reticent

45

• ARCHER •

"Shhh." I whisper.

Ally is folded up on my lap, her head hiding in my chest. It's freezing in here. Ally is shaking. I don't know how to warm her up, because they didn't give us any blankets. Not that I'd expect it.

"Archie." She whispers, letting out a sob.

     "It's gonna be okay." I assure her, but my own voice is shaking. "I won't let anyone hurt you."

     "They hurt you, Archie!"

     "I'm fine." I say. And I am, at least for the most part. When he tried to take Amalia, I saw fucking red and went for him. Only to be knocked out a moment later. When I woke up, I was in this room and Alexandra was holding onto me tightly, crying because she thought I was dead. She told me they stuck a needle in her arm that made her go asleep.

At the first chance I get, I'll fucking kill them for it.

• AMALIA •

"Nathan!" The door to the room we're in opens, and James walks in. "Car's ready. We got Archer and Alexandra in the other one. Jess and I are gonna drive it, and you can take her."

     "Okay." Nathan says. He stands, pulling me up with him. Sliding his hoodie off, he puts it on me, making me a bit warmer. I'm still in the costume I was wearing for my dance.

     He pulls me out of the room, and we walk behind James. Nathan doesn't bother with a blindfold this time, and I realise that it's because we're not coming back here.

     "Where are we going?" I ask him.

     "Somewhere we can all be happy." He tells me, smiling.

     We get to a metal door, which James opens to reveal a woodland. Miles and miles of trees stretch across, reminding me of my hopelessness. He pulls me over to a black car with tinted windows, opens the passenger side door and shoves me into the seat.

     He grabs a long, thick piece of elastic from James and wraps it around the back of the seat, connecting it at the front as a restraint to keep me in the chair. He fastens the seatbelt over it before getting into the drivers seat and locking the doors.

     He grabs a blindfold from the dashboard and wraps it around my head, obstructing my vision once again. He reaches over and sets a hand on my bare thigh. He turns the car on just as the door opens.

     "I have the sedatives." Jess says.

     I feel Nathan lean over me, then move my hair away from my neck.

     "I'm sorry." He says as the door closes again. "It'll just be easier."

     "Nath—" The needle goes in my neck, and I try to squirm away, but my attempt is obviously useless. The fluid goes into my neck, and after a moment I start to feel light headed.

     Then my body seizes, making me completely immobile. A moment later my eyes are forced to shut, and sleep wraps me into it's blanket.

•

"Amalia!"

I open my eyes, feeling dizzy immediately. Alexandra stands above me, tears running down her little face. I'm leaning on something hard yet comfortable. I turn around to look at Archer, who's lap I'm sitting on.