A New Life - Chapter 2
Chapter 1
He couldn’t breathe. It hurt. His chest burned. Something was squeezing his lungs. He was back in that unmovable sludge. Hands gripped his wrists. Maybe it wasn’t hands, he couldn’t be sure.
Everything was off.
The air was thick. Movement felt slow and difficult. The sounds around were the wrong tone, wrong pitch.
He started coughing. The sound was muted, numbed down. What was going on? He couldn’t hear anything else either.
The coughing ripped through his throat. It felt like his blood was on fire. Was it possible for his blood to burn? Maybe in this distorted place it was possible. He tried to curl up, but couldn’t move.
Laughter echoed around him.
He tried to open his eyes. Was he still in one of the cells? One of those small, bare-walled cells, with scratches he made trying to claw his way out.
“Open your eyes,” a voice said.
He turned his head away.
No. no. no.
“If you don’t do it, I will do it for you,” the voice said, “And you will not enjoy that.”
Clenching his jaw against the pain, he opened his eyes. Light stung his eyes. It hurt. He couldn’t see anything as his eyes watered. A whimper escaped his throat, and he closed his eyes again.
Why?
What was going on?
Couldn’t they leave him alone?
Breathing hurt. He couldn’t get his mind to focus on anything around him. They wanted him to open his eyes after keeping him in the dark for so long?
It hurts.
Pain tore through his face. His head snapped to the side.
It took his mind a few seconds to register what had just happened. Someone hit him. No, it was a punch. He could taste blood.
“I said,” the voice hissed in his ear, “Open. Your. Eyes!”
He shook his head as much as he could. Fear rose in his chest. His heart hammered against his chest. Panic joined the fear.
If he did not do what they said, they were going to torture him again. He didn’t have the strength for it anymore. They were breaking him.
Slowly, he forced his eyes open.
Immediately, the pain started again. The light stung. His eyes watered. He could barely make anything out around him. It took a few minutes for his vision to clear.
All he could make out were the white walls all around. Shadowy figures moved around him, disappearing and reappearing.
This was not his cell.
How did he get here? When did he get here?
They weren’t finished with him. He’s already been losing so much time. The last time he’d been in a place like this, all he knew was the burning pain running through his body. Time disappeared back then as well.
“Are you with us again?” the voice asked.
He tried to find the owner of the voice, but his vision kept slipping.
“-no-,” he whispered, voice barely audible.
They wanted him to help them again. He wouldn’t. He couldn’t help them. Not with what they wanted. What they wanted, he had to keep out of their hands at all costs. Nothing they’ve done so far would make him help them.
“Well- that’s too bad,” the voice said, “You know this wouldn’t be easy,”
He closed his eyes and turned his head away.
“Screw you,” he gasped through the pain that pulsed in his body.
“That is not very nice of you,” the voice said, “Looks like we will have to start all over again.”
The voice faded as if the person was moving away.
Terror rose in his chest. They were going to torture him again.
No.
No.
NO!
He couldn’t do this again. Each breath he took tore through his chest. It hurt. He wouldn’t last if this kept on going.
His own body was betraying him.
A hand grabbed his hair, forcing his head back. A figure appeared in his field of vision. He couldn’t make out a face, but an immediate wave of cold panic rushed through him. Something got pressed over his mouth. His eyes opened wide.
A sharp taste filled his mouth, causing nausea to rise in the back of his throat. Everything around him snapped into sharp focus. He could make out every detail of everything around him.
Hair came into his field of vision, close to his ear.
“This is going to be a lot of fun,” the voice whispered, “I am going to enjoy breaking you.”
There was a pinch, and a burning started through his veins.
He wanted to scream.
There came no sound. His voice did not want to work. Everything around him started to fade back into the strangeness.
Something warm ran down his arm. Pain radiated from his arm, before moving to his chest, then his shoulders, then to his legs.
The world around him shifted. He couldn’t move. The voice changed. It’s moved, became distorted, the pitch changing each second. It merged with a dripping sound. He could have sworn he could taste the sound. It was thick and coppery. The taste made him feel nauseated.
Everything around him started to fade. The white room faded into a distorted mess of forms and barely visible colours. His chest hurt.
Breathing hurt.
Each breath made him feel like he had run a marathon.
He couldn’t focus, letting himself fade into nothingness. The messed-up world of distorted figures and forms disappeared.
Pain tore him back to consciousness.
Voices screamed at him without words.
Ice-cold drenched him to the bone. He screamed. Was it him, or was it just his imagination? He wasn’t sure anymore. Something touched his arm.
It burned.
He tried to open his eyes, but his vision refused to focus.
The hands roughly pulled him up, forcing him somewhere else. As he moved, the world twisted. His balance disappeared. Only the hands on his arms kept him up. He struggled against the hands.
Faces appeared in front of him. Cruel laughter echoed through his mind. Each breath came in increasingly more desperate gasps.
Pain exploded from his fingers. He swore he could see the pain in harsh lines and cracks in front of him. It followed after fire burning beneath his nails.
Were they pushing heated needles under his nails?
He screamed.
The sound echoed through his head.
Something grabbed him, pushing him back. Only then did he realise that he started struggling to get away from the pain.
A voice whispered through his mind.
He couldn’t figure out what was being said, but he could only guess.
The pain started again. He let himself fade away from the pain. There’s no way that he’ll give in to what they want.
***
Ash’s eyes snapped. With a gasp, he shot up from the bed. He gripped his arms tightly.
There was no pain in his arms.
Slowly, he curled up into himself. One hand clutching at his chest. His heart hammered painfully against his ribs. He couldn’t breathe. It hurt too much. The darkness of the room pressed down on him, trapping him in the nightmare.
With shaking hands, he reached for the lamp next to his bed, turning it on.
A warm light filled the room.
Now he could breathe again.
Slowly, he threw the blankets off, moving to sit on the side of the bed. He was not going to be able to sleep again tonight. Glancing at the alarm clock, he let out a sigh.
He hadn’t been getting much sleep the last few days.
Taking a deep breath, he pulled his hands through his damp and sweaty hair. The pain in his chest dimmed as his heartbeat slowed down.
Cussing at himself, he pressed the heels of his hands over his eyes, trying to rub away the phantom images behind his eyes. They kept flashing through his mind, following him everywhere he went.
Taking another deep breath, he waited until most of the ghosts disappeared. He dropped his hands to his sides, staring at the floor for a second.
The room turned as he got up from the bed. He stumbled slightly, catching himself on the wall. His entire body trembled. The weakness in his body frustrated him to no end. How was he supposed to recover if he could barely get sleep and had no strength?
Clenching his jaw, he got dressed and made his way towards the mansion’s private gym.
He could at least get some exercise in, since he was already awake. There was nothing else for him to do at this time of night. Maybe when he’s done, he’ll go to campus to get something to drink. He did not want to stay at the mansion for longer than necessary.
***
Ash shivered as he stepped out of the class. He barely managed to pay attention to any of the new material. It’s been a fight through all three classes he has had so far.
With a sigh, he pulled his hoodie over his head, heading towards the cafe.
The course he’s in was interesting enough. According to everyone, it would be better for him to have a degree after his name, to get some qualification. Not that he cared all that much.
The cafe was quiet when Ash stepped inside, closing the door behind him. Glancing around, he walked to one of the tables at the back, dropped his bag next to it, then sat down. Exhaustion rushed through him. With a groan, he dropped his head into his hands, closing his eyes.
A few phantoms danced on the back of his eyelids. A throbbing pain pulsed behind his eyes, making it hard to focus on anything. The nightmares probably wouldn’t let him get much sleep until he figured out what was going.
“Can I get you anything?” a voice asked next to him.
Ash flinched slightly before lifting his head.
“Right,” he muttered, giving her a slight smile, “Just a large filter coffee.”
The waitress smiled and nodded. “I’ll bring it to you right away”
Ash nodded, turned his head so he could look out the window. His vision went out of focus as he drifted off to sleep. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea to fall asleep here, because if the nightmares start, he’ll cause trouble.
The waitress placed the coffee next to him, as the bell above the door rang.
“Thank you,” he said quietly.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed two people stepping into the cafe. Ignoring them, he turned back to staring mindlessly out of the window.
“Come on, Ella-,” a man’s voice said, immediately making Ash feel annoyed, “It’s not that serious. Why do you have to be stubborn about this?”
“Really?” Ella’s voice said, “Why do you keep on following me everywhere? I’ve already told you no, why can’t you get it through your thick skull?”
Oh, Ella and her not-boyfriend, Zyran.
Ash tilted his head, blinking as he looked over at Ella and Zyran. It was probably the wrong thing to do, but he was curious about what was going on.
“Ella-,” Zynar started again.
This time, Eloise narrowed her eyes at him, lifting a hand to stop him from continuing.
“Don’t even start,” she snapped, “I don’t want to hear it, got that?”
Ash frowned. Slowly, he got to his feet. Neither of the two had noticed him yet. So he walked over to them, making sure not to get too close.
“Ella, don’t be like this,” Zynar said, “You are being unreasonable...”
Eloise’s eye twitched as she glared at him. Her hands balled into fists, and for a second, Ash entertained the idea of letting her punch him. Then again, that wouldn’t be a good thing for her.
“I am not being unreasonable,” Eloise snapped, jabbing Zynar’s chest with a finger, “You. Are. Being. Annoying. Now stop following me everywhere. I don’t want to talk to you.”
“Can’t we just talk and sort out this misunderstanding?” Zynar asked, catching her wrist so she would stop poking him.
Ash leaned against the counter. Zynar just made the wrong move, but this was a very amusing conversation.
Eloise roughly pulled her wrist out of his grip, stepped back and crossed her arms.
“I’ve already sorted this out, Zynar,” she said coldly, “So you need to back off and leave me alone. I have work I need to do, and you are bothering me”
Zynar stepped back, glaring at her.
“Fine,” he said, “But this is not over. We will talk about it again.”
Eloise crossed her arms. “I don’t think so,” she said.
“We’ll see about that,” Zynar said, turning around and coming face to face with Ash, who stood a few steps behind him, leaning on the counter.
Ash smiled sweetly at him. Immediately, he saw Zynar’s face turning red with anger. Which made things all the more amusing. Zynar glared at Ash for a moment before marching out of the cafe.
Breathing out, Ash turned to the waitress. “Just a cheese and tomato toasted,” he said.
Eloise blinked as she noticed Ash as well, walking over to him.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Good Morning to you as well, Ella,” Ash said as he turned towards her.
Eloise smiled, rolling her eyes at him.
“Good morning, Ash,” she said, “What are you doing here?”
Ash smiled slightly, motioning towards the table he sat at. “Getting coffee and it seems a sandwich,” he said, “Come on, let’s sit down unless you want to sit in silence.”
Eloise nodded. “If you don’t mind,” she said, following him to the table. Ash took his seat, picked up his coffee cup and took a sip. At least the coffee was still warm. It should help to keep him awake.
“Can I get you anything?” the waitress asked, placing the sandwich in front of Ash.
“A Ceylon blond tea with cold milk,” Eloise said with a nod.
The waitress smiled before leaving them alone.
Ash sipped his coffee again before picking up his sandwich, slowly eating one of the pieces.
Eloise frowned as she studied him. He seemed paler than the day before.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
Ash blinked at her. “I should be the one asking you that,” he said, “And don’t worry about it. It’s nothing.”
“Point to the new guy,” she said, “Sorry, I did not want to pry, I was just a bit curious.”
“Curiocity killed the cat,” Ash said.
“But satisfaction brought it back,” Eloise continued for him.
“Toche,” Ash said and continued eating his sandwich.
“Alright, I’m just making sure you’re handling the new workload,” Eloise said.
Ash nodded. “I’m fine. As long as I have my coffee and sandwich,” he said.
“Of course,” Eloise said, shaking her head, “The number you gave me yesterday-”
“Yes,” Ash said, looking at her with a raised eyebrow, “That’s my personal number, I promise it’s not some kind of scam number.”
Eloise laughed, shaking her head. “Personal number?” she asked, “Do you have any others I need to be aware of?”
Ash shrugged. “Can’t say, we just met yesterday,”
Before Eloise could say anything, the waitress placed her cup of tea on the table.
“Is there anything else I can get you?” the girl asked.
Eloise looked over at Ash, but he shook his head.
“No, we’re fine for now, thank you,” she said.
The girl nodded and left them.
Ash picked up his coffee again, holding the cup in both hands. “They make the best coffee,” he muttered.
“Coffee enthusiast?” Eloise asked, watching him with an amused expression.
“Pretty much,” Ash said, sipping his coffee with a satisfied look.
“Mind if I ask about the probability of you having more numbers?” Eloise asked.
“Nope, not discussing that,” Ash said.
“A bit too personal?”
“For strangers? Absolutely.”
Eloise nodded and picked up her cup. “Fain enough,” she said, “I can go with that,”
“Anything else you want to ask about?” Ash asked.
“Yes, but none you’ll answer at the moment,” Eloise said, “So I’ll just sit here and annoy you if possible.”
Ash chuckled. “That I don’t have a problem with,”
“Great.” Eloise put her cup down and pulled out her phone. “Let me give you a call so you have my number as well.”
***
Exhausted Ash closed the mansion doors behind him. At least everything was quiet today. Breathing out, he leaned back against the door.
It surprised him that he even managed to reach the mansion without falling asleep. He was thankful that he did not crash the bike.
Gathering the courage to keep going, Ash pushed himself away. It didn’t sound like anyone was home yet, which was good. He did not have the energy to deal with his father or stepmother at the moment. Just thinking about it drained his energy.
With a sigh, he walked to the kitchen. Not even the kitchen staff were here; it seemed like they let everyone go after the party cleanup. Meaning that all the leftover food from the party should be in the fridge.
And he was starving.
As he reached out to the fridge door, a note caught his eye.
“Oh no-,” he groaned.
He was in trouble again. Mica’s ballet rehearsal was today. And he missed it. She was going to be so mad at him when she got back. Since he missed it, Allison probably took Mica.
With a groan, he opened the fridge and took out some of the leftovers. While heating the leftovers, he took out a bottle of water, staring off into space as he waited.
Only when the microwave beeped did he take a sip of water while taking out the food. He leaned against the counter, blowing on the food.
When the doorbell rang, he considered leaving it and just kept on eating. He did not want to deal with whoever thought it was a good idea to come here.
The doorbell rang again. Then it was followed by knocking.
Ash groaned and walked towards the door. He glanced through the peephole and sighed, taking a bite of his food. Now he was really considering not opening up.
The knocking made him flinch, and he opened the door. He stared at the guy on the other side.
“Stop knocking, would you?” he snapped, ready to strangle the guy.
The guy grinned.
“Well, now. It’s great to see you as well, Asher,” he said, not bothered at all by Ash’s attitude, “Why yes, I would love to come in.”
“Fine, come on in,” Ash said, stepping back, “While explaining what you’re doing here, Sam.”
Sam grinned as he stepped inside. “I came to see how you’re doing,” he said, “Since you haven’t contacted anyone to give us an update. Oh, and Nicky said to remind you, we miss you.”
Ash closed the door and motioned for Sam to follow him as he continued eating.
“You can tell Nicky I don’t miss him,” he said, sitting down, “Now stop lying to me and be honest about why you’re here.”
Sam sat back, smiling slightly. “We got a few days off-,” he started before shaking his head, “Two weeks to exact.”
“That still doesn’t tell me why you are here. At my house. Exactly when I got home.” Ash said, narrowing his eyes at Sam.
“I know, I’m just that good,” Sam said, “Fair warning. The others will arrive in town tomorrow, so don’t be surprised if they show up here.”
“No.”
“They want to see you as well.”
“No.” Ash repeated, “Tell them not to show up, please?”
Sam sighed. “I’m sorry man, you know they don’t listen to me,” he said, “There’s not much I can do to stop them. They only listen to Steve and Arno.”
Ash sighed and nodded. “I know, it was worth a try,” he said.
“Are you doing alright?” Sam asked, leaning forward. His brows furrowed together with worry.
Ash looked away, focusing on his food.
“You need to talk if something is wrong,” Sam said.
“I’m okay,” Ash said, “Just getting used to everything.”
Sam nodded. “I’ll take your word for it,” he said, “You’re adjusting to your classes?”
“Surprisingly enough,” Ash said, “I’m enjoying it.”
“Good,” Sam said, “You look better than when you left.”
Ash looked away.
“Take care of yourself, Ash,” Sam said, sitting forward a bit, “And stop worrying about everyone else.”
“Why didn’t you guys go home?” Ash asked, steering the conversation back to what he wanted to know.
“I told you, we’re on a break,” Sam said with a sigh, “Everyone wanted to come make sure you’re alright. Like I said, you didn’t contact anyone, so we got worried.”
Ash shook his head. That still wasn’t the answer he wanted. “Why are you so worried, it’s not like I’m in danger or anything. I’m at home.”
“With you, it’s not a sure thing,” Sam chuckled, before his expression became serious, “After everything that happened, did you really think that if you don’t contact us, we won’t be worried? I thought you were smarter than that.”
Ash looked down at the floor.
“I-,” he started, but just shook his head, “I need some time, alright?”
“I understand,” Sam said gently, “All I’m asking is for a ‘I’m doing fine’, every once in a while.”
“I understand,” Ash said.
Sam nodded and got up. “Let us know how it’s going,” he said, “You might be out, but we still worry about you.”
Ash got up as well. “You lot are idiots,” he said with a chuckle.
Sam smiled. “Take your time. Get settled and sort yourself out,” he said, “Don’t make us come check up on you again.”
“Please don’t,” Ash said, walking Sam to the door.
“You’re not getting out of this time’s check-up,” Sam said, “So now you know what to look forward to when you make us worry.”
“Next time, I’ll call the Commander,” Ash said.
Sam laughed, holding out a hand to Ash. “Take care,” he said, “We’ll see you later.”
Ash hesitated for a second before he reached out and shook Sam’s hand.
“I’ll do what I can,” he said.
***
Ash put his work back into his backpack before slumping onto his bed. Exhaustion left him too drained to do anything. As much as he cared about his old team, they drained him to no end at times.
Most of them were extroverted and refused to take no for an answer.
His eyes started closing as the exhaustion finally won, and he drifted off to sleep. A banging on his door woke him. Ash shot up from the bed, gasping. His eyes flickered around, as if searching for danger.
“We’re coming in,” Allison’s voice warned as the door opened.
A blur shot into the room and jumped onto the bed.
Ash blinked at the small figure before he smiled. Slowly, his shoulders relaxed, and he reached out to ruffle the girl’s black hair.
“Hey Mica,” he said gently, glancing at the door.
Allison smiled at him, leaning on the doorframe and mouthed, ‘You are in trouble.’
Mica was still wearing her ballet tutu. She pulled away from Ash, crossing her arms as she tried to angrily glare at her brother.
“You are a big meanie,” she said.
“A very big meanie,” Allison echoed from the door.
“I’m sorry, little Scorpion,” Ash said.
“You missed my show,” Mica said, “You promised to be there.”
“I know.” Ash said again, “But I’m really, really, super sorry.”
Mica narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you really?” she asked.
Ash nodded. “Yeah, I’m really, like in super sorry.”
Mica looked back at Allison as if to ask if she should believe him. Allison nodded, smiling at her, before winking at Ash.
Ash looked back at Mica. “So were you the best ballerina in the show?” he asked.
Mica nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, I was the best ballerina there,” she said with a wide smile.
“That’s great,” Ash said, “Was it fun?”
Again, the girl nodded. “So much fun. There were lights and music, and we looked pretty,” she said, “But next time you have to see it too.”
Ash nodded. “I promise, I’ll be there next time,” he said.
“Don’t make promises that you cannot keep, Ash,” Allison said quietly.
“I’m sorry, Lizz,” Ash said, “But I don’t plan on missing anything else.”
Allison nodded. “Good, if you two are done chatting, I’m making pancakes,” she said.
***
Eloise groaned as she fell onto her bed, pulling the pillow over her face. This day only went from bad to worse. Thinking about it, she screamed into the pillow.
As if dealing with Zyran in the morning wasn’t enough, he kept coming back to harass her throughout the day. She’d never come as close to punching him as she did today.
Groaning, she threw the pillow aside.
“Next time, Imma punch his annoying face-,” she said, staring at the ceiling.
She did not have the energy to do her work for the next day. Grabbing a book from her bookshelf and reading something sounded much more enticing. She looked over at the bookshelf, already scanning through the books for one to read.
Knocking sounded from her bedroom door.
With a sigh, she sat up. “Come on in,” she said.
Luo peered into the room.
“You decent?” he asked, smirking at her.
Eloise pulled a face at him, considering throwing a pillow at him.
“What do you want, Luo?” she asked, crossing her arms.
Luo chuckled as he went to sit down on her bed as well. “Can’t I just come check up on my sweet darling little sister?” he asked.
Eloise stuck her tongue out at him. “Don’t be annoying,” she said, “You crappy excuse for a human.”
“So what’s got you all scrunched up?” Luo asked.
“Zynar,” Eloise said, falling back again.
Luo looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Your terrible ex-boyfriend,” he said, “Not all that surprising. I still don’t know what you saw in him. He’s a terrible human.”
Eloise rolled her eyes at him.
“Yes, thank you, I am well aware,” Eloise said, “I don’t even know what I saw in him. He’s horrible.”
“Yes, he is, and he cheated on you,” Lup said, patting her arm, “So what did he do this time?”
“He’s been getting more and more annoying since we broke up,” Eloise said, rubbing her hand over her face, “I almost punched him today.”
Luo laughed, “So no more kissy face for him?”
“I will punch you,” Eloise said, kicking at him, “You are a terrible human being.”
“Oh, so I’m the terrible human?” he said, pulling Eloise closer and starting to tickle her.
Eloise burst out laughing, squirming away from her brother, but he pinned her down and kept on tickling her.
“Let- l-let me- go-!” Eloise laughed, twisting to get away.
“Then apologise,” Luo chuckled.
“NEVER!” Eloise yelled between the laughter.
“Then die,” Luo said, “You brat.”
Eloise’s phone notifications went off. The sound distracted Luo for a second, and she slipped out of his grasp grabbing her phone.
“You look excited,” Luo said, studying his sister’s face, before leaning closer so he could also see, “Made a new friend?”
Eloise yelped, hiding her phone.
“Who said you could read my messages?” she snapped, eyes wide.
“Oh, come on-” Luo said, reaching for the phone.
“Hands off!” Eloise squealed, quickly holding the phone out of Luo’s reach, “Get out of my room, you stupid oaf.”
“Is it a guy?” Luo asked, grinning.
Eloise pulled a face at him, kicking him off the bed. “Get out!” she said, “before I call Dad!”
Luo laughed, jumping away so that Eloise couldn’t reach him again. “So it is a guy,” he said, “You got over Zyran quickly.”
“OUT!” Eloise yelled.
Luo grinned as he stepped out the door. “I knew it,” he said, before turning, “MOM! ELLA GOT A NEW BOYFRIEND!”
“You asshole,” Eloise squeaked, shot up from the bed and slammed the door closed. She could hear Luo laughing on the other side. Breathing out, she caught her reflection in the mirror.
No wonder Luo teased her. Her face was beet red. She groaned, rubbing her hands over her face. Shaking her head, she walked back to the bed, sitting down cross-legged. When she picked up the phone, she stared at the name on the screen.
She half expected it to be Zynar, but knew it wasn’t.
Asher.
Eloise stared at the name for a second longer before opening the message.
‘Sorry for bothering you, I only now realised that I took all the papers yesterday. So here is everything we did at the cafe. If we put everything together as we go, it will be a lot faster.’
Eloise stared at the message before shaking her head. He was very different from what she expected.
‘Thank you for sending it,’ she typed back, ‘And for the coffee this morning, you did not need to pay for everything.’
‘It looked like you needed a pick-me-up.’
Eloise laughed softly, not even realising that she was kicking her feet.
‘Still- thank you very much.’
“Pleasure, Eloise.’