Alex's (POV)

I'm strapped down on a cold metal table, in that horrid room again.

Unable to move with my wrists, elbows, and ankles secured tightly with straps that are attached to the table.

I can see Rat and Stick over in the dark corner.

Watching. Waiting.

Razim walks into the room, a sinister smile on his waxy face.

I quickly avoid eye contact, my limbs shaking, sweat going everywhere. My body automatically tensing up in preparation of what's to come.

I look down across my bruised bare chest, my only clothing being what's left of my torn combat pants.

"Alex! You ready for some fun?" His voice pierces my ears like nails down a chalkboard.

Razim walks around behind my head, sticking those sensors onto my forehead. Already knowing I'm not going to answer him.

No. No. No.

            Not more of this, please NO.

I start thrashing, trying to kick, trying to punch anything. But to no avail, the straps aren't budging.

"Alex, Alex." He chides softly next to my ear. "After two weeks you would think you'd have it in your thick head, that you can't escape THIS!!"

Razim yells that last part in my ear, and I can't help but flinch away, silent tears beginning to fall down my cheeks.

Razim begins to laugh down at me, Stick and Rat joining in.

Now the whole room is alive with sinister laughs. Taunting me, humiliating me.

Finally after what feels like hours, they stop. Razim slowly walks over to a little side table, grabbing a few narrow foot-long-knives. Then he lays them neatly alongside my body, his face peaceful like he's simply decorating a flower basket.

             If only.

My breathing comes out in giant gasps of air, yet I still feel like I can't breath. My hair plastered onto my forehead and neck with sweat.

Razim grabs a knife, playing with it in his hands, that smile returning.

          "You think your so great."

He stabs down with lightning fast speed-

          -stabbing the table right next to my head.

I jerk away with a gasp, heart thumping dangerously fast.

More laughter as Razim grabs another knife. "But your just a boy." He stabs down again, just a hairs breath away from cutting my naked skin.

On, and on he goes. Stabbing the table up and down my body, throwing insults along with each one.

I flinch at each one, tense at each move, expecting it to come down any minute to pierce my skin.

"A Boy That Can't Stay Out Of Everyone's Damn BUSINESS!!" Razim screams with so much fury there's spit flying out of his mouth, eyes wide with a sickening spark of excitement.

           And with that last sentence, he brings the knife down-

-Right onto my right thigh.

I scream out in pain as I feel cold metal slice through skin, tendons, and muscle, as if I was nothing more than a stick of butter. It chips at bone before finally coming out the other side, impaling the table so hard it sticks to it like a thumbtack.

          My wide eyes stare up at the ceiling as pain beyond what I can comprehend burns deep inside me, gurgle-like-gasps coming out of my mouth as I momentarily forget how to breath properly.

Razim grabs another knife, quickly stabbing my other thigh. Still yelling insults to my deaf ears.

Pain. Pain. It's the only thing I understand right now, my foggy brain only making it worse. My screams painfully contained on the inside as my energy completely disappears.

Finally, after Razim's done a couple more. He stops.

Pulling one out.

I jerk my upper body as I feel the steel leave my skin, whimpers mixing with my gasps for air, my sweat drenched face contracting in fresh agony.

Slowly this time, he wiggles one out. Twisting and turning it with each small millimeter, agonizingly slow.

"How's that feel ALEX!!"

I jerk my head back against the table, giving a feeble cry as he gives it an extra sharp tug.

"S-stop." I gasp out in between breaths, my throat raw and scratchy from screaming so much.

I can't take the pain anymore!

Razim suddenly stops his progress with the third knife, looking over at me with a smirk. He faces his henchmen.

"Hear that fellas? The great Alex Rider wants me to stop." He teases.

He looks back at me, placing a bloody right hand up to his chin. "I don't know Alex, I rather like seeing you beg." He spits out.

He immediately goes back to working on the third knife. Twisting and jerking.

"P-please......S-stop." I feel blood dribble down my chin, my tongue and lips having been bitten several times.

Razim looks me in the eye.

               "Never."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Stop!!" I shout while simultaneously jerking up into a sitting position.

I feel bile rise in the back of my throat as I repeatedly recall that nightmare, all the pain and fear I experienced washing over me once again.

            Quickly, I get out of bed, practically running out of my room towards the bathroom.

Locking the door, I manage to make it over to the toilet before I ever so gracefully throw up what little I had in my stomach.

I finish, curling myself into a ball in-between the toilet and the bathtub, my whole body trembling.

There's a fog in my head, eyes heavy, brain mentally exhausted.

Where am I?

Letting a whimper out, I try blocking all the painful memories that are trying to resurface.

I desperately rock back and forth as I attempt to control my gasping breaths, the tears, the shaking.

A sudden knock on the door startles me.

"Alex?" A woman's voice.

          Who is it?

          My mind goes blank, only the bad memories swirling around in my head. Taking over.

"Alex open up." It continues.

Why? So you can hurt me?

"NO!" I desperately yell much louder than I intended to. 

Silence on the other side.

Can't breath!

My lungs feel like they can't expand, stuck in one position. So, so tight.

           Panicking, my hyperventilating picks up even more, my chest feeling like there's a balloon being inflated deep inside.

I barely make out a voice on the other side of the door, my breathing and frantic mind almost completely concealing it.

"Your alright, Alex. Your here with Lucy and me." The deep voice assures. "Safe in our house"

Then like a blankets been lifted, the fog disappears from my brain. Clarity returning.

            Lucy. Don......The Brown's.

            We just watched a movie together last night.

Thinking of last night relaxes me a bit, and I manage to calm my breathing down to just small gasps. The assurance that I'm in fact not back in that nightmare, comforting me more than you would think.

I sit there listening to Lucy and Don talk about whatever, slowly feeling the tension leave my body.

I'm exhausted.

I slowly get up after a few more minutes, holding onto the sink for support.

Check my facts.

Today is July 3rd and it's-

           I look at down at my watch.

            6:33 A.M.

With slightly trembling hands, I wipe the tear tracks off my face, letting a few sniffles out.

          I feel my face grow warm as I recall the part where I yelled at them no more than seven minutes ago.

         I take a few more deep breaths, fully aware that I'm still slightly gasping for air, my hands trembling like a leaf.

         I open the door.

Lucy's sitting beside the bathroom door, her back against the wall. Don's sitting a couple feet away, on the first step of the stairs.

They immediately get up, facing me.

I keep my face angled down, arms crossed to help conceal my trembling hands.

I can feel them trying to figure out what to do now, evaluating me.

         I wouldn't blame them if they called Mrs. Jones up and asked her to come pick me up.

          I mean come on Alex, it's only your second day with them and you've already had a mega freak out, basically right in front of them.

        I'm sure that door isn't soundproof.

Finally they make a decision.

"Come on Alex, let's go get some breakfast." Lucy softly says, taking a step closer to me.

Now that I think about it, I actually am hungry. Which is kinda strange for me, especially after I just had a low key panic attack.

I nod my head yes, following Lucy down the stairs.

After I'm seated at the table, I just sit, staring down at my lap while I listen to Lucy bustle around at the oven.

Don comes in a few minutes later, joining me at the table.

Lucy brings eggs and bacon over, and we start eating. No one talks about earlier, but I can tell they're both thinking about it.

I finish nibbling on my piece of bacon, preparing to get up to go after I take my meds. But Lucy stops me.

"Alex, after you change, can you please come back down?" She questions.

"Okay." I mumble out, heading towards the stairway.

I'm honestly a little anxious about what Lucy wants, I can feel the sweat coming back, my mind overthinking everything.

         What if she does want me to leave?

I get dressed, brushing my teeth while the dread only continues to grow. Once I finish, I head back down the stairs.

I find Lucy by the backdoor, bent down while she pulls her large rubber boots on.

She looks over at me as I walk closer, giving me a smile as she gestures towards another pair of boots.

"Try those on."

I step into them, finding they're only a tad too large. Lucy heads out the door, and I follow. Walking a little ways, we stop at a decent sized garden.

"You can help me with the garden today." She simply says.

So together we begin weeding, picking beetles of the plants, and gathering anything that's ready for harvest.

I guess you could say I enjoyed it.

The hard work, getting my mind busy, listening to Lucy jabber on about whatever.

       Which I'm beginning to realize she does a lot.

And before I know it, Lucy's saying it's time to go in for Lunch.

While walking back to the house, I check the time.

   1:02 P.M.

I guess time really does fly when your having fun.

After washing up, we head to the kitchen. Sitting at the table, I wait patiently as Lucy makes us both a sandwich.

When we're done eating, Lucy surprisingly brings some drawing things over to the table. And before I know it, we both begin to draw.

Now most people don't know this about me, but I like drawing.

While drawing and listening to Lucy joke around whenever she draws something funny, (Which is most of the time) I notice I'm actually having fun.

It was weird, a good weird.

Something I haven't done in so long.

Having fun.

That's how Don found us later. Sitting around the table full of half drawn pictures, Tic-Tac-Toe games, and more.

With Lucy giggling to death and me trying, but failing to hide my smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Edited: 5/18/17