Square one

One with the Floor

Josie's POV:

As I speed off, Kai pulling in the rear, thoughts start bombarding me a mile a second, before I remember that Dad is still chained up, and that Diego will start waking soon. "We need to get to Dad before wolf boy Diego wakes up." I hear Kai stop abruptly, sighing, "Well, then go. Go save daddy! He always needs saving. I'm rooting for you!"  

"Although, you and your father aren't bound to this place, so you'll just end up dying, with no way to come back. Oopsies-" he spits sarcastically. Raising his hands to his face, he acts surprised, as if making little faces for a baby. "Sorry kiddo, unfortunately for you the Bennett blood is gone, and we're trapped here. Nothing matters." I start scrambling for ideas, anything to keep him busy, and preferably with me, thinking it best he stay close by, and though I'm not sure Hope is on rescue mission overdrive, I pray she comes up with some brilliant idea, because I've got squat, and I just want to be held at the moment. 

"W-wait! What if there is another way to get Bennett blood? Would you be able to help me then?" He turns around, looking me in the eye for any signs of bluffing, but I kept composure, my face relaxed. Surprisingly he goes, "Yeah nice try with the manipulation, I'm glad you're learning, but there is no way in hell I'm going to believe  you, sorry kid." I pull a vial from my pocket, showing him 'Bennett blood', "It's the vial from when we sent the sandclock here." I wave it about, smirking, trying to taunt him a bit, to the best of my ability, so he would be forced to believe me. He moved quickly to me, chuckling, "I knew you were holding out on me. Smart." I hold the vial closer to my body, "I didn't know whether or not to trust you, I think I have the right to have my reservations, don't you think?" Jade sprints in pinning Kai to the wall, lifting him up, and he raises his hands, feigning defeat. "Oh goodness me!" He starts to laugh, being let go, and gRaBS JadEs AsS?! Oh ew noooooo, fuck that noooooo. 

"Perfect timing, right babe?" I start running for the closest exit, immediately immobilised by Kai. Blah, blah, blah, evil little speech bullshit went on for a bit, my eyes fixated on Jade, as she moves towards Uncle Kai- not because I found her attractive, I mean she's cute, but Hope's even cuter, and she's my baby-  instead more concerned that she seemed to be very ripper-esque, like MG could be. He moves behind me, digging into my rucksack, Jade smirking as he takes whatever he seems fit from it, "You can keep your lousy sand clock. I'll be gone before it breaks," he says, voice dripping with venom, as he shoves it back into the back, patting shoulder. "Oh chin up, darling. You're new to the whole conning business, you'll get better at it." He steps back, walking backwards giving me a fake pout before breaking character and laughing hysterically, giving out orders for Jade to take me to 'the rig' and to make sure not to kill me... yet. He walks off, a swagger in his step, Jade barely visible, brings her face ever so close to my ear, "Oh Josie, this is going to be fun." 

~

Immobilised, there isn't much I can do... and Jade is highly aware of that. She blindfolds me, though I can't say I necessarily see the point, as I'm just headed to wherever dad is, most likely still in the school, to be held prisoner. Nothing short of a normal day Hope would have, no doubt. I know she's in front of me, at least for the moment, however I am not sure how long I could keep this up, what with my stumbling about, seeing as my eyesight has been taken from me. I stumble, my knees hitting the ground hard, surely bruising them, now covered in dirt. Jade touches my face all of a sudden, picking my chin up, as if she's trying to get me to look at her.  Her thumb makes circles, almost as if to be a comfort; it was not.

"Much has changed in you Josie. You're less of a pushover, I think? Or am I wrong? No matter, it seems you're the same little clutz I remember. Do you need me to kiss your boo boos darling," she sneers, "Do you need help getting up? Poor little Josie Saltzman." I stay silent, truly wanting to slap her, and I suppose my hand decided for itself in making the decision, as I felt it hit her cheek, a sting of pain arising. All of a sudden everything shifts, and I start to feel sick, moving, as though I'm being held upside down. "Stop moving, Jo. Don't want you to fall off my shoulder now, do you?" I decide to keep quiet until we reach a certain point, where I'm thrown on the ground, feeling as if one with the floor once more. Before I can even begin to stand up, Jade grabs my arm, yanking me forward and up, stumbling with her, as we make our way into what I can only assume is a room, much colder than it had been outside previously. She stops, listening in on a conversation, while I could barely make out anything at all, faint mumbling. She pulls the blindfold, which turned out to be a bandana, off my eyes, fashioning it like a gag, before whispering, "Can it." She then pushes me out, where I make eye contact with Diego, and Wendy, before looking my dad in the eye, trying to seem the most pissed off as possible, as I am. 

"Hmmmm I dunno Wendy.... seems to easy. How about seeing your daughter being tortured, huh, Rick? Bet you'd love that. I know I would love to see her struggle against me." Guilt washes over his face, looking almost pallid at this rate, chained to the chair. "J-Josie? Are you ok?" I look at him incredulously for a moment. Do I look fucking ok? The hell I do. I give him a small nod to bring him whatever kind of solace he seems in search of, though god knows it won't last very long. 

"Start talking. I've waited ten, long, difficult years for the brilliant explanation of what you did to us." She says, emphasising each adjective, her lips closer and closer to my face, now mumbling against my neck, "Don't you think I deserve that Jo?"