All Alone (BEING EDITED)

Chapter 34: History Can Repeat Itself

My eyes flicker open and a groan echoes in my throat. The room I'm being held in is red with no windows. My bed is made out of a thin mattress on an iron frame.

My body shudders as I try to sit up and I hiss in pain when my arm bumps against my body. I gently clench it and peek at the severe wound. Someone had wrapped it in some new bandages. Upon intense inspection the wound is still bleeding. Man, he must have cut deep. I wince and stand up shakily, my knees still weak from lack of energy. I look down at my clothes. At least my clothes aren't ruined, although they stole my jacket. My hand goes to my belt and I quickly realize what's missing.

"Dang it. Those delinquents stole my pokemon." I mutter angrily. I take a few steps forwards and glance at the door. The thick, iron door is set into the wall and looks indestructible. I growl in annoyance and start pacing back and forth, making sure my arm is plastered to my side.

"What can I do? That door must be inches thick, so I can't do a thing. Where are they anyways? What have they done with my Pokemon? Has anything happened to Paul?" I stop my rant right there. Why have I been so worried about him? When Maxie ordered Mightyena to attack him I immediately threw myself in front of him to protect him. I know I like him, but is it something more?

I continue pacing back and forth angrily until a knock sounds on the door. My body tenses and my heartbeat accelerates. The door slowly creaks open and Maxie appears in the doorway along with two grunts. Anger courses through my body and I have to keep myself from lunging at him and choking the little monster to death.

"What do you want?" I snarl, my voice filled with hatred. Maxie doesn't say anything and just snaps his fingers. The grunts march towards me and grab my arms. I struggle with all my might, but the one on my left twists my arm. Pain racks my body and I quickly stop fighting. Maxie walks up to my and grabs my chin harshly, making me look at him. I snarl in defiance.

"Pity we have to do this. Your such a pretty thing." he says, turning my head to examine me. I snap my head back and he quickly withdraws his hand. A scowl graces my face as I glare at him with burning hatred flaring in my eyes. He clicks his tongue at me.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. We still have your boyfriend locked up and I'm not afraid to hurt him." he says slyly. I freeze and stare at him in shock. He wouldn't hurt Paul, would he? I glance at him again. He would, he totally would. I cant believe he's blackmailing me like this. My wall starts crumbling at the thought of Maxie setting Mightyena on Paul. Tears attempt to break through when I think of Paul lying on the floor covered in blood and scratches and barely able to breathe. I draw in a shaky breath.

"W-what do you want with me?" I stutter, trying to get the image of Paul out of my head. I'm suddenly vulnerable to anything and I don't like it. I haven't been like this since those first few weeks after I'd been captured when I was 11. Maxie laughs maniacally and smirks at me.

"We are going to do some excruciating tests on you and decide whether or not to keep you for our own purposes. Since we have found you the quest for Groudon has been put on hold, so you better be worth our time." he explains, scowling at the end. I hang my head in defeat and allow the grunts to drag me out of the cell.

They pull me down the hall with me stumbling to keep up. My mind starts to wander as they guide me through the corridors. Where are they taking me? What are they going to do with me? Is my father going to do anything about this? Will Maxie keep his promise and not harm Paul if I do as he says? All these questions cloud my head and I try desperately to sort them out, but to no avail.

Maxie suddenly halts before an iron door with a small, square window at the top. Maxie turns around and moves away from the door. I stare at him curiously, wondering what he wants.

"This is the boy's cell. You may see him if you want. I assure you we haven't hurt him." he says with a smug smile.

"You could at least use his name." I grumble under my breath. I walk up to the window and peek into the room. This one is also similar to mine with the bed in the far left corner. There are no windows at all. I see Paul sitting on the bed with his head in his hands.

One of the grunts draws out a set of keys and places one in the lock. He quietly turns it and opens the door, shoving me inside. I fall to my knees and my hair cascades over my face, concealing my angry expression.

"You have ten minutes." The guard growls softly before shutting the door and locking it. The room remains eerily quiet and I glance up to see Paul hasn't moved. I get to my feet slowly and silently make my way over to him. He remains motionless as I approach him and I decide to take a chance.

"Paul..." I whisper softly, grabbing his attention. His head shoots up at the sound of my voice and he stares at me for a few moments, as if he can't believe I'm here. I stand there awkwardly, fidgeting slightly under his gaze. He suddenly grabs me and pulls me into a hug. My arms hang limply at my side in surprise before reality catches up and I wrap my right arm around him. Tears finally burst through and he tightens his grip on me as sobs rack my body. I bury my head in his shoulder in an attempt to quiet myself.

"I thought they had taken you away. I thought you had disappeared like you did five years ago." Paul says after a few minutes. He is still holding me, but he loosens his grip slightly. My cries calm down enough for me to speak.

"T-they said... they said they will hurt you if...if I don't follow orders." I gasp through my tears. Paul pulls back and looks me in the eye, still grasping my arms gently. I blink rapidly to clear my vision so I can see him clearly.

"Don't worry about me." he says sternly. "I can look after myself. They can't do anything to me that I can't handle. You need to save yourself, Dawn. Don't risk your life because of me." I stare at him in shock and jump back, away from him. My arm screams in pain, but I ignore it. I can't believe what he's saying. He's willing to die so I have the slight chance of escaping! No, I won't let him do this.

"No..." I say softly, shaking my head. "No. I won't let you die because of me. You can't just throw your life away like that!" Paul stands up and walks towards me. He stops in front of me and I have to tilt my head up to look at him. His normally hard eyes soften as he stares at me.

"Dawn please..." he whispers. That's when I snap. That's when I lose control.

"Paul, listen to me." I say, my voice rising in anger. "I will not let you risk you life! Even if I escape they will track me down again and again no matter how many times I slip away! I know Maxie isn't lying. He will hurt you and I can't bear that guilt for the rest of my life! I already have my mom's death hanging over my head and I don't want to have yours too!" I start breaking down again while Paul just stands there, shocked at my outburst. I rarely snap like that. I'm usually so calm and coordinated. The grunts open the door and march over to me, grabbing my arms. I guess ten minutes is up. Tears streak down my face as they start dragging me away. Paul sprints after me and grabs my hand.

"I won't let them do this to you, Dawn." he says determinedly. He's still trying to convince me. I shake my head slowly.

"Paul...I don't want you to get hurt." I whisper weakly. The grunts slow down a bit, watching our intriguing conversation. Paul looks at me questionably.

"Why, Dawn? Why?" he asks, still holding my hand. That one word. That one word that can change everything. Realization dawns on me and I hang my head as more tears escape my eyes.

"Because I love you." I answer softly before the grunts drag me away, leaving a bewildered Paul behind.

I'm so evil, aren't I? I love cliff hangers. Let me know what you think and if Paul seems a bit OOC. I love the feedback! Maybe I'll stop the cliffhangers. (NEVER!) I hope it's a good story!