Will Anyone Save Me? REWRITE

Chapter 7

Aurelius pov 

Darkness

That's all there was at first. The kind that feels alive pressing in from every direction, breathing against your skin. I couldn't tell if my eyes were open or closed. All I could hear was the pounding of my heart and the distant echo of the alarm still blaring somewhere above me. 

Then came the pain. My wrists, my head, my chest all burning in uneven pulses. " Moon....Lucien..." 

My voice broke, my throat was raw, every word felt like it was scraping glass. Something small shifted beside me and then a soft whisper. "Dad" a voiced cracked through 

 Moon's voice was the first real thing in the dark. I reached for his hand weakly and blindly, pulling him tightly with Lucien in my other hand. my heart was racing as I thought about all that happened a few minutes ago. 

The last thing I remembered was them, Damien and Kingston, bursting through that door. the way my name fell from their lips like they were looking for me all these years. For one impossible second, I felt safe.

Then Ambrose voice shattered it all

"Wakey wakey, miss me?" the lights snapped on harsh,  bright yellow. I flinched, clutching my kids tighter. The room around us had changed. no chains, no cracked walls, no blood.. my blood, just sterile white tiles and the faint hum of machines. I was in a new cell. cleaner but somehow worse. 

Ambrose stood a few feet, a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. His coat was pristine, not a speck of dust touching him.

" Welcome back, Aurelius" he said. I hated the way he said my name." Where are they?" I demanded weakly, my voice still hoarse. "Where are they?" 

Ambrose tilted his head like I was speaking nonsense. "They? you mean the group who tried to break into a restricted ward?" He signed dramatically, " They are being dealt with" my stomach dropped." What did you do to them?" He smiled, stepping closer until the air between us turned cold. " you really shouldn't worry about people who don't exist, Aurelius." 

The words hit harder than they should have.  A flicker of confusion twisted in my mind, a flash of something missing. My memories felt fractured, like pieces of a puzzle someone forced to fit. " Stop" I muttered, pressing my palms to my temples. "Stop it.." 

" Poor thing" Ambrose whispered sarcastically, kneeling down so his eyes met mine." You really think that was your brothers? You think you have a chance to get out?" Moon whimpered softly. " Dad, don't listen to him..." Ambrose smile faltered for a second. Just a second. I looked up meeting his gaze, something snapping in me. " You'll never take them away from me again" He stood, straightening his jacket. "We'll see about that." 

He turned to leave, the heavy door slamming shut behind him, but not before he said, almost casually: " Oh, and Aurelius? If you really want to see your 'Family' again..... you might want to start remembering the truth" The door locked and the lights dimmed. I sat there shaking, clutching moon and Lucien as Lucien cried into my chest. "Dad, don't listen to him, who is Kingston and Damien?" I froze. My breath caught. I opened my mouth but no words came out. Only fragments flashes of faces, laughter, warmth all swallowed by static. " I...I don't know." i whispered, tears burning my eyes." But I think he knows me"

Moon looked at me, voice trembling" Then they will come back for us" And for the first time in a long time, I let myself believe it. But somewhere beneath that fragile hope, a darker thought whispered. 

What if Ambrose was right? What if none of this is real.

The lights flickered once. And from behind the wall, faint, distorted. I heard voices screaming my name. And then silence, he drugged me without me knowing.