WARNING: You guys are about to see what my mind looks like, how do I mean? Well, that's easy, I read a lot of books...A LOT. So, you're about to see what kinds of books. Torture. Torture. Torture.

I commend you all for your bravery for entering my mind at your own risk. xx

"The Pianist"

~Chapter Twenty Two~

There is no need for this. None of it. She has done nothing wrong...in her whole life. She's never stole- of course, there is that one moment when she was naught but three years of age and she had taken a piece of chocolate from the baker's sweet cart, but she was only three! She hasn't taken anything else in her life. Especially the broach that Sharpay had accused her of taking. Gabriella can swear to the ends of the earth and to the golden gates of heaven and the black fires of hell that Sharpay was born with no human heart and no compassion toward others.

Maybe that's why she whores around. "Please..." she begs, sitting by the window of the cell she was so rudely thrown in. "Send somebody...papa, David...Troy..." her heart leaps when she thinks of Troy. "I know Troy is blind...but there is so much more to him." and she's right, there is a lot more to Troy Bolton. Blind or otherwise. Folding her hands in front of her face, she closes her eyes and prays; she grew up in a strong willed christian family, she said the prayers for meals and to her siblings when they were small and still slept in a cradle. Now they are old enough to say their own prayers and blessings. Her brown hair makes a curtain in front of her face- hiding her scarred face and her lips movely slowly as she whispers the Lord's prayer to the heaven's.

Then the dungeon door opens, and the clack of heels stop in front of her cell. She knows who it is, but she tries to ignore the person.

Until the shrew voice breaks the dripping silence. "Monsters pray?" the skin on the back of Gabriella's neck prickles. "To what God?" She looks up at Sharpay sneering at her through the bars.

"I didn't do anything to you tonight...or ever." Gabriella says, finding her voice and doing her best to sound brave. Sharpay only sneers and crosses her arms over her chest.

"That's a load of crock, I saw you put my broach in your pocket." The petite brunette swallows, shaking her head and fiddling with her dress- now soaked with dampness and caked with flakes of dirt from the dungeon.

"I took nothing. Why would I take a broach?"

"Because," Sharpay growls, grabbing the bars. "You are a poor, pathetic bitch and I'm rich. Of course you'd steal-"

"I would never do such a thing! My mama and papa raised me not to!"

Sharpay scoffs, "do not play the parent card...it's old and I grow tired of talking. I've come for your first session." Session?

Gabriella flattens herself against the wall; the light of the moon making her brown hair seem almost black and the scarred half of her face is shrouded in a cloak of shadow. "How do...how do you mean?"

Sharpay only smirks with that sickening gleam in her eyes as she looks at the guard standing behind her; she jerks her chin toward him and orders him to take her to back room where there is a heavy door of steel. Gabriella doesn't like the sound of that, nor does she like how Sharpay is hiding her hands in the folded pockets of her gown. Gabriella looks at her, her heart pounding in her chest as she steps back so far that she is pressed against the cold wall. "I-I've done nothing-"

"Oh," Sharpay says with an evil, sickening gleam in her eye. "You've done everything...guard...take her to the back." The guard opens her cell, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her. Gabriella thrashes her head, trying too wriggle free but the guard has strong hands as he opens the door with his back and before she knows it she is strapped down on a wood table and Sharpay standing over her. "Guard you can leave now."

"Yes, Princess." The guard takes his leave, and Sharpay steps closer and her voice darker.

"You...you are such a peasant whore." Gabriella sniffles, wiggling her wrists in her binds.

"Please..." she begs, tears running salty tracks down her cheeks. "I didn't-I swear...please...what ha-have I done to you-"

"Troy's attention makes him blind to me cause he's with you." How stupid is she that she doesn't notice that he really is blind? "So I'm eliminating the problem."

"No..me and Troy, we're friends-"

"That's a crock, I don't believe you." Sharpay rips the sleeve of Gabriella's gown, pulling a knife from the folded pockets of her gown and touches the sharp blade to her tan skin. Gabriella's screams echo in the room, but no one comes.

"How far are we?" Troy asks, his head bobbing up and down the faster that his parents- in wolf form -ran. He isn't able to know if Ryan is beside him or ahead of him, but he does know that his parents are faster than the average run-of-the-mill wolves. He grips his father's fur tightly and does everything he can to keep his stomach from flopping as he makes a sharp turn pass an elm tree. Ryan is trying to not scream like a woman as he holds tight to the giant wolf's fur, he fights the urge to close his eyes as they make the turn. Troy's question is lost to the wind passing them...

...that is until they stop behind thorny bushes. Ryan feels like his heart is about to jump out of his chest, Troy hears his breathing and wants to laugh at the blond man's exaggerated breathing. "Wolves...are...faster than horses."

"Yes," Troy says, "They are. I trust them."

He's about the only one, "I'd stick with horses."

Troy smirks, running his fingers through his father's fur as he wishes desperately to see where they are, but he only see's shadows. Fuck. "Where are we, Ryan?"

"We are...just outside the palace gates." That close? Damn, he still is trying to formulate a plan. How does a blind man take a course of action without being noticed? "What's the plan?" Good question, an excellent question; one that Troy has yet to answer cause he is still trying to think of one. Damn you, Sharpay. If she isn't so jealous of every good thing that everyone has then he wouldn't be doing this...Gabriella would be with him and they'd both be on their way to the palace.

Fuck you, hell-bitch.

"No, clue." Ryan's eyes widen as he looks at Troy, he does not like that answer.

"You don't have a plan?"

No, he doesn't. "I'm working on it..." Again, not what Ryan wants to hear.

I'm screwed. Doomed, even.

Ryan sighs, looking down at the wolf he's riding then he looks at the one that Troy is astride and it hits him, "Hey...Troy," the wolf he's on turns so Troy is facing him- he would've turned his head at his voice...but...eh, who is he to judge? "I got a plan..."

Troy's heart starts to beat faster in his chest, blood and ears. "I'm listening."

"Gabriella's in the dungeon right?" Troy nods, damn he wishes he can see.

"Well, the entrance to the dungeon is around back...we can go that way."

"Are you sure we won't be noticed?" Actually, no, he isn't sure about that, but the wolves should provide a big enough distraction so they can get in without problem. When Ryan stated this part of his plan to Troy, the man pales and shakes his head quickly.

"No." Ryan looks at him, what is special about these...animals?

"Troy, it's the only way-"

"I'm not risking their lives. We'll find another way-"

"It'll help us get inside without notice." That he isn't entirely sure, but it's worth a shot and who could it hurt? Troy shakes his head again, petting the wolf again.

"No, find another way, I'm not risking their lives...we'll get in, but we won't risk them."

Ryan rolls his eyes, "What are special about these wolves?" Troy stiffens, not turning his head at Ryan's voice, and not wanting to answer either. Instead, he clucks his tongue and his father slowly belly crawls on his paws to the front gate and then half runs to the back door- seeing as this used to be the original Bolton residence, he knew the grounds well. As did Lorana, who follows dutifully.

Then they stop at the small wooden door, Lorana looks at her husband, her ears flat against her skull as she let's out a worried whine. David nods his big wolf head up and down, slowly letting Troy down as he sits on his haunches. Ryan looks around, "Uh...can it let me down-woah!" Lorana had roughly sat down, causing him to flip on to the ground off her and land on his back. She doesn't like him. David let's out a Wolfy laugh, Troy sighs and strokes his parents wolf heads when Lorana walks to his other side and sits.

"Ryan, this is no time to dawdle." He says, Ryan looks at him as he gets to his feet. Dawdle? Yeah, sure...that's what he is doing. Dawdling.

"Let's just get in there..." Troy nods, Ryan grabs his elbow and leads him to the door. David and Lorana sit where they are until the door closes with the two of them on the other side.

David, Lorana says, Should we help?

If David were a human right now, he'd be smirking as he says, Wife, I was just thinking that. Come on, we'll go find another entrance- Lorana takes off in the direction of the grand ballroom; he follows as his tail swishes behind his legs. Tonight, while Troy and Ryan take care of Gabriella...David is going to pay old man Evans a visit. His so called friend who double-crossed him and took his throne.

The wolf in him wanted blood, and he's more than willing for this one time to let it have it. After all, a wolf has instincts.

Gabriella is spent, her body aches and her lungs flame from the screaming. The shallow gashes on her arms and breasts hurt as if she's been run over by a carriage, and her face hurts. Gabriella shuts her eyes, trying to go to a heaven that is on another level than this earthly plane, but she cannot. Her cheek stings from where Sharpay carved her name in the flesh- her insignia is an X, bitch, at least Gabriella can read and write her own name.

She's thankful to God that Sharpay left when the commotion started upstairs, it gives her a chance to catch her breath and pray to God to take her life right now, but she isn't so lucky. Instead, she lays there in pain just wishing...

Until she hears a creaking to the door of the..cell. "Fucking hell.." a shocked gasp comes to her, followed by a familiar voice.

"What? What is it? Is she all right?" She doesn't open her eyes; she doesn't want to, what if the sweet voice that has always haunted her ever since she's first heard it is a dream and she's lying dead on the table?

"Define 'all right'.." Troy swallows, half of him dreading the sight that Ryan is looking at and thankful he can't see it, and the other half still wishes he could. Ryan takes his shoulder and guides him in, leading him to where Gabriella lays on the table. He swallows again.

"Gabriella?" He whispers, what does she look like right now? What was done to her?

The familiar voice is closer and sends a warm wave over her, she flutters her eyes open and stares up at him. "T-Troy..." he let's out a sigh of relief, and bows his head momentarily so it's resting near her bosom on the table.

"Thank God in heaven," he lifts his head and raises his hands to her face, he stiffens when he feels the cut on the right side of her face. If he is able to see, he'd be seeing red. Everywhere. "What was done to you?" He all but growls, she swallows tiredly. Ryan is set to work on releasing her wrists.

"Sharpay...she-"

Troy curses, "Ryan...would you be mad or incredibly upset if I killed your sister in cold blood?" He still holds Gabriella's face in his, oh he ...he just wants to keep her safe. Hold her in his arms and keep her safe.

Ryan snorts, "I'll hold her down for you. I'd kill her myself-"

"Why don't you then?" Ryan whips his head around, seeing the object of his rage. His eyes narrowing on her, Troy moves his hands to grip Gabriella's tightly (Ryan had removed the wrists and ankle binds).

"Well," Ryan says, stepping closer to his sister. "Speak of the Hell-Bitch and she appears straight out of the Devil's cage itself."

**Enter dramatic music hear as the screen fades to black**

There are two chapters, plus the Epilogue, left in this story. Warning, the tail end will be kind of sad- hey, sue me, I have a...weird and twisted imagination. It'll be sad and happy at the same time.

I hope you all like this chapter, Question(s): What do you think of Ryan and Troy's working together? Do you think Sharpay's behaviour towards Gabriella is driven more by just jealousy? If so, explain. What do you think will happen in the next chapter to our favourite couple?

I look forward to seeing all of your answers(:

Loves, hugs, and lots of chocolate cookies

Elena xxxxx