Once again, I want to thank these amazing people for reading and reviewing. Without you, I don't know where I would be. I love you all. Huge hugs for love-bubbles and you babe, KEALY KAMES, brittney, Mr. President, DramaJen89, nigelbtrlover24, xxhalestormxx, LoneWolfie, CarlosZorro, Cookie Monster Giggles, CUTE CARGAN LOVE and my good ole' friend, Aeroja.
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I understand that the story could be confusing, particularly the part about Reds and Blues. Think.. Harry Potter and the four houses. The Reds and Blues are like Gryffindor and Slytherin. I also understand that people might be slightly worried as to why I've used so many characters and the problems that could follow.. No worries, people! I have everything covered. :)
Imprisoned
Chapter Four; Moonlight Escapades.
I walk slowly down the hallway, careful not to wake anyone. I hear the faint sound of a mixture of boys, different types of breathing and even the odd snore. I pass the door next to my room, knowing that Jett stays in there. He was kind enough to tell me, well, scare me as much as possible when I went to bed. Even knocked on my wall a few times, just to stop me sleeping because clearly, he's the funniest person alive.
Just down the hall, I can see the slight stream of light, pouring out into the hallway through the cracks around the door. This would be the third night in a row I've seen it, seeing as my body gets tired and wants to sleep, Jett snaps me out of it and then I spend most of the night, wide awake. Something stirs in me, and for a moment, wondering whether it's a precious Blue or a devious Red, I begin to walk towards it.
As I approach the room, my heart thuds. I know that feeling. It happens all the time since that fateful encounter with Logan. Then Kendall went and ruined it and scared the hell out of me, so much so, I avoided Logan for a while, in the fears that the crazy shit doesn't track me down and flay me alive. Peeking into the room from the door being left slightly ajar, I can see Logan, sat cross-legged on his bed, book in hand as the soft light from the bottle lamp illuminates his face, increasing the shadows and making his porcelain like skin glitter. He looks truly stunning.
"I see you're awake." I whisper.
His head snaps up, eyes wide. When he notices it's me, they tone down slightly. "Oh Carlos.. I was, just err, reading again."
"Shakespeare still?" I smile softly, tilting my head more in.
He nods, a small almost invisible smile painting on his face. "Yeah.. Same book."
"I see, mind if I come in?"
Logan nods again, his eyes striking me like lightning. "Yeah sure."
I step into the room, noticing it looks vaguely different to mine. Same white walls, wooden floor and barred window, but instead, Logan has a small, still white, bookcase sat in the corner, lined with tons of different books by different authors, the colours standing out against the white canvas.
"You got a lot of books," I whistle. "Like reading that much, I take it?"
"It's my escape," Logan replies quietly. "Lets me leave the world I actually live in and dive into somewhere where it's much better. More softer and less cruel."
"That sounds pretty awesome, I didn't know books could do that."
"Clearly you don't read much," Logan lightly laughs and once again, the sickening butterfly feeling purges in my stomach, making me feel weightless. "But yeah, it's awesome.
"Maybe I should. Would give us something to talk about." I smile, turning back to face Logan. He sits there, switching his eyes between the book in his lap and me, just like at the table. I can already tell me must be socially-awkward or at least has severe shyness. Either one is adorable and bit by bit, I find myself falling.
"That would be good," Logan lightly smiles, looking up at meeting my eyes. "I'd like that a lot."
I nod, tugging my bottom lip between my teeth and biting. "Kendall came and saw me a few nights back.. He's err, he's very protective of you, isn't he?"
A slight blush claws at Logan's face and he tilts his head down. "I'm sorry.. He can be like that."
"It's no problem," I assure him. Even though it is, because Kendall seems terribly scary. "I'm just not to keen on being his target for talking to you."
"He won't do nothing.." Logan quietly responds and once again, it's like we've took a step back and I already regret it. "It's just.. It's just a, err, him taking precautions."
"Precautions for what?"
"Err Carlos, I'm getting kind of tired.." Logan mumbles, placing his book on the side and getting up. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Okay, yeah, erm, see you in the morning. Sweet dreams."
Logan nods as he turns the bottle lamp off, amber glow dying out. I sigh, stepping back out the room and into the hallway. I close the door behind me quietly, still afraid to make a sound. I'm not even sure if Dr. Philips is prissy with her curfews and such. I made so much progress in a short time, and then, I stabbed myself in the foot. It's gonna take a lot more to open him up. Good thing I have a year, then.
I close the door behind me, making sure it's sealed tight. As I turn around, though, I'm faced with Jett, grin like a chesire cat. I jump back against my door with a thud, clenching my heart to control the pounding.
"Got you!" Jett cheers.
"Thanks a fucking lot, Jett," I moan, taking deep heavy breaths. "It's not enough keeping me up, but now you're trying to kill me? I thought you were just a drunk, not a murderer."
"I'm wounded," Jett pouts. "Well, I'm just getting you used to what it's like here in Springwood."
What it's like? I have a good enough guess already. 20 kids, divided to hate each other, some mentally unstable whilst the others just seem completely crazy. All criminals, problematic and slightly messed up in their own ways.
"And what's that, exactly?" I question him as we begin to walk down the hall."
"Well, most nights, you can probably hear screaming," Jett shrugs, like it's no big deal. "There is always someone locked up in The Box. Most of the time it is Stephanie, but sometimes it's not. I've not been in there yet, but that's because I'm a good boy."
His smile doesn't convince me. "Don't you mean, you've just never been caught?"
"Same difference," Jett waves it away. "But as I said, as much as I've told Stephanie to calm it, she doesn't. Same for the others. It's a natural reaction to being shut in a small room, enclosed for days on end, no sunlight or interaction. Could drive the strongest crazy."
"That explains you all then." I smirk, gaining a punch to the shoulder from Jett.
"I'm serious, Carlos, it's hard. It is best if you try to avoid it, but someone like Stephanie, she's unable to avoid it. It's in her instinct to steal things, no matter how dangerous."
I nod, turning to see our "classroom" appear. It's not really a classroom, just a small room with a blackboard and 10 singular wooden desks for us. We don't get books to keep, or even homework, which is about the only good side I've seen of this whole place besides Logan. Anything can be used as a weapon, Dr. Philips said. They hand us paper and pencils, taking them away at the end.
We walk in, noticing that the other kids in our little group have already arrived. The ones Jett told me were boring, but more than likely, actually do want to go home and don't see this as a holiday where they can cause trouble for the sake of not getting a prison sentence. Or rehab, in Jett's case.
Camille and James soon come in, followed by Stephanie, with a shifty smile on her face like she's just done something wrong. They each take their seats, and surprisingly, all seem to surround me. Good thing I never cared much for school anyway, because it doesn't look like I'd be able to concentrate.
Dr. Philips enters the room, red hair tied back and white coat wrapped around her body. Her heels click against the ground as she stands there, looking at the class. She catches my eye and her tight smile soon turns into a more cold one, directed at me. I freeze under the glare. Not once has a woman terrified me so much.
"Don't show no fear," Stephanie whispers from next to me. "She loves the stuff. Craves on it like a vampire to blood. Just think of her as a vampire, that's what I do."
I turn, smiking at her words. "Vampire, really?"
Stephanie nods, shifty smile never faltering once. "I think the best way to get rid of her would be holy water or stake to the heart.. The stake is more my preference, but hey, I hate her, you don't just yet."
She moves to the front, just as Kendall and Logan appear in the doorway, the blonde shadowing the brunette protectively. Yep, he definitely scares me. Logan's eyes lock with mine, and whilst I'm waiting for a smile, even a small tiny one, I don't get it. Instead, Kendall leads him into the room and into a seat, the whole time with Logan avoiding my gaze. What happened? No doubt last night freaked him out. Yeah, me being all stalker-like clearly didn't sit too well with him. I wouldn't blame him, trapped in a house with a bunch of psychopaths.
"Why do you hate her so much?" I question her quietly as Dr. Philips proceeds to shuffle some papers.
"The woman's had it out for me since I arrived. Why do you think I spend so much in The Box?"
"Because you steal stuff all the time?.." I raise my eyebrow.
She waves her hand slightly to dismiss me. "Not just that. Because I know things other people don't. People think I steal random crap, which I do, but I also go for the more valuable stuff in some cases. I know more about Dr. Philips then she thinks. But she's caught me, more than once, so she has a careful eye on me."
I go to open my mouth to respond, when I'm cut off before a word has left my lips.
"Ah, Ms. King, care to share with the rest of us what you whispered to Mr. Garcia? Sharing is caring, after all, but this isn't group therapy, this is normal class hours. Would you like to share?" Dr. Philips announces from the front.
Stephanie shifts awkwardly in her seat, taking her time for an answer. "Nothing important, just life at Springwood."
"I'm sure Mr. Garcia is well-adjusted by now. If he's worried about the rules, then I suggest he asks you after class, seeing as you've broke them all."
Stephanie nods, being reduced by the preppy, loud teenager I know to a quiet, submissive girl. Just like that, the Ice Queen has reduced a kid from something to nothing. From an individual to a mindless clone. Camille did point out that she likes things her way and makes sure she gets it, one way or the other.
I look from Stephanie, seeing her cower in her seat, to Dr. Philips, picking up a piece of chalk with a tight, cold smile and turning around. Then, my eyes fall on Logan, being carefully watched by Kendall. Things just get weirder and weirder.
"God, I just hate her so much!" Stephanie almost yells as we walk down the hallway.
Camille quickly shushes her. "We all do. But unless you want her after you, you should be quiet."
"You're going soft, Cam." Stephanie pouts.
"It's not called going soft, it's called being tactical. Sure, she's a bitch, but she controls the place we live in. She can hear us and we wouldn't know about it until that walking mountain has thrown us into The Box and injected us with some shit." Camille defends herself.
I bite back a smile, looking at James, unusually quiet.
"Are you okay James? You seem a bit down."
He looks at me, his eyes glossed in sadness. Then, his jaw falls and he almost looks ready to cry. Which he does and once again, I feel guilty for making him cry. Like it's a usual thing, I make James cry and Camille dashes over, going all mother hen and scooping the fragile, mentally unstable boy into her arms for protection. I hear the faint sobbing against her clothes as we come to a stop in the hallway.
"Oh dear, not again," Stephanie complains. I look at her, confused, which she finds mildly amusing, gaining a smirk. "James gets like this quiet often. Usual it's just after group therapy, where he's forced to relive certain stuff. Another reason why I hate that bitch. People like James don't need to be reminded of what they done. But she is cruel and sadistic and gains some sick pleasure at reducing us to nothing more than either blubbering wrecks or cowards."
"Is that why you cowered when she questioned you?" The words slip out of my mouth and Stephanie's smirk disappears.
"I guess, she just, there is this weird coldness to her that you'll get used too as days move on."
I nod, looking back at James and Camille, before staring at Jett, his eyes focused on something further down the hallway. I follow the line of sight, noticing a group of two boys further down, talking. From sight, I can tell it's not any of the people from my class. So that makes them Reds and right now, I feel like a lion protecting themselves in the wild against another clan.
But Jett's stare is obvious, seeing as the boys catch on almost immediately and begin walking towards us. As their faces reach the light, I can make them out. One I even recognise from my first day, walking past when being shown my room. One is reasonably muscular, thick black hair and piercing eyes. His follower has sandy coloured hair and soft brown eyes. He looks quite good, then again, he did catch my eye on the first day. But so did Logan.
"Ah, if it isn't the Blues," the dark-haired one smirks. "Have fun in therapy, did we? I can tell by the sobbing wreck that it must have been entertaining."
"Screw you, Dak," Jett quickly steps in. "At least we act like a family."
"Someone has been fucking Dr. Philips for too long," Dak smiles sickly. His eyes fall on me, and similar to the adults in the place, I shrink. "Treating you well, are they? I should hope so. Blues have a reputation of being quiet, volatile with their "family members"."
That catches James' ear, seeing as he was the one that maimed the other kid so badly he had to transfer. He breaks down into more uncontrollable sobs, body shaking as Camille attempts to soothe him.
"You're such a cunt Dak," Stephanie glares. "You too Marcus, or should I say, bitch number 1."
"I'm not his bitch, we're equal." Marcus shoots back.
"No, Marcus, I'm in charge," Dak raises an eyebrow, turning back to me once more. "What's your name, newbie?"
"Carlos."
"Funny name." Dak smirks.
"I could say the same about Dak, to be quite honest."
His grin soon grows wider, and for a moment, the sadistic side of it has vanished. Instead, it looks proud and smug, even a tiny bit flirtatious. The blood boils inside me, and once again, like a firework, I could easily rain down my anger on him and Marcus. But I choose not too. Ungripping my fist, I take a deep breath, closing my eyes and opening them again.
"I think you should think before you speak." I say calmly.
"I'll take that into consideration in the future," Dak nods, turning to walk away. "It was nice talking to you, Carlos."
With that last word, he turns and begins to walk the same way he approached us, Marcus in tow. The atmosphere is still thick. I look at Camille, finding James pushing his way out of her hug. He moves forward a few steps, gripping his fist.
"And don't bother coming back!" James shouts down the hall at them, despite being out of hearing range.
It takes everything not to laugh and looking at the others, I can tell they feel the same. Maybe I could get used to this. Depending on whether they'll be more trouble with the Reds and their obnoxious leader, Dak. As we begin to walk down the hall, I find his smile lingering in my brain. Why did it seem flirtatious?
Once again, I'm unable to sleep. Something about this place just unsettles me. For once, since arriving here, Jett left me alone for the night, not banging on the wall every other minute. I actually thought I'd be able to sleep. But no, I'm being fucking punished. My body feels heavy, my footsteps aren't so light anymore as I begin to walk down the hallway. I've given up caring, I just want to sleep.
Rubbing my eyes with my hand, I notice the same glimmer of light, pouring from Logan's room. Trying to slow myself down and be more stealthier, I approach it, wondering why he can never sleep either. Maybe he is a psycho like the others, he's just more defined and careful about showing it, compared to James' mood swings and Camille's clear sign of borderline sociopathy. But it's Logan. Sweet and innocent Logan, the boy I barely know but know enough that he wouldn't hurt anyone.
There has to be some other reason.
I knock lightly on the door, fist pounding against the wood.
"Can I come in?" I say quietly, catching Logan's attention. This time, he doesn't even flinch. Must be getting used to me popping up everywhere.
He looks up, soft eyes glowing. "Sure."
"You know, we have to stop meeting like this." I chuckle lightly.
It gains a response. Not a massive one, but still, his soft laugh manages to make my body flutter. "Should I be worried that I have a stalker?"
"Certainly not," I smile. "I just can never sleep. It's weird, here, it doesn't feel like home to me."
Logan nods. "I guess. You'll get used to it, though."
I begin to walk over to his bed, sitting carefully on the edge. He looks at me for a moment, and once again, just like Logan, begins to switch his gaze from the book in his hand to my eyes.
"Why can't you sleep?"
"It takes a while for my body to shut down," Logan confesses. "That and when it gets dark, I feel claustrophobic. The room just shrinks in my eyes."
"Oh right. Do you, err, have claustrophobia or whatever it's called?"
"Not really, I just, it's a long story to explain." Logan side-frowns.
"I have time," I quickly chirp up. This is the longest conversation I could ever have with him. I want to ask why he couldn't meet my eyes earlier, when Kendall was with him. But that could push him away and fuck, I don't want that to happen again to me. "I have all the time in the world."
Logan takes a moment to answer, pursing his lips. "Unfortunately, I don't. I'm sorry, Carlos, but I think I need to sleep."
And once again, he cuts me off and wants me to leave. My heart hurts, but there's nothing more I can do except take the hint and go. If I keep pushing, I'll only make him grow further apart. There's something about Logan I need, want, crave for and losing him so early on is something that scares me, even if it sounds immature when I barely know him. But I want to get to know him more than anything.
"Okay, well, sweet dreams Logan."
I get up and begin to walk towards the door, when the light goes out and he responds.
"Sweet dreams, Carlos."
I smile, closing the door. Progress made.
Oh my. Dak is my villain for once. Well, correction, no-one is really the villain in this. Except the twisted adults. The teenagers are just all complicated and mysterious, and obviously, some are more dangerous than others.
It'll work out, I promise.
Logan and Carlos are too cute, with their random meetings and Logan's shyness. :') Stephanie and Jett are by far the best. I love their characters so much, it's unreal. Okay, so, the rivalry between Blues and Reds will become more clear as chapters go on. Things get more twisted, also, as things go on.
I'm also putting an important note here; My good friend, MoonbabyAstroRock3r, has left FF in favour of school. He won't be returning and his stories won't be updated. He asked me to let people know that read his stories. He was my first friend here and the bestest friend a guy could ask for, so I just wanted to give him his final shout-out and wish him luck!
Bye stalker, I'll miss you!