The Unbreakable Lily Rain

Waking Up

~~Lily's POV~~

Starting to regain consciousness, I became vaguely aware of the human presence beside me. My head, I thought, was in someone's lap, and a large hand was snaking itself through my hair, gently combing through my long blonde strands. I mumbled a little, trying to force myself back to reality.

Where was I? Who was there?

What happened?  

Wiggling in my sleep, I knit my forehead in pain as a stabbing sensation coursed down my left arm.

"Stop squirming. I think you might have sprained something when that guy threw you in here. Just take it easy."

I knew that voice.

My eyes snapped open and I found myself staring into the eyes of none other than Cassius Thorne.

I reacted immediately. With an almost primal desperation, I flew to my feet like a rabid animal, throwing his hands off of me and raising my fists to fight; trying in vain to ignore the excruciating pain flowing through my veins.

I spun quickly in a circle, the blood draining from my face when I realized where I was. 

I was in a cell.

Trapped.

Underground.

With my would-be rapist.

Shock gave me power. My thoughts came to me in fragments.

Fight. Danger. Cassius. Hurt. Pain. Rape. Hurt. Trapped. Hurt.

Run.

I flung my body into the cell door, praying the force would magically knock it from its hinges.

"No!" I heard Cassius yell from behind me as my skin made contact with the frame. A crash resounded through our cell, and pain engulfed me.

 When the door didn't fall, I kept going, determined that if I just continued, the metal would break.

Unfortunately, my body had other plans for me. Whether it was the shock of seeing the man I feared most again, the fact that I hadn't had anything to eat or drink in at least two days, or my captivity, I couldn't take it. My legs gave out underneath me, and I collapsed to the ground, all the breath leaving my lungs as I failed to keep myself calm.

My breathing came out ragged as I struggled for air. I tore at my hair, curling into a ball and grinding my teeth as my vision blurred with tears of horror and anguish. Panic consumed me. Even though I was sitting, the world spun below me, and I barely saw Cassius moving towards me.      

I screeched, my voice strangled and incoherent as I backed into the wall, shaking my head vigorously and denying the realness of my situation.

This wasn't real. It couldn't be real. I wasn't actually here. He wasn't actually here.

It was just another nightmare.

Another nightmare.

His voice seemed to come from far away as he held his hands in the air and backed slowly away from my terrified form.

"At ease, soldier! Soldier, stay with me. Kellen, you need to listen to me. Please relax. Please calm down, okay? I'm not going to hurt you, I promise, it's just. They'll- they'll hear you. Please calm down. Please-"

I was too far gone. His words didn't reach me. I couldn't control myself as my world seemed to spin out of control. I just kept screaming.

I saw Cassius pace the cell twice before groaning in frustration and running both hands quickly through his hair.

It seemed he made his decision immediately out of the blue, because I had no time to react.

He lunged at me, grabbing my body and wrenching me in front of his before covering my mouth with a large hand to stifle my screams. I thrashed as much as possible, but his grip was too tight. I could barely move.

"Listen," he whispered. His voice was gentle, but low and urgent as he brought his face closer to my own. "You have to be quiet. Please. If they hear you, they'll shoot us both. The dirt wall between our two cells was thin enough for me to knock down. I came to you because you sounded like you were in pain."

Somewhere in the back of my mind, his words made a small impact.

My captors. Guns. Shooting.

Death.

I didn't want to die.

My screaming ceased immediately, but I can't say the same for my tears. I continued to struggle, still blind with panic and fear.

Cassius removed his hand from my mouth, but didn't let go of my body.

"N-no." I choked out between sobs. "No. I don't want this. I don't want-"

"If I let you go now, you're just going to keep hurting yourself. I'm not going to allow that." His voice was harsher now as he clung to me fiercely. "I can't believe you tried to ram yourself through the fucking door..."

I whimpered, suddenly feeling drained and empty.

Slowly, I stopped struggling, going limp and leaning into his arms. All that remained were my soft, pathetic cries as they filled the desolate underground.

"No..." My voice cracked towards the end, and Cassius' arms relaxed a little around me, cradling instead of caging me.

"Relax. Relax. Breathe. Shh. It's okay. Shhh." His voice was calmer now, soothing even, as he began to rub slow circles into my back. "I'm not going to hurt you. I promise." He murmured into my hair as he rested his chin on my head.

I hiccupped, only half paying attention to what he was saying. He was acting so out of character.

Then again, so was I.

Did the war really change us this much?  

"Why did it have to be you?" I whispered brokenly.

"I know. I know. I'm sorry. I know."  

My eyes grew heavy as Cassius continued to sooth me, and I desperately tried to keep my eyes open.

I have to stay alert. I have to be awake. Falling asleep... He'll do something horrible. He'll-

"You shouldn't have broken through the wall." Hazily, my head nodded to the side, and I stared at the large, arched hole in the dirt wall that used to separate my cell from Cassius'.

There was a long pause, and Cassius' seemed to be hesitating with what to say.

"I just didn't want you to wake up alone."

With that, sleep overcame me, and my fatigued body fell into the same fitful slumber I had escaped only minutes earlier.