Twisted Love / A Red Queen fan fiction

Chapter 1: Awakening

I drift back into consciousness and wallow in the abyss beneath my eyelids. My body is made of lead, stuck to the hard stone floor as the memory of the pain comes flooding back.

I can still hear the strange clicking noise echoing through the chambers of my brain. It reached down to the depth of my soul and strangled me from the inside out with its malicious hands. Fire jumped from nerve to nerve as my insides melted. The phenomenon shut off my senses completely, leaving me unable to do anything but endure torment that I desperately wanted to escape. I lie there aware of every sensation, yet I felt nothing at all. An element my body once welcomed suffered at the hands of it. Although it was intended to harm me, I could still recognize what it was.

The ability Julian taught me to nurture. What my flesh and blood creates. Who I am. Electricity was a part of me, an instinct as natural as breathing, but was taken away at the hands of the devil. My gift used to destroy me.

How fitting.

I finally open my weary eyes, squinting into the blinding light. As my vision focuses a little more, I see large blotches of red and brown on the ceiling. My breath hitches as I discern what they are.

Blood stains.

Some blood is old, some is fresh. The sight sends a chill down my spine and I wonder how many have been here before me or if they survived. I feel a sense of great urgency course through my veins. I need to move, now. My muscles scream in agony as a burning sensation travels down my entire body. After several attempts, I tilt my head down and my gaze falls on restraints lining my wrists. My skin has turned an ugly red with pus-filled blisters beginning to rise to the surface.

The realization of where I am hits me like a punch in the face. My breathing accelerates as my face and palms break into a cold sweat. Fear prickles my skin, raising the hairs on my arms and back of my neck. As much as I don't want to be within Maven's grasp any longer, I don't have a choice. I must fight not only for myself but for Cal, Gisa, Kilorn, Farley, the newbloods. How I'll get out of here, I'm  not sure. But I do know that I will, even if I die trying.

I push myself up on my forearms and slump against the wall behind me. I sit in solitude and my head throbs with the many thoughts racking up in my brain. As I sit, I examine my cell. The walls are painted in red blood, oxidized by time. The pressure pushing me down is due to silent stone. It's heavier than usual, so my manacles and room must be made of it. It drains every ounce of energy I have and almost seduces me into sleep. I don't allow myself to succumb to the temptation and keep the thoughts of my family to fuel my determination.  My senses gradually return and the stench of rotting carcasses overwhelms me. I start to detect the icy chill of the room. The cold attacks my bones like the electricity did not too long ago.

At least, I think it wasn't too long ago.

My eyes skim over the room once more and I decide to try to move to the front of the cell. If I'm going to plan an escape, I have to get a better image of where exactly I am. With as much strength as I can muster, I manage to get on all fours. The silent stone weighs me down, threatening to crush my bones. My knees scrape the ground and my palms start to blister against the ground. I draw my attention away from my aching body to the front of the bars and keep going.

Cal, Kilorn, Gisa.....

Mom, Dad, Shade.

They fuel my fire of revenge, of hate, of determination.

I reach the bars and lay my head on its cool surface while my heaving breath returns to normal. While I wait for my pulse to slow, I hear a faint jingling of chains. If other people are here, maybe they can help. Maybe we can get out together. My head jerks up reflexively, and I see there is a man in the cell across from me.

Tears well up in my eyes as I recognize who he is.

Julian.

His once vibrant golden brown eyes are now dull and lifeless, his face is pale, drained of all color, and his cheeks are sunken in. His muscle has withered away, leaving a shell of a once bright and joyful man.

My old teacher, my advisor, is imprisoned. He's not dead as Maven led me to believe, but this fate is much worse than death. The torment, the interrogations....and it's all my fault. The guilt that knaws away at me will never go away. If Julian dies because of me, I will spend the rest of my life apologizing and wallowing in anguish.

He looks back at me and his lips start moving soundlessly, the volume lower than a whisper. I lean forward, my ears straining to comprehend his words.

"Mare....how did you get here?"

"I-I don't know....one minute I was with Cal and the next I wasn't."

He just looks down at his hands. I don't blame him. This isn't exactly an ideal situation to be in. We haven't seen each other since the night we broke Kilorn, Farley, and Walsh out of their cell in the kingdom. I wish we could have met another way.

"Are you...okay," I ask.

What a stupid question. Of course he isn't okay. But it's all I can think of to say right now. We're both mentally and physically drained. It's as if two zombies were talking to each other. Just a bunch of meaningless mumbles.

He grunts in response.

Before our exchange can go any farther, the sound of sliding metal sounds from the end of the hallway. We both turn against the bars to find who is coming in, and our discovery is not pleasing. By the door is Ptolemus Samos, the man who killed my brother. And right next to him is the monster who brought me here and the man who broke my spirit.

Maven.

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Hey, guys. This is my first piece on wattpad and I really appreciate you taking the time to read it. My friend and I are actually co-writing it together. Her username is Vivianthecreator_. She's going to be posting the same fan fiction on her page soon(I'm using her laptop right now) and you should totally go follow her as well after you follow me. :) I'll be updating every Friday or Sunday. I go to my dad's house every other weekend, so.... it's a hassle updating. I can promise that there will always be a chapter a week, though. Sometime toward the end of that week. If I can't update on the laptop, which I prefer, I will update on my phone. Also, should I add some background music to the story? Would it make it more interesting to you? Let me know. ;)