Lace

20

"It's so hard to forget pain, but it's even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace." I read it once on the side of a vandalised wall we'd passed when Soren took me for a little treat, iced coffee.

It took him almost a week for him to convince his boss to let me out, and for something full of caffeine and unhealthiest. Erebus had me on a strict diet. I was too far too malnutritional and fragile, it wasn't healthy he said, but after a lot of begging and a handful of pleading he agreed. With the condition of being there the whole time.

I was happy about going there, I hadn't been welcomes in a respectable establishment in years. I felt like a kid going for their first field trip. It was one of the one time I felt normal.

At that moment in time I felt like just a normal girl. Not a homeless, not a killer... just a girl going out for iced coffee with two friends (who weren't infamous heartless killers) dressed in an average purple sweater and a smile.

What I would give to be that basic girl right now. But here I am, tied up to a cold metal chair in an empty room lit with a dim swinging bulb that swung at the centre of the room. It reminded me much of my first night with the beast.

I've been here for at least an hour, I think. My hair was dripping, the made-up from my face was long gone along with the bottom half my dress.

Soren's going to be pissed!

Before this they had me in a tub of ice. Two women, both dressed in black dress-shirts with a pixie cut hairstyle held me by my arms while Tod asked me questions. My noncompliance was met with a face dip into the water.

I'd give them an A for effort, but no points for success. Instead of instilling fear or forcing out answers, they gave me something... a sense of accomplishment.

I sounds cereal, unnatural and in no way normal, but I wouldn't expect anyone else to understand it. It made me see self-growth, I saw brightness, but that could be from the lack of oxygen whist held under water.

Throughout my life, my only constant was pain. I hated it, I despised it and at every moment I had with it, I pushed it away. Only to have its bitter honey drown me when I had to face it again. I was clueless, I couldn't control it. And in the end, it always won, devouring me whole. Clogging my every sense with its foulness and blinding me.

But not today, today I embraced the cold as it covered me. I took on the pain and embraced it, giving it a chance to have mercy on me. Even while strapped to the chair like a lamb in the butchery looking like my worst, I can honestly say that I've never felt better.

The metal door opened silently, if it wasn't for the blinding light from the outside, I wouldn't have realised it had opened.

"I've got to hand it to you Lacey, you're nothing like your friend. "Tod's voice seemed genuine, which raised my scepticism as he went down on one knee. I remained silent, not knowing what to say. "when we first brought your little Riley in, he was in tears in the first few minutes. Even cried for you," Tod laughed "it's a shame isn't it; you were busy partying while your little boyfriend was crying for you."

Don't show emotion.

"and to think, you didn't even cry for him." He mocked, pouting his lip in a false concern. "I'm sure he's going to be crushed when he hears about it, so why don't you be the one to tell him?" by now he knew better than to wait for a response and rose with his final words.

He looked at me with curious, mischievous eyes then cupped his hand around his mouth while he shouted out the door, "Bring the boy!"

I feel like this chapter kinda sucks... I tried my best but it's still missing something.
It was necessary, Lace needed to begin to embrace her character development to be strong enough to handle what's going to come.

But what do you'll think about it?
Is it okay?
How can I make it better?

And thank you all for the 2K I screenshoted it and sent it to all my friends. I feel so lucky.

And we're #12 in bad boy!