TW: kidnapping, torture, big no no words, talk of dead parents, suicide

"Why did they choose you?!"

"I don't know!" Water quickly filled my nostrils and mouth again as I screamed. My head got pulled up again by my hair, dripping wet.

"Why did your parents choose you, Sophie?" I looked Vespera dead in the eyes, spitting out water as I replied.

"I told you. I. Don't. Know!" The last word could hardly leave my mouth before my face was submerged again. Vespera held me under longer that time. I thrashed against her, needing to get a breath of air. Right as my vision started to go fuzzy, my head was yanked up. My scalp burned where my hair was pulled.

"I'll only ask one more time. Why you?" I was coughing and shivering. I didn't even know what she was talking about. Would she kill me once she realized I really didn't know?

"I don't even know what you're talking about, I wasn't chosen for anything! I don't understand!" I cried, wanting the torture to be over.

She tossed me backwards from the tub of water by my hair. I crumpled on my side on the ground, trying to scramble up. My arms were tied behind my back so I just continued to fall back down. Vespera stalked towards me, Stinky trailing her in his mask and goggles. Since I couldn't get up, I just tried to get farther away, scooting backwards until I hit the wall.

I tried to use the wall to get myself into a sitting position, so I could maybe stand up, but that didn't happen as Vespera's pointy, steel-tipped shoe drove itself into my stomach. I yelped, curling up around my stomach before she could kick again. My Sophie-ball didn't prevent any kicking though, she just aimed at my legs, shoulders, and head. I couldn't even use my arms to try to block and absorb the hits.

"What's so special about her, anyways?" Stinky asked. "She doesn't have some big pain tolerance, can't do anything, there are no qualities about her that would make them choose her."

"That's why we're trying to figure it out, you idiot." She punctuated her words with a particularly hard kick to my nose. I cried out, my eyes welling up and another liquid dripping from my nose.

"Aww she's crying!" Stinky laughed. I snarled, spitting blood out of my mouth.

"Go to hell!" I still couldn't stop the tears. I was crying, full on body shaking sobs. I couldn't help it, I was terrified and hurting. Not a single part of my body was spared from bruises, cuts, and pain. Vespera knelt down in front of me and grabbed my chin. She pulled me up so my face was just barely lower than her's.

"You don't even have anyone to cry to, little Moonlark. Your friends and family think you're dead, and you can't go running to your parents because they're dead. Killed right in front of you, a little girl hiding. You didn't do anything, just watched."

"Stop it!" I screamed. I thrashed around, trying to get out of her hold.

"Maybe you could've saved them. But now you live without them. You're all alone because no one will ever understand you."

"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up..." I whimpered. I felt like I couldn't breathe. Vespera was raking those painful memories through my mind, leaving death and ruin in their path.

"They were murdered in front of you... and you know who did it." That made me freeze. I had no idea who killed them, it was just some random robbers. A freak accident that they died, bad luck. I didn't know who did it.

She must've seen my confusion, leaning closer over to my ear. "Oh how I enjoyed pulling the trigger on your whiny mother. 'Please don't hurt my baby!' Wah wah, now I've hurt both her daughters." She kept talking, but everything blurred out. She killed my mom. Vespera murdered my mom.

"I'm going to kill you." I whispered, but she still heard. "You sick bitch! I'm going to kill you! You're fucking dead!" I moved my head around in her grasp, trying to be able to bite her hand or hurt her in some way. There was no way I was going to let her live after what she did. "You tore apart my entire family! My life went to shit because of you!" Her eyes narrowed and her grip on my chin tightened. Hardly a second later my head was spinning. The thud of my head hitting the wall echoed in my ears. The pain got worse as Vespera slammed my head into the wall again, then again.

Before I could even feel the pain of another hit, everything went dark.

I woke up slowly. My head still spun and felt very foggy and heavy. I could barely lift it up at all. I forced my eyes open against the painfully bright lights, my eyelids dragging down. Since I could see the light, I knew I didn't have a blindfold. I also couldn't feel a gag in my mouth. The only bindings I had was the rope tying my hands behind my back.

I struggled to sit up, using the wall of the cell I was in to balance. As soon as I was up, I doubled over and threw up. I didn't know whether it was because of the concussion, the pain, or the fact that someone planned to murder my parents, they were murdered for a reason.

I scooted over to the corner of the room when I was done, leaning my head to the side against the wall.

It wasn't safe, with my definite concussion, but I fell back asleep. When I woke, it was because of the sound of my cell door being opened. I couldn't tell which kidnapper it was because of the mask, but he threw a body in with me and left.

Whoever was dropped in with me had a bag over their head. I assumed it was a man based on the height and physique. I moved over slowly, shuffling on just my knees. I knew if I stood up, I'd be too dizzy to stay up. When I got to him, I noticed he was asleep, his hands behind his back as well. I turned around, trying to get the bag off his head. If was really hard without being able to see. My arms had minimal movement, so once I got ahold of the bag I just shuffled to the side, pulling it away with me. I turned back around quickly, gasping when I saw who it was.

"Alvar? Alvar, wake up!" I nudged Fitz and Biana's older brother with my knees, then moved to sit on my butt so I could kick him. He grunted, his eyes opening slowly. "Alvar?" I asked again once his eyes were fully open. They opened a little wilder when he finally noticed me.

"Sophie? But... you're dead?" I shook my head.

"They made some fake body or whatever, I don't really know. How'd you get here? Why'd they take you?" He still seemed in shock and confused but shook it off once he noticed my questions.

"I don't know, I just remember somebody sneaking up behind me and covering my mouth with a cloth while I was walking back to my dorm after class."

"Don't you go to college in Switzerland? That's pretty far from Eternalia, which is where they got me."

"Okay so why'd they go all that way to get me?" He asked. If there was a lightbulb above my head, it would've gone off.

"Maybe they didn't. Maybe they went a long way to get to me. They keep asking me these questions about my biological parents, why they chose me for something. I don't know what it's about but I feel like whatever they want me for, they would want it enough to travel to get me." He nodded along, then seemed to take in my appearance.

"Oh jeez. They've been hurting you?" He asked. I could already see the sympathy and pity in his eyes. I couldn't bring myself to care. I was too glad to have a friend with me. It had been so long since I'd talked to someone who didn't want to hurt me or get answers out of me.

"Yeah. They think it'll make me answer their questions, but I just don't know the answer. No matter how much they hurt me, it's not going to change." His eyes softened, just filled with sadness.

"I'm so sorry." I shrugged.

"Nothing can really be done at this point. Everyone thinks I'm dead so there's no more chance of a rescue for me. Maybe they'll try to find you, but it'll at least be a while since you go to college farther away." He smiled a little, like he just heard the best news ever.

"Yeah, but I text my family everyday. They're going to notice when I don't. Then they'll call the college or my roommate, and they'll say they haven't seen me in a while. You're getting out of here." He told me. I couldn't help but feel the hope, but I had to be the realistic one.

"I was gone for six days before they found my 'body.' Who's to say the same won't happen to you. I'm sorry, Alvar, but I don't think anyone's going to find us. If we're getting out, we need to figure out a plan." I definitely crushed his happiness, but not his determination.

We planned for a little while before I noticed my migraine getting worse. I groaned, leaning my head against the cool wall. I had explained to him everything that happened before he arrived, including what lead to my headache.

"Maybe we should take a break." He suggested from where he was leaning against the wall next to me.

"Can you talk?" I eventually asked. "I don't like the silence, I've had too much of it."

"Everyone really misses you." He said. "Even Fitz was crying. I don't think Biana's stopped at all. Before the body was found, they were looking really hard to try and find what happened, since the police weren't doing anything. They even found the texts on your phone. They tried to get the number traced but it didn't work. Keefe's the one who set up the search parties. He was always so happy talking to me, I was like his older brother, but he didn't talk to anyone after the body was found. The funeral was really bad, nobody could get through their speeches without breaking down."

"How were Grady and Edaline?" He shook his head, looking at me with sadness.

"Your death really broke them. Especially since it was a suicide. Last I saw, Grady was barely hanging on with his emotions, and Edaline only left her room for the funeral. They blame themselves." Tears were dripping down my cheeks before I could do anything about it.

"It's been like, two weeks, right?" I asked, rubbing my face on my shoulder and sniffling.

"If today's still the day I got taken, then sixteen days." He said after a moment. Sixteen days since I'd seen my family. Sixteen days without me having told them goodbye, or that I loved them. What if they thought I didn't? I had been in such a bad mood then, what if they thought I hated them then killed myself?

We both jolted to attention when the cell door opened again.

"Okay Vacker, time to go." Stinky said, grabbing Alvar by his arm and pulling him up. I shouted and tried to stand up, trying to get Alvar to stay, but there wasn't much I could do without my arms. Alvar thrashed around but eventually got pulled and the door was shut.

I charged at it, slamming my shoulder against the hard metal. Now that I had some comfort and friendliness during my kidnapping, I didn't want it gone.

But he didn't come back. There was nothing I could do as I heard his screams coming from another room.

guys idek what i'm doing at this point. like why did alvar get kidnapped? isn't he supposed to be evil? idk guess not anymore. also sorry for the FAT bad words and torture stuff. i'm not really good at writing that stuff so idk but like, it's the neverseen... i really feel like if they kidnapped sophie again in the books she'd be hardcore tortured. so yeah. hope you liked it, byeeeeee

Avery, out ->

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