Panic Room (a.i) On Hold

Chapter 4

Luke's P.O.V

I watch as Calum toys with Ashton. A purely wicked smile gracing his kiwi lips.

I feel my hatred for him and his family grow ever so slightly.

Mali was the only good one out of that family of bastards.

As Calum teases Ashton with the thought that he knows what Ashton doesn't, I step in.

"Come on dude," I say, stepping forward. "That's enough." That really was going too far. To remind Ashton that his memories are gone for good.

Once they- I mean we, take them away, they're gone for good.

"What's your deal Luke?" Calum demands, stepping away from the microphone. "I thought you enjoyed this?"

I bite down on my lip, tugging on my lip ring. "I-I do. I-I just think we shouldn't torture him this much so early on. It would be best to save his most important fears for later, don't you think?" The lie slips off my tongue so easily that it sounds like the truth.

Calum considers my words. His lips press together in thought. His chocolate brown eyes stare into my ocean blue ones. I try my best not to cringe under his heavy stare.

Finally he nods his head. "You're right Luke." He clasps my shoulder and smiles. "This is why you're my best friend."

I can only smile back as he goes back to Ashton. The night vision olaced in the room so that we can see allows us to watch as he sits forward then sits back.

He's having a panic attack.

I look back at my mother who was forced to attend by my father. She sends me a weary smile. She wants to leave just as much as I do. It's Calum's first year controlling Panic Room. As the son of the Ruler he has to do it at some point.

He never pushed Kyrelle this far. He seems to have a certain hatred for the curly haired boy.

I wish I could get both of them out of here, but I can't. I look over to where Melantha and Nico Abernathy are. They were forced to attend as well. I know how much Mel hates it.

Her dark hair starts to fall in her face as she observes this awful "game". The hatred in her green eyes is evident.

I walk over to them. I lean down to whisper in Mel's ear.

"We'll meet tonight at midnight. Don't be late."

She looks up at me, surprised at the sudden voice in her ear. Once she gets over her initial surprise, she nods. She leans over to whisper it to Nico.

He looks up, looking almost surprised. Considering how close my father is with Calum's, they all expected me to be just as sadistic and wicked as my father.

How wrong they were.

I got my compassion from my mother. She hates all of this. The torturing. The loss of memory. The killing. She can't stand any of it.

And neither can I.

In fact,on my first year observing Panic Room, I saved the love of my life.

Katrina Langston.

She's here observing this year as well, as much as I protested it. My father thought that since we're going to be married in the fall that Katrina should get used to this. After all, she would be observing this the rest of her life.

I wanted to run away with her. Away from here as Mali had. She had supposedly ran off to some foreign country with her lover, but us Reapers know different.