"I PICKED UP SOME DIFFERENT food on the way here. You didn't really tell me what you wanted to eat so I kind of just stopped at whatever I passed. The burger and fries are for me. Alexander wanted the nuggets with fries and Elijah told me to get him whatever so the two of you can decide on who gets what. There's a bunch of stuff to choose from so have at it, yeah?"

Greysen placed the multiple bags of food on the table and sighed before sitting down beside me, patting my back gently and looking up at the ceiling. Strands of hair swayed back and forth in front of my eyes and my grip on the bottle of moonshine tightened. The wall in front of me was entirely white and I hated how perfect it looked. I wanted to mess it up, stain it, anything to make it any less perfect than I was.

"Look, man, you can't keep moping around like we don't have things to do. I know you're hurting but you did what you had to and now it's time to move on. Running off with her was a fantasy, Harry, it couldn't become a reality. Turning her in was the right thing. We're safe again. The threat against us is gone."

I did not say anything and continued to ignore him, irritated that he was not bothered by this at all. While we were up here, free to go wherever we pleased, she was on the basement floor, locked away and always being watched by guards until someone could figure out what to do with her. They were not going to kill her right away, no matter how many times she begged, though. It was too late for her. Now that she was here, there was no way for her to get out without getting caught. I could have turned the gun on Elijah but I just refused. Something in me told me not to shoot him and I hated myself for it.

Greysen sat back in his chair and rubbed the back of his neck, "I tried preventing this from happening, I really did. But the two of you just kept getting closer and closer to each other. I had to give up eventually. What was I to do? You're stubborn and that's not a good trait to have, for obvious reasons."

He tried patting me on the back again but I stood up, shoving his hand away from me and walking over to the table, snatching one of the bags of food and walking over to the staircase. The basement was two floors below me but I was determined. Who knew what they were feeding her down there, if they were even feeding her at all? She had to be starving and I was not going to eat until she had something herself.

If she was willing to starve herself, so was I.

Practically running down the stairs, my grip tightened on the bag of food and the smell of cheeseburgers and french fries filled my nostrils. I passed by several people on my way to the basement—some smiling at me and others looking at me in pure disgust. Why were they so bothered? I did what they wanted me to do. Sydney was now in custody and it was my fault. There was a chance for me to get us out of that situation but I refused to take it. How could I betray her like that? Sure, she never told me about what was actually going on with her but she did that to keep me safe. What I did put her life at risk. They were going to kill her eventually and her spirit was going to haunt me for the rest of my days.

The door to the basement opened without a problem and I stepped inside, straightening my posture and trying to pretend I did not smell like I swam in a pool of whiskey. There was only one guard on post at the moment and he nodded his head once he saw me. I returned the gesture and showed him the bag of food. When he took a step forward, I shook my head and told him, "I'll take it to her."

"Now, you know that isn't—"

"I'll take it to her."

He sighed but stepped to the side, allowing me to pass and take the food to her. My footsteps echoed down the narrow hall as I walked by many empty cells. A feeling of uneasiness overwhelmed me and my chest felt as if it was closing in on itself. I knew she was not going to want to see me but I had to try. She had to know I meant for none of this to happen. We were supposed to make it out but I ran out of time. The moment I first laid eyes on her, I should have taken her away then and there.

Not months later when it was all too late.

I passed by multiple cells and my shoulders slumped further and further downward to find each one empty. Looking over my shoulder, the guard was watching my every move with his side pressed against the wall. He chewed slowly on his piece of gum to mask the cigarette smell on his breath. Little did he know, I smelled it on him as soon as he opened his mouth. I was sure he smelled the whiskey on my breath, though.

The last cell was smaller than the rest and when I peeked inside, there she was. Her back was facing me and she stayed in crouched position in the back left corner. Both of her arms wrapped around herself and from where I was standing, her hair looked unruly. She was perfectly still and it frightened me. I wanted to turn around and leave but I knew I needed to do this. I had to see her. Kneeling down, I placed the bag on the other side of the cell bars and pushed it as far as my arm would let me. When she did not look to see what was going on, I cleared my throat.

"I brought you something to eat."

She stayed completely still.

"Sydney—"

I was cut off by a small noise coming from her mouth.

"What...What was that?"

It was barely audible but I caught it.

"Gwen," she whispered and rose to her feet. "My name is Gwen." She turned around and I took a few steps back, appalled by what I was seeing. Multiple cuts and bruises covered her face, her bottom lip completely busted and her nose in worse condition than it was. Her eyes were puffy and red, as if she had been crying this entire time. Bruises covered her exposed arms and her clothes were torn like she had been thrown around. Bending over, she picked up the bag of food and shoved it at me, her face twisting with anger. "And I don't want anything from you."

I tried giving the food back to her, "You need to eat. I don't know what they're feeding you down here but I brought you something worth eating—"

She spat at me, "I hate you." Her hands wrapped around the cell bars and she leaned forward, our faces only inches apart. "I hate the way your hair curls perfectly on top of your head. I hate how green your eyes are and how they light up whenever you talk about something you love. I hate how you can make someone believe they're the only person in the world for you. I hate how you can lead someone on only to betray them in the end. I hate you for betraying me. I hate you! Lucas, I hate you!"

The sound of my real name coming out of her mouth sounded unnatural, like it did not belong. I had a feeling she was going to react this way but a part of me hoped she would have been happy to see me. Why would she be happy? I did the one thing she was afraid of. I gave her right back to the people she was running from and she was never going to forgive me for it. They already tortured her and they were going to continue to do so until she was dead. The bag of food fell from my hands and I tugged at the roots of my hair.

"You don't deserve to cry," she snarled at me and I had not realized I was crying. My eyes met hers and I saw the detestation...the distaste. "You don't get to cry!" She leaned forward some more and her lips trembled. "After everything you've done, you don't get to feel sorry. Is this part of your sick plan, too? Show me sympathy, make me forgive you, and then force a bullet through my skull? You might as well kill me now because you're the last person I could give a damn about!"

"Syd—"

"My name is Gwen!"

She then turned around and went back to her corner, crouching down in the same position and going back to staring at the wall. There was nothing I could do at this point. I ruined our trust and there was no getting it back. I opened my mouth to tell her something...anything, but the unknown words were caught in my throat, afraid to come out into the real world.

"Lucas."

The guard got my attention by motioning for me to go see what he wanted. I wiped my face with my hands and forced myself to go over there, leaving her behind to forever be upset with me. He was still smacking on his gum when I approached and he nodded his head toward the cell, "She gonna eat that?"

I frowned, "Probably not."

"Hmm," he rubbed his chin. "Well, then, there's no need for it to go to waste. Did you happen to bring down something to drink?" I rolled my eyes and started walking toward the exit when he grabbed my arm, pulling me back slightly. "There's someone upstairs waiting for you. They said it's important."

"Who?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. I'm just following protocol and making sure you received the message."

"Right," I sighed and he let go of my arm.

I walked out of the basement slower than I came. Now that I was leaving, I felt like I gained one hundred pounds on my shoulders and they were trying to bury me in the ground. My heart ached, every piece of my body hurt. I never felt this much pain before and I never wanted to feel it again. All of my organs hated me for what I had done and my body was attacking itself, making me feel things I did not want to feel. I was missing a puzzle piece to make me whole again. Sydney was that puzzle piece and I needed to be near her to be entirely me.

Once I reached the top of the stairs, I found the living room to be completely empty. Greysen was no longer sitting on the sofa and I assumed he went off to be with the others. Why would he want to be around me when I brought nothing but absolute sadness? I took a couple more steps forward before I threw my fist out to the side, making contact with the wall. My knuckles screamed out in pain but that did not stop me from doing it over and over and over and over again. I needed something to distract me from all the emotional pain.

I needed something physical.

The wall began to crack, my fist breaking its way through it. Gradually, the hole became bigger while my fist became bloodier. With every hit, I screamed out, hoping to get rid of some of my frustration and anger. None of this was supposed to happen but I let it all come crumbling down. I could have saved her but I chose not to. What the hell was wrong with me?

"What did the wall ever do to you?"

I immediately stopped when her voice filled my ears, a voice that I thought I was never going to hear again. A voice that was able to change from light to dark in seconds, a voice that I wanted to hear everyday but thought I would never get the chance. A voice that I once fell in love with. My gaze moved from the wall to her flawless skin and dark hair falling over her shoulders, pink lips in a small smirk, big eyes staring right into my soul.

I parted my lips, shock taking over my entire body.

I tried to inhale but my lungs suddenly forgot how to properly operate. Once I started choking, she widened her smile and offered her hand out to me. I was in too much shock to take it and she wrapped her hand around mine, pulling me towards the sofa and sitting me down beside her. How was this happening? She took my other hand in hers and gave them both a tight squeeze. I knew she smelled of sweet lavender and I missed this smell so much.

"Cassandra," I croaked.

She nodded her head, "It's me."

"B-But I don't—"

"I know," she cut me off. "There's a lot to explain but not enough time."

"How are you alive?" I blurted out. "I saw your body. I...I found you covered with blood. You were dead!"

"You found a body, Lucas," she explained. "It wasn't mine, but someone who looked very much like me." I pulled my hands away from hers and her smile faded. "We all had our own part to this operation and mine was to fake my death and make you believe I was really gone. You were taking too long with your part and we needed you to hurry up and bring her in. My death was supposed to motivate you to do just that, but it did the exact opposite."

"You tricked me," I murmured. "You lied to me."

"What I did is no different from what you did to Gwen." I hated to admit it, but she was right. "There is so much you don't know, Lucas, and I'm afraid you aren't going to be able to handle the truth."

My eyebrows rose, "What are you talking about?"

She smiled at me, "How much do you love her?"

"Why—"

"You two seemed like quite the opposite at first," she said, looking up at the ceiling. "I honestly didn't think it would work out. I mean, come on. No one knew what you saw in her but the two of you were happy, I guess. Inseparable, might I add."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

She looked back at me, "You're a sensitive one when it comes down to Gwen. Always have been, you know. It's such a shame, really. You couldn't even protect her when she needed you the most. Pointing a gun at her? Oh, how brilliant! Genius, Lucas, honestly. The two of you gave up so much to be together and how is that working out for you?" I only sat there, trying to process what she was telling me. "And the sad part is you don't even know the half of it. I'll give you credit, though, for at least trying to get her out of here. Jax told me about your little plan to go hide out at the beach. Smart move but just not enough time. If only there were enough hours in the day, am I right?"

My jaw tightened and she only smiled at me, her pearly white teeth taunting me. I tried scooting away from her but she grabbed my hand, tightening her grip around it. "I often wondered how long it was going to take you to figure everything out but you still haven't. They said you wouldn't be able to but I just wanted to see for myself. You really have no idea what's going on. You've been left behind in the dark on this entire thing. How does it feel to know you, too, have been betrayed?"

Before I was able to open my mouth to speak, multiple guards filled the room, surrounding the sofa and pointing their weapons at me. Cassandra released my hand and stood up, putting one hand in her pocket, looking for something. In unison, every guard clicked their guns and my heart pounded against my chest. I managed to keep a straight face as I looked at them all, not surprised to see Greysen standing behind one of the guns. I kept my intense glare on Cassandra who pulled a syringe out of her jacket pocket, examining the black liquid inside as if it was God himself.

With one more malevolent smile, she took a step forward and aimed for my arm.

I stood up from the sofa and stumbled back, my eyes locked on whatever the hell she was about to inject me with. Running away was not an option because I was surrounded and if I made one wrong move, they were going to shoot. I looked to Greysen for some kind of help but he only hardened his expression, his finger moving closer to his trigger. Cassandra lunged forward, forcing the needle into my arm and injecting the drug before I had the chance to push her off.

It did not take long before my entire body went numb. My knees buckled and I fell onto the floor, struggling to breathe and keep myself awake. Cassandra leaned over me and she held her phone against her ear, kicking me several times to see how I would react. I saw her leg move but I was unable to feel her foot going against my side.

"This is Cassandra reporting," she spoke into the phone. "Subject 213 is currently in custody and is in transit. Bring Subject 212 up and get her ready to move."

I looked away from her and focused my attention on the coffee table. My chest rose and fell as it was getting harder and harder for me to breathe. Outside of Cassandra talking on the phone, I heard footsteps and something being dragged against the floor. Some of the guards had moved out of the way and I was able to see the guard from downstairs pulling a body.

But it was not just any body.

It was Sydney.