Only Through Pain [Collab with kayfiles]

Chapter Four [kayfiles]

A cold palm pressing against her shoulder sent Sophia thrashing, her eyes flying open. She didn't know where she was; the bright white room she was in held grat contrast to her previous holding facilities. She was gasping for air by the time she noticed who had touched her. A man was standing at the side of her bed, looking at her with wide green eyes. He was clearly surprised that she'd went into such a frenzy.

She caught her breath and was able to pant out a question. "Wh-where am I?"

She took in her surroundings more fully while she waited for the answer. The room was literally stark white. While it was much more sterile than the basement she was previously being held in, it was of equal size. The differences were bolder. This room had bright white walls, white tiled floors, and even the door was white with a matching door knob. The bed she was in was much larger than the cot in Roy's basement. It was also much more comfortable. The sheets and blankets were bright purple, a contrast to the shockingly white room.

"You're safe," the green eyed man said simply. It didn't answer any of the questions that were flying through her head. How did she get here? How safe was she, exactly? Could she even trust the man in front of her. 

She climbed out of the bed on the opposite side of the man. Her legs felt a little wobbly, but not as bad as she'd expected. She remembered her sprint through the forest and how tired she'd grown. Being locked in a basement for six years had made her body grow weak, but standing there, she felt like she had muscles suddenly sewn into her legs. 

She looked up at the man with wide eyes. "I want to go home." She hoped he would understand her home wasn't the forest, or where Roy had kept her in the middle of no where. Her home was in Seattle, with her mother. 

Sophia swallowed as a lump rose in her throat. Her mother. Her mother was gone by now. She'd put up no fight against Roy when he'd taken her. Sophia would probably never see her mother ever again.

The man smiled at her understandingly. His eyes looked apologetic and she flinched away from him. She didn't want his sympathy. She wanted to get the hell out of this bare room and purple bed. 

"This is your home now," the man explained. This sent her into a rage.

"What do you mean this is my home? I don't even know where I am!" 

While she was on her rant, the man slowly began backing out of the room, his hands raised slightly in his defense. This only confused her more. She was just taller than five feet and had been malnourished for the past six years. How could he think she would hurt him? She started toward him and he held out his arm, keeping her at a distance.

"You need to stay here. I'll get Benjamin," he told her. She crossed her arms, unsure if she should listen to him. She decided she would wait until he was gone before she made a run for it.

While she gave him time to get to wherever he was going, she looked down at her body, suddenly aware that she was no longer in Roy's over sized t-shirt. Now she was dressed in a fresh, crisp white shirt and a pair of white drawstring cotton pants. She shook her head; if this was up to her she would be wearing something dark.

Finally, Sophia got tired of waiting. She had no belongings to collect and she made a beeline for the door. Just as she was crossing the threshold, a large body appeared. She collided right into a muscular chest, stumbling back. Firm arms reached out and caught her before she slammed to the ground. She was thankful for that, she wasn't sure if her body could take a hit.

When she raised her eyes, she saw that she was facing a tall man who looked old, but wise. She swallowed again, shying away from his touch. She crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed, keeping her eyes glued to the floor.

"I want to go home."

"Sophia Hale," he said in a deep voice. She was taken off guard, not only by his tone, which was deep and gentle at the same time, but the fact that he used her full name. Nobody had even called her Sophia in years. Roy only ever called her pet names that made her cringe. She wasn't sure how this stranger knew her first name, let alone her last. "I know you're not keen on being here, but it's where you need to be."

"I don't need to be anywhere," Sophia jumped to a standing position, her skin getting hot and flushing red. She could feel anger rising under the surface of her body. She only wanted to leave. That's all she was asking of these people. She didn't need a ride or money or clothes. She just wanted to be able to walk out of the building and find her way home.

The man waved his hand, as if he was waving. She furrowed her brow in confusion. "What was that?"

"You have a temper. If you get any angrier, you'll destroy many things, Sophia."

"I don't understand," she said, finding her way back to a sitting position.

"Your powers are great, but they're uncontrolled."

"My powers?" she laughed darkly, thinking what a horrible and cruel joke this was turning into. "I don't have powers."

"Sophia Hale, you're at Safe Haven."

"What are you talking about?" She felt the anger rising inside of her again, but this time it was soothed away by something. She felt a shiver run down her spine and she was instantly calmer than before. Still angry, but more collected.

"It will all be explained soon, Sophia. If you're ready, you can come with me to the Grand Meeting," the man said, folding his hands together in front of him. For some reason she felt compelled to go with him, to wherever this Grand Meeting was. She couldn't help but feel like his hand wave had caused her to feel so obedient. Even with Roy, Sophia had put up a fight every day. She'd always been stubborn and obstinate. She didn't know what was different now.

But before she could stop herself, she was on her feet, crossing the room and following the man out into the hall. She crossed her arms while they walked down a long white hallway lined with doors on either side. They were all shut and she wondered what was behind them. She imagined rooms like hers, each with one person living inside. 

This led her to wonder if this place, Safe Haven as the man had called it, was just one big kidnapping operation. She shuddered at the thought. When Roy took her, he'd kept her for six years. She was the only one. It'd been hell, but she couldn't imagine how bad it would be to live with a large group of kidnapped teenagers. 

Still, she marched on behind the man. He was a complete stranger, he might've even kidnapped dozens of people, but it was like her feet were moving on their own, carrying her down the hallway with the man.

He stopped at the end, at a single white door. He turned to her, offered her the smallest of smiles. It spoke  volumes to her. If a picture was worth a thousand words, that smile was worth millions. She didn't know what it meant, but it made her feel better. It warmed her from the center of her body outwards.  

He turned back towards the door and pushed it open. She followed in step behind him, letting the door swing closed after them. 

They weren't the first ones there. It seemed like they might even be the last two to arrive at the meeting. Kids were sitting uncomfortable in a semi circle of chairs. They all looked between fifteen and eighteen, and all wore an outfit similar to her own, or were wrapped in white bandages. None of them looked particularly excited to be there. They eyed her and the man as they made their way through the room. She took a seat in the second row, between a tall black haired boy and a redhead girl who looked like she was in tears.

The man didn't stop to sit, he continued walking until he was standing at a white podium. This place sure had a thing about white. He cleared his throat, and the crowd fell silent.

"Welcome to Safe Haven."