Betrayed ✔️

Chapter 34: "Picture"

ADA

EVERYTHING HURT.

My arms. My legs. My head. Oh especially my head!

I felt like I had pulled three consecutive all-nighters with no food and was now zombie-ing my way through the day.

How long has it been?

How long have I known that my ex best friends were traitors?

"This is a fucking mess." I laughed at nothing in particular, tilting my head back. My entire life had flipped on its head. I discovered that- surprise!- my biological family were closer than I thought, my old abuser was hunting for me and my family, oh and I was nearly killed! Multiple times!

"This is a fucking mess," I repeated. The silence seemed to agree.

The room I was in was shrouded in a thick darkness. I wasn't tied up this time, just pathetically laid in the corner like a sack of expired potatoes. How lame.

I had passed out about an hour into Keen's little torture sessions, all my stitches had popped and were now caked in dried blood. Someone had sloppily cleaned it up, but I could feel the threat of an infection rising.

I should probably be more upset or scared, right? That's what Keen and Grey would want. They would want to see me crawling like some insect, crying my eyes out while begging for mercy.

But I had seen and felt far too much to be crushed by such pathetic idiots.

I pushed myself against the wall and tried to control my heavy breathing. Splotches of colour undulated across my vision despite my weary attempts to blink them away. Bile rose to the back of my throat and I coughed, an acrid taste flooded my mouth as fluid trickled down my chin.

Tears pricked my eyes and I gasped, lurching forward as a violent convulsion wracked my body. Pain exploded across my abdomen and, despite my best efforts, I began to cry.

Stop! I thought furiously, wiping my eyes with the back of my palm. But that just seemed to spur them on.

Sluggishly, as I drifted to unconsciousness, I drew up a picture behind my closed eyelids. It was of Zaza and Cam, the latter clutching a toddler Izzy in her arms. It was New Year's Eve- the second we spent as a family- and Izzy was ecstatic as being able to stay up with the adults. I also imagined Kayden in the background, grinning impishly with a devious look sparkling in his eyes.

"Aunty Addy!" Izzy squealed, extending her chubby arms towards me. "New Year!" With her slight lisp, it came out as a garbled 'Noo Ear!'

I smiled, my breathing slowing down. A hazy thought flitted across my mind, I hope I can see Izzy and Kayden when I die.

My eyes fluttered closed and I pushed out a lungful of air, feeling myself drift off–

A loud bang! made me jump awake.

My head lolled to the side and a scowl pulled my lips down as I saw who it was. "You."

Grey crossed the room and knelt by me, his brown eyes darkened with– was that fucking concern I saw?

"Get away from me," I whispered, mustering up just enough energy to spit in his face. It was more of a spray, but I felt the emotions were conveyed effectively.

"C'mon, Ada, we don't have–" He lay a hand on my shoulder and I flinched.

"Don't...don't touch me!" I said weakly, slapping his hand away. A tornado of nausea swept through me and dragged me down into its dark depths. I groaned and closed my eyes, resting my head on the wall.

"Shit!" I heard Grey hiss and felt him shaking my shoulders. "Please, don't sleep! You can't die now!"

"Why?" I chuckled, my body feeling as heavy as lead. "So you can- can torture me some more?"

"No, so you can escape!"

My eyes flew open and I blinked, convinced that my eardrums were damaged due to the torment. "What?"

"You need to escape. Get out of this place."

"How can- how can I trust anything you say?" I turned my head away, the haziness engulfing my mind started to clear.

"I found out who Diaushin is, Ada." He whispered, fear interlaced with his words. "I- I completed my mission. I had to join forces with- with Emma. I didn't have a choice."

"Of course you did," I snapped, not willing to believe his words. "But it's obvious which one you made."

"Don't," he said sharply. "Just- please, don't."

I scoffed and shook my head, wincing as another thunderbolt of pain struck me.

"Just- once you get out of here, keep running. Don't look back. Get Jay and leave. Please, Ada, just trust me on this one."

I stared at him. "No."

"Alright, you know what? I'm done." Ez- Grey snapped, getting to his feet. "You had your chance."

I thought he was going to leave but instead, he cupped the back of my neck and slid his arm under my knees and lifted me up.

"What are you doing?" I hissed, biting back the searing agony that had erupted over my body.

"Saving your life, dumbass. Now be quiet before you get us killed."

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