Capewood (Book I) *Completed*

Autumn

Trigger Warning: There is some pretty rough stuff in this chapter. Nothing too extreme, but if you're sensitive to assault, please read cautiously. Especially towards the end of the chapter.

Thanks,

Caleb

I wake up tied to a pole in the center of one of the little pods that are scattered throughout the maze. I forget what happened, and when I snap back to reality, I'm instantly filled with anxiety and fear. They haven't noticed I'm awake yet, so I quickly put my head down and act as though I'm still asleep. 

"Man, she's been out for a while," I hear one of the boys say. I don't recognize his voice, so I know it isn't Eddy. "I still don't understand why we just don't kill her, Eddy," he says confused. "One of us is so close to getting home we can almost taste it. Once she's out of the way, then we only have to make our way through four more!"

"Can you shut up?" asks Eddy annoyed as the boy keeps rambling. "I am going to make her pay for everything she did to me. We aren't going to let her get away with ruining my life," 

It goes quiet, and I hear them moving throughout the area that we are in. Then without any warning, a hand smacks clear across my face. I let out a whimper as my face turns to the side and burns from the print of his hand that was left on my cheek. "Oh good," he says. "You're awake. Here I thought that we accidentally killed you or something." He has a sickening smile plastered across his face, and his eyes have the slightest bit of deranged that we got used to seeing in Eros. 

"What the hell," I whisper as he laughs at my reaction. 

"You didn't think I forgot about you, did you, Autumn?" he strokes my face softly and then smiles at me as he reaches his hand back and once again slaps me across the face. "Ugh, you can't imagine how good that felt after all of this time of wanting to do it. You've been in my thoughts for a while now. When I first woke up and realized where I was, I was terrified." 

He moves away from the pole, and a part of me feels a little more relaxed than I did before. At least if he's far away from me, he won't be able to hit me again. He begins to pace back and forth as the other boy who is in his little gang just sits against the wall hanging on to every word coming out his mouth. 

"But then I saw you," says Eddy looking at me. "I realized that this was an act of God. A divine intervention telling me that the universe is finally allowing me to pay you back for all the trouble you put my family and me through." I look at him confused, and his jaw drops as he looks at me with an angry expression. "Oh my gosh," he says. "You don't remember," 

He throws his hands up in the air and laughs. He begins to jump up and down in frustration and then walks over to his gang member and kicks him in the face. His friend falls to the ground knocked out, and my eyes are bulging out of my head as I watch this irrational boy walk around slamming his body around. 

"You single-handedly ruined my life, Autumn!" he screams. "You destroyed my family, devastated my parents, and you have the audacity not to remember!" he screams. He runs over to me and throws his hand on the back of my head. He pulls my hair, and I let out a wince in pain as he glares at me. His eyes are holding the intensity of a fire right now, and I do not want to get burned. 

"Eddy, I'm so sorry," I say honestly. "I don't remember though, I've tried to remember it the whole time I've been in the maze and I can't!" I say. Tears are starting to fall down my face, and he looks at me with a disgusted look. He's not moving around anymore, and the look on his face sends chills down my back. 

"You don't get to cry, you selfish bitch." he spits at me. I try to get myself to stop crying, but the tears carry on more as he gets closer and closer to me with a look that could kill instantly. "What if I said the name Levi Barnabee?"

My face goes white, and he smiles. "Ah, there we go, we have a winner!" he says. "The Princess finally remembers the worst thing she's ever done! Tell me, Autumn! Tell me what it is that you've done. I need to hear it from you. I need to hear it from you now!" 

"Please don't make me do it.." I whisper. 

Levi was my first boyfriend back in middle school. I knew he had a little brother, but I never placed it together that it was Eddy. My heart instantly breaks as I flashback to the memory of Levi's face. I was so young; I didn't mean to get him in trouble. 

"Say it," he says to me as he gets closer. "Say it!" he emphasizes as he gets closer to my face. I can feel his hot breath filling the air around us. 

"I..."I begin to say, and he tightens his hand on my hair. I scream and he urges me to continue to speak. "I sent him a picture." I spit out. 

"Of what?" asks Eddy with a threatening voice.

"Of me," I say. "Exposed.."

He grabs onto my button down shirt and pulls it apart revealing my tank top underneath. "Oh look! You're exposed now! Don't tell on me please, Autumn! Just continue with your story and move on!" he screams at me. 

"I told on him," I say with tears welling up. "He broke up with me, and I was mad at him because he did. So I told our teacher he made me take pictures of myself naked on his phone. He got prosecuted for holding child pornography on his phone in a court of law and was labeled a sex offender." 

"And then what, Autumn?" 

"And then he killed himself..." I say as tears begin to fall down my face. 

"Yes, yes he did, Autumn. Now you are too."