We all thought Jay was amazing...? But who is he really? We May or May not be seeing an old but loved character in this chapter! *HINT: I may or may not have already given you a hint! :) *
I stood up and opened my mouth to speak, but I gasped in horror to see Maxon not far behind Jay, unconscious on the ground as well. "What did you do?!" I yelled at Jay.
He just smiled at me and held up the cloth. "You couldn't decide. Time's up. You're mine now." He walked toward me, and I tried to scream, but the moment the cloth went over my nose, I was forced to take a deep breath, inhaling what smelled like perfume and hand sanitizer. I felt dizzy and weak, until I collapsed onto the floor, my whole world turning pitch black.
I awoke in confusion for the third time in two days. I almost laughed in spite of myself. That's definitely not normal. I sat up, using all the strength I could muster to lift my minimal body weight. Though I only weighed 105 lbs, the way my arms were trembling to help me up, you could have guessed I was at least two-hundred. The first thing I noticed about the room, is the way it felt. It was surprisingly warm and comforting, though I wasn't in any sort of comfort. As I turned and looked around me, many things caught my eye. It was a pretty large room, but not large enough to be one from the palace. If we weren't in the palace, where were we? I turned my head again, only to be blinded by a bright white light. I squinted as it tore through my eyelids and my hand cupped a few inches away from my eyes to shield the blinding light.
It came from well below me and as I focused more, I could tell someone was holding it; and they were terrified because the light never held a steady position for more than a few seconds. I heard a raspy voice coming from behind the flashlight softly speak, "America."
The moment they spoke, I broke down in tears again. I ran through the light and embraced the silhouette. Even though it was dark, I knew exactly who I was holding in my arms, or rather, who was holding me in theirs. The scared yet somehow melodic voice could only belong to a young child. My young child. May.
As I hugged May, I felt something flow throughout my veins. It was hard to describe it, almost like every inch of me had been splattered in May's innocence and grace. She sobbed in my sleeve and I held her tighter until I knew I had to let go. It took all the energy I had to rip myself away from her arms. Pulling back, I held in tears. "May, what on earth are you doing here?"
She tried to explain in between sobs, but she could only manage to squeeze in a few words before she broke down again. "He took … me and… and … he would hurt me if … if I didn't…" And that was as far as she got. I wanted to hold her forever, and somehow absorb her pain and she could somehow absorb mine. In the back of my mind, I knew who she was talking about. But I needed to know for sure.
"May, who did this to you?" I asked, as soothingly and gently as I could. She calmed down a bit, "I think he said his name was…" She paused, thinking, "Jay."
My stomach fell into my throat. "No." I started to recall all that had happened before I had found my long lost sister. All I could remember was Jay's repetitive, devilish words: Time's up. You're mine now. The more I thought of them, the sicker I became. I had no intentions to find out the true meaning of his words. None at all. I hated him already for whatever he had done to my precious sister. Maxon and Aspen were out of sight, which meant they were free or… i gulped… dead. Ironically, I started thinking of where he was and, as if reading my thoughts, Jay burst into the room, a weapon of some sort in his hand. I couldn't make out what it was until he stepped closer into the light. It was a clear shape of a silver, sharp, threatening knife.
May screamed at the sight of him, backing away against the concrete wall until her back was pressed flat against it. "Don't touch me!" She cried. At those words, I grabbed her and cradled her head in my arms. Reluctantly, I brought up my head, May still whimpering in my arms. As my eyes met Jay's, I immediately regretted looking at him. A sickening grin was plastered across his devilish face. He shrugged his shoulders behind him, in taking a deep breath.
As he took a step forward, I forced myself to speak. "What do you want with me and my sister?" He gave a deep, breathy laugh. As he spoke, he took another step closer to the knot of May and I in the corner.
"I want nothing with your sister. I just want you," he paused, looking slightly behind him, "Mer." It physically hurt to hear him say my name that way. He just took a piece of what me and Aspen had and crushed it. I would never here that name the same again. I blinked back tears, trying my best to stay strong for May. Yet, my voice still slightly cracked again as I screamed back.
"Don't call me that! And let my sister go! If you only want me, please, just let her go!" My voice softened, "Please. Just let her go." I bit my lip. I didn't care what happened to me. He could kill me for all I care. But I knew that if May wasn't safe, I would never forgive myself. We didn't need two innocent lives taken at once. Which left me wondering why we were even here in the first place. What did Jay want with me, and was it really serious enough to take my sister and hold her against me?
Jay tossed the knife, fingering it in his hands. "Nah. She'll want to stay here for this." He spoke casually, as if nothing was wrong. And every word he spoke drove me one step closer to insanity. I could feel May's grip on my shirt tighten at his words. Suddenly, Jay's icy eyes met mine. I could see; feel; the dark mystery in his ocean of eyes. It was like reading a book and every page I read was captivating. I tried to look away, but I couldn't. In that moment I thought I almost saw a flicker of panic, pity, and… love. But It washed away in an instant as he took another step. "Stand up." He ordered.
I froze, not completely comprehending his words. "STAND!" He yelled. It echoed throughout the small, compact room, making May jump. I squeezed May's hand one more time before I slowly stood up. Jay took one last step, and we were nose to nose. I could feel his hot breath tickle my nose and cheeks. He just stood there gazing at me, seeping his soul into my eyes. I took deep, shaky breaths until my heart stopped. I felt a cold, sharp tip of Jay's knife pressed against my left side, just above my hip. Slowly, Jay inched towards me, the knife pressing harder and harder against my skin until I felt it pierce through. It was only a little wound, but it was enough to make me groan out in pain.
My breathing quickened as he got closer to me. I was amazed at how many step he could take, considering how close we already were. I could here May begin to cry, softly in the corner behind me. Jay's lips brushed against my nose, sending chills down my spine. Jay was much taller than me and definitely much larger. There was nothing around the room I could use to know him out. Even if there was, Jay had a knife pressed against my side, ready to use if he needed to. There was no escape.
Coming closer, still, I felt another rush of pain stab in my side. I could feel a steady drip of blood racing down my leg as Jay nearly put his lips on my ear. "America Singer. If you want your precious sister to live…" he paused, pressing the knife in a bit further. I groaned out, a bit louder this time. He continued, "I suggest you cooperate. Understood?" I nodded quickly. If cooperation was what was going to get May out of here, that was my only choice.
I could feel Jay's lips turn up into a smile as he pulled back from my ear, and in the process, pulling away the knife and dropping it on the floor with a small clink. I let out another groan as I looked down at my hip. Sure enough, a small gash was strategically placed right above my left hip. My peach dress was stained a bright red from the waist down. I couldn't tell how big the wound was, but I could see that I was bleeding. A lot. And the more it bled, the more light-headed I became. I was never really great with blood; especially my own.
By now, Jay was a few feet away from me, back turned, and crouched down, digging through a small, grey bag that I hadn't noticed until now. When I saw him turned away, I fell to the ground, clutching my side. May quietly rushed over to me, a pained look on her face. I could see tears streaming down her worried face. I took another deep breath, "May. I'm gonna be okay, alright? I need you to be the strong one here." I whispered. May stared at my side, absent-mindedly nodding. I reached over to grab her arm and she looked over at me. "May. It's going to be okay. No more tears, okay? Promise me?"
May nodded, "No more tears." At that, Jay turned back around, holding scissors in one hand and some gauze in the other. He stood above me and then crouched down so him and I were and eye level with each other. I couldn't get myself to look at his eyes again. I didn't want to find myself lost at sea. So, I looked at my stained hands, clutching my side. I focused on my breathing and May's soft whimpers as she tried to get herself to stop crying.
Jay shook his head as he brought the scissors to the end of my dress and began to slowly cut his way up. "I'm really sorry America. I didn't want to hurt you, I just…" he paused as the scissors met the beginning of my hip, "I just needed to show you. I needed to show you that you can't get away from me. That's all." I groaned out again, louder this time, as the scissors cut around my side. It wasn't the tool that hurt. I was the silky fabric sticking to my wound and was slowly pulled off of me. We sat in silence, with the exception of my occasional groans, or May's labored breathing, until Jay had cut his way straight through my dress.