A/N: Thank you so much for the fantastic response to the first chapter! I really appreciate everyone who has enjoyed the story so far, so thank you for the positive reviews, favourites, and follows. It really means a lot!
Bonjour, Guten Morgen, Buenos Dias!
The voice echoed in Emily's head as she slept, causing the brunette to toss and turn on her bed with nightmarish memories and utter terror. She woke herself with her own thrashing movements and spent a few moments staring up at her ceiling. Or Charles' ceiling? As she sat up, she realized that she was alone. The warm body of Alison Dilaurentis was no longer pressed comfortingly up against hers. She was alone in her bed. Or Charles' bed? Had her reunion with Alison all been a dream? It wasn't like it was the first dream she'd had of getting out of this hell, but it had been so vivid.
She stood up suddenly, realizing that she was adorned in the same clothes she'd had on in the dollhouse. They were bloodstained, which, as much as Emily hated it, had been a normal occurrence since she'd been forced to live here. She never knew what she'd wake up to; none of them did. Aria had woken up with her hair cut and Spencer had awoken covered in blood, left to wonder where it had all come from. That was normal for them now. They had lost all control over their lives and themselves. It was all just a cruel, sick game.
Mind fuzzy with confusion as to what had been real and what had been dreamed, she felt panic flood her veins. She couldn't still be in there. She couldn't. That dream had been so vivid. Alison had been so real.
Rushing to her door, she pulled it open forcefully just as Alison, standing on the other side, was about to. They collided with each other harshly, Alison barely retaining balance of the breakfast tray she was holding, which she set down on the dresser by the doorway so as not to risk its contents spilling again. Emily hadn't realized how evident her panic was until she saw the concern in Alison's deep blue eyes.
"Em, what's wrong?" she asked, and Emily realized that she was shaking when Alison placed a gentle hand on her arm.
"You weren't there when I woke up," her voice was a trembling whisper, raspy still with sleep. "I thought I was back there,"
Alison pulled her in a tight embrace, which Emily didn't hesitate in reciprocating. The blonde held Emily tightly, wanting the anxious brunette to feel safe.
"I'm sorry, Em, I shouldn't have left," she murmured gently into Emily's ear. When the brunette still didn't stop shaking, she rubbed her hand soothingly up and down her back. "I'm here now. I'm here. You're safe, Emily."
They stayed within each other's embrace until Alison felt Emily begin to relax in her arms. She pulled back finally, her hands lingering on Emily's hips. When she saw the brunette glance past her and towards the untouched breakfast tray, she chuckled slightly.
"I made you breakfast," she said with a warm smile, but Emily stayed staring at the food.
Aria. Hanna. Spencer. One gets food. One gets water. One gets electrocuted. That was the game.
She saw the three switches laid out in front of her, each adorned with a picture of their respective girl. She shook her head when she heard the voice echo through the room, repeating the instructions.
"No… No…" she mumbled, holding her head in her hands.
She was running out of time and she knew it. It was time to pick who got electrocuted. It was time to hear the screams. Emily had yet to be shocked, but from the screams she'd heard over the past hours all of her friends had been. No one had selected her, they'd all spared her. Yet, now she was going to have to hurt them.
She couldn't do it. She couldn't. But if she didn't, they'd all be shocked. Emily was afraid, and she hated herself when she realized that she was afraid for herself. Afraid of being shocked. That was unfair; all of the others had clearly been shocked, shouldn't she take a turn? But, she couldn't let everyone be shocked. That was worse, right?
Right?
Panic bubbled inside her, and the instructions repeated themselves for the fourth and what was most likely the final time. She had seconds to choose before they all received the shock.
Tears flooding her eyes and soaking her cheeks, cowardice won out as she flipped Spencer's switch.
"Emily!" Alison shook Emily's shoulders more forcefully now, breathing out a sigh of relief when Emily's milky eyes blinked a few times and focused on her.
As Emily came out of the intense, vivid flashback, she came to terms with her location. She was safe now. Alison was here, and she wasn't in the dollhouse anymore. The two girls were sat on the floor, Alison had watched the brunette, shaking and whimpering from the horrific memories, sink anxiously to the floor. She was leaning up against the wall for support, while Alison ran a soothing hand up and down her leg. Sweat drenched her entire body, matting her hair and soaking her skin. The blonde was sat beside her, terrified as she watched Emily with a broken stare and violently trembling hands go through her flashback.
Alison reached out to cup Emily's cheek in her hand, feeling the brunette sink into the familiar touch. "It's okay, Emily," she said gently. "You're safe."
Emily nodded, allowing Alison's words to repeat themselves in her mind, grateful to hear anything but the dreadful voice that she awoke to every morning in the dollhouse. When she felt that she had calmed down enough, she began to stand up, gratefully accepting Alison's help as she stood on shaky legs.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Alison asked as she reached for the breakfast that was still resting on the dresser. It had probably gone cold by now, but Alison didn't think that Emily would mind.
The brunette shook her head as she sat down on the edge of her bed, her eyes squeezed shut as if physically trying to shove the memories from her mind. Alison didn't want to press her, but couldn't help but wish that Emily would talk to her and trust her enough to tell her what went on. However, she rationalized that it wasn't about trust. Emily had been tortured and whatever had gone on down there had left her broken and a shell of the girl she'd been before. It made sense that she hadn't wanted to discuss it yet, but Alison just wanted to be able to help her.
She set the breakfast tray in between them and they ate in silence, Emily only tentatively nibbling at the food at first, as if conserving it for later on. However, when the food hit her stomach and she realized exactly how hungry she was, she devoured the rest of her share and some of Alison's, leaving her with a slight stomach ache when she finished.
The rest of the morning went by feeling almost normal. Emily had showered and changed out of the clothes she'd worn in the dollhouse, making a mental note to burn them later. She wanted nothing to do with that hellhole, nothing that would remind her of the weeks she spent down there. When Emily reentered her bedroom to find Alison on the bed, reading one of her novels, she surprised the blonde by requesting that they go out.
"Are you sure, Em?" Alison asked, sitting up and closing the novel without bothering to mark the page she was on. "I mean, if you're not ready-"
"I am ready," Emily affirmed. "I just want things to be… normal, again."
Alison looked thoughtful as she gazed at Emily, looking much more lively now that she'd showered and changed into clothes that weren't stained with blood and dreadful memories.
"Okay," she agreed, still unsure as to whether it was a good idea for Emily to be reconnecting with the world so quickly. "But if you even start to feel slightly uncomfortable, I'm taking you home."
"Deal," Emily said with a small smile that Alison immediately returned. It was the first time Alison had seen the taller girl smile in quite a long time, and she greatly missed the way it lit up her face.
The two had agreed to go to The Brew, considering it was around lunchtime. Emily found herself wondering whether or not she'd be going back to work there, which only lead to thoughts of school. There was no reason for her to have to go back to her job, but school was something she'd have to face sooner or later. As much as Emily wanted to return to normalcy, she wasn't sure that was the sort of atmosphere she was ready to face yet.
She felt Alison take her hand in her own as she drove. The blonde didn't take her eyes off the road, she'd be damned if she let anything happen to Emily now that she finally had the brunette girl back in her life. She did give Emily's hand a small squeeze, as if able to hear Emily's anxious thoughts plaguing her mind. She felt her mind calm a bit at the touch, and didn't let Alison's hand go until they reached The Brew.
As they walked inside, Emily casting habitual glances around them as if constantly vigilant for danger, they moved to stand in line. However, Emily froze at the realization of who stood in front of them in the line, and when the shorter girl turned around, she tensed just as well.
"Hey, Aria," Alison greeted her gently, smiling at the smaller brunette.
However, her greeting went ignored as Aria's gaze seemed to focus on Emily. Both of them were wide-eyed, each looking like deer in headlights as they took in the sight of each other. The wordless exchange lasted only a moment before they turned away as if nothing happened, Aria turning her gaze to the ground and Emily hastily excusing herself to the washroom. Alison was left to stand in line, utterly confused and left to wonder what the hell happened in that dollhouse.