The Academy

The Devil's Ball

The pounding was horrendous, and it wouldn't stop.

To compare it to an actual feeling , it felt like a train kept running straight into my temple over and over again.

Luckily the room was pretty dark so I was able to open my eyes without the pain increasing.

However TJ was sleeping soundly next to me and my hands were handcuffed to the post. Guess I'd just have to make something up.

"TJ." I said, giving him a little tap with my foot.

Nothing.

"TJ." I yelled.

"What?" He groaned waking up.

"I have to go to the bathroom." I lied.

"So?" He grumbled.

"I'm handcuffed." In replied.

Without saying anything else he pulled the key from his pocket and carefully unlocked both of my arms.

"Don't do anything stupid, okay." He warned me.

"I won't." I told him.

TJ walked in front of me towards the door, and I quickly grabbed a lamp, walked behind him and as soon as his hand was on the doorknob I lifted the lamp above my head and brought it down on TJ's head as hard as possible.

He went down like nothing.

I quickly ran and grabbed his hands, attempting to drag him back on the bed to handcuff him there. He was obviously somewhat built so I was able to drag him back to the bed, but I couldn't pick him up and set him on the bed.

This would have to do. I sat him up against one of the bedposts, put his hands behind the post and handcuffed them together. I locked them with the key, set the lamp back on the side table and walked out of the room.

I was beyond pissed, but I wouldn't be mad.

I'd just piss them off to no end.

I finally realized that I have nothing to lose and escape wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Also I wasn't going to act sweet because I was stuck here, there was no point in trying to convince them to let me go. I was stuck, but I'd eventually get out.

There was talking and a bit of chuckling coming from the kitchen so I decided that would be the best place to go to go and find the guys.

From the direction that I was coming from I could see that Craig, Danny, Chris, Ben, Cameron, Mike, Thrasher, Robert, Balz, and Vinny were sitting around the big central table.

"Hey, you should really teach the newbies not to trust me." I stated walking into the kitchen, leaning up against the counter across from them.

"What the hell?" Chris cried out sounding super pissed.

Awesome.

"Where is he?" Craig asked me.

"Handcuffed to the bedpost." I stated like it was nothing.

"Why is he quiet?" Robert wondered.

"I knocked him out with a lamp." I replied.

"Damn it." Chris huffed, getting up and storming past me to go and reach the room.

"Well then," I muttered to myself.

"Get the key!" Chris screamed from inside the room.

"Give it to me." Danny said calmly extending his hand out.

"Why in the hell would I do that?" I snapped.

"I'm done, give me the fucking key." Cameron hissed, getting up, cornering me into a slight corner near the cabinets and towering over me.

"Just because I don't have anything to lose does not mean that I'll give you even more to gain." I replied.

"Key, now!" Cameron growled.

"No." I snapped.

"Don't play me love." Cameron snarled.

"I don't have it on me." I yelled, being completely honest.

"Found it never mind." Chris shouted from the other room.

"Told you." I taunted him.

"Go and get her ready and dressed." Danny said to Cameron.

With a nod of approval Cameron then took my hand and started pulling me out of the kitchen and down the hall in the direction towards AA's room.

"Get dressed for what?" I asked him.

"A party." Cameron replied nonchalantly opening the door up for me.

"For what?" I further questioned him.

"Enough questions." Cameron snapped walking into the closet and pulling out a black dress.

"Short of course." I muttered to myself.

"Put this on and then come back down the room you were in with James." Cameron instructed laying the dress, a pair of high heels and my makeup bag from my house down on the bed.

"Ok." I complied.

He started walking out of the door, but quickly turned around and said "Don't do anything stupid."

"I won't." I told him.

With a roll of his eyes he left the room, leaving me all alone. My headache was still a little bit there and I was still frustrated and pissed that I hadn't gotten out. I had been so close, but no. Karma had it out for me, but why?

I looked down and noticed that my legs were still scratched up from when I went through the woods. My thoughts were quickly distracted when I heard a ringtone go off.

Wait.

That was my ringtone, and it was coming from the dresser. Without a second thought I ran over to the dresser and pulled out none other than my own phone. I answered it.

"I need help, I've been kidnapped by Motionless and White and Asking Alexandria." I cried into the phone.

"Sorry Bells it's just me." Chance grumbled out.

"Where the hell are you?" I asked frantic.

"Don't worry about me right now. I've got about two minutes left so listen close. You need to go and do what Cameron tells you with a happy attitude at all times. You are to stay far away from Taylor along with Cassie, and when things start to wrap up you need to be near Bring Me the Horizon." Chance rushed.

"I thought I didn't have a chance." I replied.

"I know you kind of blew the escape when you said your name." Chance told me.

"That was my fault, they seemed nice and I totally got taken advantage of." I admitted.

"I know, but Bring Me just arrived here and they don't know what you look like, they just know the name. So stay on good turfs with them, lie about your name, and at the end of the night when Lee and Jordan start taking people out, go with them." Chance instructed.

"Chance are you crazy? I should be calling the cops." I whispered harshly.

"Do not do that Bella. It won't work now, you have to wait. Right now they're on high alert with people outside of here. Going with Bring Me is the best shot. If that doesn't work you're getting a one way ticket to their tour bus." Chance warned me.

"Chance there's someone coming down the hall." I whispered panicked.

"You're fine, just do what I told you and you should get out smoothly." Chance tried to calm me.

"Ok, but where do I put my phone. I need it in case I get desperate." I said.

"Anywhere in the room you're in now. No one will go in there so it's safe." Chris told me.

"Shit it's getting closer, I've got to go." I freaked out.

"Ok, be safe and remember that Taylor doesn't know that you're on my side." Chris reminded me.

"Thank you." I thanked him.

"I love you, be safe." Chris stated.

I quickly turned the phone completely off and threw it in the closet which was already empty. I then threw off my clothes and put on the little black dress and slipped on the black high heels. I grabbed the makeup bag that was at my house, went to the mirror and applied the lipstick and burgundy mascara. Luckily the dress covered most of me but it still was a bit shorter than I was used to.

Closing the closet, I exited the room and saw no one in the hall. Strange.

"Hello?" I called out.

Nothing, no response at all.

I took that as my cue to get going and I made my way down towards the lower level kitchen.

"What took you so long?" Ghost asked as I walked down the steps and into the kitchen.

"I was getting ready." I simply replied.

He gave me a look that said he didn't believe me, but the subject was dropped quite fast when another girl walked in. I recognized her instantly, she was the girl who had been crying that first day. I could only hope that she had been ok these past few days.

"So your job today for this party will be 'waitresses' if you will in the ballroom. You're to stay there and walk around with the trays. Be nice and remember your lessons from Ricky." Ghost told us.

He then pulled out two serving trays and laid them on the counter. Ghost handed each a tray, then instructed us each to carry it up to the main kitchen. We carried them as instructed and were met with Sam barking out orders to two other girls making food and the other making pitchers of some alcoholic drink.

"Do you two know you are going?" Sam asked us.

"Yeah, the ballroom." I replied.

"That's right. Take the staircase all the way down stairs, get to the end of the hallway and take a right. It's right then there." Sam informed us.

He had the two of us set down the trays on the table and then one of the girls placed champagne glasses along with some pitchers filled to the brim.

Sam told us to carry them down to the ballroom and stay there until noon, when we would come back and get some more.

"Cocky sons of bitches." I growled, out of hearing distance from everyone besides from the crying girl.

"So what's actually going on?" She asked.

"First please just tell me your name." I pleaded.

"Clara." She replied.

"Okay so basically we do whatever we're told for today, no questions. Then at the end of it all they're going to start bringing people back home, that's all you need to know." I told her.

"What about you, word is you're staying." She wondered.

"Don't worry about me, I've got things handled. Just please don't mention to anyone anything about me, there's new people here and we're trying to keep as safe as possible." I stated.

"I'm guessing that includes your backstabbing friend. Taylor, I believe his name was." She said.

"Yeah." I replied.

"No offense sweety but the only person that you've got left that hasn't stabbed you in the back is Chance." She informed me.

"I know, but do you know exactly what Cassie and Taylor did?" I wondered.

"I'll tell you on our way back to the kitchen." She stated as we were arriving close to the doors of the ballroom.

"Okay, just remember don't say anything that could give anyone away." I whispered, figuring that we would be listened to.

"Let's do this." I sighed.

"Oh no." Clara groaned.

"It'll be fine." I lied.

I placed my one hand on the door handle with the tray held up in my other hand and Clara behind me. With a deep breath I opened up the doors all the way.

Oh shit.