*Sorry it has been a while! School and work are taking their toll on me. Anyway, let us commence with the depressing chapter!*

*For Joel*

So Far Gone

She was dreaming, she knew it. But it felt real. Her heart raced as she stood in the dark. It was foggy just like her previous dreams. The loneliness she felt was identical as well as the temperature. She blinked, looking around. Her dream was almost the same, but there was a key element missing. Her eyes continued to scan the dark terrain, looking for her cornerstone.

Kilowatt.

She sighed as she crossed her arms and sat on the cold ground. "He's not here," she told herself. "He's gone. He was never there…"

A cold breeze made her hair take flight for a moment. She looked up and saw the fog becoming denser.

She held her head low and felt the white veil wrap itself around her. She hugged her knees to her chest and started to cry.

The tears were bitter and her eyes burned with each passing drop.

She had never felt so strong when Kilowatt was there, nor had she felt so hopeful. Her heart grew heavier with each breath she took. He had vanished just as quickly as he appeared and now she was left with his burning memory.

"He was never real…" she breathed.

She felt a strange sensation on her arm all of a sudden. She grimaced and tried brushing away the feeling but it persisted until she cried out, "Stop!"

Her eyes shot open and she was staring at the ceiling of her cell. She turned her head to the left and saw a man in sea green scrubs standing beside her mattress. It took her a minute to realize that he had been poking her; trying to wake her up.

"Get up," he said harshly.

Raven stumbled off the mattress, dizzy from sleep.

The man pulled out a black key and knelt down, unlocking the chain around her ankle.

The metal crashed to the white linoleum floor making an awful sound. Raven knelt down and rubbed her ankle where the metal chaffed her skin. It was red and irritated. She sighed.

The man jerked her arm and pushed her out of the cell. Raven was surprised at how he treated her, but she didn't bother saying anything. She noticed a small black remote in his hands and he was no doubt going to shock her if she didn't abide by him.

"Time for lunch, demon," he muttered as he continued to shove her.

Raven said nothing as she crossed her arms and hung her head low. She didn't like the feel of the thin cotton dress. To her surprise, they had let her keep her boots and it was the only thing that brought her any kind of comfort.

The man had urged her to keep walking but after a moment, he grabbed her by the collar, pulling the dress higher up against her thighs. He positioned her in front of two metal doors. He pushed a button on the wall and the doors opened to reveal a large cafeteria, filled with the other patients. She noticed not all of them were wearing shock collars like herself.

She was about to ask why some lacked the collar when she was pushed toward the lunch line. The man had pushed her against the metal bars of the snack bar and she winced. Her eyes looked up and she was greeted by an old woman. Her hair was tied tightly in a bun and she wore a hair net over her faded gold locks. She blinked her steel grey eyes and muttered a barely audible 'enjoy' as she passed Raven a plastic tray of casserole.

Raven took the food without hesitation and reached for a bottle of water in a nearby cooler.

Once she had her lunch, she scanned the cafeteria for a place to sit. The people appeared to be very uninviting and she suddenly yearned for the company back at her old hospital. The moment she thought of the hospital, Kilowatt's face came into mind. She immediately shook her head and sat down at an empty table.

She closed her eyes and forced the images of the hero out of her mind. "He's not real," she muttered to herself.

"Who's not real?"

She looked up and was surprised to see a tall, pale skinned man hovering above her. He was wearing a white uniform and his hair was jet black. He took a seat across from her. She noticed he was wearing a shock collar.

"No one," she murmured quietly.

His eyes hardened. "I know who you are," he stated.

Her eyes met his dark ones. "And who are you?" she asked, slightly annoyed.

"The name's Elliot Knight. Although…you probably wouldn't know me by that name…but then again, I've never actually spoken to you until now."

Raven kept her head down. "Even if you did…I wouldn't remember you anyway," she said dryly.

She felt him shrug. "Maybe. Maybe not. But…I did have a reason for coming to see you."

Raven took a bite of her casserole. "And what reason would that be?"

Elliot glanced at the man who had been pushing her through the halls earlier. "Do you see that man?"

Raven's eyes flickered toward her guide. "Yes…he brought me here."

"His name is Henry Rich and he's one of the caretakers here…"

Raven continued to eat, not saying anything.

He continued. "He…is very dangerous…" he murmured. "He's raped some of the patients here."

Raven dropped her fork on her tray. She stared at Elliot in disbelief.

Elliot simply nodded, some of his jet black hair covering his left eye.

The stunned sorceress covered her mouth. "He…"

"Yes, Raven. That look in his eyes…I'm sad to say that you're his next target."

Her eyes widened. "The other staff just let him do that?" she asked in disbelief.

"They don't care what the caretakers do to us. As long as we don't escape, they're doing their job."

Raven clutched her stomach. "I think I'm going to be sick…"

Elliot sighed. "I'm just warning you…I don't really consider you a friend, or even an acquaintance for that matter…but I felt like I needed to warn you…"

She cleared her throat. "Are…you saying there's nothing I can do about this?"

He thought for a moment. "Unfortunately…no. We can't use our powers…they'll shock us if we do…I'm sorry, Raven…but there's no escape here."

Raven felt her heart break all over again. She was stuck, and she couldn't get out. She placed her head on the metal table and felt tears stinging her eyes. She balled her hands up in fists.

Elliot listened to her cry for a few moments. "He won't strike immediately…he'll need time to plan…with you being half demon and all…I'm sure he's a little terrified of you."

She scoffed. "Maybe I should just let them shock me…shock me until they kill me…I've had enough…"

"…What happened to you?"

She lifted her head up, her eyes red rimmed and tear stained. She glared at him. "Excuse me?"

"Raven? You are THE Raven, yes?"

She blinked her tears away and gritted her teeth. "Why does everyone think they know who I am, when I can't even remember myself?"

Elliot gaped a little. "You don't know who you are?"

Raven shook her head. "…I don't know anything anymore…I ended up here because I thought I…had a chance at remembering…but…"

He waited for her to continue, watching her sad amethyst eyes.

She sighed helplessly. "He…lied…he lied to me…he used me…and now he's free while I'm stuck here…"

"Who are you talking about?" he asked cautiously.

Raven stood up, not wanting to eat anymore. "No one," she said through gritted teeth.

Elliot stayed seated, not knowing what else to say.

Raven walked back up to her guide. "I want to go back to my room," she said in her usual monotonous tone.

Henry looked her up and down before opening the metal doors and escorting her to her room.

Raven's eyes stayed glued to the floor as she followed him. Elliot's warnings came crashing into her mind and she shuddered. There was no doubt that she would demand to be killed if he did indeed to try to rape her. Yet…there was a part of her that held some imagined figment of hope. Maybe she would get out of this…maybe she could be happy again…

…And pigs could fly.

She was shoved back into her room and she heard Henry come inside as well. Her heartbeat quickened and she was about to cry until she noticed he was just attaching the chain to her ankle again. He locked it quickly and stood up.

His gaze pierced hers in such a way that made her want to curl up on the mattress and hide from him. She didn't look away. She couldn't even if she wanted to.

A few moments of silence passed between the two before he turned around and left. He shut and locked the doors and he left, leaving the former alone.

Raven threw herself on the mattress and buried her face in it. Her hands shook and the tears flowed out. Her mind started wandering back to Kilowatt.

The moment she saw the man in her mind, she forced her eyes open and stared at the white light above her bed. "They're not real…they're not real…they never were…and they never will be…"

Her breath came out in choked sobs as she yelled out in anguish.

"Why would you do this to me!?" she screamed. "Why would you hurt me!?"

She threw her fists against the mattress, ignoring the voice from the intercom telling her to stop.

"You did this!" she shrieked. "You put me here!" Her eyes were bloody red from crying and her voice was hoarse from screaming.

"Raven, stop." The voice said again.

"I hate you!" she screamed. "I hate you! I hate you! I hate you, Kilowatt!"

The moment she finished her last statement, a pitched sound resonated in her ears.

Her eyes widened as she realized she was about to be shocked again. "Wait…!" she called out.

She was too late. She felt the electricity course through the veins in her neck. She threw her head back against the mattress and screamed in agony. The electricity made its course up her arms and legs. She could feel the pain surrounding her chest, threatening to strike through her heart. She closed her eyes and begged to be killed right now.

Her wish never came true. The shock vanished just as quickly as it had come. Her eyes opened weakly and she was staring up at the same light again.

"Behave yourself," the voice commanded before cutting off.

Raven whimpered and curled up in a fetal position. Her body ached and it felt as if her neck was going to disconnect itself from her body. She cried silently to herself, wishing her life would end right now.