fines

eternal misery.

Thorn's POV:

It sucks that I have to tell them soon. But D---RJ--said I must. They won't look at me the same anymore, but I don't blame them. I wouldn't trust someone like me either. But first, I need to get Penny out of her holding cell, meaning I needed to talk to Addie. I didn't even know where Penny's holding cell was.

I admire Penelope, she has a way about her that makes the world and everything in it seem special. She will fight for what she believes in, and she makes sure her voice is heard. Addison, whom I admire as well---I just see her sister in a different light, is also someone who will stand for what she wants and believes. Both of them want to be heard and seen, but not by these monsters....

Monster.

Is that what they're going to think I am..?

Penelope's POV:

The door finally opened for more than two seconds. Yeah, two seconds---all the time I got of fresh air, new light, and food. Whoever they were, they sent a tray sliding through the doorway. Bread, water, and the occasional sliver of turkey or ham. I was basically a 19th century prisoner.

Until now.

Now, the door was open, and I could hear people walking towards it. Now, I was getting a second chance....I think.

"Penelope, do you have any idea how long you have been here?", a familiar voice with an Australian accent spoke. Michaelson.

"An eternity", I mumbled under my breath and rolled my eyes. "Not exactly", I said.

"An entire school week now. And do you know where your sister is?"

"Where is Addison?", I demanded.

"Oh, you'll see her soon enough."

And then he, and his twelve guards, left. Without another word. Without letting me speak again. Without unlocking my cell and releasing me from this square of cold, metal bars.

I was still here.

Addison's POV:

"Thorn? Thorn, what are you doing here?!", I jumped up and ran to the doorway where he was standing, excitedly. He was the first contact with an actual human (I was convinced that Michaelson and his goons were absolute dictators from a foreign planet somewhere) in about five or six days.

I just didn't understand how Thorn got to roam around this complex, coming into this room whenever he wanted. I hadn't gotten to see any other part of this place except the mess hall, and even then, I went alone. I had never seen any other ransomed teens here other than Penelope, Thorn, and I. I hadn't seen Penny in about a week, and I didn't even know for a fact if they were feeding her or not. Even if they were, I'm confident it wasn't an actual meal; I mean, I wasn't being held as captive as she was, and I wasn't being fed much more than soup and a small sandwich, there's no way they were giving her anything more or better.

"Don't, don't come too close", Thorn warned off.

"...What?", I said, stopping dead in my tracks a few feet away from him.

"Nothing. Just stay there. Where exactly is Penny? Do you know?"

"No, no. I don't...", I trailed off as I answered his question. He took a defeated sigh and shook his head.

"Thorn, I have a question", I said and he nodded as a 'go for it'.

"Why--why are we here, exactly? I mean, I know...Dad didn't pay a fine for Michealson, blah blah blah...but why couldn't he just sue him? Why did he take us; why doesn't Dad care where we are?", I asked, tears brimming and threatening to spill from my eyes.

"No, Addie. Don't cry. Listen, it's going to be okay, yeah? Your dad does care about you, I'm positive that he's looking for you right now. It's going to be alright. You're gonna get out, okay?", Thorn tried to comfort me, but it was hard--considering he was about eight feet away from me and sitting in the doorway; the dim light shining over both of us.

"But how do you know that? Thorn, you've been here for so long, but you have so much hope to give me...I don't know how y--", I tried to give a true, comforting speech....but I was cut off abruptly by Thorn saying "Shh...I'm sorry."

But why was he apologizing...?

Thorn's POV:

I had to apologize for telling her anything about how it was going to be 'okay'. I knew I had to tell her I was sorry the second she said I was giving her hope...because as Penny had grown accustomed to saying....

Penelope's POV:

"Hope breeds eternal misery."

I had grown to love that phrase. Every true word of it. I mumbled it to myself over and over again while I sat on the cold, stone, built-in-the-wall chair in my new home.

That's pretty much what it was.

A new home.

I had come to grips with the fact that I'd probably never get to go back home. I'd probably miss my prom. I wouldn't be able to get married. I'd never find true love. I would never see my friends or any family again. I'd never experience real life.

And it really sucked.

But it was true.

Hope breeds eternal misery.

Gwendolyn's POV:

"Talia. I'm not doing it.", I protested.

"Gwen, please? They need us--they need us to find them. Imagine if they got kidnapped; think about what might happen to them," Talia tried to get me on board but it wasn't working. And it never would. I refused against her, Winston, and Ben's idea.

"Why? Why can't you just go to people's doors and ask if they've seen them? What's so hard about that? Huh? It's not fair to Addison and Penelope, you know. They're out there somewhere, missing, and you won't even do the least thing possible and help find them? This really shows how much of a jerk you are", Talia basically had smoke coming out of her ears at this point, she was ticked off. She stormed off, taking all of her flyers with her, over to the boys. I heard her start talking about me to them, and I just laughed loudly.

"Hey! Tal! You forgot to get these too!", I yelled, laughing and holding up all of the flyers she had previously given me.

I stood up, still laughing, and threw the papers into the trash.

The three of them looked at me, disgusted, but I didn't care. I waved bye with a sarcastic smile and walked off to my car.

Michealson's POV:

"Thorn, you know what you must do."

"Yes, sir. I will execute your plans as throughly and properly as I can."

"Good boy."