Grace's POV

I saw the familiar white when I opened my eyes. Sudden dread filled me out of nowhere when I realized that I was lying on a bed, looking up at a white ceiling.

This all felt too familiar.

That was the exact reason why I sat up abruptly, clutching the sheets over me. A small wince escaped my lips at the sudden action but eventually, it turned into surprise.

The same surprise that matched both Marleen's and Luca's faces as they both looked at me, standing in front of the hospital bed that I was on.

Hospital bed. This was a hospital.

It took me a whole minute to tell myself how this wasn't that creepy white room. This wasn't the Research Department. Yet I still felt that slight panic edging in my chest, telling me to run away, as if I couldn't trust my surroundings at all.

Thankfully, I didn't do such thing. Marleen was the first one to break out from the surprised trance as she walked over towards the side of my bed. I slowly pulled up my legs, making space for her as she sat down in front of me.

"Grace, honey." She started with one of her warm smiles. I found myself shrinking back a little, clenching the sheets tighter when she called me that.

This wasn't Cynthia. Just Marleen.

"How are you feeling? Do you want me to call the doctor?" I saw her eyes trailing towards my clenched fists, a look of worry passing over her features.

I slowly leaned back against the soft pillows and shook my head. My throat felt scratchy and dry. My stomach felt hollow and empty. I noticed that Marleen was dressed in her work clothes, the nurse ones.

"How long...was I out?" I finally formed the words, asking her in a mere whisper. I could feel another stare directed towards me; Luca's gaze. But he didn't say anything, and I didn't look up at him.

Marleen rubbed her face slowly and I could make out hints of exhaustion in her eyes, yet she just smiled at me. "Two days. Three, actually. But it's fine now, okay? You're fine."

Was I?

I blinked before looking over at Luca who was still standing at the foot of the bed, regarding me with a small frown.

Marleen stood up, still looking at me. "I'll go check where the doctor is. In the meantime..." She looked over at Luca, then at me. "...um, call me if you need me."

She took a step back before turning around and exiting from the door, closing it softly behind her.

For the next few seconds, none of us said anything. Even though I knew that the questions would come at me sooner or later, I really didn't want to talk right now. Instead, I chose to look around the room and part of me felt relieved to know how it wasn't just white in here.

Since I clearly wasn't going to say anything anytime soon, Luca came up beside my bed before sitting down where Marleen had just been sitting at; in front of me. Except that he placed a little more distance between us. Something I wished that I hadn't noticed.

"How are you...feeling?" He asked slowly, almost cautiously. As if he knew that I wanted to run away right now.

I repeated his words in my head and decided to ponder a little on that question.

How was I feeling?

I was feeling nothing. For real, I felt nothing. No pain, except for that constant hollow feeling.

I looked up at him and realized that his brown eyes were already trained on my face, looking at me. And he looked exhausted too.

I chose not to say anything.

"Are you—Does it hurt?" Moments after saying it, he scrunched up his nose as if he hadn't meant to say those exact words. But he didn't take them back either.

I slowly shook my head.

He nodded then, looking away from me, few of his curls falling over his forehead. I still kept on looking at him.

"Do you remember what happened?" He asked, and I felt myself relaxing a little when I heard the softness in his voice—something that made me unclench my fists.

Did I remember?

Of course, I did. I remembered everything. Cynthia telling me that she'd help me, then kidnapping me. The creepy white room. My wrists being tied on that bed. That Burner guy. That burning taste of the...chemical he made me drink. The blur after I had swallowed it. Jonathan helping me escape. Me stumbling along my house. And then...Luca.

I slowly brought up my hands over my face, dragging them upwards along with it. And I wasn't surprised when I felt them trembling against my forehead as I gripped my hair.

I left Jack.

Just that mere thought made my insides twist horribly. I wasn't looking at anywhere in particular but I could hear my ragged breathing. And my chest constricting in suffocation.

How could I have been so stupid?

I was too caught up with the dread that I didn't even notice Luca sliding closer towards me. Not until he gently pulled away my trembling, hurting hands away from my head.

"You're just hurting yourself." Even though I wasn't looking at him, I knew he didn't look happy. He didn't sound happy, nowhere near happy. "Grace—"

I shook my head a little too frantically at that and he stopped whatever that he was going to say. My eyes trailed over towards his hands that were around my wrists and an old, vague memory came across my head.

We used to do that all the time.

I leaned closer and placed my forehead against his shoulder, feeling my throat closing up as my eyes started stinging at the edges. I closed my eyes then because I didn't want to cry. I didn't want to speak or listen or see or cry right now.

I didn't want to do anything.

With one hand still around my wrist, he slowly wrapped the other one around my back. We both didn't say anything for a while. I could clearly feel him getting all tensed up against me, but for that moment, I didn't care.

I didn't want to care.

Minutes passed by before I heard the room's door opening once again. I didn't open my eyes, neither did I pull away from him.

"Grace." It was a voice I did not recognize, somewhat comforting and professional at the same time. And I've heard police officers and other authority figures use that on me. Even my Aunt sometimes used that comforting tone on me back in Manhattan, when my parents died. "How are you feeling?"

I didn't say anything, even if I knew that it was the doctor. I clearly didn't want to say anything right now. And Luca tensed up even further against me when he realized my intentions.

"She's feeling...better." Luca spoke up when I didn't say anything.

"That's remarkable." I could almost imagine the doctor nodding. I refrained myself from opening up my eyes, hating the fact that he'd probably be wearing the familiar white coat. "There are few tests that need to be run down on you to make sure all the level of the drugs are neutralized. I've talked to your guardian. Just make sure you get some rest, okay?"

He sounded like a nice guy. But I still didn't spare him a single glance. Instead, I tried registering the words he just said.

"Can you tell us what happened, Grace?" He asked in his same comforting voice.

Instead of saying anything, I buried my head against Luca's leather jacket, accidentally brushing up my nose against his neck—which clearly didn't go unnoticed by Luca as his grip on my wrist tightened a little.

"I don't think she wants to talk right now." There was an obvious edge in Luca's voice as he replied—something he was doing for me now.

"All right. I've got someone else to check up on. I'll send the nurse for the tests. Tell me if you need me." The doctor said before walking over towards the door and leaving.

And there came the silence once again. Luca didn't push me away, even if I felt like he wanted to do that. All of a sudden, rush of thoughts hit me from nowhere. Horrible thoughts.

I pulled away from him and hung my head low, my hair framing either side of my face. And then I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I sniffed and pressed my palms firmly against my eyes, not wanting to cry at all.

"Are you seriously not going to talk at all?" There was this irritation in his voice, trying its hardest to hide the concern at the same time.

"You'll have to speak one way or another." He sounded exhausted now. "Mom's trying not to let the officers into this matter. But it won't be easy, Grace. You're just wasting the time. Everyone's time."

A small sob escaped my lips as I felt my palms getting wetter.

Why was he saying that?

Almost at the same time, I heard him inhale sharply before he once again, pulled my hands away from my face. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry. Please just don't...cry."

He held my face in his hands and gently wiped away my tears, his brown eyes widening with concern. "I won't ask you anything anymore, okay? I'm sorry."

I nodded and blinked back the tears, convincing myself to stop making this a bigger mess.

"All right." He whispered this time, pulling his hands away from my face once he was convinced that I won't start crying again. I sniffed again and wiped my tears, for the first time noticing the large white bandages wrapped around my wrists. Both of my wrists.

I knew that he wouldn't ask me about it again and I didn't know why I wasn't telling him. This was Luca, for God's sake. I knew that I could trust him.

"I-I met one of Dad's research friends." I spoke up. I almost stopped when I noticed how raspy my voice sounded, but I forced myself to keep on going. "She told me that she was his friend. From the Research Department. Her name's Cynthia."

And I told him everything after that. From the point where she had paid me a visit in the principal's office to the part where she told me the real truth when I had been trapped there, all the while me being tied on that bed.

I grimaced and took pauses in between but rushed out the words just as quick the next second. Because keeping it inside me felt even worse now.

All the while, I watched him listening to me intently. He didn't stop me at all. His eyes were still on my face when I finished, though this time, there was a frown too.

"They killed your parents?" He asked incredulously. I nodded slowly, not mistaking the anger in his voice. He opened his mouth again but shut it close just as quick, and looked away as his frown deepened.

"That's fucked up." He whispered under his breath. Then he looked at me, this time the anger showing in his eyes. "A whole week, Rose. A whole fucking week! That's not normal. You need to—"

"Jack's there." I cut him off, looking away at the same time, because bringing this up hurt more than anything. But I had to bring it up, the only reason why I couldn't have told the police. "I don't trust the police. I don't want to risk Jack's life."

If he was alive.

I winced lightly at that thought, biting my lip harder than necessary.

Luca was silent for a little while. "And how are you going to get him back?" He asked. "Jack?"

I felt myself swaying a little so I leaned back against the pillows. My head was slowly starting to ache now, throb with the numerous questions and possibilities and scenarios.

"I don't know." A small whisper escaped my lips.

His eyes trailed across my face, his gaze twitching a little as if he wanted to ask something. I waited, knowing that he'd ask it anyway.

"Did they hurt you?" He asked. Once again, I saw him scrunch up his nose at that. "Wait, don't answer that."

I gulped and looked down at my hands. They looked pale and sickly.

"He made me drink that liquid. It had an...acidic taste." I spoke up. "Everything got hazy after that. I don't—I don't remember what happened after that. They were asking me questions and my vision was...blurry. But I couldn't make out anything. And there was this sharp stinging pain in my back."

He looked nowhere near happy, his lips pressed into a thin line. I noticed his clenched fists, soon enough watching him run his hands against his face, blowing out a sigh. A sigh that came out tired and exhausted and maybe even angry. "He?"

"Burner." I whispered.

He stiffened at that, which would've been odd if he wouldn't have been getting tense on all the other things too. He looked at me and opened his mouth, about to say something. But something passed over his eyes and he looked away, thinking otherwise.

I tried leveling my racing heartbeat in that silence. I didn't know what any of this meant and judging from Luca's silence, he seemed to be thinking the same.

I looked over at him, watching a small frown form on his forehead. He still wasn't looking at me as he ran a hand through his curls, pushing them back.

All of a sudden, the silence broke just as the room's door burst open. Both of our heads snapped in the direction of the door to watch Alice barging inside.

"Oh my God, Grace! What—I thought—" Almost immediately, she fell into silence when her gaze shifted from me to Luca, who looked slightly taken aback by her sudden outburst.

I was left a little stunned too, a faint ringing in my ears making me lean my head back.

"I'm so sorry." Her voice lowered as she cringed. Nonetheless, she came over towards the chair beside my bed and sat down. I was a little surprised to see the concern in her eyes as she looked at me. "Are you okay? What happened? I thought all those people were just shitting around when Natalie told me that you were in the hospital. You disappeared for a whole week. Like I'd know if something happened to you. But then I came here and I saw Mrs Jackson outside and then you."

She was rambling. A small, wavering smile formed on my lips when I noticed the way she was furrowing her brows in worry.

"I'm fine." I said reassuringly, although Luca's stare told me that he didn't believe me. I didn't believe myself either.

Alice nodded slowly. That's when I realized that she was in her cheerleading uniform, looking a little worn out. She pushed a loose strand of her brown hair behind her ear before speaking up, "What exactly happened?"

I found myself looking over at Luca then. He returned my gaze, waiting for me to say something.

"I...had to see someone. And I got in an accident." All the while, I wasn't looking at Alice, but at Luca. He raised his eyebrows a little but said nothing.

I didn't trust Alice. I mean, I did trust her. She had been such a great friend all this time. But I didn't think I could've told her about this; all of the stuff that had happened. I didn't even think I could've told Marleen the truth.

With Luca, it was easier. Because he knew about my parents. He knew about everything.

"Really?" Alice broke me out from my thoughts. "How? What happened?"

Luca's gaze didn't waver away from mine and the way he was looking at me, I knew there was something he wanted to say. Something that he wanted to tell me.

He blinked instead and looked away, frowning almost immediately. Then he got up from the bed and headed for the door.

Leaving me alone with Alice.

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Crystal 🌿