Hello, people. I was waiting to post this chapter until I got at least one more review, 'cause dictators need love, too. But, I'm me, so I got tired of waiting. ENJOY THE STORY, OR I WILL FIND YOU :)


"Let me out!" I screeched at the top of my lungs. I'd given up on escape-or at least, that's what I wanted Stryker and his mother to believe.

In reality, instead of sitting helplessly on the floor like they expected, I was looking on the old tool bench for a hammer. I cursed under my breath. No luck.

Getting on my knees, I ran my fingers along the underside of the bench. My finger hit something sharp and I quickly drew it back, watching the blood swell up. Running my hand along in the other direction, I hit something round and plastic. I wrenched it down and held my breath in a panic as it clattered to the floor.

Listening for any sign that they had heard me, I walked quickly over to the door leading to the backyard. Of course, the screwdriver was too big. Curse everything.

I threw the screwdriver down and raised my eyes to look around again. Same as before, just another stupid mirror. Wait...

I rushed over to it, biting my lip and thrust the screwdriver at the center of it. Luckily, this one didn't just grow a face and sneer at me. Splinters and cracks rippled outwards from the original stabbing point, and all the shards rained down in a beautiful array of a silver mess. I lifted a small shard and threw it into the lock with quick, jerky movements.

"What the heck was that?" Came a voice from upstairs.

Several moments later, I tossed the door open just as the one leading to the inside of the mansion was slammed against the wall. I whipped my head around and stared at Stryker, my eyes like that of a deer in the headlights.

Our gazes connected and he held my eyes for a long moment before whispering in a strained voice, "Run."

My eyebrows furrowed as I stood, uncomprehending. His eyes glowed with something I couldn't quite identify, and they looked...real. Like he remembered, but he didn't.

"Go!" He hissed.

I shook my head to clear it and raced out the door, my muscles screaming in pain as I broke out into full-on sprint. I fought back the bile threatening to come up out of my throat and ran until I was completely lost.

I was in a dark forest that had the sort of cold that hung over you in a suffocating way. Desperately, I swallowed over the lump in my throat, trying to keep my wits about me. I was completely, hopelessly at a loss of what to do.

Maybe Stryker had known this was happened, and planned this whole thing out. It was like a game to him. I was just prey to him, not human, not his best friend. Just another mission.

My eyes misted over, but I blatantly refused to let any tears fall. I was enough of a mess as it was. I climbed the branches of a tree and closed my eyes, welcoming sleep. What woke me up hours later was a light tapping on the trunk of the tree I slept on.

The dirt-streaked face of one of my classmates materialized through my sleep-filled eyes. I looked closer at him, realizing that the dirt staining his features was actually coal.

His family was poor, putting him at Brookefield for the same reason mine had. He had to work in a coal mine to help raise money. It was pretty sad, actually, because he was a really nice guy. We'd done a project together once.

"Hi, princess." He yawned, and grinned at me through the dark circles under his eyes.

I smiled gently down at him. "Hi, Aidan."

"Having fun up there?"

"Yes." I stated indignantly.

He laughed."Come on."

I frowned in confusion. "Where to?"

"Well, you've got nowhere to go, so I guess you'll just have to trust me."


Can anyone guess who Aidan is?

If you can, I'll put a character based on you in the story.

Yes, this is just another pathetic ploy for more reviews, but I am serious.

-Dictatorship