It happened so fast I didn't even notice when I was in a headlock by three paladins. Two restraining my arms and the third taking punches at me with a metal knuckle ring; this was an electrified knuckle ring. Before the paladin gets the third punch in, Griffin tackles him down and rams him into the rock. I then trip the left paladin with my left foot and drop the other to the ground. The paladin to my right falls unconscious so I deal with the left one. I jump to the top of the Canyon and then push him off the edge. Crack. He lands on the ground and I jump to Griffin.

'Aren't you gonna thank me? I basically saved your life!' Griffin jokes.

'Yeah, yeah' I say, 'right after I saved yours!'

Griffin laughs and for a second his laugh resembles David's reminding me that I need to ask Griffin about him.

'Why do you think David teamed up with you, even though his mum killed your parents?' I asked extinguishing my previous anxiety.

'I don't think he knew, I didn't know until after', Griffin sighs to cover up the break in his voice at the end of the sentence.

'After he tried to kill you' my voice has an edge of darkness to it.

'I did try to kill his girlfriend y'know' griffin grumbled, 'but that's not the point he was childish and irresponsible back then. I didn't want to team up with him, he was a liability but I didn't want him to have the same fate I had.'

'Childish? David? He is the most responsible and calm person I know. He is even more responsible than you are' I ask wondering what version of David Rice Griffin knew.

'He's probably changed now, if this life doesn't make you cynical it makes you grow up' Griffin explains in a worldly voice.

'What do you think this life will do to me?'

'Grow up. I would never let you get cynical it is a hard shell to break out of and cynicism can spread like wild fire' Griffin smiles a crooked smile.

'I told David about my life and he told me about his but he must have skipped the part where he met you' I think aloud.

'It wasn't a good memory to share, so he probably kept it concealed' Griffin purses his lips and continues, 'we should get back to Alice; she'll be burnt by now.'

The name Alice snaps me out of the conversation and all I can think about is her smile when she sees me. I am elated with excitement until my vision turns black and I feel my air supply being rationed. I fight the bag over my head and try to call for Griffin, but the grip on my throat is too tight. With my numbered breaths I manage a 'Griff-'this is when I start to feel the punches into my stomach and the hold on my neck releases. The blows are forcing air out of my mouth which is covered by the bag over my head. It feels like a sac but the material is softer but I can't see a thing; it is like my own personal prison. This form of attack could only come from the paladins who have found Griffin and I.

That's when I hear Griffin shout my name 'JAMIE!'I struggle to turn around but I am being locked in someone's arms. Jumping away from the situation is impossible I can't even hold my feet on the ground. My thoughts are clouded; everything is blurred around me as I slip in and out of consciousness.

I'm moving. I hear the purr of the engine and the bumps in the road but as I try to get up my hands are tied. My feet are tied also and the bag still covers my face, I wriggle around and feel a body behind me with occasional breaths. I jolt forward at the sudden break of the car and hit straight into something hard. Guessing from the confined space and the movement I feel beneath me that I am in a car boot. I try to jump away from the boot but I feel an electric current pulling my down and I realise that struggling isn't an option. My only option is to lie here and wait for the car to stop and for me to be released.

After about half an hour from what I was counting; I hear the car come to a slow stop then the door open and shut. I do what anyone would do in this situation and just lay there and pretend to be unconscious. The car boot opens and I am lifted away from the car; the person carrying me is making heavy footsteps so I assume he is a large male. I am propped up against a wall and guided to sit down on the cold hard floor. Someone unchains my hands and chains it to another object, then pulls three times. Clink. Clink. Clink. I guess it is a pole or radiator that I am chained to due to the sound; I try to regulate my breathing because I am supposed to be unconscious but the pain is keeping me from slipping.

I hear a humming sound; a sort of whirring sound like a machine is then linked to my chain. The electricity zaps threw me, sending a fire to my bruised body so I assume it's a CPR machine and I emphasise my breathing. It doesn't help the zaps have turned into a continuous flow of electricity it isn't a high voltage or I would be dead but high enough to keep my heart going and stop me from jumping.

'Do you think he is conscious?' a women's voice mummers.

'Definitely, no one can stay conscious through the voltage he's got but it stops the freak from jumping' a man's voice replies.

'Ohh, where's the other guy?' the woman wonders. That's when I remember I am not here alone, I am with Griffin and Alice is in that beach all by herself.

'He's in for questioning but he wasn't answering so we tortured him but he still wasn't answering he even spat in the General's face so the General suggested that we give his friend here a voltage' the man laughs dryly, 'and we keep increasing it until he dies. The guy in question started confessing a bit more after that.'

'Oh, so how many hours do you think it'll take for this one will die?' the woman asks darkly.

'No more than 1 but if the other guys gets what he is confessing in writing before then we promised to let this one go' the way he said it sounded as if I wouldn't be let go.

'Soldiers, I have orders to release this boy for questioning' this voice sounded commanding but soft at the same time.

'Yes ma'am, would you like me to carry him as he is unconscious' the man said in a more formal voice than before.

'This boy is not unconscious' the woman stated and I could hear her footsteps coming closer to me, 'leave, I will take him for questioning.'

From what I can hear the man and woman stomped I'm guessing in salute and left the room. Then the woman with the soft voice caressed my face, turned off the machine and whispered, 'I'm sorry about this but it's going to be okay. Just promise me you'll take Griffin and leave straight away. Take care of him.'

The woman kissed my hand, unchained me and propped me up onto my feet. At first I fell straight back down but I tried again and stayed rooted to the ground. She helped me walk forward and guided me out the door then took off the bag from my head. I blinked several times but the light was very dim, so the lightening wasn't different. The woman turned back to me and I knew at once the person I am looking at is Sophie.