me, you will be killed. Am I clear?"
Cade swallowed hard as he stared directly into my eyes. "Anything you say, Luna."
