The lights flicker on.

Fuck.

I wince at the sudden brightness. God, even wincing fucking hurts.

I slowly lift my head, which is really heavy if nobody has realized. The head weighs a shit ton.

"Nice to see you again," I barely manage to force the words out as I see Alfredo. I briefly wonder where my other torturer is. I was alittle fond of the guy, despite that fact he tortured me. I pitied him since he looked a lot like a mixture of ogre and troll. That must have been why he became what he was.

"I missed you so much." I say in the driest tone ever to Alfredo.

"I must say, I'm impressed." He totally ignores my comment. I think he's beginning to learn how to deal with me by not dealing with me. "You've lasted longer than I give you credit for." He continues.

"How many days has it been?" I say curiously. I think it may have been three days?

"Long enough." He says vaguely. I feel as though he thought i would last only one day. Honestly, me too. I'm surprised with myself. However, I do feel I am about to break, physically and mentally.]]

"Is there any chance I can get water or even food of some kind? On a platter?" I cough and lick my dry lips. I cant help myself from trying to lick my chapped lips, which will only make it drier.

Luckily, he has not been starving and dehydrating me. After I wake up from my little "sessions," I see two bowls of water and food on the ground near me. The bowls are pretty much made for dogs. At first, I was too prideful to stoop so low and use the bowls. Plus, I was still tied to my chair. I would have to fall on the ground and eat it like a dog, or I would get spoon-fed.

Sadly, I caved. I finished the bowls yesterday. It was the most humiliating moment of my life when my torturer came in and saw the clean bowls, all licked up and glistening. I was hungry and thirsty. It was food. However, he pretty much goaded me and I soon made up my mind to never give into my hunger or thirst ever again.

"Food not good enough, princess?" He smirks, his eyes showing he knows that I had to eat like a dog from his fucking bowls. 

"Are you here to kill me?" I eye him warily. I have learned a llot. I will not take the obvious bait.

"You'll break eventually. Time is against you." He leaves afterwards. Winner of the year for vagueness goes to Alfredo Sauce!

That was strange. I really expected to have another bruise added to my growing collection.

I wait. Then, I wait some more. Nobody comes in or out of my room for hours. I don't know what's worse: my isolation or my tortures. 

I think mentally wasting away must be better. I have faith that my mentality will hold longer than my body.

Let's not talk about what they did to me, which luckily were mostly physical abuse. I'm sure I must have been affected mentally but it is better not to dwell to deep into it. I would probably go insane, and I don't look good in a body suit, wrapped up and shipped into a mental asylum. 

I just want everything to end already. I'm not contemplating death, but giving up sounds so simple, so nice. It's just a damn key. If I just give them the key, everything will be over. Giving up seems so blissful. I should give up. Yes, it sounds so goddamn appealing. 

Yet, there is a tiny voice urging me not to hand it over. It will be the end of everything. I will also probably die right off the bat, or be sold into some black market transaction.

Why am I always stuck in this positition? This is just deja vu. 

I wait some more. I don't even know what I'm waiting for anymore.

However, every single time I hear a sound, I jump a bit. I am too on edge from everything that has happened. I cannot relax. Any second I expect the door to swing open and someone will come in to give me another round of his version of torture. Just thinking about it gives me chills and instills me with a crippling fear. 0

I am ashamed to be a Ricca. I am literally quaking in my boots each time the door opens. At least I am a good enough actress to fake it through. (Maybe I should consider acting in the future). I just get overwhelmed with fear and pain. I...I should think about other things.

I desperately want to sleep to shorten the time. However, I only have nightmares when I close my eyes. That and a mild case of insomnia.

I go in and out of consciousness. I never manage to fully sleep. I can feel my body and mind slowly waste away once more. My throat feels dry and achy. Also, my mouth is like sandpaper. I'm too weak to move at all.

Did they forget about me? I don't know if I"m lucky or not.

I doze off. 

I wake up.

I doze off once more.

Sometimes I see food placed in front of me. 

I don't know how long this cycle continues but this time I wake to the sound of someone's voice.

"Pssttt. Psssttt." Someone tries to get my attention. 

I gaze at him. My lips stick together momentarily before I force them apart. Of course, in doing so, they start bleeding again. Fan-fucking-tastic. 

"You don't need to speak." Jacob rushes toward me, half-limping. He starts to cut through my zip-ties with a knife. I try not to look at the blood stains on the blade; it gives me unpleasant thoughts. 

I only stare at him, half-consciously. He looks slightly better than the last time I saw him. His bruises aren't as glowing. Plus, he's not dripping with blood. 

I think I am in a dream. This certainly feels like a dream. Everything is all hazy and fluffy. Yet, the release my limbs feel from the restraints are too real to be a dream. I stare in disbelief at my bare ankles and wrists. The angry, red marks around them seems foreign to me. 

I automatically try to get up from the chair. Of course, I collapse painfully from my weakend state. My crudly fashioned bandages becomes seeped with blood soon as I reopen my scabs. I gasp in pain, gritting my teeth together. It does not help that I may have been stabbed multiple times in the legs. The bandages all over my body are not helping anymore. Bullocks. 

"Hey. We need to get out of here." Jacob snaps his fingers in front of my face impatiently. 

"Ja-cob?" I whisper. "I-I can't." I can barely move. He is always so observant...

"Yeah, that's my name. I'm serious. We need to leave. NOW." He starts to grab my wrist. I instinctively pull away and wrap my arms around me in protection. 

His eyes soften as he stares at me. "Shay...you can trust me." He holds out his hand to me.

I shake my head imperceptively. This could be a trap. He could be working for Alfredo. He's only pretending to escape with me. I cannot even move in this state so i don't know why he's even bothering. 

"Do you really want to stay here? You have barely brushed the surface on what they will do to you!" He snaps. "After they try to tire you mentally with all this waiting, you will experience worst. Trust. Me." His eyes hold such honesty and conviction that I start to step towards him.

"I can't!" My eyes tear up.

"I'll carry you!" He almost screams.

"You can't even walk properly!" I almost scream, but my throat catches. I start coughing uncontrollably, which only makes my pain worse. I cover my mouth and try to quiet the coughs. Taking away my hand, I gasp at the red stains on my fingers. I hope my internal bleeding is not life-threatening as of right now. 

"I can walk a lot better than you." Jacob fidgets, glancing at the door every single. 

I pause. "Sh-shoes. I have to have my shoes."  I whisper. They took my shoes. I do not know when they did, but I am not wearing them anymore. 

"We do not have time for your shoes." He groans. 

"Sh-shoes." I say once more, more urgently. 

"Fine. I'll go get your damn shoes." He rolls his eyes and leaves the room. His absence worries me. I wonder if he will just take the shoes and leave. What if he sees the Key? What if he knows? What if someone already saw the key and took it? What is Alfredo has it? 

I start to hyperventilate and rock back and forth. Pain forms in my palms. I look at my nails digging into my palm, drawing blood. The pain brings me back. I calm down and stare at the red liquid. 

The next thing I know Jcaob is back in the room and swinging my shoes in front of me. "Hello? Earth to Shay?"

I didn't notice him here.  "Yeah." 

"I got some clothes to cover you up." He hands me a thick jacket and huge jeans. Then, he passes me an opened water bottle. I greedily down the water, which makes me a whole lot better. 

"Turn around." I whisper.

"You're barely clothed and you want me to turn around?" He rolls his eyes.

I sigh. He was right since all I was wearing was a bra and shorts. Of course, I was wrapped up in bandages. 

"Can you help me?" I reluctantly say as I realize that it will be too hard to dress myself.

"Yeah."

After I dress, I wear my shoes and inconspicuously check the bottom of my shoe. I search to make sure the key is still there. 

I sigh in relief as the key is where I put it. 

At least there is a good thing for today.

"Now can we go?"  He sighs. I nod in reply. He lends me his shoulder to lean on as we exit through the door.

I close my eyes and hold my breath as we go through the door. i had dreamed of escaping so many times, but it just never happened. I can't believe I'm actualy leaving this hellhole now. 

There is no one around as we rush down the hallway together. Jacob and I scan everywhere vigilantly. 

We pass by some bodies on the ground. "Did you...?" I whisper.

Jacob shrugs coldly before moving on. I don't know how I feel about this. "Why did you bother saving me? I got you in here in the first place." 

"Despite what I said and have done, I still can't leave you in there to be tortured to death. Plus, you're no good to me dead." Jacob grunts.

"I'll accept that explanation." I shrug. It's honest enough.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"Ugh, you ask so many questions. We are heading for the garage to get a ride. We are almost there."

Soon, we stand outside the door to the garage. "Hold on and wait here." Jacob motions for me to stay to the side as he enters. 

I wait nervously for him. We haven't passed anyone so far, which makes me suspicious. Yet, they could all be killed by Jacob, who doesn't seem to be able to do much with his injured ankle. 

"Clear. Let's go." Jacob comes back. There is a black Porsche parked right in front. Jacob and I get into the car.

"Really? This car is flashy." I grimace. "We will be spotted right away."

"Well, I've always wanted to drive a Porsche. Plus, it's really fast." He puts the key into ignition. The look of delight on his face makes me laugh a bit.  Boys and their cars. 

"Let's get the fuck out of here baby!" Jacob cheers before stepping onto the gas pedal. 

We are both pushed back into the seat as we zoom out of the garage, which luckily doesn't have a gate to it. The path leads right to the front of Alfredo's estate. I look at the window, looking for someone or anyone to notice us. I see someone on the roof point to the car before he directs his gun towards us. Then, more people come out with huge guns.

"Uh...Jacob. We have company." I say as soon as bullets start firing.

"Fuck." Jacob curses again as he speeds up. I can hear some of the bullets hit the car. I see some of the garden decorations around us shatter from stray bullets.

"There's a gate!" I point to the closed metal gate ahead of us. 

"Fuck.  I didn't think of that." Jacob curses and he tries to think of an alternate plan.

"Eh, let's ram it." He grins and speeds up.

"That's not a good idea!" I grip his arm.

"True." He slows down and pauses at the gatekeeper, who looks at the car for some sort of signal. 

Jacob rolls down the window and shoots the poor guy. I gasp in shock.

"Why did you kill the gatekeeper? He seemed harmless. He looks old enough to have a wife and children!" I exclaim. 

"If you're working for Alfredo, there is no innocent." Jacob states before going to the gate controls and pressing it to open. He comes back, and we zoom off into the night. 

_______________

A/n: PLEASE READ THE QUESTION!

How are you guys with cuss words? Any ideas for a cast for the characters?

Sometimes I censor the words. I usually bleep the f-words but that's only because I'm not sure how young readers are. Also, I know some readers, regardless of age, don't like cussing. Let me know!

Thanks for ..pretty much EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOUR SUPPORT!

Fyi:

My computer still sucks and I don't know how to make it work. It seems that my computer has a death wish; it's begging for me to go on a rampage and break it. I think it hates Wattpad or something since that's the only website I can't seem to type into a word box! (I'm trying to go save up for a new computer. Goodbye old, clunky computer).

I just have the urge to rant, so skip of you want lol. Don't mind me:

Anyways, for the high school seniors of 2015: UC's are out. Most college acceptances are released. All this..equals...a sad and mad me. I had the WORST week ever. I was so upset with some of my acceptances. I didn't have a DREAM college but I mean it's just tough knowing that every single one of my friends were accepted into all these great schools. Then, there's me.

I didn't get rejected by a lot, but I mean WAITLISTED?! still, it's okay.

ITS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD!

That's what I kept thinking over and over. Really, it's not. Whoever is going through the college season, it's okay. Really, it's okay to be sad. Then, once you have dealt with that feeling, you will move on. You're not a failure. You can and will be successful in your own way. Brand name or not, College is still just a school for you to learn and move on. If you make the most of your college experience, it doesn't even matter whether you graduate Harvard or a community college. You're still getting an education to prepare you for later on. Plus, there's transferring.

You have a long road ahead of you. Nothing is set to stone. There are plenty of options and one college won't affect it drastically. 

Best of luck to everyone applying and waiting for college apps. 

Well, toddle doo!

Love you all :)