Save You to Own You (To Reach You Book #4)

Chapter One: Show And Tell

Song: Show And Tell by Said The Sky

Ten Years Ago-

Dylan-

"I'm no good, even Gabe said so," I say kicking at the dried mud on the kitchen tiles, the dried mud my shoes bought in. 

Jack is too busy staring at Cara playing a game of chess with Cayne's friend, Xander, to notice much else. I try not to get annoyed. 

"Hey Dyl,"

I perk up immediately, my grin widening, and my heart beating faster as a certain redhead pops up, oversized jersey hanging off her tall frame, her hair in a topknot as she grins at me. She glances at Jack and I nearly miss the way her cheeks redden the slightest bit. I pretend that my heart doesn't plummet every time she looks at Jack that way. 

"He's crappy about his coach again, shut him up, will you?"

And just like that, Tate huffs at Jack, all signs of the crush gone. She glares at him, half hugging me. "I don't expect you to understand, Jack," she spits. "You have no idea what basketball means to him,"

"Uh-huh," he says, not really sure what he's saying, probably fantasizing about making out with Cara. 

Tate rolls her eyes, adjusting her glasses. I can't help but notice how pretty she is, and she isn't even trying. She smiles at me. Me. Not Jack. 

"Let's go watch something,"

"NBA?"

"You betchya,"

I grin as my insides begin plummeting again. She's my best friend. She loves me. 

One day she'll be mine. 

*** 

Ten Years Ago-

Roe-

The lights fade away as the liquid begins mixing in my brain again, making me wince as that unpleasant burning sensation takes over. 

She's in front of me, just her mind, but I can see her physical attributes through her memories of herself. Dark brown hair, wavy, bright golden eyes, she's maybe in her forties. 

She had a happy life before they brought her here to me. 

For me to destroy. 

I really want to resist the temptation of scarring her memories and destroying any optimism she ever had. Finishing her would bring me pleasure, destroying her would make me feel good. 

Exactly why I will never let it happen. 

Because if I unleash that monster that's begging to demolish everything in its way, it won't stop and if I let it out I'll never be able to contain it in the prison that is my body again. 

But I'm so close, just a touch. Just a single feel of how messed up I can make her. 

NO.

That's him talking, not me. 

"NO!" I shriek and just like that, my normal world returns again. 

The White Room. 

Clean cut tiles line the whole room, ceiling, floors, walls, it's all tiles. Tiles that have been constantly cleaned with bleach because of how much times my blood has splattered them. 

In front of me, is the same woman I was so close to scarring. Dark brown hair held back, bright golden eyes that blink, breaking from the trance they had put her in. When she's finally immersed in reality she eyes me warily, her eyes widen. Then worry is on her face.

How strange. 

She walks over to me as I cower away, flinching from how sharp the pain of her blow will be. When her skin touches mine....

It doesn't hurt. She cradles my cheek gently, eyes trailing over my arms, scarred and bruised. 

"Honey, what on Earth are they doing to you?" She has a drawl, but a warm kind one, as she looks at me disbelievingly. I shake my head. The less she knows the better for her and for me. 

Malcolm comes in next, smiling weakly at me, he's behind two giant guards. 

Malcolm is my only friend here. The only one who even tries to smile at me. The other two guards grab me by my arms and I cry out in pain, my arms threatening to be torn out of their sockets. The dark haired woman in a lab coat raises her eyebrows at me.

"You disappointed me, Roe, badly,"

That meant punishment.

"No! Gomez, leave her alone!" Malcolm protests, his twelve-year-old body trying to help me. But it's already too late. 

They drag me away just as the woman demands to know what will happen to me. 

"Put your hands in, Roe,"

"No, please," I croak out as the guards block me, trapping me in. 

Her face doesn't change. "Put your hands in, you failed us, now you pay,"

Shards of glass are in a large bowl, jagged and broken, waiting to pierce my skin. They're swimming in a bowl of bleach, which in human cases would just burn the skin, in mine though....

Holding back my tears, I put my hands in. I feel it as my skin becomes too small for my bones shrinking and making me scream in pain as I beg her to let me remove my hands. My hand skin shrinks until it rips, blinding pain taking over. 

 I scream. I scream until it stops. I scream until there's no agony left to scream.