Slowly, I open my eyes to the dim room, adjusting to the unfamiliarity of my environment. Although I just woke up, my body still felt heavy and weak, like one would after a drunken night.

Feeling uncomfortable, I yawn, stretching out my body. I stop mid-stretch at the feeling of the restriction on my wrist. My eyes snap open in fear, darting to my wrist, and just like I suspected, they were in handcuffs- with my left hand on one side, the edge of the bed in the other.

I wrestle with the handcuffs, pulling and tugging, my heart pace significantly increasing. I kick my legs to sit up, only to realize that they've been tied together with a rope.

Okay, calm down, Dove. I take a deep breath.

A knot forms in the pits of my stomach as I scan the empty, cold room with my eyes. The room was small with wooden walls, a wooden bed, and a small brown table in a corner. The bed is covered with a white sheet only. That's it.

There was nothing more. Nothing less. A tiny window stood by the side, closed- I didn't even think it could open. In the distance, the night stars danced in the sky, mocking me with their freedom.

Something was amiss. I didn't know if it was the pungent smell of the dusty wood or how fragile my memory was- unable to remember the events that lead to my being here.

The last thing I remember was falling asleep on the way to Fawn's house. Fawn! Ashley!

I open my mouth to yell out for my friends but shut it as quickly as I open it. If my kidnappers thought I was asleep, the dumbest thing I could do was alert them about being awake.

I didn't need a brain to know that Luca was probably behind my captivity.

The wooden floor creaks with footsteps approaching. I fall to the bed and close my eyes, pretending to be asleep.

Soon, the door to the room is open ajar, the footsteps increasing and getting closer. My heart skips faster in a fearful enigma.

I feel a rough hand grab my legs, fiddling with the rope. It takes a while for me to realize the person was untying the knot.

"Why did you tie down her legs?" Luca's voice demanded, an authoritative tone to it.

"Sabrina said to," another guy replies. I could recognize that Australian accent any time of the day.

I couldn't forget his name either since his accent reminded me of the name. Aussie.

"That fucking bitch," Luca spit. The anger in his tone was evident, leading me to wonder if he had always been such a bitter soul, but I was too attracted to his charms to notice.

"Don't call her that. She has been the most helpful in your plans." He sounded equally angry.

"Do you have a problem with me?"

Aussie doesn't reply but paces around the room, causing the woods to make a creaking sound now and then. "She's not waking up. Do you think she inhaled too much?"

Luca sighs, massaging my ankles- where the ropes were previously tied. "It's best if she doesn't wake up anytime soon. I can't deal with her hating me any more than before."

"Then why do you do it?" Aussie hisses with annoyance.

Luca is quiet for a while, trailing small circles on my leg. "She means the most to him," he sniffs with a bitter chuckle. "Besides, she hurt me too."

He throws my leg to the bed harshly and walks away from me. Soon after, his retreating footsteps stop.

"We can stop now, you know. Enzo isn't in support of this."

"That's because he's weak as fuck! Hiding in the shadows of Tiger like a coward. I'm not going to give up the Cagers for Gray. Never!"

He leaves the room, and I wait for a while until I hear Aussie leave, then wait some more for any other sounds. When I'm convinced there's no one else left in the room, I open my eyes.

I look to the handcuffs on my left hand, the only thing keeping me restricted, and sigh.

Feeling restless, I try pulling my hand out multiple times but fail. Suddenly, I remember a movie where the main character breaks the bone in his thumb to escape the handcuffs. So I decided to try it.

I spend what feels like forever trying to convince myself that dying here would hurt a lot more than some broken bones. After convincing myself, I push my thumb down with the rest of my fingers. But it doesn't break. I only feel excruciating pain at each try and stop before the pain gets worse.

How the hell did the movies make this seem so easy?

I count to five, determined to break my thumb off at the end of the count. It will be easy peasy, just like ripping a bandage off. I lie to assure myself.

But I still couldn't do it, chickening out whenever I couldn't withstand the pain.

I become more agitated, furious with myself for being too lackluster. Soon, Gray would notice I'm missing and come running here. I couldn't put him in danger again, vividly remembering what happened the last time. I didn't want anyone else to get hurt.

Footsteps approach the room, the steps sounding a little different than the last time. The shoes make a clacking sound, followed by the sound of an object; dragged along the ground.

I lay down and shut my eyes at the same moment I hear the door open. My breath hitches in my throat as I feel the person come closer, and I tight my hands in a fist.

"Dove?" Fawn's soft voice calls.

My eyes snap open, surprised but happy to hear her voice.

"Fawn?" I widen my eyes, sitting up straighter. At my awakening, I watch as her concerned facial expression flips over in a switch. Her downturned lips turn to a mocking smile. Her brows slant upwards as she backs away.

"The name's Sabrina," She says slowly, staring me down.

My forehead wrinkled in confusion, and I shake my head in disbelief, unable to decipher if she was serious or joking. But her facial expression was nothing like Fawn's. She almost looked like an evil version of Fawn, sporting a bright red lipstick.

"Is this some game? What's going on?" I scoff, a dreadful feeling settling in my chest.

"Isn't pretty obvious? I brought you here," She replies in an Australian accent. She wipes some blood off her hand with a wet cloth, muttering something to herself.

My gaze is unfocused as I glance at the ground, still in denial. I let out a loud gasp, running away but not able to go far- due to the cuffs- when my eyes settle at the space next to Fawn's legs. Ashley lays on the floor, her damaged face barely unrecognizable. Her eyes are swollen shut, and bloody spit drools down her split lips. She doesn't move either, her body in a frozen limp.

My chest grows tight as I struggle to push back the bile rising in my throat. "Ashley," I whisper barely, my panic in a rising altitude.

My hands are trembling as I try to reach for her with my right hand. But I'm too far away, and my hands barely make it past halfway. Worry gnaws away at me, further inciting my fear.

"Don't worry. She isn't dead," Fawn laughs at me, cocking her head. "I mean, I don't think I killed her."

My eyes were still trained on Ashley, checking for any signs of breathing. But at Fawn's words, my head snaps up so fast I could have broken a bone.

"You did this?" I lunge forward, panic surging through me.

Fawn didn't seem to care, pouting her lips mockingly. "I mean, she just kept talking and talking, and I really despise her, so I just, bam!" She says, punching the air as she said the last word. "And I haven't fought in so long. I just kept going, " She grotesquely punches the air.

I stare blankly, feeling the air squeeze out of my lungs. I had no idea who this monster was. "What happened to you?"

Fawn stops trying to describe how she punched Ashley and clears her throat. "When you say what happened to me, do you mean Fawn or me, Sabrina," she raises her brows excitedly.

Too stunned to speak, I shake my head continuously. She was different. Too different. From her body gestures, voice, tone, to facial expressions. Nothing was like Fawn.

"Okay, let me start with Fawn then, since your mouth is kinda paralyzed," She laughs, gesturing towards my face with her fingers. "Fawn is a fictional character that I created in your mind. You and all your friends," She says slowly.

"Why?"

Fawn rolls her eyes and sighs. She sits on the table and crosses her arms. "Enzo needed someone on the inside. Someone to watch over you while Gray was in London. But you were so boring at first, I wanted to gouge my eyes out," she fakes pulls at her hair.

She replaces her angry expression with a small smile. "But the day Gray came back. Boy, you couldn't stop chatting. So that's why I had to get close to you. I had to listen to Aussie tell me about y'all history and shit," She rolls her eyes.

"All this craziness just for Gray?"

"Yes! He can't just decide to leave us! The Cagers saves lives! They saved my life! He can't just decide to disappear and ruin everything!"

"Why not!" I find myself yelling back. "He never tried to ruin the Cagers. He just wanted to leave! Don't you guys think you've done enough damage already! You're even trying to kill him, so how dare you say you save lives!"

"He's already ruined us. Tiger's in jail and Enzo is on the run. All because of Gray!"

I had no idea who those people were, but it sounded like there were significant to the gang. "Well, that wouldn't have happened if you had just let him go," I fold my arms.

"We couldn't."

"Why?"

"Cause his father owns the cagers, damn it!" Fawn yells frustratedly, smacking the table with her hands.

I freeze instantly as my mind wraps up in a beyond-confused spiral. Luca and Aussie come rushing into the room, kicking the door ajar. Luca looks around the room nervously before resting his eyes on me. He visibly relaxes.

"Damn it, Sab. I thought you threw her out the window, " Aussie comments, running his hand through his hair.

I turn to see the window he was referring to and snort. Not even a baby could fit through that.

"Let me and Ashley go," I turn to Luca, fixing my gaze on him.

Fawn jolts from the table and stands next to me. "You're lucky Luca says not to touch you. Everything is your fucking fault. Gray leaving and all," She spits at me and wipes her mouth.

Yes, she literally spits in my face. I could feel the little drops of saliva on my skin.

"Take her out," Luca commands Aussie, not letting me out of his sight.

Aussie goes to grab Fawn, but she responds by kicking him in the nuts. "I can walk myself."

She pushes past Aussie, stops at Luca, glares at him before walking out the door. Once she's out the door, Luca sighs and buries his hands in his back pocket.

"Can you give us some privacy?" He turns to Aussie. Aussie is still crouched to the ground, clutching his private.

"I would if I could," He groans, rolling on the ground. "Those damn Heels."

"Now." Luca didn't seem to care about his pain.

Aussie grunts and stands from the ground, limping towards the door. Just as he's about to turn the knob, Fawn comes rushing in.

"They are here!" She announces. "Gray. There are trucks too. I don't think he's alone."

Luca nods his head, almost like he was anticipating this. "Is the car ready?" He asks, grabbing a rope and tying my legs.

I shake my head. "Please let me go, Luca," I beg. All I felt was desperate despair.

Luca ignores me, refusing to meet my eye as he uncuffs my hand and places the handcuffs on both arms. I watch as Aussie grabs a bag from under the bed and dumps it next to me. He opens the bag, and my breath hitches in my throat. Inside of it were multiple rifles.

My heart clenched with dread as the weight of my anxiety settled in my chest. "No. Luca," I turn to Luca as he pulls me up from the bed.

"We are not shooting you calm down," Luca replies, pulling me out of the room.

The sound of tires screeching along the sandy road is heard, and my heart thumps louder in my chest. Gray.

Ashley groans a little, her eyes struggling to open as she shifts her body. My eyes flicker from her to Luca and the guns.

No. No.

"What should we do with her?" Aussie asks just as Fawn appears, holding a mask and a baseball cap. I'd recognize that mask anywhere. It was the Cagers infamous gang mask.

"We use her to buy some more time," Fawn replies, landing a punch across Ashley's face and rendering her unconscious once again.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I yell, trying to free myself from Luca's grasp. My eyes settle on Ashley, and that's when I realized she wasn't wearing her own clothes. She was dressed as a male

I watch in horror as Fawn places the mask on Ashley's face and covers her hair with the baseball cap. She grabs a rifle from the bag and balances it perfectly in Ashley's arms.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I yell, gnashing my teeth at her. My hands are cuffed behind my back, further fueling my agitation.

"Stop! Let her go!" I yell, feeling my eyes begin to sting with tears. Fawn ignores me and pulls a phone from her back pocket, playing a pre-recorded voice note.

"Stop it!" I cry, fear chilling my heart. "What if she gets shot?"

"It's almost like that's the whole point," Fawn replies with a fake smile.

"No, please. Please let her go. I'll-"

I feel a sting from a needle on my neck, followed by an icy cold calm that washes over me. Then I blackout.

••••••••••••••