High School Diaries (A Throne of Glass Fanfiction)

Chapter 41

I swear Wattpad is going through some shit. I have so many comments and votes, but still 0 views on past many chapters for days before it starts counting.  >.<

It was dark all around her.

Not the peaceful, calm of nothingness, but the bleak, unending abyss, hiding the shadows in its infernal cloak.

Humans were never afraid of being in the dark, it is not being alone in the dark that is scary, not knowing what else is lurking with us in the endless blackness. Not knowing scared her. Because Elide was sure she was not alone in the dark, but she could not see who it was. There was someone breathing deeply next to her, a few feet away, as if in a deep slumber. The little snoring assured her it was a female. But it didn't sound like Lysandra or Evangeline or even Aelin.

Elide raised her hand, to get up, to check who it was, when she felt the tight burning against her wrists and ankles. She opened her mouth, the filtered breath making her realize the cloth tied on her mouth. She was in a chair, tied in a dark room. She swore internally she would kill Aedion if it was some sort of birthday prank. It was then that it hit her.

Birthday. Club. Lorcan. Vernon.

Vernon.

The single name dominated her mind, reminding her of what had happened now, and what had happened years back. No, no, no. She had escaped Vernon once, with the help of her friends, even though they were taken by Arobynn. Second time Lorcan had been there to save her. This time, well, she was all alone.

She looked around, squinting and widening her eyes as her head throbbed, but she still tried to make a semblance of where she was. But it was too dark, spreading out on all sides around her, making it difficult to see in any direction.

"Hey, is anyone there?" There was a feeble murmur, like mumbling in a sleep before snoring sounds were back. Yep, definitely a girl. She tries rocking her chair, back and forth on one leg, her other leg a useless pain, but the back of her chair only hit a wall in a few tries. She tried sideways, but it was hard with her whole body tied up, head seeming to burst and throat dry. And it seemed she was far away from any wall sideways, because her chair was almost about to fall when a big boom sounded, the vibrations shaking the very floor she was on. The monstrous roar repeated itself three more times. Each time, sending her ears ringing and body shuddering. It was when it finally stopped, that Elide realized what it was.

They were in a clock tower.

It was 4, in the morning or evening, there was no way for her to tell. There was no light, artificial or natural in this room. Her nose was overwhelmed by the onslaught of variety of smells, the pungent odor of cold, dusty air, the reek of sweat, the scent of cologne and the fragrance of some kind of room freshener, with a faint smell of vomit lingered. Some of the only times Arobynn benefited her, training her already keen senses to pick up subtle features, of environments and people, first as safety for courtesan, and later as a spy.

There was a scraping sound below her and she clamped her eyes shut, trying to breathe evenly as the two sets of feet climbed up the stairs, at least 2 flights of them, both of them huffing. The door was thrown open and she braced herself, but both people seemed to ignore them.

"Open a window, Vernon. It's a fucking stove in here." The voice was gruff and throaty, like men of heavier build generally have.

"Quite an experience being inside a stove, eh?" The voice of her nightmares. It was an effort to keep still, keep her breath steady.

"Shove your tongue inside a woman's ass, it's hotter than a stove." The cackle that followed was repulsive as it was disgusting.

"There aren't any in prison. You've to make do with males and I'd rather not shove my tongue there." She tried to gulp down the rising loathing in her throat, slowly, for them to not notice she was awake.