I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I KNOW I'M A HORRIBLE PERSON...

This is for all my lovely readers who haven't given up on me, even though I have been terrible at updating. :D

Here we go!

***

Frigid water chilled me to my bones as someone roused me from the dark unwanted sleep I had relinquished to.

I squirmed groggily, until bright vivid pictures flashed through my mind, and the harsh sting of betrayal took my breath away even easier than asthma would've. The unfamiliar and dimly lit room was the least of my worries, as my sleep filled eyes met the cold dark ones inches from my face.

The sound of chains rattled my bones as I dragged myself backward, as far away from him as possible. It took me a moment to process that the heavy metal I heard was weighing down my wrists and ankles. I looked at the rusting chains in shock, before glaring up at the guy in front of me.

"What, slamming me into a shelf wasn't enough for you? Now you have to chain me like I'm some kind of animal?" I spat at his face, my anger rising when his emotionless expression remained the same.

"LOOK AT ME!" I screamed at him. All of the helplessness and betrayal I felt had formed a ball in the pit of my stomach making me angrier and more frustrated than I had ever been.

His gaze remained on the wall above my head, stony and uncaring.

"Look at me," I whispered. "Are you too little of a man that you can't even look me in the eye? Look at me. Look at what you did to me." I said in the strongest voice possible.

The first sign that he actually heard me appeared when the jaw thrummed and his hands became clenched.

"Axle, look--" I was suddenly slammed against the wall behind me, as Axle gripped my shoulders in a firm grasp.

"I'm looking! What do you want me to find Zaph? Huh? Because I'm looking, and I don't see anything I didn't see before!" He yelled right in my face, and there were too many emotions running across his face for me to figure out what they meant.

His heavy breathing filled the otherwise silent room as I fixed my eyes on him. My spine was stiff at the close proximity and uncomfortable position, but it didn't stop my mind from wandering.

Images of the two ugly dolls, the countless jokes, and even the kiss we shared came rushing to the surface. The Axle I had grown to consider as a friend was not the stranger standing before me. Yet, even though he had betrayed me, and I was beyond royally pissed, the crack of emotion that he had released let me know that he was still there somewhere.

Slow, mocking claps filled the otherwise silent room, and we both turned our heads to the source of the noise. The anger that had consumed me had been replaced with a fear so intense it was palpable.

The man leisurely leaning against the door emanated power and hatred, and the chesire smile did nothing but freeze my insides. "Sorry to break up this lovers dispute, but I believe it can wait." He took his sweet time walking over to me, every resonating footstep injecting another dose of fear and wariness into my body.

I was wide awake now.

It wasn't hard to tell that this man wasn't someone I would ever want to meet, however, I think it is a known fact that I attract danger like flowers attract bees. "Hello, my little gem."

He crouched down in front of me, and moved a wet strand of hair from my face. There was no question that he was attractive, but his creepiness overshadowed most of that. I turned my face in defiance, not willing to look as afraid as I felt. He let out a throaty chuckle that reverberated up my spine, goosebumps arising on my skin.

"You sure are something Ms. Phelo. It's a shame we can't keep you."

What that fuck did that mean?

I mean, ultimately, I knew what it meant. I just didn't want to be right about what I knew that it meant. Because accepting it meant defeat, and although I was scared out of my mind, I wasn't going down without making it somewhat hard on their part.

"I have some questions for you, and you can make this very easy," he paused, pulling out a wickedly sharp knife from the back of his pants I was guessing, "or you can make this very hard."

I groaned inwardly. "Guns are classier," I said weakly.

I held my breath, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of hearing the fear in my ragged breaths, although I was almost positive he could hear my pounding heart.

He smirked coldly. "Your wish is my command," he said while reaching back behind him again.

"Wait!" I shouted, even though nothing had really started. "Unchain me first, and tell me where my mom and my siblings are, and then I might answer your questions."

He stared at me incredulously for several moments before letting out another deep laugh. "You really think you are in a position to negotiate with me?"

I took another deep breath. "As a matter of fact I do. Let's think this out," I said with a shaky voice. I was stalling and I was pretty sure everyone knew it. "You obviously want information about my father correct? Well, I won't say a peep if you don't give me what I want first."

A peep? Really Zaph?

My rambling was cut off by his growl of annoyance. "You little--"

"Oh, and I need to know your name." I mumbled quickly, my heart beating a mile a minute, but once I started I couldn't stop. Was this what an adrenaline rush feels like? Maybe it was knowing that my death was inevitable and I was trying to live life to the fullest.

Ya know, while chained to a wall in front of my potential killer.

"Why would I tell you my name?" He asked in an exasperated manner, the knife dangling from his fingers making me feel some type of way.

"Well if you are going to end up killing me," I started, but the lump in my throat caused a momentary pause, "then it wouldn't really matter in the end anyways. So yeah, those are my three things." I raised my fingers to begin counting off.

One finger. "Name."

Second finger. "Last time I checked I was a wimpy seventeen year old girl so you are going to unchain me."

Third finger. "You tell me where my family is."

"How about this," he started slowly. "You sit here and give me answers, or I will carve you like a pumpkin."

...Very vivid picture right there.

I gulped, and I knew that he saw it because he smiled. My gut wrenched as he came closer. Personal space meant nothing these days. "Could you maybe--"

Stars consumed my vision as my head snapped to the right, the pain radiating from the left side of my face was unreal. Cold rough fingers cupped my chin, snapping my head back at a neck breaking speed. His dark eyes became darker as anger controlled his face. "I'm done with these petty games little girl."

I was only listening halfway, the intense throbbing coming from my face took over my thoughts, and I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing was coming out. Tears involuntarily rose, and the man in front of me became blurry.

"Where is your father right now?"

I tried to speak, but I couldn't. Another stinging slap rained down on my cheek, which was accompanied by another set of stars. As if that wasn't enough, I wasn't prepared for a blow to my eye, and my head snapped back, meeting the harsh stone wall behind me. A scream ripped through me as I raised shackled hands to my face, only to have them yanked away. "Tell me!" He yelled in my face.

The pain was incomparable to anything that i had ever felt in my life, and a dizzy feeling took over. the liquid I felt trickling down my neck was the indication as to why.

Axle had long since left the room, but as pathetic as it was, I yearned for a familiar presence in the room. It was utterly petrifying knowing that I was alone in a dark room with a man that I knew wanted to kill me, and would enjoy doing so. I knew that my death wasn't going to be quick, and the thought of that scared me the most.

"I--I..." I didn't know where my father was. I barley knew anything about him other than the fact that he gave me up after knocking up my birth mom. For all I knew, I was a mistake, and if my father actually did care about me, he would realize how much of a mistake it was to have me now.

A sob tore through me, but I managed to contain most of it. "I don't... I don't know where he is," I moaned in pain. I could feel every inch of my eye slowly and painfully swelling up, and my head was pounding. A migraine on steroids had nothing on what I was experiencing.

I hung my head. This was actually it. I wasn't going to see my sweet family again, the ones that had genuinely loved me even if I wasn't truly one of their own. They didn't deserve this, no one did, but especially not them. They were my light and life, and I had screwed up their lives just from being around them. I would never get the chance to apologize.

And Jacen, goddammit. I hated being a sap, but he was the first guy I had ever truly liked the way I did. Granted, it took me way to long to come to terms with what I was feeling, and now I regret acting on my emotions so late.

"I know you know where he is, and when I coax it out of you, you little bitch," he spat on my face."You are going to wish you were never born." He shoved my head back, and it knocked the wall again. The contact was similar to putting salt and hot sauce on a wound, and the stinging was damn near unbearable.

I let out a weak and bitter laugh as the door shut behind him on his way out.

"It wouldn't be the first time."

***

Well dang. That was pretty heavy, but I gotta hand it to Zaph for staying so strong for so long. I would've been long gone and passed out lol.

So do you think Axle really is bad? Or do you think there might, and just might, be something else going on? Let me know what you think!

Stay lovely,

jean margaret <3