the end of beginning, thomas

xii, hanging ten

Right now, as they hung upside down, suspended above a large drop and the blood rushed to their heads, Melanie thought death was an ideal solution. Rope bound their legs and feet to the ceiling. "Good plan, Thomas", Minho sarcastically tutted, with his feet in midair. "'Just hear what the man has to say', really looking out for us", he criticised.

"Shut up Minho."

The grunts escaping Thomas as his attempts to get the rope off his feet ended in defeat, filled Melanie's ears. She eyed his tensed muscles and the veins on his hands as his body manoeuvred and folded to reach the bounds on his limbs. She shook her head harshly, snapping herself from the daze as the girl watched him give up, Thomas' shoulders sagging with loss.

"Enjoying the view?", a mocking voice asked the hanging teenagers, two pairs of echoing footsteps follow.

Jorge, with a beaming smirk, entered the room like he owned it. Melanie supposed he did, in fact, own it. His confidence was unmatched. The same familiar girl was on his heels, her hair is a loose ponytail and a pair of slightly broken glasses on the bridge of her freckles nose. Her eyes roamed from teen to teen, lingering on Thomas for a few seconds before staring directly at Melanie and Daniel. The action made Melanie scowl in her direction.

"I'd prefer mountain view, maybe room service?", Melanie added, noticing the huff of humour Jorge exhaled before his face returned to its previous apathetic state. His boots thudded harshly against the concrete, silencing the room.

"What the hell do you want?", Jorge chuckled dryly, his pointer finger poking Thomas' chest causing the boy to swing into his friends. "That is the question. My men want to sell you back to Wicked. Life has taught then the think small. I'm not like that. Something tells me that you're not either", the older man riddled.

"Is the blood rushing to my head or is this shank not making any sense?", Minho asked, his usual sarcastic demeanour seeping out through his pores. Melanie rolled her eyes. It was something she had been doing a lot lately. In all honesty, it was surprising they hadn't gotten stuck in her skull yet.

"Tell what us know about the Right Arm", familiar girl asked, emerging from the shadows. A knowing glint filled her sky blue irises. "Thought you said they were ghosts?", the teens countered, being met by demanding chuckles in response.

"I happen to believe in ghosts. Especially when I hear them chattering on the airwaves", Jorge walked over to the pulley, the only thing keeping them from tumbling to the ground. "You tell us what you know and maybe, we can make a deal", Jorge challenged.

Thomas was the first to talk. "We don't know much-", the boy began but was cut off by the older man. Jorge had grabbed the lever, sending everyone plummeting down for a second before he pulled the lever to catch them. A grunt escaped her mouth as Melanie's body swung forward and back heavily. Her head felt like a ton of bricks, and she swore she could feel the blood rushing from the tips of her  toes to the crown of her head. "Fucking hell!", Daniel seethed under his breath as he too swing uncontrollably.