~Disclaimer: This chapter may not host material appropriate for some audiences. Also, harassment. ~

Chrome was in an elegant gown of pure red and black silk. She didn't care much for dresses, and this one wasn't different; it showed a bit too much for her liking, however. The ghostly girl looked around at her surroundings.

Everything was styled like an old, medieval castle. The floor was stone, the only thing keeping her feet from touching its cold surface was an antique carpet. A hearth burned across from a large, king sized bed. Its light reached out to touch everything, making shadows dance on the wall with each flicker of the flames. She walked around, admiring the fine tapestry and books lining the walls.

She then paused, hearing something. Chrome crept closer to the wooden door, pressing her ear against it.

There were sounds of glasses clinking and chatter and music coming from downstairs. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and made her way towards it. Following the music led her to a large ballroom with an orchestra in the corner. People were in tuxedos and fine dresses everywhere, littering the floor with different colors and shapes and styles.

Chrome walked down the stairs, not even so much as getting a glance from the other guests. Why were they not glancing at her?

That's when it struck her.

She wasn't a mutant: Her paper white skin now had a pink tint to it; her hair now rested at her shoulders and touched her back softly instead of floating; she was touching the ground; she could hear a real heartbeat.

From a real heart.

This realization made her a bit dizzy, making her stumble forward. She was held up by a large, sturdy chest and build. Looking up, she saw the smartass grin of someone she held dear.

"Hunter!" She whispered, and the man's grin widened.

"Hello, Fire Flower," he responded, chuckling. His voice was an all too welcomed sound, as she felt herself lean forwards into his chest, inhaling his chocolate and mint smell. Suddenly, she felt someone beside him. Whoever it was coughed to regain the attention back to them. "Ah! Julia," he said, smiling. The woman had sharp, rigid features that made her look like she was made of rock that a sculptor didn't bother to smooth out. She smiled, her grin coiling at the ends like a snake.

Chrome inched back from the woman in fear.

"Who is this? I don't think we've met?" She said, a high class tone stuck in her voice.

"This is Chrome," Hunter said. "I've known her for a long time." The woman named Julia smiled.

"Ah, how... pleasant to meet you," she said, hissing the words through clenched teeth. It was obvious that Julia hated Chrome. But why wasn't Hunter doing anything? She turned back to him. "Come, we must make the announcement." Hunter nodded, smiling at Chrome before excusing himself and following the wretched woman.

Chrome descended the stairs, quickly hiding in the crowd.

"Ahem," Hunter said, clearing his voice from the top of the stairs. The conversations around Chrome stopped, turning to face him. "I have something I would like to notify you all to."

Julia stepped up from behind him, puffing out her chest and staring down at everyone. Her eyes settled on Chrome, her smile turning cruel.

"As of last week," he continued. "Julia and I are engaged," he said, wrapping his arm around the woman's waist.

Chrome felt her breath hitch and the floor crumble beneath her.

What? Why?

Why did Hunter do so?

Why did he invite her here?

What was she even doing here?

"And, another announcement," Julia said, cutting into the murmurs beginning to start. Her eyes turned to Chrome maliciously. "That woman there, in the red, is one of them." She hissed.

The people around Chrome side stepped away, leaving her in an open area. They glared at her and began whispering.

"Wh-what? No! I-I don't understand..." Chrome said, her voice fading off.

"What do you not understand, mutant?" She hissed.

Chrome looked up at Hunter, agast. "Hunter! What's going on?! I'm so confused!" She shrieked, her heart pounding. She didn't like the sound of blood, or the sound of the heart; it made her feel anxious. "Tell me! Aren't you a mutant?!"

Julia gasped, as if Chrome had mortally wounded her. "You? You just convicted my husband-to-be as being a monster?!" She said dramatically. Each word hurt Chrome. "How dare you, you blasphemous witch!"

"What? I-I'm... " Her gaze turned upwards, in hope to seek out Hunter's help. "Hunter?"

Hunter peered down at her, hatred lining his voice. "You sicken me." Chrome felt her heart stop, making a new form of pain run rampant in her body. Something tickled her face and blurred her vision. She whipped her cheek with a gloved hand. It was a tear drop, another new bodily function she began to hate. "I never loved you, you vile witch." Chrome's body erupted with pain at each word, sinking to her knees. Each thing he said to her created a pang in her newly gained heart.

"I hate you."

Pang.

"I despise you."

Pang.

"You deserve to rot in hell."

Pang.

"Find someone else to love you in pity."

Pang.

"I've never loved you."

Chrome leaned forward, gasping for breath as she felt her heartbeat slow with each pang of pain. She gritted her teeth.

What she saw when she looked up was Julia kissing Hunter.

She never looked away.

She couldn't look away.

~&~

Chrome felt the cold metal against her wrists. Her eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the sudden bright light. She was sitting in a room, on a large red and gold silk bed. She gasped, politeness that was drilled into her since she was young taking over, and she scrambled backwards off the bed. Her high body temperature would burn the fabric, and she didn't want to burn anything.

She looked down at the dress she was wearing; it was made of exquisite material. The fabric glimmered softly in the light and seemed to move like a flame itself as she took it in her hands. It was strapless, showing more cleavage than what she would have ever desired. A loose fabric hung over her arms, adding a sort of elusive elegance to its shape. She looked down, seeing that the back was longer than the front, as the front only came a few inches just above her knees and the back was far longer than necessary.

The pale girl's head ached, signifying no way of making it leave. Pressing her palm against her head, she gazed around the room.

Wood that was polished to a shine planked the floor, being covered by a large, fur carpet in the middle of the room. The walls were made of old stone, and the furniture was made of a gold material. A hearth burned, making the light of the flames reflect on the gold, illuminating the room to be even brighter. A desk made of the same gold material had a matching chair to go with it, and old fashioned tapestries hung on the walls. Chrome's eyes widened when she saw the number of books lining the bookshelves on her walls, a small smile gracing her lips.

She couldn't wait to tell Hayley, Nick, and Hunter about this.

However, something felt... off. She touched the gold lining around the fireplace with her index finger, tracing its elegant patterns and swirls -- her other hand was pulled along by the chains encasing her wrists. Whilst the room was plenty warm, it felt ice cold; it felt like an unwelcoming warmth.

It felt fake.

Eyes narrowing, she turned to the door. Something was tugging on her mind. What was it? She furrowed her brow, focusing on whatever was missing in her brain.

A knock sounded on the door, ripping her away from her concentration. Her eyes flashed upwards towards it.

"May I come in?" Asked a muffled voice. It sent a shiver down her spine, but she quickly dismissed it. The voice was hardly distinguishable, yet she hoped that it was Hunter or Hayley or even Nick.

"You may," she said, eyes never leaving the door.

It opened slowly to reveal a man dressed sharply in a bright mold green, dusty plum purple, and displeasing orange colored suit. His corneas were a dark red and his eyes a neon green, giving him a disgusting appearance. She frowned.

"Hello, goddess," he said, bowing in front of the confused girl.

"Wh-what? You don't have to do that," she said, tilting her head. Her head began to hurt more, as if torn between two opinions. Something was telling her to stay far away from this man, whilst the other told her to love him dearly. Her brow furrowed.

"What is it, my lady?" He asked, reaching out a gloved hand to tilt her head up. Her hair stood on end when his glove made contact with her face, making her uneasy. He smiled down at her softly.

Then, something in her mind clicked.

The nightmare.

The kidnapping.

Hayley.

Nick.

Hunter.

She launched backwards out of his touch, slamming up against the wall. Her eyes burned with hatred.

"You," she spat, her tone revealing more confidence than she felt. The man chuckled.

"Hello, Thea Lagneia," he said, a grin stretching across his features. He snickered as he walked up to her, trapping her against the wall. "Did you miss me?" He purred, twisting a strand of her white hair in his fingers fondly. Chrome wanted to cover herself up, feeling too exposed for comfort. She shrunk under his gaze, fire randomly igniting her hair. Smelling something burning, she gazed down, only to see the dress disappearing rapidly from her body heat. Closing her eyes, she commanded herself to stay calm and collected, wishing that the dress wouldn't disappear. Feeling herself calm down, she gazed downwards to see the damage.

There was a large hole from just under her left bosom to her left thigh. If Chrome could blush, her face would be alternating different shades of red, seeing how much of her white, translucent skin was exposed. She stared back at the man's eyes, seeing them drift over her.

Trying to cover herself, she laid her left arm down to hide most of the revealing skin there, and her right arm underneath her chest to hide the missing fabric there.

"Thea Lagneia," he said, a purr evident in his voice. "Why do you tempt me so?" Chrome felt her blood run cold.

Suddenly, the handcuffs were jolted upwards, exposing the skin again. She shrieked, struggling to cover it back up. He chuckled, running his ice cold fingers from where it began to where it ended. Chrome, if she could, felt as if she were going to cry.

She kicked and screamed, trying everything in her power to resist his touch. She couldn't, not against his strong grip; he touched her exposed skin again, sending another wave of repulse through her body.

"Hayley!" She screamed, contorting in his grip. "Help! Please!" She shrieked, fear striking her non existent heart. The man chuckled maliciously as his hand crept into her dress and around her back, pushing her body further into his. She closed her eyes, screaming with all of her might.

"Hunter!" She yelled.

The room became silent and unmoving. She looked up at the man.

His face was cast in a shadow of pure rage. His tongue clicked as his lips turned into a possessive scowl. His eyes flashed a menacing message. With a yelp, he grabbed a hold of her waist, pulling her forward so that they were inches apart. The man rested his forehead on hers, grinning with madness. "Don't you ever say that name again," he hissed, his voice a low warning. Without any sort of announcement, he forced her back into the wall, crushing her lungs and sandwiching her between himself and the wall.

"Now don't you ever forget that," he said, letting her go and marching furiously out of the room.

~&~

Hayley sat with her legs splayed out on the half foot of ice covering the bottom of her cell. Why was there half a foot of ice? Well, when you're in the home of a psychic psycho, it's hard to sleep. So instead, she ran. She ran until her lungs felt like they were being turned into cacti and her feet and legs were sore. Instead of losing hope of escape, Hayley became determined to make her experience hell on her captor. Mostly mentally singing annoying songs at the loudest volume her mind could muster, or just screaming endlessly in her mind. But this was also to keep her mind away from what could happen if she were to die in that cell. Judging by the endless growling of her stomach, and the fact that she'd consumed nothing but broken ice for the past three days meant that if she didn't get out fast, she might not have the strength to fight back from anything.

She did her best to remind herself to distract herself, to hang on to the sanity she could while trapped in a madman's Wonderland. She did it a lot, and it worked.

Until she forgot to remind herself to distract herself.

Oh God.

What if I actually die here?

Shit.

SHIT.

OHHHHHHH GOOOOOOOD.

WHAT IF CHROME ACTUALLY HAS TO GET MARRIED AND I CAN'T WALK HER DOWN THE AISLE?!?!?

WAIT THAT'S NOT WHAT I SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT.

SHIIIIIIIIT.

WHAT IF SHE GETS RESCUED AND MARRIES A COOL PERSON I'D APPROVE OF AND I DON'T GET TO WALK HER DOWN THE AISLE AND I NEVER SEE HER CHILD?!??!?!!??!?!

WAIT CAN CHROME EVEN HAVE BABIES.

CAN I EVEN HAVE BABIES.

AM I INFERTILE?

WELL IT'S NOT LIKE THERE'S A "MY FAMILY GOT HIT BY A COMET AND I SURVIVED AND GOT SUPERPOWERS" SUPPORT GROUP OR ANYTHING.

CAN NICK HAVE KIDS?

WAIT WHY DOES THAT MATTER.

IT DOESN'T DUMBASS IT'S BIO-NERD CURIOSITY.

CURIOSITY GODDAMMIT.

Oh shit.

What if Nick goes nuts after I die?

What if Nick becomes another nutbar?

WHAT IF NICK BECOMES THIS THING TO ANOTHER GIRL THAT THE CRAZY GUY IS TO ME.

WHAT IF CHROME DIES.

SHIT.

Thankfully for Hayley, and the readers getting tired of her thought train and mental potty mouth, a thunk interrupted her wild thought train. She looked up, panic glazing her eyes, but her guard dropped instantly at the sight of a familiar face.

"Nick!" she exclaimed, leaping to her feet and running to the bars. She leaned against them and he grinned at her, the extra inches of ice bringing them eye-to-eye. "Thank god you're here. I've just about gone nuts in here. Now, get me out of here so we can go save Chrome, unless Hunter's already on that. But hey, the more the merrier, right?" she ended her sentence in a breathless giggle that was too close to a sob for her liking.

"Yeah, guess so. I'm gonna get you out of here, then we'll get Chrome. Okay?" he said in hushed tones, earning a silent nod. He disappeared from view, and she turned to see him behind her. She stepped forward, preparing to be teleported to freedom.

"Well? We going or not?"

"Hmm... I'm thinking...." his mouth curled into a cruel sneer. "Or not."

Then he lunged.

The scuffle didn't last long. In the confined space, Hayley was practically a sitting duck. So she attacked head-on, but in her weakened state, her kick to his chest barely knocked him over. He latched onto her ankle, dragging her down and causing her to sprawl across the ice with a grunt. He recovered faster, rising to his knees and gripping her shin harder with both hands. She tried to claw herself away from him, but his grip was too strong and the ice too smooth for her efforts to be successful. He held her leg in such a way that she could only brace herself for the inevitable. There was an agonizing crunching sound followed by a scream that didn't end for a long time. Although by the time Hayley ran out of breath, the scream was echoing in three minds: Hayley's, Peter McFelonius', and the real Nick's minds.