scars.

dead end road.

Allis' arm was in my hand before I knew it, my reflexes jumping in, my body standing protectively in front of hers.

The door opened slowly, hesitantly, revealing three figures standing on the basement stairs.

The closest one was a 20-something woman, brown-blond hair pinned back, and eyebrows raised in genuine awe.

Next to her was a girl of around my age, long black hair tied into a messy ponytail, arms crossed and eyes rolling far into the back of her skull at the sight of me and Allis.

The farthest away was a tween boy with flat blond hair covering his forehead awkwardly, a frown on his face in an attempt to appear more dangerous.

But what was most odd about the trio, was that they all wore the same white and grey vest and pants, like it was some kind of uniform.

"Autumn?" The woman spoke, taking a wary step towards us. I kept a blank expression on my face, but in the corner of my eye I could see Allis looking at me. Damnit.

"Who are you?" My voice was shrill. Were we going to be... saved? My stomach knitted itself into a nice pair of Christmas socks at the idea.

"Don't fucking dare to escape!" He screamed in my ear.

I felt his hands around my throat, stealing my last breath of air.

His eyes seemed to bulge out of their sockets, I could see a vein pulsing in his neck and forehead.

The cracking of my bones as I hit the kitchen tiles.

Pain... fear... death...

I couldn't escape... I had never tried to... I was going to stay... I was going to be good... he didn't have to be mad, I was gonna stay... I was gonna stay right here...

Pinching. I looked beside me to see Allis trying to get my attention.

"Autumn?" The woman repeated, as if she was calling my name for the fifth time in a row. "We're here to save you."

We're here to save you.

"No, no, no, no, no," I mumbled, nibbling nervously on my bottom lip. "No, you're not... you're just playing with us... you work for Gotu K... you're trying to get me to escape and then you... you punish me... you're trying to get me busted! To see if I learned from it! Well, I did! I did learn, really! I... I'm not... you're not..." I finally managed to close my mouth as Allis' little fingers intertwined with mine.

The woman took another step towards me. She smelled of green tea and freshly baked bread. "It's okay if you're confused, Autumn. But I can assure you, we are here to save you." She reached her arm towards me to place a hand on my shoulder, but I jerked away before she even dared to come near me.

"I'm Quenlin. Call me Quen." She smiled sweetly, but it was oh so fake. "And that person over there is Isaac. And next to her is Basil. It's okay; you can trust us. We're here to save you."

"How can we trust you?" I crossed my arms, levelling them with a skeptical look. I expected Gotu K to come strolling around the corner at any given moment. I was not going to repeat what happened the last time I saw him. "How did you find us? Where are you taking us?"

A bleep.

The girl standing in the doorway sighed and checked something that looked like a watch, then looked up to meet the worried eyes of her older companion. "Sage says he's on his way back, he found out we're here." Another bleep. "We have 8 minutes. To get our target and move back home."

The woman closed her eyes, and I watched how she struggled to stop her hands from trembling almost unnoticeably. "Zac. Go cover us."

She almost started up the stairs before the woman halted her.