Boredom.

There's nothing to do in here than sleep.

It was not difficult to sleep initially, but as the hours progressed, my body deteriorated at a quicker rate. My stomach growled for food, but I didn't want to show weakness by asking for food. So, I suffered in silence. My throat is so dry — I fear I won't be able to speak because of the lack of moisture.

Quietly groaning, I crane my neck to stare upward at the ceiling, my eyes squinting from the fluorescent lights. I stare directly into them until I feel the irritation at the back of my eyes, looking underneath to see black spots. For a second, I forgot other emotions exist besides hunger.

Would my stomach shut the fuck up if I punched myself in the gut? Is it worth testing my theory? I don't think so. Truthfully, I barely have the energy to breathe, let alone punch myself. I wonder how fast my heart is beating.

To pass the time, I play with the fluorescent lights, my eyes darting between them in a pattern until it's long enough I forget it. Usually, I last ten rounds before my mind begins to fail me, and I forget where to start.

Suddenly, the lights flicker. Their intensity drops a level, and I'm starstruck-- it has never done this before. Uneasy settles on my skin, and my goosebumps emerge as a result. A crackle of thunder tremors through the dome, and I instantly cover my ears. My eyes squint shut after viewing a random bright streak-- lightning.

Thunder roars like a predator searching for its prey in the wild, and the sound effects of rain pitter-patting fill my ears.

A slow smirk draws on his face. "You're going to pay for being such a fucking baby!" Isiah steps closer until my back hits the wall. "You wanted to play, so let's play."

My lip quivers. "I-I don't want to play anymore."

He laughs, an unsympathetic glimmer in his brown irises. "Why not? You bitched to Abuela and Dad. Psst, like they would fucking help you." Isiah pulls my pigtails, forcibly dragging my body. "Why, Isabela? Why don't you want to play?"

Isiah tugs my pigtails downward, and I fall to the ground with a thud. "I-I'm scared."

Isiah runs his hands through his brown hair, his eyes scanning the area, and lands on an item on the shelf. I trace his line of sight slowly to my fish, Princess Sparkle-- he's a boy, my only friend. The only living thing willing to listen to me and hang out with me.

"Say that to Princess Sparkle." Isiah flashes an eerie smile as he grabs the fishbowl off my cabinet and tries to run off until I latch onto his ankles.

"Leave him alone!" I scream, digging my nails into his skin and slicing it open. "He has nothing to do with this."

Isiah's jaw tensed. "You fucking little brat! I'm bleeding!"

His patience for me snaps like a twig, and Isiah lungs his foot into my face with a snarl, sending my head back with a bang.

The crashing thunder rings through the dome, stuck like an inescapable room. Gritting my teeth, I tug on my ears, trying to rip them from so I don't have to hear the thunder anymore. Tears threaten to spill from my eyes.

The room goes dark. It's like I'm playing a first-person game, trying to maneuver the game controls as I feel around the space-- Hard, slick surface. My stomach twists and turns as I try to move my legs, but I can't. Everything is too tight, too small, too close. A roar of thunder slithers in and shakes my body to the core.

My stomach bottoms out.

No, no, no.

My fists bang on the cabinet doors. "Please! Please! Please, stop." Tears ripple down my cheeks like an endless river. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! Please, just let me out!" Every part of my body whacks the door, but my lightweight does nothing to it. They're going to let me die in here. "Isiah, please! I'm sorry for asking you to play and telling you. I won't ever do it again. I-I promise. Just let me out."

Exhausted breaths depart from my lips as my body aches from all the force against the rigid surface. If I make it to tomorrow, I think I'll wake up with bruises. Still, I don't let up, even if it hurts. Loud sobs fall from my lips as I slump against the door, thumping my fist on the wood.

Isiah always has someone on post.

But the only brother willing to help me is Indigo.

"Let me out." My voice cracks, strained from all the protesting. "I don't want to play anymore."

A burst of spooky, haunting laughter rings in my ears, causing a chill to run down my spine. My neck twists left and right to see nothing. Darkness. Panic fills my chest like a balloon with helium. All that's left is for someone to pop me, and I break down.

"Isabela..." An all too familiar voice calls my name as my eyes flicker to meet his demonic gaze. I recoil my knees to my stomach, clutching them closer as I scoot to the right side of the cabinet. "You didn't think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?"

This is fake.

This isn't happening.

"You're mine!" He announces, his voice filled with rage as he lunges forward, gripping my chin in his hand. "Nobody is going to let you out. Nobody is going to help you. At the end of the day-- you always end up back in my arms. You disgraceful, little bitch."

My eyes seal themselves shut as I grip my ears until I'm yanking at my scalp. He's always here. Why? My body shakes. A mixture of coughing and a ripple scream fights for superiority over my throat. Fear swirls in my stomach. This is it-- Daddy got me right where he wanted me.

A bright flash of light warrants me enough courage to open my eyes to see-- a faint silhouette. He extends his hand out for me to grab and places his pointer finger over his lip to gesture-- be quiet. 

"We have to hurry before they get back."

"Isabela... Isabela... Isabela!"

The faint outline of the person fades away, and Julian unfolds, acting as my savior in this narrative. What's happening to me? I don't know what's happening to my mind. It's split in two. I'm pathetic-- I'm falling apart.

"He's here..." I whisper.

"Who's here?" Julian asks, concern flooding his features.

My stomach rolls harder as I glance around the doom to see no living thing except Julian. "M-My Dad... he wants revenge."

He thinks I'm fucking crazy.

My throat's too tight for me to speak, but I swallow the knot. "I-I can't do this, Julian. Please help me. They always come in the night. I'm so scared. I-I-I." I choke on my salvia. "I'm not strong enough to beat this."

Julian catches my face in his hands, and my hands fall on his wrist as he holds me securely in place to keep his gaze. My eyes drink in the raw emotions in his blue irises, the compassion and guilt in those swirls.

"Baby, breathe... Just like me," He says, counting in threes as he inhales and exhales, and I struggle to follow his rhythm, but I try. "Good... good. You got it, Isabela. Just focus on breathing."

"I'm sorry." My lips tremble as salty tears roll down to my lips. "I thought I could do this, but I will always be that weak little girl."

"Baby..." My heart hammers at the sincerity and delicateness in his tone. "Baby... just look at me. I know I'm probably the last person you want to see right now, but I just thought if I came to you, you wouldn't be scared. You wouldn't have to feel alone." The tension between us was left at the front door. The thump-thump-thump of my heart rings in my ears. Only sound audible. The world around us fades to black as I drift my gaze to meet his.

Sometimes in our weakest moments, we need an anchor to reality, and even though I despise him right now-- Julian is my anchor. His face pinches in agony, and his ocean eyes stir a whirlpool in my soul. Wow. It's times like these when you notice the little things like the green specks glittering in his irises.

His forehead drops on mine. "They won't win, Isabela. I know in moments like these, you feel like that weak little girl, but you're not-- far from it. You've never been weak your entire life. Truthfully, I've never met anyone as remarkably strong as you. Isabela, you survived your father, brothers, sex trafficking, and Damien. You already won."

I rub my tears away with my thumb. "Then why do I feel like I disappointed everyone?"

"Fuck them." He brushes a curl away from my face. "First of all, you're human, and we all get a little scared sometimes, but you're still here. Nobody gets to say shit to you because you're conquering your fear while they do nothing and watch. Isabela, you're stronger than you think-- you can do this, but I will not force you. If you want to leave, then let's go. I'll protect you every second of the way."

My head jerks into my neck like a turtle returning to its shell at the sound of a violent crackle of thunder. I'm conflicted. My mind is fuzzy, a jumbled box of incohesive thoughts, replaying his words in a never-ending loop. The entire time I've been asking to leave, but what if I can really do this?

Would I be capable of lasting another three days listening to thunderstorms with only myself for courage? This could be a way of releasing those inner demons and show them how powerless they're. I'm a woman now, and I hold the power.

I won't let them win.

I slowly bob my head. "I-I can do it."

"Are you sure?"

I swallow the lump in my dry throat. "Yes."

Suddenly red lights flash on the ceiling of the dome with a timer of twenty-five seconds spiral in a circle on the walls.

My body responds to the light kiss Julian presses on my forehead, and he slowly pulls away. "That's my cue. You got this, Bellissima. I'm rooting for you--every inch of the way." He stops midway out the door, his mouth opens and closes. "I-I... believe in you."

The door bolts shut.

A rustling sound of thunder jolts the entire room as I curl into a ball in the corner of the space, rotating back and forth while protecting my ears. All I have to do is keep the positive thoughts floating by. The bad wins when you fuel the energy, and I won't allow myself to fail today, even if it means dying tomorrow.

Fear won't consume me.

Any memories of Dad or my brothers were immediately shoved in the casket along with them. If I wanted to conquer the thunder, I had to think about the happy moments in life. My first tactic was to sing my favorite nursery rhyme-- they touch, they break, they steal, no one here is free. Here they come. They come for three, unless you stop the melody.

Any outsider viewer probably thinks I'm going fucking insane, mumbling words under my breath as I cradle myself like a baby. Slowly, the light dims to reflect the sun going down, and rises back up to showcase a new day.

A part of me wants to play hopscotch as I sing the rhyme, but I don't want to waste the small amount of energy I have on something stupid. But after a few hours, I say fuck it-- beats being curled up in a ball in the corner. I sigh deeply, stretching my tense limbs over my head. My head tilts to the camera in the room, locking eyes with the audience.

They probably think I'm weak.

Easy to beat.

That's what's expected of someone who's deemed crazy.

But sometimes, a person has to go insane to stay sane.

To the tone of rhyme, I hop on one foot, then two, throughout the whole room. I must go for at least a few hours before collapsing to the floor from sheer exhaustion. Is it time for dinner yet? The earsplitting thunder never stops, but it's merely elevator music at this point. I've gotten accustomed to tuning it out.

My mood grows sour when I'm too tired to do anything.

It's like the days in Damien's dungeon. I couldn't do a single thing. My arms were bound together to prevent me from almost ending everything again. If I wanted a meal, Damien would force-feed me like a baby. A diet of applesauce and berries. A sickening feeling forms in the pit of my stomach. He's truly a sick man.

I remember spitting a mouthful of applesauce in his face once.

I laugh.

What a good time, until he spanked me with the belt on my bare back.

Who knew in moments like these what reminiscing could be done? It drives me to keep going like Dory, always keep swimming. I'm going to end out on top. For once, I will be in charge, and everyone will have to obey me, even Damien, especially if he wants his family to maintain their status in the mafia world.

My finger has a mind of its own, drawing shapes in the dirt on the ground. For a few fleeting moments, I close my eyes but wake up to a dozen markings on the floor. How did I do that? My eyes pull tensely at the sight of a newly drilled hole in the middle of the ceiling, slowly descending a clear tube.

Am I about to become chocolate like Augustus Gloop? I would rather turn into a violet ball like Violet.

The tube stops an inch above the ground, the light wind gusting through the machine. I better run before I turn into soggy soup! My body doesn't move an inch. I'm too tired to protest. All of a sudden, a bowl of crispy chicken salad, a chocolate cake, and a cup of water drops from the tube.

Could this be real?

Food.

Heavenly food?

In a heartbeat, I teleport there in a flash-like form as I sink to my knees, devouring the nasty, half-rotten salad. The urge to cry deepens at having a basic necessity again. Swallowing the meal down my throat with water, I nearly gag at the horrible taste. Nothing worse than forcing yourself to eat the things you hate.

The fucking chocolate cake, though.

A moan escapes my throat in response to the creamy, sweet chocolate taste on my tongue. They got me because this shit tastes fucking amazing. Everyone is probably watching me sideways as I lick every inch of the plate.

A little tingling sensation explodes in my stomach. I go slow, my movements shaky as I place the plate back on the ground. My throat clogs up, itchy with an urge to want to cure it. The glass of water slips from my hold, smashing to the ground as I burst into a coughing fit. Saliva doubles in my mouth, and I struggle to breathe.

It was too good to be true, wasn't it?

Terror radiates through my veins as I fall to the ground, dragging my body against the stone floor to reach the door.

Someone help me.

My eyes flare open, darting around.

Oh, dear, I'm not in Kansas anymore.

Instead of being trapped in my own personal dome, I'm in an area cosplaying as one of those ancient cells, except there's a hallway into another room. This must be where the last round takes place.

My eyes pop open as something crawls up my throat and spills onto the floors-- green, gritty vomit. It's foul. Another body curling barf escapes my throat, along with fresh blood. What the hell? Panic flares through me. I'm falling apart at the seams, and we haven't even started yet.

The overhead speaker crackles, "Don't fear... everyone. This is just an extra precaution to ensure all losers' impending death. The only way to survive the night is by winning the game and thus gaining access to the cure. This is a moment everyone has been waiting for... There's a gift for everyone in their respective area, an item chosen by the viewers. May the odds be on your side."

Black, massive letters flash on the walls, counting down from fifteen.

Breathing in and out slowly, I gain awareness of my surroundings and find the small white box with a gold bow. I run to the package and rip the wrapping paper to find a pencil. A fucking pencil. I break into nonsensical laughter as my fist tightens around the pencil until my knuckles go white.

The audience has no faith in me.

I see how it is.

A horn blares to announce the start of the game.

My legs burn with the force of my speed as I take off, running into another room. Abuela says, regardless of how it seems, the hallways are like a circular maze. Eventually, you run into somebody. I don't know whether to stay still like a coward or run head-fist into battle with my opponents.

My breaths rush out of me as I decide to be headstrong and barge into the other room. I blink, freezing for a moment when I meet the eyes of Octavio Arias. A man who looks like he spends every waking moment weight training. He's thicker and bulkier than the likes of Julian-- I have one advantage.

Speed.

Bullets pierce the air when Octavio shoots in my direction, but I dash to another spot in rapid succession as he repeats the same method three times. Adrenaline floods through my bloodstream.

Octavio hooks his gun in his holster. "Hey, I'm a gentleman. I'll let you get a few hits in, before I kill you."

I eye him with a smirk. "How generous of you, but it seriously isn't needed. I can kick your ass without your pity."

He shrugs. "Suit yourself."

The beast of a man collides with me, slamming me into the wall, dazing me as a yelp accidentally leaves me. I swing a punch into Octavio's jaw, but he stops my fist mid-way with his own, twisting my wrist. Another pained sound escapes me as I'm banged against the wall, sliding to the floor like a useless rag doll.

His thin lips curl into a creepy smirk. "Not even five minutes." He laughs as he pulls his pistol out and aligns it with my forehead. "Should've taken my offer, then maybe you could've had a fighting chance."

Octavio laughs louder.

My leg jerks up, knocking the pistol out of his hands and sending it to the opposite of the room. We both eye the gun, then look at each other, challenging one another to make the first move. A second ago, he was boasting about winning, and now he's terrified to make a move. Shame.

We cautiously play cat and mouse, observing each other's every move. Octavio constantly shifts between the pistol and me. If I wait for his attention to be on the gun, then it gives me an extra few seconds to reach it first-- that's all I need.

I wait for the perfect moment to pounce like a jaguar.

My legs burn from exhaustion as I sprint to the gun on the floor, only to be hauled by the neckline of my dress. Octavio smacks my skull against the concrete, and I cry out in sharp pain. He comes down on top of me, laughing as I squirm beneath him. He digs his fingers into my jaw, wrenching it open.

"You should've stuck to sucking cock," he snarls in amusement. "It's probably the only thing you're good at."

I spit into his face. "Fuck you."

I throw another punch that results in a soft slap, causing him to chuckle again. His feature tightens with fury as he clasps his hand around my neck, cutting my air supply. Octavio's eyes darken as he squeezes my throat. My nails claw at his hands, pleading to rip them from by staying as calm as possible.

If I freak out, the more air I waste.

"Bye, bye, bitch."

A cold smile forms on my lips.

My heart beat thrums in my ears as my vision begins to get a bit hazy, and I resort to my last tactic, kneeing him in the balls. A strangled sound of pain escapes his mouth as his fists loosen on my neck, and I jerk forward, latching my teeth onto his neck.

Octavio screams bloody murder as I bite a chunk of the skin on his neck, spitting to the side. His eyes widen in disbelief. He stops fighting, the wound in his neck bleeding profusely as he slumps beside me. Stretching my arm enough to dislocate it, I grab a hold of the gun and fire it at his skull, killing him.

I exhale sharply, struggling to breathe, since his heavy body falls on mine. "Gosh, even in death, you're annoying."

Octavio's blood seeps into my white attire, staining them to look as if I just got my period.

What an asshole.

With the gun in hand, I wander into another area of the center to find the walls spattered with blood. It's a gruesome scene with a body in the middle to show the amount of violence capable in a person. My heart thumps faster as I inch closer to discover its Carlos-Perez-Aria's body.

Romeo is the only one left.

"Looks like you found my toy," he smirks, his white teeth peeking through as he twirls his blade around. "I would love to add you to my collection."

My stomach lurches.

It's not my first time in front of blood or in a gruesome crime scene, but there's something sinister in Romeo. I don't know if I have a chance against him. As I agonize over the options, I opt for the easiest one by firing two bullets at Romeo, completely missing him. Nothing else fires from the chamber.

It's empty.

I chuck it to the ground.

Hand-to-hand combat it is. 

I charge to him immediately in hopes of catching him off-guard, but Romeo moves faster, slamming his fist across my face, and sends me down. Panic explodes in my face from the brutal hit. I wipe my mouth, looking down at my fingers to see the crimson-red blood. Romeo lands another impact straight into my face. I suck in air through my throbbing nose as I barely see, my vision blurry from the blow.

"Baby cousin," he mocks, jutting his bottom lip as he squats down, snatching hold of my chin. "I could've put you to good use if you weren't such a greedy bitch! No wonder your brothers hated you. You're a whore, just like your mother."

He releases some of his fury by pounding my gut with his foot. It knocks the air out of my lungs. I don't make a sound as he beats the living shit out of me-- to the audience, I might as well be considered dead, but I held on by a string. 

Memories flash in my eyes with every punch.

Moments with the small group of people I cared about and are worth living for-- My mom's legacy, Mika, Tania, Asiel, Lorenzo, and I hate to admit it, but Julian. We have unfinished business to talk care of. I can't die until Julian regrets coming back into my life.

My heart hits my throat as he drops to his knees, dragging the blade down my jaw. "My beautiful toy. I can't wait to break you. Don't worry. I'll keep you pretty in the afterlife."

To avoid catching attention, I slowly creep to the waistband of my underwear and grab the pencil. Romeo inches closer, digging the tip of the blade into my jaw, and I jerk upward, stabbing the pencil into his eyeball.

Romeo releases a shrill scream, dropping the knife from his grip, and clutches his bleeding wound. The pencil stays stuck in his eyeball, peeking through his fingertips.

"You stupid fucking bitch!" he spats.

My stomach roils as I yank the pencil from his eyeball, leaving an enormous gash in its wake while I jab his eardrum with the pencil. I send my leg up and kick him away from me. Blood seeps down his ear in a trail, coating the pencil. This gives me enough time to steal the knife and run the blade against his cheek.

"Looks like I'm going to have the pleasure of adding you to my collection," I toy with him.

My thighs crush his body to stay still in the position as my eyes narrow, taking in his white eyes. "This is for my mom!" I announce, puncturing his chest with the knife. "No one calls her a whore and gets away with it." His wild eyes find me, and his body exhales when I remove the blade. "This is for all the women you disrespected!"

The knife pierces his chest.

Again and again. 

Blood spatters across my face from the wounds as I keep extracting, and inserting the knife into his body. My blade keeps crashing down. I don't think of a way to stop-- I just keep the same rhythm. All I see is red in my vision. I paint the floors with his blood and myself-- just another person on my long list to kill.

I slow down as I grow exhausted, lagging the rates of my punctures into his body. For extra security, I slash across his neck, causing another sprinkle of blood to land on my face.

With shaky legs, I stand up from straddling his body, and walk backward, glancing at my body. Everything is drenched in blood. I might as well be called Carrie. Music of Celebration fills the silence of the room as the doors open to reveal the people supporting me on the sidelines-- Lorenzo, this random red-head girl, his army of soldiers, and Julian.

"Isabela!" Julian sprints over to me and cups my face in his palms. Violent breaths exit me. His eyes desperately search for injuries. "Baby, I knew you could do it." His voice trembles as he hugs me into his chest, the faint scent of his woodsy fragrance.

The adrenaline subsides as I relax in his arms, but I'm slammed with another sensation rolling through me-- pain.

In my stomach area.

My knees buckle, and I collapse, Julian the only thing keeping me elevated. Tears fill my eyes as I feel around my stomach to find the wet, sensitive, bleeding area.

Julian stiffens, his face marred with panic. "Isabela! Baby, baby, p-please stay with me."

Hey guys, I'm back with a new long chapter for you I hope it was satisfying!!! It's currently 5am (for me) and I worked really hard to get the chapter up for guys today, so I hope you all love it💜❤️💜

I've been slacking a bit but hopefully I can pick up the updates because I need more Isabela and Julian in my life... what about you 🤭🤭

How did you feel about his pep talk? Was it a good one? Did you guys think he really wanted to say "I-I believe in you?" 👀👀

Also an applause for a Queen Isabela, killing her cousin with the pencil like wow I love her!! 😝😝😝

How do you feel about the ending? The cliffhanger? What do you want next chapter to be about and who's pov 👀👀😉

Love ya thank you for being so patiently and I can't wait to read everyone's thoughts !! Love ya 💜💜❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜