Cage

15.

Alex's POV

I wake up, gasping for air. All I see is black. I reach out in every direction but I can't feel anything.

I reach out again and my hands wrap around something. It's the bars of a cage, rusted and ice cold.

The empty darkness beyond the cage warps into something terrifying. I see my parents lying on the floor, their bodies cold and lifeless. I scream and step back, into a large chest.

I spin around to find the grinning face that has never left my nightmares. He grabs my hair and pulls me to my knees, undoing his belt. I glance behind him to find my adoptive parents. They smiling and nodding, telling me everything will be okay.

But I know nothing will never be okay again.

Before the huge man can hurt me, I punch him. Hard.

My head spins continuously, until suddenly it is still. I look around. I'm in a hallway, leaning against a locker, watching the boy I fell in love with kiss another girl.

Cage.

"Alex?" Someone shakes me and my eyes fly open. I sit up so fast then I see dots in my vision. I grab onto the person in front of me, hoping this is real. "Are you okay?" His voice is rough and raspy, like he just woke up.

"I'm fine," I mumble, letting go of Cage. My voice is hoarse and my throat hurts. I look around and notice the lights are still off. The only light is coming from his torch that is placed at the foot of my bed. "What time is it?"

"4am," he replies.

"What are you doing in here?" I ask.

"You were screaming bloody murder. I had to make sure you were okay."

"Was I that loud?"

"Everyone in a five mile radius could hear you. Was it because of what you saw yesterday?"

"No. It was..." I trail off. My head starts pounding so I lift my palms and place them on either side of my head. I can feel a throbbing pulse against my hands.

"Alex, what's going on?"

"I don't know," I whisper.

He slowly takes my hand and removes it from my head, and slowly rubs circles on my wrist with his thumb. "Whatever it was, it was just a dream, okay?"

"When last have you kissed a girl?" I ask. It is a dumb thing to ask, I know, but I have to know.

"Hmm, let's see. It was about eight days ago. This really stubborn and annoying girl kissed me against my will. Although I have to admit, I didn't hate it." He smirks.

"Oh please. You would do it again if you could."

"I've considered it," he admits, glancing down at my lips for a fraction of a second.

I smile, but my smile drops when I remember the dream and how it ended. I quickly pull my wrist out of his grasp and blow air onto my fingers to try and warm them.

It's freezing and uncomfortable and I just want to go home. I never thought I'd want to go home of all places, but I do. I want my warm bed and some hot chocolate. I want to believe the lie that everything is going to be okay.

But it's not. I'm going to die. This time I can't tell myself things will be fine. My body is going to be shredded and the last few seconds of my life are going to be far more painful than anything I could imagine.

"You're—" Cage starts talking then immediately goes silent. A frown forms on his face as he tried to listen for something. I listen with him, and notice the feint sound of footsteps.

The door to the entrance of this place swings open and light pours in from the white hallway. "Shit," Cage hisses and dives off the bed, hiding next to it so the guard won't see him.

I pretend to be sleeping, until I hear my gate slowly creek open. My eyes open and see the guard from before. Sam, I think. "Why is your gate unlocked? Are you planning on running?" he asks, roughly pulling me out of the bed and to my feet.

I subtly drop my blanket over the side of the bed and onto Cage just in case.

"No," I say quickly. "I didn't know it was unlocked." He watches me carefully. I can tell he doesn't believe me. "Officer, if I was trying to escape from my unlocked cell, don't you think I would be out the cell and not sleeping inside it?"

He huffs. "Fine. It would be stupid and suicidal of you to try and escape this place anyway." He pushes me back onto the bed and leaves, locking the gate behind him.

I sigh and run my hands over my face. I stand up and slap my cheeks slightly because I still feel a bit groggy.

Cage pops his head up from next to my bed and looks around before standing up and placing my blanket back on my bed.

I smile when I realize he is in his boxers and a white shirt. Obviously he was sleeping. I bite my lip. His thighs are thick and muscular, and his boxers are wrapped around them perfectly. I quickly avert my gaze, before he catches me looking.

"Shit," Cage whispers, his eyes widening in realization.

"What?" I ask.

"The keys that Sam just took from the gate were mine. I'm locked in here."

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