THE BEGINNING OF ANOTHER CHAPTER

HOURS UNKNOWN

LOCATION - LAMBORN HEADQUARTERS

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A sharp stabbing pain bit my sides as I turned. I could feel the harsh light penetrate through my eyelids as they fluttered open. A drawer shut in the background and legs of a chair scraped closer to me.

"And sleeping beauty awakes."

The voice like music to my ears between the throbbing headaches. I sat up, pushing my hair out of my face. Eli sat across me, a worried smile on his face. I rubbed my neck and leant forward.

"What happened," I asked and then looked around the room, "Where are we."

"Phye," he said, pulling his chair closer to my bed. My eyes widened at his tone, my name on his tongue triggering the memories.

"No," I said, stumbling for words, "You."

Eli snuggled back into his chair, a lopsided grin flashing across his face, "You don't like what you see."

I swung my legs off the bed, ignoring his comment, my heart beginning to pound in my chest.

"Ty," I gasped trying to find our connection.

"Phye," he said. I closed my eyes and fished for him in my mind.

A pair of hands grabbed my shoulders, "Phye," he said his voice steady.

"What," I said twirling around.

"He is here."

I paused, staring at the shadow of stubble growing on his face. I repeated what he said. Eli pushed me into the chair he had been sitting on.

"Where is here," I asked.

"No one knows."

"No," I said, trying to get up, "We can't be here."

"Calm down, phye," he said.

"No," I said pushing him away and standing, "Do not tell me to calm down."

Eli crossed his arms, pursing his lips at my expression.

"I want to see Ty, now," I yelled, "Where is he?"

"He is in another room," Eli said rubbing his neck, "I'll take you there, but first I have to tell you something."

"What."

He came and stood in front of me both of his hands on my shoulders to steady me.

"There is-" he said and was going to continue but then the door to the room opened.

"I found a pack of cards," Ty's voice echoed.

"Yeah, you want to play," another voice asked. I stiffened. Eli's eyes widened and he bit his lip as the door fully opened.

"Sapphire," Ty whispered seeing me. I didn't even acknowledge him.

"Jaz," I muttered. I pushed passed him and opened the door. Jaz smiled hesitantly and moved forward to hug me. I pushed her back.

"No," I said, the words barely audible.

"You woke up," Jaz said, still not fazed by my behaviour.

"Do not," I yelled, "Why are you here, what do they want from us."

"We do not know," Ty said. I turned to him and touched his head, trying to find the connecting wire

"I have tried," Ty said sighing "I have tried everything."

I looked to the dull walls and then the wires beside the bed I had just gotten up from.

"Tell me," I said tugging my hair back.

"Sit," Eli said, pushing me down, "I've been here 12 days, here being what we assume some sort of headquarter for lamborns."

"Wait," I said, "twelve days, i saw you like 2 days ago."

"Sapph, you've been out for more than a week."

I looked back to the tangle of wires, only now seeing the tint of red colouring them. I rubbed the inner bend of my elbow, a tinge of pain jolting through my arm.

"Why was I given blood."

"You had lost a lot when you reached here."

I shook my head, not remembering the lamborns causing any open wounds. Ty raised a brow.

"Why are we here," I asked. Eli shrugged.

"How did they catch you," Jaz said. I relayed the story to them and faint hope lit their faces.

"So Sergeant Rivers may be suspicious," Jaz said. I shrugged not wanting to solidify her hope.

"And you," I asked, "how did you get here."

Elis scratched his head and turned away slightly as he responded, "None of us remember."

My eyes wouldn't turn away from Jaz, like a magnet it remained stuck and it only took me a few seconds to realise that ty was doing the same thing. Our eyes met for a moment and a rush of unfamiliarity passed through me. His light eyes pierced through me.

I looked away.

"Come, I'll show you," Ty said, taking my arm. I followed him out the door to the glass made tube, that functioned like a corridor connecting our room to ty's and Jaz's room.

Through the glass,nothing could be seen but darkness and a faint glow of light appearing in the distance.

"Sapphire West," a voice hissed in the air. Startled, I stumbled back into ty.

The glass tube hissed open, a portion of glass in the middle disappearing into the ground.

"Black," I yelled warningly as the light in the distance cut off for a moment as a figure stepped in front of it. I heard his footsteps echo behind us as Ty grabbed my forearm.

"What,'' I asked, turning around. He pointed upwards. My heart crashed as I saw the swirling mist eject out of tubes in the roof. My sleeve went instinctively to cover my mouth.

"No point," Ty muttered. I turned back to him and followed his gaze to the floor. Eli and Jaz both lay in front of the door. I ran towards them but then paused as Ty slumped down behind me.

"Sleeping gas," a voice hissed, "Don't worry, they will be fine."

I swallowed, not moving as I peered trying to see who stood there.

"Why,'' I asked. My voice wobbled.

"Step out."

I glanced at Ty in front of me and then nodded. My feet moved on its own accord as it stepped out of the tube. Out of the darkness two yellow Lamborns materialized and grabbed an arm each.

I didn't protest as they led me out of the darkness to a lone chair in a hall. they roughly pushed me toward it. I sat.

A human man walked towards me, a syringe in his hand. He flicked his hand and the two lamborns disappeared.

"Sapphire West," he said.

"Why didn't the sleeping gas work on me."

"You were medicated against it," he said tapping the syringe on the back of my seat.

"What is that," I asked.

"Something necessary."

"Why are we here," I asked, my voice deepening with frustration.

"You are here," he said, jerking my arm towards him, "and your friends are here so that you will cooperate."

For a second the words vibrated around my ears. I pulled my arm away from him, just as the needle touched my skin.

"What do you mean," I yelled, attempting to scrape my chair backwards.

"Calm down," he said, grabbing my hand again..

"What do you mean for me to cooperate?"

He set the syringe on the table beside us and turned away. Two lambrons appeared again with a board in one of their hands. They placed it on my lap and left.

I stared. The wooden board had three red buttons and a little light under each one.

"Pick one," the man said.

"What is it?"

"Pick one, or it'll be all of them."

I met his gaze and spoke, "what is it?"

"You will learn to cooperate otherwise your friends will be hurt."

I stared at him for a few moments before blinking rapidly as I figured out what he meant.

"That's them," I asked doubtful, "I'm picking between my friends."

The colour of his eyes darkened as he thrust the slate into my hands.

"You have five seconds."

I did not move, unable to believe what was happening.

"Five," the man said. the word echoed in the hall. My fingers hovered above the wood. each of the red buzzers seemed to throb in my eyes.

"Four."

"I can't," I said, fully well knowing that my protests were useless. The man did not hesitate as continued counting.

I closed my eyes and allowed my fingers to skin the surface.

"One," he said. Not Jaz, I thought as I pressed down on the middle buzzer. There was a hiss in the air and I flung the board off my lap. The two lamborns appeared again and pinned me to my chair.

"Do you want all of them to hurt," the man asked. a noise erupted from my throat as I shook my head.

The man sighed and calmly pulled my shirt off my shoulder. I struggled but the weight of the two Lamborns pinned me down.

Think, Andrew's voice echoed in my head. Despite all he had done to me, his voice never seemed to leave my head.

I thought.

My body relaxed and my eyes closed. I felt the coolness of the alcohol on my skin and then I detached from my body.

Go into your mind, he had said.

I went into my mind. I felt for my element. It was like a block of concrete had fallen in place between me and it. I clawed on its walls. Again, it seemed too solid for me to do anything.

And then, I felt the slight prick of the needle and for a split second, the concrete melted. And without even trying, my mind still trying to push through the wall, fell. All the power of my element, rushed back.

Adrenaline crushed me and it took a lot of energy to act calm. I opened my yes.

"What do you want from me," I asked. The man put a band-aid on my shoulder and turned to me.

"Who are you Sapphire West," he asked. The question surprised me and I shook my head.

"I know who I am."

A glimmer of a smirk passed through his face, "Then tell me, who are your parents."

"Cole Diaz West and Marine Stein West."

He looked sympathetic as he asked, "Are you sure."

I began to nod my head and then paused as the image of the blue-eyed man who claimed that he was my brother popped into my head. He caught onto the hesitation.

"At least you are not as clueless as we had thought."

"What do you mean," I asked. My element bubbled behind my words and I was doing everything to ask him calmly.

"Marine is not your mother."

I bit my lip, "then who is."

The man moved back and crossed his arms.

"You keep on asking what it is that we want from you," he said. I shrugged using this as a prime opportunity to begin to control my element over the wall.

"What is it that you want?"

He paused and the water crawled to the edges of this room. His eyes glazed over me and before he could speak, my element no longer able to bear the weight of control, exploded.

And like I predicted, the walls of the made up room fell down to reveal the lights and the busy room around it. I pushed myself out of the chair as my element tried to coil around me.

But then like someone had also predicted I would do something similar, the two lamborns guardian me, flew at me and I could do nothing but slump to the floor as my consciousness slowly seeped out of my body.

I blinked, the image of the man peering down at me, he smiled and crouched down.

"What do we want you ask," he said, "We want you."

OOMPA LOOMPA