I stared out the window numbly as I was laying on my side. I was careful to not apply any pressure towards the right side of my arm and instead was leaning on my left arm. I was donned in the hospital gown that I was forced into...It was one of those gowns that didn't have a back and instead had to be tied to stayed together.

They had taken off my clothes at some point – my memories were mostly a blur. I remembered when Aidan carried me back to the mansion...my consciousness fading in and out along the way:

"You should have listened to me," Aidan's muttered voice echoed into my ears. He didn't sound apologetic in the least.

I let out a heavy breath.

My vision was going in and out as trees turned into hallways in an instant.

Men were running in the hallways, their automatic rifles in their hands.

I blinked looking up at him. I wasn't able to feel my leg. The shock must have set in at some point. He kept carrying me in his arms, he never once looked down at my bleeding, broken, and mangled leg that was limp.

"Find the rest," Aidan instructed. I blinked slowly, wondering when we had entered a white room. "Shoot them on sight," he took a step forward. I felt faint -- blood loss. "Cause minimal damage if possible."

I was placed on a medical table with his emotionless eyes staring down at me.

Next thing I knew, I woke up on the large and spacious bed. 

I desperately wanted to be in my own clothes – I wanted something familiar in this horrible land of unfamiliarity.

The only things I had on underneath the gown were my bra and underwear at this point.

My leg was wrapped in a cast ever since that bastard broke it, and my right arm had a tight bandage wrapped around it where the bullet and grazed me when I ran.

I still couldn't believe what Aidan would do to get his point across...

I wouldn't be able to escape with my leg in a cast. There was no possible way that I would be able to run or attempt an escape. Regardless of that fact, I kept thinking about escape and what my next plans of action would need to be.

That, and...I kept thinking about Bella.

Aidan had not once mentioned her since I woke up, which I could only hope that meant he hadn't caught her. He hadn't managed to capture any of the students that had ran. If Bella was with them, then I wasn't worried. 

They would be able to get home safely.

A small smile spread across my lips but then it disappeared as I saw the bandage on my arm out of the corner of my eyes.

They might be able to get home safely – but I was tapped here with a murderer...and also a whole mansion filled with men. They held no ounce of regret for shooting up an entire school. It made me wonder if they had any children themselves...They might hurt their own family members if they could hurt strangers this easily.

I closed my eyes tightly as so many thoughts spread through me:

How many times would he shoot me-?

When would Aidan kill me-?

When would I-?

The door opened up slowly. My thoughts had been quickly interrupted as I tensed, opening my eyes and darting them to see Aidan. He was holding a tray filled with different food options. There was soup and mixed berries from what I could tell inside of the different bowls.

"I thought that we can experiment a little until I decide which one is your favorite," I narrowed my eyes and looked away from him. He was crazy if he thought that I would openly cooperate with him – he had shot me.

"What do you think?"

He walked over to the bed and rested the tray at the foot of the bed. He wasn't deterred by my silence -- by my unwillingness to talk to him. I continued to ignore him. It had been working well since I woke up from surgery a few hours ago. 

I needed to continue just ignoring him. 

He is looking for a reaction from me...I wouldn't give it to him. 

I would keep laying on this bed.

I wouldn't speak to him.

I needed to rest up and heal until I would be able to jump that damn fence...without getting shot this time.

"You know," he said, crawling up on the king sized bed. I instantly sat up from my laying position, placing my hands on the bed. I lifted myself up slightly, kicking my good leg to move away from him. My back was pushing against the multiple pillows that were propped up behind me.

I was terrified of him coming closer to me – he wasn't going to leave after giving me food?

He shot me.

Couldn't he leave me alone after hurting me so severely like this?

He broke my leg-!

He crawled on top of me. It wasn't like I could run anywhere. The breaking of my leg along with the bullet hole saw to that. I tried to inch my body as far away as I could into the bed. 

He leaned forward, his long blonde, wavy hair falling in front of his face. His blue eyes bore into mine while I was desperate to not move my eyes away from his and surrender. It was a stare off, accompanied by a deafening silence.

It sent shivers up my spine. 

I was on the break of losing whatever composure I had left.

"I didn't take you to be such a mastermind."

I stared into his eyes, purposefully and deliberately keeping my face emotionless.

No reaction – no reaction, Ari.

"You orchestrated that entire plan," he paused, examining my face. He looked at the top of my head to my eyes, and then to my lips – he was looking at every detail of my face, memorizing it. That made my stomach lurch. 

"I don't know whether to be proud, impressed...thrilled." He half smirked, once again looking into my eyes. He exhaled from his nose lightly. "A combination of all three..."

I just wanted to be left alone and stare out the window as I day dreamed about my freedom. I didn't want to be here – not this close. I didn't want to feel his breath on my face. I didn't want to keep being this useless in front of him.

"You were whispering and covering your mouth as you were discussing your plans to escape..." He trailed, leaning in even closer to me. He lowered his mouth to my ear and I tensed my shoulders. He whispered his next words to me:

"No matter how fruitless and useless it all was."

I narrowed my eyes at him as he pulled his head away with a victorious smirk. He was looking for a reaction, and despite my mental will to ignore him...I couldn't.

He was really going to tell me that my plan was meaningless?

"My sister and three other students managed to escape," I shook my head. The audacity – for him to tell me that it was useless. She wasn't found yet and neither were the others. My escape plan had been a relative success. "It wasn't useless."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Wasn't it?" He teased, which further grated on my nerves. I could feel my eyebrows twitch from the frustration that was building up. "In the end, you were also supposed to escape – you were all supposed to go back together," he mocked my sister's words and I couldn't help the heated glare that I was now giving him.

I gripped the blanket tightly in my hands angrily.

His smirk returned. "But, you're here with me, aren't you?" He asked rhetorically, not above giving me a taunting smile. "Right where you belong..." He rose his hand up to touch my face. All ounces of bravery disappeared as his cold fingers grazed my cheek.

I tilted my head away from him and clenched my eyes shut.

"As I said: Fruitless and useless."

I felt the bed shift.

I slowly opened my eyes, staring back out the window that I was now facing.

I could see from the reflection of the glass that he brought the tray filled with food over to me. It had looked appetizing, even though the food on it was minimal at best. I was running on fumes – considering the last time I ate was the night before I was abducted.

Being the ever petty and prideful girl, I responded with a simple: "I'm not hungry."

"Is that so?" Aidan asked, not even missing a second to reply.

He must have known that I was hungry.

I looking out the window, content on ignoring him. My hands were clenched and positioned on my lap. His taunting 'holier than thou' voice was starting to grate on my nerves.

"You have two options, Vienna," 

That wasn't my name. That wasn't my name – this is just stupid conditioning and brainwashing. I wasn't going to fall for it...I couldn't fall for it. He wouldn't turn me into someone that I wasn't. I wouldn't allow him to -- I was stronger than that.

"You can either willingly eat or I will force you to."

I snapped my head back over at him. My anger had sprung to the surface and I mindlessly argued with him, even though I knew I was going to regret it later. This is what happened when I was angry or frustrated – goodbye any filter that I previously had.

"My name is Arianna. And I'm not hungry!" 

I wouldn't accept food that came from Aidan. It might have been drugged to make me complacent. He could drug me and force himself on me. I didn't know what he would do – I wasn't in a situation to blindly trust my kidnapper.

The hunger pains I could fight off.

"Oh, beautiful..." Aidan trailed. 

I could see him about to move, but I wasn't quick enough to evade him in time. I blinked and the next thing I knew he was straddling me as he got on top of me. He was mindful of my leg but grabbed my upper arm tightly -- the same one that had been grazed by one of his bullets when I tried to run during the game.

I let out a whine of pain as I squirmed. That only made him apply more pressure to the wound while I turned my head. I didn't want to look at him – his dark and blue soulless eyes staring down at me while he continued to inflict pain.

"Wrong answer," his scary voice was back. 

I squirmed again, now sensing danger. I shot my other arm up, making the mistake of meeting eye contact with him. He swatted my arm away before he squeezed my cheeks with his free hand.

"You see," he spoke slowly, as though he were talking to a child. I swallowed nervously. "Your name is Vienna. You didn't win the game. You don't get to keep anything that is related to your past life."

He released his crushing grip on my arm and brought over a bowl of fruit. I wished that he would let go of my face as well, but knew that fighting would be pointless. I was too weak at this point to put up any meaningful struggle -- I had a broken leg, and my arm hurt if I moved it too much. There wasn't much I could do with one functioning arm and leg. 

"Your past life is gone."

I breathed in shakily as my heart was thumping loudly in my chest. He was making me nervous -- his eyes had darkened considerably. 

"I'm going to make you understand that."

He plopped a grape in his mouth and began to chew.

I looked at him with a mix of panic, disgust, and confusion. I looked him up and down, wondering what his angle was going to be.

Then, he brought his mouth over to mine. 

I immediately moved both of my arms to swing out at him, but he anchored his muscular arm to the middle of both of them, effectively making them stay at my side. I squirmed and began to shake my head, but his painful hold on my cheeks were still propping my mouth open. 

He opened his mouth and the chewed up food fell into my mouth causing a level of disgust that I didn't know I could feel to ignite in me.

Shivers went through me when the vile mush was in my mouth.

I went to spit it out but he quickly shut my mouth tightly with his hand. "Swallow, Vienna." I looked at him with fear and shook my head lightly. I was pleading at him with my eyes for me to just spit it out. I could feel it move around in my mouth, and he tilted my head back, causing it to go towards the back of my throat.

I began to panic. 

I weighed my options – but I only had the one choice.

I had to swallow it.

It crept closer and closer to the back of my throat, my eyes were watering.

He really did that – he really put pre-chewed food in my mouth...!

He didn't – he didn't – he-!

The mush was tipping on the edge of my esophagus. I felt my shoulders tense as my gag reflex instantly started to act up. I was staring up at the ceiling, wondering why...

Why is this happening to me?

Why-?

My body instinctively swallowed as I almost choked on it.

He removed his hand from my mouth as he picked up another piece of fruit.

He was going to do it again...he was going to do it again??

"No-no-no-no!" I yelled in a hurried mess, tears now trailing down my cheeks. I had to make him stop – I couldn't handle another piece of fruit like that! "Please, stop!" He gave me a sideways glance. "I'll do it myself! I'll eat by myself, I promise! Please!"

"Oh?" Aidan asked in a challengingly way. "Are you sure?" I nodded hysterically. He smirked as he plopped another grape in his mouth and began to chew it. I could feel my face pale. I was going to puke – there was no way that I wasn't going to puke.

"Aidan, please! Don't!" I tried to beg. His hand was coming towards my mouth again, and I shook my head trying my best efforts to not have a repeat of the horrible experience. The hand found its way back onto my cheeks.

He squished them, cutting off my last beg that threatened to leave my lips. He placed his mouth over mine to deposit the food in my mouth. I moved my tongue back, hoping to not taste it this time.

The food plopped on my tongue despite my best efforts and I let out a whine from the back of my throat. It was slimy and wet from his saliva. He closed my mouth and tilted his head as he watched me panic from his figurative high perch.

I stared at him, still pleading with my eyes for him to stop all of this.

"Swallow."

The tears continued to flow and I couldn't stop them. I swallowed this time without any assistance from him and let out a small gag.

I kept thinking about what I had swallowed after the fact.

I couldn't handle this – it was too much even for him. It was a level of torture that I didn't even know had existed. I let out another gag and could feel the chewed up grape traveling its way back up my throat. I tilted my body so that I could puke on the floor, but stopped myself when I heard his low, threatening words:

"If you puke I'll be force feeding you this entire bowl."

My entire body was sweating from unhinged fear. I swallowed some spit down my throat in an effort to keep it down. I turned towards him with a quivering bottom lip. I shook my head, wanting to beg for him to stop, but no words had escaped.

"It will be okay, beautiful. I'll nurse you back to health." He ran a hand through my hair and it brought goosebumps down my arms.

I...I didn't like that – Jack would do that to comfort me.

Now, it's doing the exact opposite.

He lifted another piece of fruit out of the bowl, this time it was a blueberry. I stared at it in fear – I didn't know that I would be so scared of fruit. "Aidan..." I muttered, my eyes locked onto the piece of fruit. He didn't listen as he brought it to his mouth and chewed it up.

I let out a hiccup and lowered my face. "A-Aiden...!" I didn't want any more of this.

What did he want to hear?

More begging?

Pleading??

He forced my mouth open using the same method as before. My cheeks were beginning to hurt from the repeated action. He dropped it in my mouth using his tongue.

I trembled uncontrollably as I still held it on my tongue as he closed my mouth shut. I cried some more, causing my shoulders to tremble. "Swallow it, Vienna." I started to tremble more violently as I realized that there was nothing I could do.

I was frozen with fear –

Please, make it stop...!

Make this stop!

Aidan smiled gently as he tilted my head back, causing the food to slide down my throat. I swallowed it, and the man watched as I did so.

My will to fight was slowly leaving me. Any pride or pettiness had disappeared. I was starting to become broken over pre-chewed food. My fighting spirit had been extinguished, and I was beginning to feel more sluggish with my actions – I realized that I was quickly falling into a state of despair.

I saw him take another piece of fruit from the bowl. 

"I-I'm s-sorry," I stuttered out. "I'm sorry, Aidan. I...!" Aidan silently got off of me and instead sat on the bed beside me. He plopped the piece of fruit that he was holding in his mouth. I watched with my eyes wide – intently keeping my eyes on the movement of his jaw.

He swallowed it, and I was staring at him in shock.

This was what this -- this psychopath...had wanted to hear?

"How did you like the fruit?" Aidan asked me with a smirk. I was still shaken up from the force feeding. "I thought it was perfect."

I paused for a moment, thinking about what to say. I didn't want to set him off. I didn't want to resume the same torture of being forcefully fed pre-chewed food. 

I let out a small smile that was strained. 

"It was..." I trailed, but whenever I thought about it, my shoulders tensed as though my body was trying to puke. 

I swallowed, looking down at the bed, focusing on keeping the 'food' down my throat. 

He chuckled while he stood up. He caressed my uninjured arm lightly with the tips of his fingers while he walked towards his door. I followed him with my eyes, seeing how he placed his hand on the scanner. It opened up and two maids walked into the room. I noticed that they were both Asian.

I also caught a glimpse of two men standing guard just outside the door...their guns in their hands. The door slowly closed shut as Aidan picked up a bowl off the tray.

"Let's move on to trying the soup."

"A-Aidan, no..." I trailed, knowing that this would push me over the edge. "I-I said that I was sorry!" 

My chest rose and fell quickly. I tried to move and run – I had to at least attempt to get out of here. I eyed the window that was shining light in. I could only take a hobbled step off of the bed when the two maids held me back down to the bed.

I lost any courage I had and succumbed to my own terror that was building in my chest.

"No! No-no-no!" I shrieked, kicking and pushing them. I even kicked with my leg in a cast, in a blind panic not realizing what I was doing. My struggles had only lasted a few seconds before they easily secured me.

Aidan walked over with the bowl of soup in his hands.

He rose a spoon up to his mouth, placing the liquid inside of his mouth.

I stared at him fearfully as he walked over to where I was, and the tears were falling once again down my cheeks.

I thought that maybe I didn't have any more tears to cry, but it turns out that I did. I breathed out and then turned my head when he came closer to the bed. I let out a shaky breath, seeing his face in close proximity to my own.

It was going to happen again...

It was going to-!

He gripped the back of my head in a stern grip, causing me to let out a gasp of pain. Much like before, he caused