[Word count: 1,230]

| chapter - twenty |

\ way down we go /

Avery groaned as her back was thrust against the metal plating of the doors that they entered from, as she coughed lightly from getting the air knocked out of her like she was a ragdoll. Brenda balled her collar into tight fists whilst glaring daggers into her ex-friend's colorless eyes. Avery held onto Brenda's forearms for balance, as her feet felt nervous.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Newt hollered, getting closer. "Don't do anything you'll regret!"

Avery brought her hand out to signal him to stop, "No, no, it's fine." Her chest heaved as her lungs began to fully recover. "She's not going to do anything, trust me."

"Oh? I won't do anything, huh?" Brenda scoffed, as she pulled Avery and brought her close to a group of the chained up Cranks. Threatening to let her go, so she'd fall in the bundle of them. Brenda being the only thing keeping her from doing so. "How about now?"

"I'm immune, genius." Avery chuckled lightly, probably not helping her case.

You've gotta stop lying, it's not healthy. Nova sighed.

"Doesn't matter, they'll still tear you to shreds and that's good enough for me." Brenda's grip loosened a little.

Nova mentally raised a brow. She's got a point, didn't Jacob say that awhile back?

Avery sighs, "Listen, I know you're upset-"

Brenda cut her off with a cackle, "Upset? Oh believe me, Avery, I've moved on from that. It's deeper now, a harsher wound."

"Fair enough," Avery admitted. "But you also have to believe me when I tell you that I'm sorry."

"That's it?" Brenda rendered her as pathetic. "You're so full of lies, just like your mother. Like mother like daughter, I guess, right?"

Avery slowly shook her head, "What else can I give you? What else is there besides 'sorry'?"

Through her forearms Avery could tell Brenda was grinning tightly, "I have an idea..."

And before they all knew it, Avery was hanging upside-down with a rope tied to both of her ankles. As she hung above a large gaping hole that held a very long fall below.

It was dark and she was alone as she gave out a light groan, "Not this crap again..." All was blank, as she wasn't touching the ground to sense anything.

This reminded her of the time she got caught in Jacob's trap, and she wasn't happy about it. She didn't think it would ever happen again.

But yet, here she was.

***

"Glad you all could join the party, it was getting kind of lonely in here." Avery chuckled sarcastically, as the rest of Group A began to hang upside-down with her after talking to the leader of this warehouse.

She could've sworn she heard the name 'Jorge' billow around the warehouse, but she wasn't exactly sure.

Minho sighed, "Good plan, Thomas." his voice sounding hoarse considering he also dangled upside-down. "'Just hear what the man has to say'," He quoted. "Realllly working out for us."

"shut up, Minho." Thomas grumbled.

"Hey, Nova, see anything?" Minho wondered.

Avery tried to ignore that name as she allowed her arms to dangle, her body aching for hanging for so long. "I'm blind, remember? If you all know me so well, wouldn't you have known that by now?"

Minho chuckled at her bitter salt, "No. I meant sensing stuff, anything around?"

She shook her head, or tried to at least. "Negative, Pinky. My feet aren't on the ground; all I see is pure darkness right now." She called him a weird nickname that had to do with the color of his particles.

You seem to be super sarcastic right now... Nova poked through.

Blood is rushing to my head, we've been here longer and I'm startijg to tire from it.

"Right, sorry." Minho apologized. "I was just struck by lightning, I can hardly think straight right now."

Avery finished with, "Fair enough."

"Maybe I can reach the rope." Thomas triumphed in determination.

Meanwhile, Avery had not a clue of what he was doing. All she could hear were heavy breaths and echoing groans coming from the boy with purple particles.

Avery then jolted causing her to give a little swing, as a new voice sounded through the deadly chasm, "Enjoying the view?"

I'm guessing this would be Jorge, correct? Nova hummed.

I suppose so.

"If you mean seeing nothing but blank space, then no." Avery wasn't scared to answer this unknown man called, Jorge. "I would like to be set down, now, please. Not being able to 'see' kinda terrifies me, especially since I've been here for so long."

But the man seems to ignore her as Thomas speaks up, "What the hell do you want?"

"That is the question." Jorge hums slyly. "My men want to sell you back to WICKED. Life has taught them to think small, I'm not like that." Avery could hear tapping sounds, but she couldn't tell what it was. "Something tells me that you're not either."

"Is the blood rushing to my head," Minho commented. "or is this shank not making any sense?"

Bingo.

 "Tell me what you know," Jorge continued. "about the Right Arm."

"I thought you said they were ghosts." Newt's voice echoed and for some reason, it calmed Avery's nerves knowing he was there too.

I know why.

Shh.

Jorge answered immediately, "I happen to believe in ghosts. Especially when I hear them chattering on the airwaves."

He paused. And then, "You tell me what you know and maybe we can make a deal."

"We-We don't know much." Thomas breathed out.

And suddenly Avery's heart fell into her esophagus as she let out a sharp yelp of pure terror, falling down a foot as a lever was pulled. Adrenaline and dread filled her brain to the brim, her brainwaves shrieking and withering with Novocain.

The drop was so sudden and without a warning. She doesn't even remember the last time she felt this genuinely petrified. Tears prickled at the brim of her eyes because of this horrible experience of being vulnerable and rendered useless, but she tried her best to be strong and hold it in.

"Okay! Okay!" Thomas yelled. "All right. They're hiding in the mountains-" Avery clenched her dead eyes shut as listening to him give out secrets gave her a sore mind. "-and they attacked WICKED. They got out a bunch of kids. That's it. That's all we know."

There was another pause until another male voice appeared, "Yo, Jorge. What's going on?"

Confirmed. His name is Jorge. Nova countered.

Jorge answered, "Me and my new friends were just getting acquainted." And with a darker tone, he said, "We're done now."

"Hey, wait." Thomas scoffed. "You're not going to help us?"

Jorge chuckled as Avery could hear his smirk, "Don't worry, hermano. We'll get you back to where you belong."

"Hang tight!" He ended their conversation, as his voice echoed throughout the warehouse.

----
Here's chapter twenty! :)

What was your favorite part of this chapter?

Okay, so I was a month late. Lol. Turns out, I needed longer to recover from my poor lost friend, and im sorry for that. I'm still slightly recovering, but I'm getting a little better. Thanks for understanding though, I appreciate your patience.

I miss and love you, Willow. Rest in eternal peace. <3

Xoxo <3