"WHAT are we doing here?"
"I have someone to talk to."
Richard brought Florence to his job. She stood by his side in the dark room waiting patiently. Her bright eyes looked around not sure what was around her.
Richard held her hand in his loosely. He looked down to see her have the sweetest smile on her face and then look at him. He gave her hand a squeeze. "Sir.." a man said coming into the room.
Richard wasted no time to tell her to stay quiet and still in the dark room. "I'll be right back.." he told her.
She watched him walk away behind the door. The echo of it shutting loudly sent shivers down her spine. "Okay.." she said.
She did as told. She stood still. Not moving a muscle. Not saying a word. She was too afraid to do so.
And then a light above a shelf turned on.
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A ringing sound was going off a mile away. She tried to turn her head away lazily to avoid the noise. Go back to sleep. But the sudden feeling of pain in the back of her head struck her memory.
Florence recalled what happened to her before she was knocked out. She was so close to escaping. She moved her hands.
She felt rope and a burning sensation go through her hands. They were still stinging from when she generated energy blasts on the street. She felt her feet touching cold hard wood flooring.
Her eyes finally opened. She expected to be tied up. It was something she was oddly familiar with.
She didn't expect to have her hair pulled back and no duck tape over her mouth. She looked around the room. Her jacket was neatly folded against the farthest wall along with her shoes on top.
"Well good morning.." she heard once the door behind her opened. Her eyes rolled in annoyance and anger. But her hands were sweaty from nervousness. "How was your nap?"
"Shut up.." she groaned. Her head was still throbbing from the pain. She moved her hands in a way to get out of the ropes but it was no use.
"Oh, there's no use, princess." the man said. Clattering echoed as he walked closer to her. He held a tray of two cups and plates. He made his way in front of her and to the desk a few feet away. "I thought you might be hungry-"
"Stop," she said softly. He eyed her and let out a questioning hum. "Stop.. Just let me go." she whispered.
She let her head hang. She couldn't care to look at him. She didn't want to. "Flo.." he sighed. "You know i can't do that. We have things to do. Important things to do."
"Just kill me," she whined. "That'd be better than being around you."
He was still facing away from her. He took a breath while he looked at the wall. But then he finally turned around. "Princess-"
"Stop calling me that." she interrupted. She finally looked up. His scar along his cheek and the burned skin on his head sent a smile to her face. "Oh.. didn't realize how badly i fucked you up last time."
He clenched his jaw while forcing a laugh out. "Funny.." He took a rubber band from behind him on the desk and pulled back his dreads.
"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be out and about hurting someone else? Running from the cops?" she asked. She felt the rope between her fingers. Looking for a spot to break.
"I told you, we have important things to do." He sat on the edge of the desk. He reached behind him again and grabbed the burger on one of the plates. "How's the gift i've given you? Saw how it worked on the guys i sent." he smirked.
"Gift?" she repeated. "You didn't give me a gift- You sent me to the hospital!" she yelled. "I was there for months!"
"I gave you something no one else could-"
"I didn't ask for it!" she yelled with a laugh. "I didn't want to be exposed and experimented on! I'm your niece!" Tears welled in her eyes. She was reliving the moment he hurt her and broke her trust. The day she was finally found by her parents.
The day she woke up in the hospital. Alone. The tears she cried and the sadness she felt. "Listen.." he started. He took a bite of his food like their conversation was nothing. "I have had this plan... since before you were born. And i..used you to get ahead of it.
"Don't you see, princess? I made sure that you got my gift so once i got it too.. we'd be unstoppable." he said through eating. He set the half eaten meal down and made his way in front of her.
"Unstop- Are you crazy?" she asked. She shifted in her seat to sit up more. Her hands took hold of the rope tighter. "What plan do you have that you would want me to help you with? Because it's not gonna happen-"
"Trans-dimensional teleportation." he said bluntly. She squinted her eyes not sure what he was saying. "I gave you.. the ability to teleport through time and space." He stood up and walked closer to where she sat. "You and i can quite literally break the laws of physics." he stated.
"What do i have to do with that?"
He shook his head and started to walk around the desk. "Florence," he started. "You're my one and only niece. You're the kid who motivated me to not give up on my project. But you're also the one who made me realize that i need to be the one to find a place- a planet.. capable enough to save this world so you.. can live longer.
"In a world that's not dying." he finished. She sat there more confused than before.
"Oh, my- this is all about saving the world?" she asked. Her tears were evaporated away. "I don't buy that."
He shrugged his shoulders and took a seat in the chair behind the desk. "If i told you my real plan.. you might try to go to the cops." His smirk was paired with his low eyes. "I can't have you almost ruining my life, now."
"Trans-dimensional teleportation?" she asked.
"Nope. Just regular teleportation." he said as he leaned back for a moment. "But i'm sure you haven't mastered it yet, huh?"
She ignored his comment. Her hands stoped burning. She tightened her grip and tugged on the rope lightly. His eyes went from looking at her to his desk.
"You know how to get out of those.." he said. "I taught you how."
"I just want to go home." she begged. "I don't want anything from you. I won't tell anyone about anything. Just let me go home."
"I can't, princess." She tugged harder while bucking at him. Not at his vague expression. Not even at him calling her 'princess'. It was because she couldn't get out.
She remembered him teaching her how to get out. But being in a coma meant she couldn't recall everything from her traumatic experiences. She moved her arms down and up trying to wiggle her way free.
"Listen," He leaned his arms on the wood and intertwined his fingers. "Im going to.. help you."
"Help me?" He nodded. "I don't want your fucking help- I want to go home."
He scoffed. He lifted his finger and pressed a button at the edge of the desk. "Hey, Don," he said. "I'm gonna need some help in here. Also get the room ready."
"On it." Don replied.
Her heart sank and she started to sweat harder than usual. It finally hit her that she wasn't leaving soon. She wasn't going to see her family. Peter. Gwen. She wasn't leaving anytime soon.
The door creaked open like before. She couldn't turn her head to see behind her. She started to tug at the rope again. "Dude- Seriously, i just want to go home. Just let me go, Rich."
He threw his hands up and leaned back in his chair. "Sorry." he said to her. "Do it." he nodded to the man.
She tried to wiggle her arms and legs. She could figure it out last minute. She could remember. Hand under the rope- No, over- No-
Her struggle came to an end when she felt a needle on her neck. It wasn't long before it was jammed into her skin. "Ah!" she winced. She could feel the liquid flow through her. It was going to start acting soon.
"I'm sorry it had to be like this, princess." he said. His voice was starting to sound low and distorted. "But you'll see my plan unfold soon."
...
"Mom.." her voice called out. "Dad? Luxas?" her voice cracked. It was hoarse and dry. And stiff.
She tried to reach up to her neck. But her hands felt weak. Or she felt weak and her arms were just too heavy. But she didn't care.
Where is everyone? I can't.. I can't.. Where are they..
"Mom.. please.." she begged. Her tears were falling from her eyes and down to her ears. Her breathing- She couldn't breathe. She was stuck. "Dad.. Someone.."
No one was there. She didn't even know where she was. Last thing she remembered was..
What did she remember last?
Why can't she concentrate?
...
She jolted at the slight feeling of tile on her face. "Ah.." she let out once she sat up. She rested herself on her feet as she wiped her face. Then her neck.
She felt the area the needle went into her skin. She picked at the bandage that was over it.
"I wouldn't do that." a voice instructed. It was a woman. Or someone who sounded very feminine.
She looked around. It was a small room with a bed not far from her. There was a glass door with a small area big enough to slide things through. "Hello..?"
"Hi Florence." the voice greeted. She looked up and saw in one of the corners there was a camera. "Good eye, kid."
"Hmm.." she mumbled. She clenched her arm in her hand and went to sit on the bed behind her. "Who are you?"
"Oh.. I'm Maddox. You can call me Mad, Ox, Bull, whatever you want, really." the voice advised. "But as to my job.. I'm here to make sure you're taken care of."
"Taken care of?" she scoffed. She looked at her wrists and rubbed her fingers over the red rope burns she got from tugging on the rope too much. "Why would my uncle want to make sure i'm taken care of?"
"Do you want the truth?" She didn't expect a response like that. But she nodded still looking at her wrists. "He cares about you."
She let out another scoff. This time it was combined with a half laugh. "Yeah right.."
"No, it's true." Mad said. "For the past three years he's been talking about how much he can't wait to execute his plan with you and have you by his side. And he hired me solely because i wouldn't be biased in you guy's' relationship."
"Well if he really cared about me.." she said. "He wouldn't have done what he did in the first place.."
She stopped touching her hands and dropped them in her lap. Her eyes found a spot on the wall and let her eyes unfocus. She wanted to escape.
Her muscles went limp and she couldn't hold herself up besides her head. Her thoughts wouldn't stop. One came to mind. Mom and dad are probably worried..
She wished there was a way to get home. She didn't know how to teleport there. No use in trying. She couldn't just ask. "Mad?" she asked.
"Yes?"
"How often do you watch me?" she asked. Never once looking up at the camera.
"As long as you're in the room, Miss Rose." Mad said.
...
"Did you call her phone?" Florence's mom asked her husband. "You know she picks up after a few times."
"I know, honey." he replied. He dialed again and waited for the ringing. He looked to his wife and grabbed her hand. "No answer." he sighed once it went to her voicemail.
She let out a small cry before her husband pulled her into his arms. "Alright, you two," May said coming into the room with a blanket for the boy sleeping on her couch. "We shouldn't worry too much. Peter is on his way home and she might be with him."
Right on cue, Peter rushed into the house. But not for the reason the adults might have thought. He pulled his jacket off and went to hang it up but noticed all eyes on him.
"Peter?" Florence's dad asked.
"Mr. Rose.. Mrs. Rose.." He looked to the couch and saw Luxas asleep with one of his old blankets over him. "What's wrong? Where's Flo?"
Mrs. Rose let out another sob and collapsed herself in her husbands arms. "We thought she was with you.." May said as she made her way to her nephew. She brought her hand up to his cheek and rubbed his red skin. "Are you okay?"
"Why'd you think Flo was with me? She went to work." he said pushing his aunts question to the side. He looked at the two adults who suddenly looked more scared.
"She never came back from work." Mr. Rose replied. No one was sure what was going on. "This isn't like her, Peter. You know this."
He just nodded. But like how he reacted a lot of other times, he only nodded. Not sure what to do or how to act.
His hand found it's way to his mouth as he walked to sit on the edge of the couch. Facing away from everyone.
First his uncle was shot dead. Now his best friend goes missing. He heard everyone's muffled voices grow farther away as he tried desperately not to cry again.
But his new voice in his head was telling him to stop crying and act. He had planned to find the man responsible for killing Ben. Why not kill two birds with a stone and look for Florence too?
He wiped his eyes and stood up to go to his room. "Peter?" May called. She met him at the steps of the stairs and grabbed his hand. "Pete.."
"I just.. i need a second.." he told the woman.
...
There was a knock on the door. Florence lifted her head up to see her uncle opening the small doorway and shoved a brown bag through.
"What's that..?" she asked as she sat up. "A knife so i can kill myself?"
"No.." he said seriously. He closed the door and stood there waiting for her to get up and open it. "Just open it, prince-" He saw the look in her eyes. Cold and dark. "Kid."
She eyed it. Then she shook her head. "Mm. Nope. I'm good."
"Kid, listen," he said. "I'm giving you this as a way to show you I'm trying to help-"
"You kidnapped me on the street.. to fulfill some dumbass plan." she reminded. "Anything you give me means nothing to me and is only a way to benefit you-"
"Just open the fucking bag!" he yelled.
He never yelled at her. Especially not like now. It showed by how fast she scooted away on the bed. She even felt herself shiver.
"I'm sorry.. I'm sorry.." he sighed pinching the bridge of his nose. He took a couple seconds to take breaths to calm down. "Please just open it. I'm making sure you don't killed out there." he told her.
"Killed..? Where?"
"Open the bag, and you'll find out."
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