A/N:Fourth chapter. Okay it is going to be progressively darker. But I swear bear with me, the story is not over at all...
Never Give In
Chapter 4
Ril-1460
"Lucas," Riley squealed as his arms surrounded her. They were warm, safe and held her as if she was the most precious thing on earth.
"Told you I get you back," Lucas said mischievously as he proceeded to throw himself and her in the pool.
Cool water splashed everywhere invading her senses but she still felt him. When she finally came up for air she felt the arms around her tightened. It was the perfect summer day.
"Say you're sorry," he said with a smirk in his voice.
Riley grinned and moved to face him, "Never."
His lips moved nearer to hers. Riley looked at the beginning of what could be freckles on his face and into his eyes. She could stay forever this way.
"You will always get me back," Riley said softly before closing the distance between their lips.
In order to survive, you need to let go of accommodaties and make room for only necessity. In order to live you don't ever need to make room for both. My name is Riley Matthews she thought. She kept repeating it like a mantra. Maybe if she repeated it enough she might feel as if she won't forget.
Riley doesn't know how long she has been here. All she knows is waking up, holding on to the memories while they try to take it away from her before her body gave way and she falls back to the darkness. She was exhausted and her whole body was screaming to lay rest but she didn't have that option.
She has tried to get some answers but at the end of day she might as well be alone. And she was alone but not really. Her captives have been watching her for months. They know about her family and friends and they want to take that away from her. And she tries her hardest to cling on. She tried yelling and making a big deal but that only seemed to make things worst. Her body ached all over. So now she stayed silent.
Except now they want her to remember.
Because the question that she keeps getting asked is who does she belong to.
"Who do you belong to?" her captive asked. His eyes were cruel and inhuman. The sight of it sickened her.
"Go to hell," she whispered barely hanging on to the land of the living.
"Wrong answer," her captive said with a smirk.
She felt pain before passing out.
"Auggie!" The brunette screamed in frustration. She was holding her hand in pain while looking for her younger brother. She found the culprit hiding in the closet of his room fifteen minutes later. By then her frustration had subsided and she just wanted to know why her brother decided to use her room as a garbage dump.
Her brother was sitting in a fetal position at the corner of his closet and she decided to join him. She waited patiently before her brother spoke up.
"You forgot me," Auggie said quietly.
Riley took a deep breathe. High school was tough and she had casted her brother aside making him think he was not a priority.
"I'm sorry, why don't I make this up to you. Today it's just me and you," Riley suggested and she spotted a smile on her brother's face, "And just so you know, I'll never forget you, I promise."
Her name starts with the letter R, she was certain of that. She has a mom and a dad and a brother. She has five best friends. That is what she remembers, she doesn't remember their names but when she closes her eyes she can see their faces. Warm, safe and loved.
"Who do you belong to?" they asked her. She can't remember how many times they had asked her that question.
"Myself, I belong to me," she replied. That was the wrong answer. She felt a stinging sensation before her legs gave way and her eyes close again on her. It was getting to feel so routine like.
"We should form a rock band," Riley announced to her group of friends.
Maya barely blinked and asked, "What should we call ourselves?"
Zay and Farkle looked at Maya incredulously for even entertaining the idea.
"Dancing Sunshine Conspiracy," Riley grinned.
"That does not sound like a band that plays rock," Farkle said trying to control his amusement while Zay held no reservations and started laughing.
Rileys grinned faltered slightly before she smiled sheepishly and admitted, "It's better than Pluto's Pancakes."
Farkle cracked and joined Zay on the floor while Maya gave a glare to her best friend.
By the time Lucas and Isadora found them, the four of them were on the floor laughing, trying to best each other at the worst rock band names ever. Lucas and Isadora looked at each other in confusion as the rest of them tried to explain Farkle and the Minkis, Flatbutt Nation and Maddog Smack.
Where am I? She looked at her surrounding. There was nothing she recognised. The room she was at was bare grey walls grey cement. Fluorescent lightings. No giveaway to where she could be.
She tried to look into her mind for any form of familiarity. But everything was cloudy. She has a family. I mean everyone had a mom and dad but she was certain there were more. In glimpses she could see a little boy with curly hair. She remembered windows to the outside world but that was it.
"Oh good you're awake," a voice finally said. She snapped to where the voice was, something about the voice made her insides tightened and queasy, "Who do you belong to?"
She knew what she wanted to say but something stopped her. Something inside her, an instinct told her to lie, "You. I belong to you."
They led her to another room. There were three people in it. Two were wearing white coats, the other was dressed the same as her. In a grey shirt and sweatpants. There were no labels on the clothes, no indication of anything not even time. She observed as one of the whitecoats drew a blood sample from the boy in the grey shirt and sweatpants. The two white coats went to move to another part of the room.
"If you remember anything don't."
She turned to the boy who was looking at the two whitecoats. There was no one else it had to be her that he spoke to.
"Sorry what?" her voice sounded so foreign to her. Is that how she sounded like to people. So rough and gnarly?
"Speak softer. This room isn't able to capture noises that are too soft," She was sure it was the boy, even though there was only the slightest movements of his was confused. Before she could process anything another voice spoke out.
"I think that you are done here," the white coats return and that seemed to shut the boy up. "You can leave now 258."
258? Who calls themselves 258? She thought. It was unnerving. It was dehumanizing. And she knew she was about to suffer the same fate. She observed as the boy left the room and the two white coats turn to her.
"Let's begin…"
"What's up with you?" the blonde nudged the brunette.
"I was thinking back to what you said; about hair, clothes and something not changing who you are on the inside… What if it does?"
The blonde took a deep breath before saying, "I think we have exhausted that topic. I'm still me…"
The brunette cut her off, "I know you are. But what if I'm not. Me that is?"
"I'll find a way to bring you back"
"Promise" Brown eyes meet blue.
"Promise"
They gave her a number to identify herself with. Number 1460. She wanted to scream that that was not her name. To call her by her name. But something stopped her. Her name starts with the letter R she thinks.
They kept her in this area. The meals were inconsistent. They woke her up at different timings. They kept calling her number 1460. They did things. They keep making her forget. But her dreams were painted wild. There were people; people whose names she tried so hard to remember, whose eyes held her own, whose aura made her feel the safest she felt in this hell.
She didn't know what day it was, how much time has passed but the door opened and she knew that this was just the beginning. That she was going to endure a whole lot more.
Okay end. I'm going to say this now that it might get progressively darker for the Riley-centric chapters. The next chapter will still be her POV and like this chapter states she has no recognition of time. This chapter has to happen in order to continue the story. So I hope you guys like it. There was a comment saying if this story is similar to the movie Eden. I'm gonna be completely honest, I never heard of it until you asked and I sort of googled it and watched the trailer. It looks like an interesting movie, I haven't yet watched it but I did some research on the plot. I mean the similarities are there; her getting kidnapped and being god-knows where but as to the actual stuff not so much. Next chapter will reveal more details.
so that's basically it. Let me know what you think so far of this story. Till next time :)