Taken- a Selection FanFiction

Chapter 5

I blinked in shock. Nathan stood there, pinning me against the wall, looking for answers in my eyes. "Why didn't you tell your father?"

"I want to come with you," he replied.

I laughed shakily and ducked under his arm to escape my situation. "I don't trust you," I said nervously, afraid of how he might react.

"Elisa, please," he begged. He looked to my eyes earnestly, his voice shaking a little. "You don't know what it's like here most of the time. You've barely scratched the surface."

"Nathan, I-"

"Let me help you," he interrupted. "I can get connections, and I can help any way I can. How can I make you believe me?"

"You can't! The last time I trusted you, I ended up here!"

"We're talking about this after dinner," he said sternly. "You don't have any plans afterward, do you?"

"Only to kill someone. Does that interfere?" I smarted back.

Nathan grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the door. He dragged me to the dining room, and we entered the room. To the people at the dinner table, I looked like a small child being scolded. I relaxed myself to look like I wasn't going insane.

Nathan pulled out my chair and smirked while gesturing to sit down. "How humane," I muttered so that Nathan could only hear me. He shook his head as we sat down.

I sat across from Harrison, who looked grumpier than usual. He had a glass of wine close to the bottom, and he was swirling the remains of his drink. Penelope held hands with John Brown, who was trying to keep Ray's attention.

A perfect dysfunctional dictorial family.

"So, John, Lady Brown, how are your wedding plans?" Asked Ray.

"They're going pretty well," Penelope smiled. "We should be married by the end of July."

"July?" I said, startled. "How long have you known each other?"

"Since the burn, Elisa. It was common for arranged marriages to happen not so long ago," Penelope replied.

"You haven't even known each other a year, and your getting married?" I said outraged.

"Elisa, I think you should calm down," Nathan whispered suggestively.

"No, I'm not going to calm down! She's fifteen years old and not ready for this kind of life!"

"Elisa!" Penelope bellowed. "I am a woman of the Confederation. I am happy to serve the best I can by marrying John, who I'm sure I will grow to love deeply. You're not Mother, so quit acting like her!" She yelled. Tears welled in her eyes. "Why can't you just be happy for me?"

Penelope left the room in tears, leaving behind a frustrated John. He turned to me, clearly outraged. He stood from his chair and narrowed his eyes at me.

"You bitch." He began. "You've been nothing but trouble, and if you weren't such an investment, you'd be dead by now. You should be grateful! And now, you've stressed my fiancé!"

"She's more my sister than your fiancé, you pig," I fired back.

I fell against the cold tile floor, hitting my head. I saw stars, but that was nothing compared to the sting on my cheek. I touched the skin gingerly, wincing as my fingers came in contact with the flaming skin.

I felt my eyes swirl, and all of my vision blurred. I saw One man pulling another off of a man receiving a brutal beating. There was one sitting in a chair, but I couldn't make out who was who.

That was my last thought before blacking out entirely.

******************

"I can't believe you," a soprano voice shrieked. I looked closer, and Penelope stood before me.

She wore a beautiful white gown that glimmered with every move. Her hair was pinned behind her head, but strands fell everywhere. Her makeup was smeared heavily. In her hands was a bouquet of dead flowers,

"What did I do?" I asked confusedly.

"You ruined my wedding!" She cried. I tried to reach for her, but she began to fade away.

"Penelope!" I panicked. She was fading, and I was sobbing. After what felt like an eternity, warm arms encompassed me.

"It will all be ok, Elly," they said soothingly. "I promise."

"How do you know?" I said muffling my sobs.

"Because I said so."

"Elisa," a distant voice called repeatedly. I shook my head, focusing my vision on the figure in front of me.

"Aaron?" I said hopefully. A cool cloth hit my forehead.

"Sorry, but no."

Nathan loomed over my forehead with a bruise across his jaw and a cut on his forehead. He gave me a sad smile, which I returned with more depression.i looked at my surroundings to see I was still in my dinner dress.

"How long have I been asleep?" I asked dazedly.

"A few hours," he replied. I never knew what day it was, nor the time because of the lack of windows in this facility. "You were hurt pretty badly. I thought you had a concussion."

"What even happened?"

"John hit you pretty hard, and I didn't think it was appropriate. One thing led to another, and your brother eventually had to pull me off of him. The doctor said you should be ok, though."

"Well, I feel like crap," I said honestly while sitting up. "Is Ray mad?"

"At me, yes. He's actually amused by the events that happened last night," he said through gritted teeth. He gripped the armrests of his chair until his knuckles turned white. I laid my hands over his to calm him.

"Why are you so angry?" I asked softly. He had always had anger, but I could tell he was refraining from expressing it.

"It's just like the last time. I'm not going to stand for it," he shook his head.

"What happened last time?" I whispered. I could tell his knuckles were regaining color, but I kept my hands over his to be sure.

"You want to know why I want to leave here?" He exhaled slowly. I nodded my head. "When I was around seven years old, we moved down here and started the resistance. Father, Mom, and I were happy. My dad was happy."

"But," he began. "He grew empty. He would get drunk and begin raging. He had a terrible temper, and everybody knew. One day, he came back. He had a terrible day, apparently, and took it out on Mom."

He swallowed and exhaled once more a bit shakily. "He beat her. Viciously, relentlessly- for hours. Elisa, it was awful. I was seven years old; how was I supposed to defend myself, or my mother?"

"Nathan, I'm so sorry," I choked.

"Don't be. There's nothing I can do about it. I'm going to leave this place with you, right?" He asked hopefully.

"I don't know," I said unsurely. "They might not even come."

"They will. I know they will," he said confidently. "We should probably get some rest. Ray has requested an audience with us tomorrow."