**Chapter 11**

***Aria's POV***

My mom said she would sleep on the couch tonight, so that I could get used to sleeping in my room alone while she was still in the house and within reach. She didn't admit that it was a punishment for our conversation earlier, but I assumed that's what it was. As the sun went down and darkness grew outside I realized how haunting it was to be alone in my room. But I needed to tough it out, this was my room and I wasn't going to let Charles take it away from me. I curled up, wrapped in blankets, on the window seat. I thought back to Jason coming over, remembering how warm he had made me feel, how safe. I had missed him while I was gone, especially with the subtle reminders of him that were present in the silo. When he touched me, I wasn't freezing with the cold. I held my phone close to my chest, not texting Jason immediately, but now excited for the gallery opening tomorrow. I grabbed my camera again, snapping pictures from around my room and then turning to my window and taking pictures of the window and the trees beyond it. My phone rang and I saw that it was Emily.

"Hey, Em. What's up?" I answered.

Apparently, Spencer and Hanna were already on the phone and it made me shift on the window seat that I had been the last one they had called.

"Sarah showed up at my house tonight. She ran away from home." Emily admitted. "She's not sure that Andrew is Charles."

The air left my lungs and I crumpled down, feeling the cold take over me and tears burn at my eyes. I pulled my phone away from my ear, pressing the mute button so they couldn't hear me if I started sobbing. I bit my lip, wrapping my arms around my torso. I wouldn't make a sound, not now. Not when they were potentially waiting for my response, I needed to keep it together at least a little longer. Eventually, when I managed to compose myself enough that my breathing wasn't sporadic enough that they would notice, I un-muted my phone. We determined that we would head back to school tomorrow, meeting up before classes in the morning. I said my goodbyes before grabbing my nightly pills. I swallowed them down and curled beneath the covers trying to fall asleep.

I was back in the grey room again, strapped down to the chair and feeling the wires against my skin. I had been given clothes today, if you called the thin nightgown I was wearing clothes, but it was an improvement. I looked at the wall to see a different projection, instead of my friends and a punishment, it read 'Who do you love more?' and beneath it two images one of each of my parents.

"Choose now." The female voice demanded and began her countdown. I looked at the table, but the switches weren't there. My eyes flashed back up to the screen, unsure what I was supposed to do, how he could expect me to answer. The countdown hit zero and I screamed as the electricity roared through me.

"Choose now." The voice prompted again as I sobbed, my body still searing in agony from the shock.

My eyes drifted up to the screen, looking at my parents. I looked at the candid shot of my mom, I couldn't tell exactly when it was taken, but the fatigue that weighed her down and the downturn of her mouth twisted like a knife into me. She was obviously suffering. She hadn't made me lie to her like my father had, with that anger in mind I declared a choice.

"My mom." I answered, the countdown was already at two.

There was silence and I felt relief at having been spared the electric shock. Then the screen flashed to a blaring red.

'Liar!' It read. The pain seared through my nerves again and my vision began to flash in and out.

The screen changed again, the pairings were ridiculous and unfair. After the first shock I tried to figure out the answer he wanted, trying to push the pain away. Mike against Holden, no shock. Ezra against Ali, wrong answer. My skin was alive with the electricity, muscles jumping in anticipation of the next shock. Finally the screen changed to only one picture.

'Who do you love more him or me?' With an image of Jason below, he was dressed in a button down shirt and jeans. In the picture he was laughing and it made my chest tighten. I knew the answer he wanted. Knew just how much it would hurt to give my answer again. But I wouldn't give in to him. Wouldn't tell him I loved him.

"Jason." I answered, expecting the shock this time.

The pain was accompanied by a flashing red light and the sirens blaring; I could feel my muscles freezing up, jerking randomly against the restraints tying me to the chair. My head tilted back as my neck contracted, even staring up towards the light my vision was more black than anything else. The seconds dragged on as my heart stuttered in my chest.

I woke with a silent gasp, my body shaking with the effort to remain quiet as my lungs trembled in my chest. He would strike me if I made a sound. I tried to stop the shaking, surprised not to feel his heavy weight pressing into me. Cautiously, I looked around the room, expecting him to be lurking somewhere. Light flashed through my window from a passing car.

I remembered now. I wasn't locked up, he wasn't coming for me, not tonight and not ever again. He was locked away. I was still shaking as I moved over to the window, needing to feel the fresh air on my skin. I still felt shaky when I climbed back into my bed, my hands itching for the anti-anxiety pills. Clearly they weren't working too well. I felt exhausted and my head pounded with every heartbeat, so I closed my eyes to try and go back to sleep. My eyes closed and suddenly I could feel hot breath against my skin. My eyes snapped open, searching for him, desperate to banish that feeling.

Huddled beneath the blankets I was shaking with fear. My eyes itched, drying out as I stared desperately into the darkened room. I wanted to close my eyes and slip back to sleep, but I knew what was waiting for me the moment I closed my eyes again. I tugged the blankets closer around my skin, trying to quell the trembling as I stared blankly out. I couldn't fall back asleep in here, not tonight. My fingers twitched, the movement of pushing the blankets back so I could go get my mom halted. I didn't want to bother her. I didn't want to bother either of my parents, knowing that they both would try to get me to talk about it. I'd rather stay up all night than talk about what had happened. I was just about resigned to wait out the night when I thought about Mike. When we were younger, every time he had a bad dream he would come crawl in bed with me. It had been years, but I hoped he wouldn't mind me bothering him.

I snuck down the hall, slipping the door to his room open. His room was a disaster, clothes strewn across the floor and I didn't actually want to think about how long some of them had been there. I used the moonlight to navigate my way over towards his bed.

"Mike." I whispered once I had gotten close to the bed.

"Aria?" he asked, still fuzzy from sleep. "What's wrong?"

"I can't sleep. Can I sleep in here tonight?"

He grumbled consent of some kind, before moving over in the bed and pulling comforter up so that I could crawl under it. I quickly climbed under, feeling the warmth he radiated immediately brought me comfort. I suppose I was lucky that my brother wore sleep pants, as he slept shirtless. Still, I needed to have someone with me tonight and he was warm enough. I snuggled into his side, sighing as the warmth began to spread to me. He pulled me close as he fell back asleep and I felt myself pulled under as well.

**End Chapter**

AN: Hey all, sorry about the delay in posting this week. I hope everyone enjoys.