Property Of W.C.K.D - Book 1 (Minho Fanfic - TMR)

Chapter 1 : She's the beginning

Author's POV ...

Cassandra began her new life standing in darkness. Suddenly, vibrations shook the floor beneath her. She was thrown off balance and stumbled backwards, using her hands and feet to steady herself, sweat dripping down her forehead even though the air was cool.

Her back ached as she collided with the hard metal wall. She slid along it so fast until finally hitting the corner of the room. Falling to the floor, she pulled her legs tightly against her body, hoping her eyes would soon adjust to the gripping darkness.

"I'm scared," she whispered, trembling, shaken by what she had just experienced.

The room jolted upwards, resembling an old mine shaft elevator.

The chains and pulleys sounded deafening, like the workings of an ancient steel mill, causing her ears to ache.

She felt the urge to empty the contents of her stomach. She couldn't control the violent jerking. It was too intense, too fast.

All her senses felt overwhelmed. She felt like giving up. She wanted to cry, but no tears came. She could only sit in the darkness, alone.

My name is Cassandra.

That's all she remembers from her life. Where did her memories go? Why is she suddenly in this dark room? It feels like she was just born and immediately grew up in this place.

She doesn't understand how this could happen. Her mind is functioning well, trying to take into account every aspect of the environment and its difficulties. Her mind is filled with questions, facts, and images, memories and details of the world and how it works.

She imagines snow on the trees, running on leaf-covered roads, eating hamburgers, the pale moonlight shining on the grassy plains, swimming in a lake, a bustling city square with hundreds of people and their individual busyness.

How did she suddenly find herself in this dark elevator? Or the memories of her parents, friends, or partner? She doesn't even know her last name. Her mind is filled with images of a crowd of people replaced by terrifying splashes of color that prevent her from remembering them. She can't recall anything. Not even a single conversation.

The room continues to ascend. The jolts become stronger. Cassandra becomes more immune to the incessant clattering.

Time drags on. Minutes stretch into hours. She travels for a long time, pulled by the clinking chains. She's unsure of how long because every second feels like an eternity in here. No. She's smart. She trusts her instincts. She knows she has been moving for about half an hour.

It's strange. She no longer feels afraid. She hasn't screamed at all since the beginning. There is no more fear, only a strong sense of curiosity. She wants to know where she is. What's the reason for her being here? What has happened?

Then, the groaning and clattering abruptly stop with a powerful jolt, lifting her body up and slamming it onto the cold iron floor.

"Shhhit," she muttered, struggling to get up but finding it incredibly difficult. Her whole body ached.

Slowly, the room stopped shaking. One minute passed. Two. She looked in every direction, but there was no trace of light entering. It was like having her eyes closed. She groaned in frustration, attempting to sit up. She pulled her legs closer and hugged her own knees. Slowly, she began to cry.

She screamed, pleading for help. There was no response. It was eerily silent. And dark. She punched the metal walls until her hands hurt.

Her heart felt like it was about to burst out of its normal position.

"Someone, help... Help me..." she screamed, her voice raw with each word she uttered.

Suddenly, that feeling returned. Fear. She shivered in terror.

From above, a loud clang could be heard. She took a deep breath and was startled as she looked straight up. A beam of light appeared on the ceiling of the room, and Cassandra squinted as the light expanded. Her eyes struggled to adjust to the intense brightness.

She heard the sound of double sliding doors being forced open. The light became even more piercing, causing her to turn her face and cover it with both hands. She could hear voices from above. The voices were heavy. She grew even more afraid.

"Look, she's a girl," someone said from above.

Finally, Cassandra grew accustomed to the piercing light. Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw a group of shadowy figures standing above.

What is this?

Are they insane?

Many voices questioned something. It was Cassandra.

She squinted and vaguely made out that the group of people above were all men. She couldn't determine their exact number. But who cared? Where was she?

The metal floor shook as someone jumped down towards her.

"Hey, greenie. Let's see what you've got," he said, gripping Cassandra's hand.

Cassandra couldn't pull away. She was too weak to do so.

Whatever the man saw in her hand, he fell silent and whispered, "She's the beginning," after reading the words on Cassandra's right hand.

"She's the beginning!" he shouted this time, causing everyone above to go quiet.

Silence...

"What do they mean?" someone could be heard asking.

"Take her up to Gally," someone from above instructed the man holding her hand. The man stared at her intently.

"First day greenie, rise and shine," he said, pulling Cassandra's hand gently to stand and embracing her waist as he lifted himself up.

"Pull her up, Newt," he told someone above.

She felt someone pulling her hand upwards. "Got you," the man above said as he pulled her up.

Everyone in the place stared at her. They could be heard exchanging opinions.

"She's quite beautiful. Wicked really hit the mark."

"She'd make a great partner for Frypan in the kitchen."

"No, she's better suited for gardening."

"Just stick with me. She'd be a perfect med-jack."

"She's really beautiful."

Cassandra covered her ears. She was frustrated being surrounded by so many men. Not a single woman in sight. She couldn't make out what they were debating, and her head was pounding.

"Stop..." she murmured softly, almost inaudibly. Newt, aware of her distress, placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, hey, it's okay," Newt reassured her.

Newt helped her stand up. "Just calm down. You're safe here," Newt said.

What did he just say? Safe? Safe from what? There's definitely nothing safe about a woman being alone in the midst of a crowd of unknown men. Her heart started pounding uncontrollably. The air felt suffocating.

"Hey, are you okay?" Newt asked. Suddenly, everything went white...