Hey, guys! I'm back for another chapter! Okay, just a heads up, I think I'm gonna be ending this soon. I love writing it, don't get me wrong, but I think I'm ready for something new. I mean, I've technically been writing this entire story since March, if you count Forgotten. I'm gonna be sad when it ends, but I think we all know it's for the best. I'll get more into the emotional stuff at the end, but I still don't know how many more chapters there will be. I DO know that I'm gonna write a third-person epilogue after the ending, which will have the happy ending we all know I have to write. So, yeah, that's my little announcement. Now, for the boring disclaimer cuz I'm too tired to do a fun one. I don't own A&A even though I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY wish I did, cuz then R5 would guest star and it would be really cool. Now, read on!
More Torture. Yay...
(Ally's P.O.V.)
I watch Austin stare off to space. What else am I supposed to do? Even if there was something else, I'm too broken right now to do anything. I mean, I'm not giving up or anything, but it'll be a little while before I get my hope and strength back.
But I think I have a reason for being so broken. I got knocked out after being blasted apart from my boyfriend. When I was unconscious, I was actually having a good dream for once. But when I woke up from Austin-land, I was hanging upside down above a pit of lava. After going from such a good dream where everything was perfect and Austin and I were together, to being suspended above hot lava, I lost it.
But after I stopped crying for a minute, I actually managed to save myself. But then Sarah started yelling things I shouldn't repeat and slapped me. And then she threatened Austin. She said that if I ruined one of her plans again, she'd kill Austin, no hesitation. So I lost it again, obviously.
I just can't imagine life without Austin. Even though we probably don't have much life left, I don't want to live any of it without him. I know we're not technically together at the moment, but just seeing him is enough.
I decide that being upset isn't helping anything. Well, nothing will help our situation, but I should still try to be stronger for Austin. I wipe my tears and get up off the ground. I see Austin staring at me with his eyebrows furrowed. He looks like he's concentrating really hard.
Is this working? I hear in my head. My eyes widen.
Austin?! I think back, looking at him. He breaks out in a huge grin.
Yes! It actually worked! He fist pumps the air and looks at me again.
How? I ask.
Piper somehow managed to give us the communication back. And she made sure it would stay concealed from Sarah. But we have to promise to keep it PG when we're dreaming, he explains. I laugh and roll my eyes.
Well there goes that plan, I joke. He laughs. Then, he turns serious.
Are you okay? he asks. When you woke up above the lava… I can't imagine how scary that must've been. Especially if you were having a good dream. If you can dream when you're unconscious…
Yeah, well, going from Austin-land to lava isn't exactly the best thing to wake up to, I say. He nods.
But, you're seriously a genius. I never would've thought of swinging until the rope broke!
You don't think of a lot of things.
You know what I mean. But anyway, I can't believe Sarah had the nerve to hit you! I swear the next time I see her… Austin's fists clench and his eyes turn stormy.
Calm down, Austin. No need to anger her more than she already is. And I don't think I'll be able to perform any more escape acts. She said that if I do, well, it'll be the last thing you see to say the least, I tell him.
She said that if you escape her torture again, she'll kill me? he asks. I nod. Then I guess I'm gonna die soon, because you are going to try your best to avoid torture, he says sternly. I look at him like he's a crazy person.
Are you kidding me? I'm not gonna try to live if it means you'll die. No way. Not gonna happen.
Well, seeing you be tortured will be worse than death for me. It already has been. I look at his sad eyes. Do I see… tears? He blinks them away.
And seeing you die will be worse than any torture, I retort. So I guess we're stuck. He nods.
I guess so. I wonder when Sarah will be here with my torture, he comments.
I'd really rather not be reminded that my boyfriend's about to be tortured, I say.
You've already seen my torture, he says. You should probably get used to it.
Well, the first time you were tortured you grinned and did a cannon ball into your torture, and then broke the wall. And apparently you weren't hurt. Seeing you get hurt and actually show pain will be new.
Please, you've seen me hurt beyond any pain I've gone through. You were there when we broke up, weren't you? he says.
That hurt you that bad, huh? I say. He raises an eyebrow and nods slowly.
You think it didn't? You heard my parents when they said I cried myself to sleep.
Aw, Austin, I say. I'd hug you, but, well, you know… I gesture to the glass wall between us. He chuckles and nods.
Suddenly, I see a puff of black smoke behind Austin. My face must change, because Austin says, She's behind me, isn't she? I nod. Austin turns to face Sarah.
I watch them talk, wishing I could hear what they're saying.
Is she saying anything important? I ask Austin.
Nah, just telling me what she said to you. Trying to scare me. 'You better hope she doesn't try to escape again,' he quotes. She's crazy if she thinks I care more about my own life than yours. I shrug.
Oh, by the way, what's my biggest fear? he asks. Other than umbrellas. I'm way over that now. And other than losing you. Like I'd tell Sarah that.
Uh… Spiders?
No… He shrugs and says something to Sarah. Sarah's eyes narrow and she says a spell. Austin starts clawing at his throat.
He turns around to look at me, and I see that his eyes are wide in fear. He's still clawing at his throat.
Can't breathe! he tells me. This is like the popcorn all over again! But this time, I'm not happy to be choking! Help! I remember how scared he was when he wiped out surfing earlier this week. He thought he would drown, and he started panicking. When Austin panics, it makes anyone want to cry. He's like a little kid-he's not sure what to do or where to go, only that he's scared out of his mind.
Tell me everything's gonna be okay, he says. I can tell he can't take much more without breathing. He's about to lose consciousness.
Everything will be okay, I say quickly. As soon as I finish saying that, he blacks out. I seriously hate it when he blacks out, for obvious reasons. But with him, it's even scarier. Considering the past experiences I've had with him being unconscious, it's not a situation I like to be in. With him, I have a real fear of him not waking up. He's beat the odds before, but how many more times until he's gone for good?
I pretend to scream and faint, so that I can go to sleep without Sarah knowing something's up.
Luckily, I fall asleep quickly. When I open my eyes in the dream room, I quickly get up and yell Austin's name. He should be here, right?
I look around everywhere, but the blonde is nowhere to be found. I groan in frustration and wake up.
When I open my eyes again, I hold my head and pretend to wonder what happened. I glance over at Austin, who's still unconscious. Sarah looks at me.
I've let up on him, she speaks in my mind. Of course she can do that. Of course. I sigh and roll my eyes. Can't have him dying quite yet. At least he's alive. Sarah appears next to me.
"You have more torture right now. I know how much you hate being alone, so Austin's gonna be asleep for a while." I resist the urge to laugh. Sleeping is the only time we can be together. This isn't even going to be torture. I pretend to be upset and nod silently.
Sarah points her finger in Austin's direction. "Rester endormi jusqu'à nouvel avis," she says. Her spell goes through the glass wall and envelops Austin. "Well," she says cheerily, "I'll be back to check on your sanity in an hour!" She disappears. I quickly go to sleep again.
"Austin!" I say as I appear in the dream room. I appeared sitting on the floor so I look up at Austin as he walks toward me.
"I was wondering when you'd get here," he says, grinning and helping me up. I wrap my arms tightly around his neck.
"I'm so glad you're alive," I say into his shoulder.
"Me too," he replies.
"How are you not freaking out?" I ask. "You almost died!"
"Eh, I'm fine and you're fine now so it doesn't matter, right?" I nod and we pull away from the hug.
"Sarah put a spell on you to keep you asleep for a while. She said it was supposed to be torture for me 'cause I'm so afraid of being alone," I tell him.
"Joke's on her," he says, giggling like a little kid. I smile at how adorable it is.
"You're so cute," I tell him.
"I know," he says cheekily. I roll my eyes and poke his stomach. He lets out another giggle and grabs the spot on his stomach I poked.
"I didn't know you were ticklish," I comment. I feel an evil grin on my face and Austin's eyes widen.
"Ally… Ally no…" he says. I make a grab for him and he yelps and runs away. "This should be the other way around!" he remarks as he runs away from me. I laugh.
"Yeah, but you have the cuter giggle."
"I don't giggle! My laugh is very manly!" he argues, stopping and forgetting that I was chasing him. I tackle him and start poking all over his stomach. His giggles ring out and I laugh, probably harder than he is. "Al-Ally stop!" he exclaims between giggles. He tries to wriggle away but I manage to keep him in place as I continue to tickle his stomach.
"Struggling makes it worse," I warn. He lets out another fit of giggles before grabbing my waist and flipping us over so he's tickling me. I start laughing so hard, I can't even stop long enough to tell him to stop tickling me.
"Who's struggling now, Als?" he says, grinning with his tongue between his teeth. "And by the way, you're giggle is much cuter than mine." Austin pokes a particularly ticklish spot in my side and I laugh so hard I snort. I cover my nose in embarrassment as he laughs. "Again, much cuter."
After what feels like forever, Austin stops tickling me. We lay next to each other on our backs and catch our breath. Our bodies are facing different directions, but our heads are next to each other.
"I obviously won that," Austin remarks.
"Whatever," I reply. "I win cutest giggle."
"I'll give you that." I smile.
Austin brings his hand up to cup my face, which is a little weird because of the position we're in, but it's sweet anyway. I lean into his touch and sigh contentedly.
"I wonder if Piper's laughing at us or fangirling right now," Austin comments, bringing his hand back to his side.
"Probably both," I say. Austin nods.
"Hi, Piper," he says, waving at nothing.
"Thanks for giving the communication back," I say. "You're pretty awesome."
"Yeah, thanks, Pipes. You should totally come hang out with us if it's possible," he says. I nod.
"Do you think she's actually listening?" I ask Austin. "Or are we going insane?"
"Probably both," he quotes me.
"Fair enough." Just then, Piper appears in a puff of black smoke.
"The mental block is weak now that you have the communication. It's only strong for Sarah," is the first thing she says.
"Piper!" we say at the same time. Austin and I get up from the floor and hug her.
"I say this with love," she says when we pull away, "but you guys stink."
"Yeah, well, you're lovely grandmother didn't give us any showers in our cells, so you can thank her for that," Austin says.
"Ew," Piper says. "Anyways, it's good to see both of you alive and uninjured! Well, the uninjured part is probably from the Phlegethon fire, but I'll take what I can get."
"Yeah," I say. "Austin almost suffocated, so that was fun. And then Sarah decided to torture me by keeping him unconscious for a while," I say.
"If suffocating is your definition of fun, I don't wanna know what your definition of not fun is," Austin remarks.
"Anyway, thanks so much for giving us the communication back," I say to Piper.
"Yeah, yeah. I know you guys are better together-"
"HEY, I WILL ALWAYS STAY BY YOUR SIDE FOREVER. 'CAUSE WE'RE BETTER TOGETHER! HEY, THERE'S NO OTHER WAY, WE'LL MAKE IT THROUGH WHATEVER, 'CAUSE WE'RE BETTER TOGETHER!" Austin screams.
"Thanks for that, Austin," Piper says sarcastically. "Anyway, so I know you work better and are more level-headed when you're together, so I knew I had to give you as much together-ness as possible. You're only way of surviving is with each other."
"We kinda figured that," Austin remarks. Piper rolls her eyes. "You roll your eyes at literally everything I say."
"Yeah, well, you say a lot of really annoying things," Piper says, rolling her eyes again.
"Why do you all of a sudden hate me?" Austin asks.
"You know I don't hate you," Piper says.
"Well you sure don't like me."
"Also not true. I like to think of us like Trish and Dez. Except not as constant with the fighting. And we don't have feelings for each other, unlike them," she says. Austin nods.
"Well, you got over me fast," he comments.
"Same with you, popstar," she replies, jabbing him in the stomach. He giggles.
"Is it Tickle Austin Day or something? If it is, I'm not liking it," Austin says.
"No, but it should be," I say. I'm not jealous of Piper anymore if it wasn't obvious enough. She's over Austin, except for a fangirl crush, but that's way different than a real crush. I mean, Austin's her favorite singer, so I don't blame her for still loving him that way, which I know she does. But her actual crush on him is long gone. And obviously Austin's crush on her is out the window.
"No, it really shouldn't," Austin says, holding his arms in front of his stomach. "I hate it when people tickle me."
"Don't tell Sarah that," I say, rolling my eyes.
"Ugh, I was actually starting to forget about that."
"You guys are awesome," Piper says. "One minute, you're both scared of Sarah and the torture, the next, you're forgetting about it, and the next moment, you're annoyed with it!"
"Austin can't make up his mind, and his mood kinda affects mine, you know?" I say. Piper nods.
"You two are so close, I wouldn't be surprised if you started to look like each other," she remarks.
"Well, don't sound so surprised. I mean, we are best friends," Austin says. "Right, Als?" He wraps an arm around me and gives me an obnoxious side hug.
"The best," I say sarcastically.
"Right, right, right. I forgot," Piper plays along. "You know, you two would make a really cute couple."
"We would?" Austin asks, looking at me. "I don't see it."
"Okay, real cute," I say.
"I mean, if we have dated, I don't remember it. In fact, I don't remember anything," he says.
"That escalated quickly," Piper says, raising an eyebrow.
"Memory jokes aren't funny and you know it," I tell my boyfriend. "That was a very hard time for me, and I'd rather not think about it."
"You're saying this to the guy who actually lost his memories," Austin deadpans. "Do you know how hard it is falling for a girl who you feel like you just met, but she has all these memories of you and knows all your secrets?"
"That makes it more romantic, though," Piper says.
"That doesn't make it any less hard," Austin argues.
"Well, we haven't even begun to talk about how hard it is falling for your best friend who doesn't even remember you. It's hard enough with the memory part, but realizing you're falling in love with him just adds a whole new layer of stress," I say.
"I still think my side was harder," Austin says.
"No way. I win."
"Why don't we let Piper choose?" Austin suggests. "Piper, which side do you think would be harder? Losing your memories and falling for a girl you just met, or falling for your best friend while he doesn't remember you?" Piper thinks for a moment.
"Gosh, they both sound like torture."
"It was," Austin and I say at the same time.
"Um, probably falling for a girl you feel like you just met. Sorry, Als." Austin narrows his eyes. Piper rolls her eyes. "You're still bothered by this?"
"Als is my nickname for her!" is all Austin says. "I'm the only one allowed to call her that 'cause I'm her boyfriend!"
"Ugh, fine, but only 'cause you're her boyfriend again," Piper says.
"Wait, how come he won?" I ask.
"'Cause it was harder for me," Austin says.
"Ally, imagine waking up and having no memory of your past or even who you are. Then, you meet this guy who says he's your best friend, but you don't even know him. He tells you who you are, and he somehow knows all your secrets. You feel like you've only known him for a few days, but you think you're falling in love with him. Wouldn't that be hard and stressful?" Piper says.
"I guess," I say.
"Ha! I win!" Austin shouts, sticking his tongue out at me. "Loser!" He makes his fingers into an 'L' shape and puts the 'L' to his forehead.
"You're 'L' is backwards," I remark. He rolls his eyes and switches hands.
"Loser!" he repeats.
"Yeah, whatever," I say, rolling my eyes.
"So, does anyone know when Sarah's coming back?" Austin asks. "I hope she doesn't wake me up. I'm adorable when I sleep." I raise an eyebrow.
"What makes you say that?" I ask.
"Well, I'm pretty sure Sarah won't leave me asleep forever, so-"
"No, I mean what makes you think you're adorable when you sleep?" I ask.
"Oh. I'm adorable all the time," Austin says.
"There's the ego," I remark. "Sarah said she'd be back in an hour."
"Oh, then you'd better wake up," Piper says. "She'll be here soon, and she probably shouldn't find you sleeping in the middle of the day. She might get suspicious." I nod. "But, knowing her, she'll make sure you're still sane and then leave again, so you'll be able to come back. I'll stay in here with Austin."
"Okay," I say. "But keep it PG," I joke.
"Ew!" Piper and Austin exclaim, jumping away from each other. I laugh.
"I was just kidding. Gosh, he has a girlfriend." I gesture to myself. Austin nods enthusiastically. "Well, bye guys," I say. I wave and wake up, just in time to see an all-too-familiar black puff of smoke.
Is this cliff-hanger-y enough to have to apologize for it? I don't think so, so I'm not gonna apologize. Anyway, I'M SO EXCITED FOR WHAT IFS & WHERE'S AUSTIN AND PRESIDENTS & PROBLEMS AHHHHHHHH! Anyway, I don't really have much else to say except HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY ROCKY! Oh, and to my friend Jenna, if you're reading this with me there, I apologize for this weird chapter. And for all the other ones... Oh, and shoutout to EnvyNV cuz she's FREAKIN' AWESOME! If you liked this chapter, put CHOKE in a review! If you kinda liked it, put PG in a review! If you hated it, put DREAM in a review! Thanks for reading and please review! Love you all more than food!
~Maddie :)