"Can I come in?"
Ryoma stood outside her door, patiently waiting for her reply.
After a minute of silence, he frowned. Should I go in anyway?
He called again. "Ace?"
Glancing at a clock that hung in the hallway, he took note of the time.
5:26 pm
It had been around four hours since Allian had paid her a visit, and around thirty minutes since he last worked out.
When she didn't reply, his hand hovered over the doorknob for another few seconds before he sighed, gently pushing the door open.
He walked inside, closing the door behind him.
Turning his gaze to the bed, he was a bit surprised to see the girl lying down, her blanket pulled up to her shoulders. Her head rested on a pillow and her eyes were closed.
"Are you sleeping?" He asked, his voice soft.
When she didn't reply, he confirmed that she was, indeed, sleeping.
Pulling a chair to her bedside, he sat down and observed her features. She looked very peaceful and relaxed.. A great contrast to how she acted when she was awake.
Brushing a few loose strands of hair away from her face, he smiled at the sight.
Looking to the nightstand, he was startled to see a first aid kit resting on the surface. A half-empty plate and half-filled water bottle sat beside it.
He glanced over at her, worry blooming inside of him.
Slowly pulling the blanket down, he narrowed his eyes when he spotted wrap bandages along her wrist. A bit of alarm ran through his chest. I'll have to ask her about that when she's awake.
She suddenly groaned slightly, shifting her body a bit. She began tossing and turning, a few beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Her contorted to one of great discomfort.
Quickly standing up, Ryoma leaned over her, anxiety rushing into his veins.
~
"S-stop.."
Backing away from her reflected self, Ace felt her knees crumple, making her fall to the ground. She gritted her teeth, frustrated that her body refused to listen to her. Her breathing quickened as adrenaline pumped through her veins.
It was the same old darkened room. The only thing that she could see was the child personified as her younger self, her hospital gown ripped and stained with crimson liquid.
"Weak.." The monster uttered, slowly closing in their distance. "You're weak.."
"I-I'm not weak!" Ace yelled clenching her fists.
"You're worthless. Once a cripple, always a cripple. Letting your guard down.." It chuckled. "Now you're held captive by the people you thought were your friends."
"Shut up!" She yelled, beginning to tremble.
"You know it's true." It let out a horrid, raspy laugh. "You could never trust anyone. Not even that girl you call your friend." It walked towards her. "But you know, there's always a way out." A cold, twisted smile adorned its face.
She stared at the thing, her anger bubbling on the inside. "Yes.. there is a way out."
It grinned. "So you agree. Have you decided to.." It leaned towards her. "End your life?"
Her eyes steeled. Glancing up at the monster, she scoffed. "There are other ways out that don't involve suicide."
The figure straightened up. "You'll never make it. The strong survive. The weak die. You are weak."
"How am I weak?" She questioned, struggling to move her legs.
"How.. are you weak?" It stared at her, its red eyes beaming in the darkness. It let out a cold laugh that chilled the girl's bones. "You'll never be anything but that fragile girl in the hospital. You may try to change, but you can never escape your past."
"..You're wrong." Finding the strength to push herself back onto her feet, Ace tightened her fist. "I am strong enough to want to escape. I may never be able to escape my past, but I am not giving up!"
She swung her fist, colliding with the monster's cheek.
It staggered backward. Brushing its fingers across the impacted skin, it chuckled. "That's what you think. You'll come crawling back to me, asking me for the sweet release of death."
She clutched her pained fist and narrowed her eyes. "I won't."
The figure slowly paced towards her. "You will-" It glanced up and tsked. "Someone's calling for you." Looking back at her, it smiled. "I'll always be here for you."
Scowling, Ace took a step forward. "You-"
"Ace.. Ace!"
Letting out a gasp, she quickly sat up. Pressing her hand onto her chest, she could feel her heart racing. "Damn... again?" She muttered.
"Ace?"
Jolting in surprise, she glanced to her side. "Ry-Ryoma.. I didn't notice you there."
The red-eyed male frowned. He sat back down onto the chair, letting out a breath. "You were tossing and turning, muttering to yourself occasionally." He leaned back. "I decided to wake you up when began thrashing around. It honestly scared me a bit."
Looking down, she wiped the sweat off of her forehead. "I'm sorry you had to see me like this."
"Don't apologize for something as trivial as that." He got out of his seat and opted to sit beside her. "What's more important is how you're feeling. Are you okay?"
She nodded, looking away from him. "..I'm fine. It was just a nightmare."
He shook his head slightly. "Was it really just a nightmare?"
She felt herself tense up.
"So it isn't 'just a nightmare'." He concluded, sighing.
"Wha- N-No! It's really nothing you need to worry about." She forced herself to smile. "I'm fine!"
"You're a terrible liar." He said, observing her actions. "And you've been having nightmares regularly, haven't you?"
She glanced back at him, her eyes wide. "How did you..?"
"You muttered 'again' after you woke up." He said, resting his chin on his hand. "Tell me what the nightmare was about." He shook his head. "No- tell me about what the nightmares are about."
"You really don't have to worry about it." She said, giving him a small smile. "I appreciate that you're looking out for me, but this is a personal problem."
He rose an eyebrow at her. "Is it, by chance, related to your childhood?"
She nodded slowly, unsure if she should continue. "..Yeah. But it's all behind me now." She leaned back against the headboard. "That was the past. Every once in a while, I just dream about what I felt back then. It comes back to haunt me sometimes."
He frowned. "May I ask what you felt back then?"
She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. She hesitated. "Weak. Helpless. Every time I look at myself in the mirror I can't help but see my worthless self in the past."
"Ah." He shifted his body over so he could lean against the headboard as well. "From what I observed, you're anything but weak." He furrowed his brow, as something seemed to click. "Is this why you got into that fight against that bully?"
She shook her head. "No, that guy initiated the fight."
"Then is that why you always take action when you see someone getting picked on?"
"..Yeah." She smiled a little. "The people that I see getting picked on reminds me of myself. I won't stand by and watch them get beaten like people did when they saw me get beaten."
He nodded, a smile adorning his lips. "You're so strong.. Always fighting back. And you've got a great sense of justice. I admire that."
She scoffed. "Well what about you, Mr. Tough Guy?"
He seemed a bit taken aback. "Me? Uh.."
"Yeah." She smirked. "Is there a reason for you to be putting on all that muscle?"
He got off the bed, looking away from her. "There's a reason why I'm paying you a visit."
The girl rose an eyebrow at him. "Changing the subject, are we?"
He nodded. "Yep."
The girl sighed. Not even gonna bother denying my accusation, huh? "You're blunt as always."
He smirked. "Well anyways, let's get on with it, shall we?"
She sat up, gazing at him in confusion. "What are we doing?"
He put his hand in his back pocket, pulling out a small shiny object.
She stared at it, wide-eyed in surprise. "Is that..?"
"Yes, it is." He smiled, slowly walking towards her. "I've been tasked to make sure you don't escape when you're not cuffed."
She stared at the key in his hands, resisting herself from trying to snatch it away from him. "..What are you letting me do?"
"I'm giving you a chance to clean up and switch into a different pair of clothes." He said. "Take a shower. I think moving around a bit will help you not lose your sanity. You've been chained up all day."
She nodded eagerly.
Ryoma walked towards her, closing their distance. He reached out for her bound wrist, in which she more than happily offered him. As he brought the key closer to the cuffs, he looked at her. "Don't try anything. I have all the guys on speed dial. There will be consequences if you do."
"Okay." She quickly said, patiently waiting for her release.
As he slid the key into the lock, she felt a wave of joy surge through her veins. As the cuff was removed from her wrist, she felt.. so much freedom. It was surprising. She had never expected in her life to feel so free. She was surprised by how light her wrist suddenly felt. "Thank you!"
The male nodded and gestured to the closet. "Pick out a pair of clothing before going in the bathroom. I'll be waiting for you."
Ace ran into the closet in glee, her eyes scanning the clothing that had been organized into their respective locations. She recognized immediately that it was all of the clothes she had packed into her suitcase for the trip.
Picking out some comfortable sleepwear, she swiftly darted into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her.
The girl instantly looked around the room, hoping there would be a window.
She smiled in satisfaction when she noticed that there was a small window located a bit high up on the wall beside the sink, letting in natural sunlight.
She hung her clothes on a metal pole before walking towards the window. Being short, she had to climb onto the sink counter so she could gaze outside.
A feeling of surprise flooded through her body. The neighborhood looked familiar. This is.. their home.
Now that she thought about it, she never looked into all of the bedrooms. She only had the chance to see a vacant room that she had been tutored in, and Ryoma's bedroom when he returned her notebook.
She slowly lowered herself down from the sink counter. The window was way too small for her to climb out of even if she broke it.
But this makes things so much easier.
She smiled, slipping off her clothes and entering the shower.
Her eyes landed on her bandaged wrist.
Tearing the bandage off of her wrist, she told herself that she would just rebandage it later. It was soiled anyways.
She turned on the shower, sighing in content as the cold water rushed over her body. I never thought a shower would feel so good.
She cleared her thoughts a bit, honing in on what she would do tonight. Being in a familiar household would make things easier, as she would know where the exits are located. With the help of the tweezers, safety pins, and scissors, she would try to pick the lock on the handcuffs.
Everything from there should be smooth sailing- as long as she didn't get caught.
With the feeling of potential freedom ahead, she allowed herself to relax with the soothing feeling of water pellets hitting her skin.
She took in a sharp breath as she realized..
Shit. Faith and Akia! I can't leave without them.. I need to free them first. Who knows what the guys will do to them if they realize that I've escaped.
Sighing, she ran her hands over her face.
She'll have to try to find them and free them before her escape, then.
~
Ace walked out of the bathroom, drying her hair in the process.
She watched as Ryoma stood up from his chair, a tinge of pink dusting across his cheeks. "Hey, Ryoma." She said, walking towards the window and glancing outside.
I'm on the 2nd floor..
She brought her attention back to him. She was a bit surprised to see him hide his face from her. A small smirk found its way to her lips. "Are you blushing?"
"..No."
Laughing, she withdrew the towel from her head, letting her still-wet hair to fall down. "What, never seen a girl drying her hair?"
"Stop teasing me." He sighed, bringing his gaze back to her. "I need to cuff you back to the bed."
Frowning, she felt her mood downfall. "Can I at least have ten minutes before you do?"
He bit the inside of his cheek, debating on it. "I.. I guess so. But don't try anything, okay?"
"I won't." She replied, smiling. "I would have run for the door first thing after you released me if I wanted to escape."
He nodded. "That's true."
"Thank you, Ryoma." She said, picking up a hairbrush and combing her hair. "I've been meaning to ask, how are Faith and Akia doing?"
He tensed up slightly. "Faith and Akia?"
"Yeah." She frowned. "I hope you're not neglecting them. I would be very upset if you guys are.."
He sat down on her bed, making his face neutral. "They're fine. Don't worry."
"Okay." She smiled, putting down the hairbrush and picking up the first aid box. "Did you guys say that you were keeping them in the basement?"
Ryoma stood up, taking her wrist.
She nearly jumped in surprise. "Wha-"
He observed the wound. "So that's why you had this bandaged." He met her eyes. "Did they hurt you?" He asked, his eyes seemed to darken.
She frowned. Damn, this is the same reaction Allian had.
"No." She said, keeping up her lie. "I was just pulling against the cuffs too much, that's all. Kai was nice enough to give me a first aid kit when he saw it beginning to swell."
The male nodded slowly. "Okay. Let me treat it for you." He released her wrist and reached for the medical box.
"You really don't have to." She said, reaching for the box. "I can treat myself."
"Sit down." He ordered, pulling the box out of her reach.
She hesitantly did as he asked, watching him as he took out a few supplies.
Sitting down beside her, he gently took her wrist and began to treat the minor wound. "If anyone hurts you.. Please tell me."
She slowly nodded. "Okay."
After he finished wrapping the wound, he glanced at a clock hanging on the wall. "It's time. I'm sorry."
Ace reluctantly nodded, feeling sadness spread through her. She scooted closer to the cuff.
Taking the handcuffs into his hands, Ryoma attached it to her wrist, clicking it into place. "Ace," He glanced up at her. "We decided that.. If you behave well, then we're willing to ditch the handcuffs."
She stared at him, her lips parting open in surprise. "Really?"
He nodded. "You'll still be watched over, but you won't have to stay chained up." Standing up, he gave her a sad smile. "I have to go now."
"Okay." She said, now feeling conflicted about escaping.
"I'll see you later." Ryoma walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
She brought her gaze back down to the cuffs, pursing her lips.
What do I do..?