I am awoken by someone knocking on my door. Looking over to my clock I see that it's 5 in the morning. Who in the world is awake at this absurd time? I pad through the darkness and towards the door, opening it. My eyes meet with Andrew's first then with the creep from the corridor.

What a lovely sight to see first thing in the morning.

"Can I help you?" I ask, confused. I rub my eyes, trying to wake myself up. The creep's eyes are wide and I look down at what I am wearing. A loose t-shirt and some shorts. His eyes stuck specifically on the V-neck of the top, which extenuates my chest, and all of a sudden I wish I could rip his eyes out.

"Good morning Miss Waterstone, sorry for how early it is but you are scheduled for training. This is my son... Colton," hm... Colton. Creepy guy with a creepy name- makes perfect sense. "He will be training you as requested by your father," of course by my father. And of course out of all the people in this facility it had to be Colton.

"Okay thank you, I just need to change," I say and close the door before taking a deep breath.

This is going to be hell on earth.

***

Colton leads me to the training room and my stomach rumbles. I hadn't realised how hungry I was until now- that's what I get for skipping dinner last night. I am dressed in the training uniform I found in my wardrobe, there seemed to be an endless supply of workout gear.

Colton is wearing a black vest top revealing his tattooed arms and black jogging bottoms. I didn't know he had tattoos- his suit jacket was covering them, not allowing me to see the several patterns inked into his skin.

"So Rose... I know you are oh so excited to have me training you," I furrow my brows at the emphasis he puts on my name as if he is mocking me. "But you'll have to contain that excitement because we have a lot to get through," he says and starts walking towards me.

"I don't need your help and quite frankly... I don't want it," I say and cross my arms. It's partly true. My father made sure that as soon as I could walk, I would learn how to fight. I'll admit I'm not great at it but I know enough that it's helped keep me alive over the years.

"Is that so?" Colton starts walking towards me again and I place my hand around the dagger tucked into the waistband of my leggings. If he steps so much as an inch closer, I will have no problem with using it on him. "You think that's gonna help you?" he snidely remarks. I slowly pull it out and twizzle the blade on my finger.

"You'll be surprised," I smile. "I am quite skilled with a blade when I need to be," it's my turn to smirk now. He underestimates me, I can see it in his eyes. He thinks it's just a façade and that really I am as useless as I look, but I am afraid he is wrong.

Before I know it his face is inches away from mine and my breathing quickens without me realising.

"You look scared of me, love," he says and I bite back a scoff, although I know it's true. His hard demeanour is intimidating, I'd be shocked if anyone wasn't at least a little scared of him.

"I'm not scared," I lie and try to slow my breathing. I won't let him get the best of me, I will not show him how weak and frail I truly am - I only have my father to blame for that.

"Really?" he places a firm hand on my neck and I flinch.

I know I have bruising there and I see him staring at it. He runs two fingers down my neck until they stop at my carotid artery. I bite down on my lip as he looks into my eyes. "Because your heart is beating awfully fast," a smug grin spreads across his lips.

I take the blade in my hand and push the tip of it to his neck. "You must be imagining it," I say but he doesn't seem affected whatsoever by the blade that is digging into his neck. With one swift motion, the dagger is smacked out of my hand and lands across the room with a loud clatter.

"Not much without a weapon are you?" he spits. God, I hate him. Despite knowing him for five minutes, I hate him with a passion I have never felt towards someone before. "You're weak... you have to rely on a weapon to survive but what are you gonna do without one, hm? Just run away? Hope that you don't get killed?" every word is pushing me closer and closer to the edge. "You're useless," he sounds exactly like my father. All I want is to run and hide in a corner until the pain in my chest goes away. Colton repeats it again and again. Each word hitting like a punch to the stomach.

"Stop!" I shout and push against his chest. I dart towards the knife on the floor but he sweeps his leg under me and I fall flat on my back, the wind knocked out of me. I manage to grab the knife just as he pins my arms down against the floor. Colton leans in so close I can feel his warm breath fanning against my cheek as he whispers.

"You shouldn't have done that, love," and my blood turns cold. But before I let anything happen, I knee him in the stomach and in his moment of weakness I roll out of his grasp.

Colton gets to his feet after a second and laughs a hollow, sadistic laugh.

"I'll have to admit I wasn't expecting that one," his voice is raspy and breathless. He lunges towards me grabbing my arm, that's holding the dagger, and twisting it behind my back. My back is pressed flush against his body, his tall frame towering over my small one. Colton's hand is tight around my wrist and his other arm around my neck, holding me in a headlock. My breathing is strained and untameable.

"I'm going to kill you," I spit and tighten my hold on the dagger behind my back.

"I'd love to see you try," he retorts as I get out of his grasp. I throw a punch to his face but he grabs my wrist and twists it. I use my other hand to stab him with the dagger but he grabs that hand as well. I grunt and his face lights up with a cruel smile.

Lifting my leg up, I try to kick him but he lets go of my wrist and latches his hand onto my ankle. Once again, I am on the floor below him. Colton climbs on top of me, pinning my wrists above my head and I gag from how close we are and the position he is in.

"Are you ready to concede?" he asks, breathless and I laugh at him. Concede?

"Like hell I am," I say and flip us over so I am now on top of him. I grab a fistful of his hair and place the tip of the knife to his neck. Colton places his hands on my waist and I ignore the electricity that surges through me from his touch. His touch repulses me and I don't ever see that changing. I lean in close to his ear.

"Are you ready to concede?" I repeat his words and he squeezes my hips.

"Can I just say how sexy you look on top of me right now," he lifts his hips to meet mine and my breath hitches. For a second I forget who he is. I forget the ignorant man below me. But then I know him all too well again.

"You disgust me," I say and try to get off of him but his grip on my hips doesn't allow me. He sits up and our faces are mere inches away from each other. I can smell the mint radiating off of his breath and I wish he wasn't so handsome.

But most of all I wish I had the guts to drive this knife through his heart.

"Where do you think you're going?" his voice is deep and seductive but I will not fall for his tricks. I push him back down onto the floor by his shoulders and finally, get off of him.

I stalk away and leave him laying on the floor. I have never felt such raw hatred, for someone I don't even know, in my life.

***

After showering and composing myself from the situation in the training room, I check the time. Breakfast is in about an hour so I decide on slowly getting ready for the day ahead. I don't have the effort to pick out something extravagant to wear so I stick to the basics.

By the time that I am ready it's nearly eight so I decide on taking a slow walk to the cafeteria.

I focus on the ground as I walk down the quiet corridors until I hear someone shout my name.

"Rose?" my head snaps up at the sound of my best friend. The one and only Zach Holden. He has been my best friend for what feels like forever and here he is.

Our fathers were close friends when we were younger but ever since the rumours began of an uprising, we were both made to stay away from each other. Only getting to see one another rarely over the course of the years.

"Zach! What are you doing here?" I run to him and wrap my arms tightly around him.

"They let me transfer facilities, I wanted to be here for your big day. Well... second big day," Zach is a year older than me so he has already been in the facilities for two years, meaning leaving must have been a big deal for him.

"I have missed you so much," my eyes well up as I pull away and he smiles.

"Don't go getting all emotional on me now Rosie," he laughs and I roll my eyes. He insists on calling me Rosie and I have no idea why. It sounds better apparently.

"So... what's for breakfast?" he smirks and I laugh. Words can't describe how grateful I am to have him here with me, to finally be able to see him without it having to be in secret.

***

Zach and I both fill our plates high with pancakes and fruit and we sit away from everyone else, in our own little bubble.

"Thank you so much for being here, I don't know what I would have done without you," I admit and take a bite of my pancake. The food here is plain and bland but edible nonetheless.

The crowded cafeteria lets me see how many people are here in this facility and how many people I am supposed to familiarise myself with as they are my "new family". I roll my eyes at the thought.

"Of course, I hated the other facility anyway. Too much teen angst," he laughs and I join him. It's like a breath of fresh air knowing someone here and having that sense of familiarity.

"Do you have your own room?" I ask and he takes another bite of his pancake before answering.

"Nope. That was the consequence of moving facilities, my dad said that if I'm going to transfer then I won't be having any 'special treatment' and I'll have to join the others" he rolls his eyes and guilt gnaws at me.

"You can stay with me if you want? My bed is big enough for the both of us," I offer, not wanting him to stay in those dorms.

"I'll see how it goes but don't be alarmed if someone comes into your room in the middle of the night," he laughs.

"Noted," I say and smile. "Do you know your way around?" I ask but he shakes his head.

Well, I guess that is what we will be doing for today.

***

"This is my room, take a mental note because you may need to find it tonight," I laugh and open the door. My room is immaculate, just the way I like it. Mess makes me anxious.

"You lucky little shit," he says and ruffles my hair. I slap his hand away but he just laughs. "So this is all yours?" he asks, his eyes wide in wonder.

"Yeah... that door just there leads to the closet and that one there is the bathroom," I explain, pointing to the doors like an air hostess. I feel terrible that he has to be in those grubby dorms with everyone else just so he could be here with me. It makes me think that the reason he came here is more than he is letting on.

"Is everything okay?" I ask and something I cannot describe flashes in his eyes. "You can talk to me," I say and he looks down.

"My parents are just... they expect me to be everything they want, not what I want. They want me to be some perfect guy, make the family proud, bring strength to our family name and it's all just too much. They haven't once stopped to ask what I want," he says and his voice breaks. I walk over to him and hug him.

"Be who you want to be, screw them. I love you, the real you. Don't let them change you," I say and hug him tighter as his arms wrap around my waist.

"Those are some words of wisdom, kid," he laughs and I pull my head back, eyes wide.

"Kid, are you joking? You're one year older than me," I say and swat his chest. Zach laughs but stops abruptly when someone storms into the room. I pull away from Zach and see who thinks it's okay to walk in without knocking. I should have known... Colton.

"What do you want?" I cross my arms and his eyes are on Zach.

"My father wants to speak to you," he says and I sigh. What could his father, of all people, possibly want to talk to me about?

"Okay give me a minute," I say but he shakes his head.

"No can do, love," he says and stares at Zach. His cold stare is unnerving.

"I'll be back in a minute, sorry about this," I keep my eyes on Colton though, wishing that looks could kill.

***

"Why does your father want to speak to me?" I ask from behind him. Colton walks too quick for me to catch up, I practically have to jog if I want to keep within arms reach of him. He stops and puts his hand on the small of my back, I ignore how my body reacts to his touch as he shoves me forwards.

Colton pushes me along so I am now walking at the same speed as him.

"That I do not know," I hate him and I hate his stupid nicknames. I slap away his hand but he stops and glares at me. He doesn't need to be touching me and I don't want him to. "If you wouldn't walk so slow, I wouldn't have to push you along," he sighs and carries on walking.

"If you wouldn't walk so quick, then I wouldn't have to try to catch up with you," I retort and roll my eyes. He's always so quick to blame other people - that's another thing to add to the list of things I hate about him. I can put it right under 'he's a raging sociopath'. Colton grabs my wrist tightly.

"Roll your eyes at me one more time and you'll see what happens," he says and I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes again. He opens a door and pushes me inside before walking off without a word.

Like I said... he's an absolute sociopath.