Scarred**ON HOLD**

Chapter One

It was pitch-black and cold.  I couldn’t move.  I could barely tell if I was in my own body I was so numb, but there, a finger.  My toes.  My hands.  Legs.  Everything started combing back, bit by bit.  I still couldn’t open my eyes, but at this point didn’t know if I wanted to or not.  There was a ringing in my ears, and the hard ground I was laying on felt as though it were spinning.

Taking deep breaths and attempting to slow my breathing and racing heart, I began to think.  Did I have anything with me that I could contact my troop with?  Had Damien taken Tanner too?  Was there any way out of here?

“Jennifer!”  I heard someone whisper to my left, my eyes snapped open.  My neck was stiffed as it rolled to the side to see who had called my name.  “Jennifer!” it came again, but it was too dark to see who was there.  Then a small flame appeared, just bright enough for me to see the person who’d created it.  The same person who’d called my name.

“Tanner!” I whispered so loud that the flame blew out.  He chuckled and the two of us crawled our way closer to each other.  “What are you doing here? Did they get any of the others?” I questioned him as he wrapped his arms around me, I felt his soft familiar flannel on my cheek and let a few tears drip down my face.  An overwhelming feeling of security and happiness had overcome me knowing he was here with me, and the two of us stayed like this for a few minutes longer, before finally deciding that we couldn’t stay here as prisoners forever.  We had to find a way out.

“I heard something coming from your room, and decided to check it out.  Thats when I saw Damien carrying you out of your bedroom window.  I tried to stop him, but...” Tanner began to trail off.  I could tell he was mad at himself by how stiff and tight the muscles were through out his body.  I hugged him closer to me, trying to get him to relax some.

“He touched you didn’t he.  Like he did to me.” I felt him nod, “Tanner,” I said.  He pulled away some and emitted a small flame from his hand once again, so that we could see each others faces.  “Damien, he got the dust.”  I said a little uneasily.  Tanner simply nodded.  We stared at each other for a few moments.

He had dark brown eyes that anyone could get lost in, and the hair to match.  Long enough to just cover his eyebrows.  He was tall, really tall actually, but so was I so it was ok.  His skin was calloused and his muscles were strong from years of hunting.  Tanner had been a hunter much longer than I have, but since I’d learned who I am, I’ve been training and hunting along with him.

He was the perfect boyfriend.  And he knew exactly what to do at precisely the right moments, seeing as how I was once again enveloped in one of his massive bear hugs, whispering into my ear that it was ok, and we’d find a way out together.  I loved him.  Both of us had calmed down now and were current;y resting in each others arms.  It was nice, comforting, and I breathed in the scent of pine trees that always lingered around him.

Then the door opened.  A silhouette of a man in the doorway with bright lights behind him.  Tanner tried to pull me behind him, but I stood next to him instead and took his hand in my own.

“Oh, now isn’t this just precious.  The lovely couple defending each other.”  A light came on above us and I was temporarily blinded as I continued staring at Damien before us.  He stepped forward, Tanner and I squeezed closer together, and our pursuer grinned at us, menacingly.  He took another step toward Tanner, and I glowered at him.  Focusing, trying to push him away with my mind.  He noticed.

“Don’t even try sweetheart, neither of your little mind games will work on me.”  With that he reached up to Tanner’s paralyzed figure, and touched his shoulder.  He went crumbling to the ground, writhing and screaming in pain and agony.  I knelt next to him, tears soaking my face as I tried to help him.  His face began turning red and his breathing became more rapid and urgent.  Veins started to pop out on his forehead and neck.  It was as if a surge of electricity, lightning almost, was being run through his body.  He was crying now too, and I could tell he couldn’t take much more of the pain.

“Please!” I screamed to Damien, looking from him to  Tanner and back again.  “Please stop! I’ll do whatever you want please just please don’t hurt him anymore!”  This must have been the answer he was looking for, his hold on Tanner was got as he slumped down further, he was shaking now, weak.  I held him in my lap trying to make him as comfortable as possible, stroking pieces of hair out of his face and rocking back and forth, muttering in his ear that it was over and he’d be alright.

He was regaining composure now, the shaking stopped, but he held on to me even tighter.  And I to him.  There was a deep sigh behind us.  “This is all very cute and touching, but I can start the shock again just as quickly as I stopped it.”

Damien ripped me away from Tanner and pushed me out the door in one fluid movement.  I turned just in time to see Tanner charging towards the door as it closed in his face, and locked tight.  “Jennifer!” he screamed, “Don’t you dare hurt her, or I swear I’ll kill you Damien.”  His only response was a slight chuckle as he gripped my arm a little too tightly and led me down a long hallway painted black.

Lighting was dimmer now, and we walked for what seemed like forever before we finally stopped at a door to my left.  Damien inserted a key and pushed it open, ushering me in.  The room was very simple.  A cherry wooden desk, and one chair on either side of it in the same color wood, the sack of dust sat on the table.

I was forced down into the chair opposite the door, and was unknowingly secured to it with a set of harsh metal handcuffs.  I was in a daze and barely noticed them.  Damien then made his was to the chair on the other side of the desk and sat down slowly, staring me down.  I stared back, our gazes unwavering.

He moved the sack towards me then.  “Now,” he said, “tell me what it is and how to use it.” He said.  Did he think I was stupid or something? I rolled my eyes and laughed in his face.

“Yeah, because I’m going to tell you my troops biggest secret ever, a secret that could destroy everyone on this planet.” I said, sarcasm dripping in my voice.  This angered him and he stood, reaching across the table he touched my forehead, and pain sprouted from there, to every other point in my body, crashing through me like tidal waves until I was screaming in pain.  He retreated.

“Now,” he said once again, “we can do this the easy way, or the hard way.  Honestly it’s your choice, but either way, I will find out.”

“You’ll have to kill me first.”

A/N:  SO what do you guys think??? Thank you all so much for reading/voting/commenting.  You guys really have no idea how much it means to me

XXX

Kayt!