Achelois

16: Pain

Faria gasped and sat straight up. She looked around, and sinking feel appeared in her gut.

'No...' she thought. 'Please don't let me be back here... Please... can't this be a dream...?'

She looked around at the familiar room, remembering every spot that the floor had once been touched by her blood. She especially remembered the last time she was in this room. Her father had shot her. She shook her head, and moved into the corner. She closed her eyes, and tried to hide the fact that she was absolutely terrified.

'Ratchet', she pleaded in her mind. 'Please save me. I don't know if I'll be able to survive here.'

"She should just go back to her parents!" 

Faria's eyes widened and tears began to stream down her face. 'Did he cause this to happen? Is that how they found me...? Oh, please, please, don't let him be the one to have told them... I trusted him... I love him...'

Laughter fills the room. "I see you remember this room, my dear daughter." Faria looks up to see her father.

"Please... don't do this", Faria whispered. "You can forget I ever existed..."

"Now, why would we do that?" her mother spoke up. "When we can use you to clean the house, make our meals, and tend to our every need."

Faria curled into a ball, and watched fearfully as her father approached her. He grinned maliciously as he pulled something out of his pocket. Faria whimpered and turned her head away, only to feel surprise when something was placed around her neck. She looked down fearfully, only to see a locket. Tilting her head in curiousity, she opened it, only to drop the locket when she saw what was inside.

'Property of Julian and Gillian Sullivan.'

Faria started crying again, and her mother sighed. "Oh, stop that weeping. It's not like your heart was broken or anything."

At that, Faria started crying harder, because her heart had, in fact, been broken. Faria's mother gasped excitedly. "Oh, how wonder- I mean, awful. I'm so sorry you had to go through that dear."

Her voice was manipulative and lying, and Faria knew it. Unfortunately, it was her best source of comfort at the moment. "Hmm... maybe some work will get your mind off of it. The kitchen is in dire need of cleaning. Go", her mother orders. Faria shakily stood up, and walked to the kitchen. It looked exactly the same as it had before. A mess. Faria sighed, and started cleaning. After several hours of cleaning the nasty kitchen, it looked amazing. Especially when compared to the rest of the house. Faria sighed, and went to go sit down and take a break, but her mother stopped her.

"Achelois, it's dinner time now", she said, looking around the kitchen disdainfully. "Make it."

"Of course, Mother", Faria murmured. "What would you like me to make?"

Her mother waved her off. "Just whatever. Make sure it's good."

Faria sighed at got to work. After several minutes, she finally got everything made. She set the table for her parents, and served them their food, before retreating back to the kitchen, and resting a bit. Only... she wasn't able to rest for much longer than a minute because no soon had she leaned against the counter, did she hear glass shatter.

"ACHELOIS SULLIVAN!" her father shouted angrily. Faria moved out to the dining room, which was still a distaster, and saw the shattered plate on the floor. She bowed her head respectfully, and waited for her punishment. Her father walked over to her and tilted her head up before slapping her. Tears appeared in her eyes as she looked down at the floor. She refused to cry, and her father moved back to be by her mother. 

"The food was absolutely disgusting", her father snarled.

"Disgusting", her mother parroted. Faria nodded softly.

"I'm sorry, Father. I'm sorry, Mother. Would you like me to make something else?"

"No", her father growled. "We'll just order something. Go to your room."

Faria nodded and moved back towards The Hated Room, knowing that it was her room now. She stumbled a bit once she was in the room, but didn't fall until the door was closed and she had made it into the corner opposite from the door. She brought her knees up to her chest and started crying quietly, so she wouldn't disturb her parents and make them mad at her.

'Ratchet, please save me... you promised to protect me from them... so where are you...?'

*at the base, nearly a month later*

Ratchet paced back and forth in the base, scared for his charge. Scared for the human girl he had become friends with. Scared for the girl he had fallen in love with. He promised to protect her from her parents, and instead he had lost her because of his stupid fear of his feelings. Even Dahlia had yelled at him for it for a few moments until she saw how scared he was for Faria.

"Why did I run from my feelings?" Ratchet said quietly to himself, continuing his pacing.

"Prime!" Agent Fowler yells, making Ratchet jump. He hadn't heard the proximity alarm go off through his own thoughts. Ratchet growled softly, and began to retreat to the medbay, but stopped when he got an idea. He whipped around and waited impatiently for Fowler and Optimus to finish speaking. Once they did, Fowler began to leave, but Ratchet stopped him by a simple call.

"Agent Fowler", he said quietly. The agent turned to look at Ratchet. "I need you help..."

Everyone in the base stared at Ratchet in shock, never thinking they would hear him say those words to a human, especially not Fowler of all humans. Ratchet just shrugged it off.

"What do you need my help with?" Agent Fowler asked, shock on his face and in his voice. Ratchet sighed.

"Faria... Faria was kidnapped..." Ratchet mumbled. There were several surprised exclamations from anyone who hadn't known that she had gone missing.

"By the 'cons?" Fowler asked. Ratchet shook his head.

"By her parents..."