I Corrupt. ~ Minho (The Sequel to "For My Help")

The Unexpected Appearance

River stumbled up to her feet, her heart pounding in her chest. Her eyes desperately tried to adjust to the surrounding darkness, trying to make out shapes in the sea of black. Her breathing became ragged and uneven as she tried her best to calm it down. She had to have a clear mind if she was going to get herself out of this.

Stepping forward, River fumbled her way through the darkness. She lead with one foot, so as not to crash into anything. She felt her way towards her right, her fingertips touching a cold, hard surface. She exhaled as she realized that she had found a wall. It would be much easier to get around with this as her guideline. She traced her fingers across it, guiding her way through the dark. She stopped suddenly when her eyes caught a trace of light coming from below her.

It was in a thin, horizontal line close to the floor, signalling a door. Not only only that, but it meant the room behind it was in use. In use as in people could be inside of it. River's heart skipped a beat at this thought. She had no idea who was in that room or if they were even trustworthy. She lingered outside the door for a few minutes, not taking this decision lightly. She shook her head, deciding that she'd have better luck with whatever was in that room than the darkness surrounding her.

River reached out her hand and searched blindly for the doorknob. When her fingers connected with cool metal, she wrapped her right hand around it tightly, and slowly twisted it. 

The door opened inward with a loud groan, and she cringed. She didn't want all attention to be drawn to her immediately. She wanted time to asses the room, and the people in it. As she looked up to examine the faces that she was greeted with, gasps filled the air. 

"River, is that you?" River knew the voice as soon as she heard it. Thomas stepped forward, a concerned expression plastered on his face. A mix of emotions were filling his eyes, battling for dominance. Excitement and happiness were there first, then confusion and shock. 

"Hey guys." River exhaled, her mouth spreading into a grin. Immediately, Thomas enveloped her in a giant hug, his hand resting on the back of her head, pulling her in tighter. He stepped back as he let go, and Newt took his place.

Newt's hug was desperate, as if he hadn't let go of his feelings for her. He breathed into her hair, swaying slightly on the spot. If there was one thing River couldn't forget about the Glade, it was seeing despair crush the young boy's face as she rejected him. Newt finally let go, walking backwards to join the rest of the Gladers, not taking his eyes off of her.

"What happened to you?" Newt's eyes were full of sadness as he spoke these words. Everyone in the room was silent, not wanting to miss a single syllable of River's explanation.

"Why do you all look so sad like you know something horrible happened to me?" River gave a small laugh, trying to convince everyone that she was fine.

"River, have you not seen yourself?" Newt asked, his accent flowing into River's ears. She shook her head in response, worry flipping in her stomach. Without a word, Thomas moved from his position. His feet scuffed across the floor as he walked. He grabbed a hand mirror laid out on a bunk bed to the right and walked back to hand it to her.

The first thing River noticed was not on her face. It was her hand as she grabbed the mirror from Thomas. She was now beginning to see the effect that punching the door had on her, as her skin now resembled a galaxy. Purple, blue, and black were painted on her knuckles with such intricate detail and care it looked as though an artist had spent months getting just the right blend of colour. It spread out over four of her knuckles, the colour rising and falling from the dips in between each one.

Her eyes moved up the handle of the mirror before settling on her face. River swallowed a gasp looking at the girl staring back at her. Her heart dropped into her stomach, and tears started glassing over her eyes. This person in the reflection wasn't her, to say the least.

Her cheekbones were more prominent now, sticking out like knives from the side of her face. She ran a hand down them before sliding her eyes up farther. To say that she had dark circles was an understatement. The blackness that surrounded her eyes was that of the night sky, encircling her now foggy eyes like a ring.  She looked tired, like she had no more fight left in her. This accompanied her now sickly pale skin well.

"Well, I don't look my best." River forced a small smile, trying to lighten up the conversation. To her dismay, it didn't seem to work.

"Where have you been the past week?" Frypan spoke up, standing on his toes in the crowd to make his presence known.

"I - I don't know." River stammered, memories beginning to stir in her mind.

"Can you not remember?" Thomas asked.

"I remember everything." River looked at the floor, not wanting to meet her friend's gaze."Every waking minute of the experience, and almost every word she said to me. I just don't remember why she..." Her voice trailed off.

"Who said?" Newt piped up.

"I don't know that either. But she was powerful. Very powerful. She - or someone - tampered with my brain." River felt tears welling up in her eyes again. "They tampered with my feelings. I don't even know which ones. My memories are full of gaps and holes from that conversation. I'm missing the most important part. It's like it's just out of my reach."

"Well, do you feel any different?" Newt questioned.

"I - I don't think so. But who knows what they did to my brain." River sighed. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see over time. You guys will be able to tell, right?" She looked for reassurance among her friends. They all mumbled responses back, and River nodded. She felt empty. Like they had taken the most important part of her and ripped it out. 

That's when a door to the left of her opened suddenly, and a voice trailed out of it.

"River?"

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Author's Note

Welcome to the sequel! That sounded so lame. Anyways, I'm super excited to write this sequel mostly because I want to explore different parts of River's personality. She's going to be faced with some tough choices over the course of this story, and I can't wait to see how she grows.

Next part up soon!! :)

Thanks for reading!

Marin