Labyrinth: A Jeremiah Valeska Story *COMPLETED*

Chapter 32: The New Life

Jeremiah and I were engaged for about a year. Going into the summer of my junior year in college, I had spent the better part of two years dedicated to my studies at St. Ignatius as Jeremiah was dedicated to his work. We had decided to wait on the wedding since I was still in school and we felt there was no reason to rush things. I grew used to Jeremiah being my fiancé, and the promise of one day becoming his wife was comforting. While he certainly had his days, Jeremiah was no longer stressed about Jerome and therefore was happier and more optimistic. The paranoia gradually began to leave him and the darkness inside of him rarely showed anymore. We settled into a normal pattern of life. We became used to going out and enjoying Gotham like we hadn't been able to before. Ella, of course, loved our sudden willingness to have fun and she joined us on many of our endeavors in the city. She often brought along her now steady boyfriend, Brady. He was a nice guy who was amazing to Ella and he was also a pleasure to hang out with. The four of us had just returned from a three day vacation to an Engineer Conference which was hosted at the fanciest hotel and golf course in Gotham. We had a blast drinking, hanging out and viewing all the outstanding designs and prototypes at the conference. When Jeremiah and I finally got home, as I had finally moved in to his house, we were both tired from the event. As we were unpacking, I discovered that Ella left her wallet in my purse when I held it for her during the conference, so I decided I would run it to her. I shot her a text before I took Jeremiah's car to her apartment off campus that she shared with her boyfriend. I knocked on her door and when no one answered I was puzzled. I knew that she was home because she had texted that she would be here. After trying to knock again with no success I tried her handle to find it was unlocked. I opened the door. "Ella?" I called out, closing the door behind me before walking cautiously around the house. When I reached the bed room there was a broken lamp, clothes and various toiletries all over the floor. The familiar feeling of fear filled my stomach as I stood frozen in place. Suddenly someone came up from behind me, placing a cloth over my nose. I had practiced fighting with Ecco all summer long, and I had gotten quite good at it just as Jeremiah had reassured me that I would. I tried elbowing the person behind me but they twisted away from me while still holding the cloth to my face. I began to feel dizzy as I attempted kicking but I wasn't exactly sure where I was aiming my strikes. My body began to feel heavy and my vision began to blur. I was screaming at myself in my head to keep fighting, but my body was shutting down. My body slumped and the intruder picked me up. I wasn't able to see them as my body was limp but my mind was still very much alive. They carried me to what I assumed to be a car. I had so many questions. Where were Ella and Brady? How would Jeremiah know where to find me? Who had taken me? I wanted to be scared of my current situation but whatever chemicals they had forced me to inhale made me calm, and I could feel my mind beginning to fade as well. Forced sleep creeped up on me despite how much I tried to stay awake. The last thing I heard before everything went black was the sound of laughter so distinct I knew exactly who my attacker was. None other than Jerome Valeska.