Page 8 of Ravage

I'd still be nothing.

In a twisted way Lilydale freed me from those chains. I was no longer invisible, no longer a liability to people. I was justAvery.And in that, I found love, acceptance, and beauty. I found self-worth, strength, and a desire to live and take back my life.

I didn't have that before.

Which is why I'm not going to let these fuckers break me. Because if I do, if I give in like they want me to, I won't just be letting myself down. If anything happens to me, it will destroy Grey and Theo.

They might not realize it, but they have come far too—making the best of a shit situation. Together, we're strong, and we'll stay that way until we find our own individual strength too. We're not the product of our upbringings, not defined by what the court system or society think about us or our past actions. We deserve to be happy too.

I deserve my happy ending.

And that isn't going to end here in this shitty, white-padded room.

The door swings open, ripping me from my thoughts. I look back over my shoulder, frowning as one of the men enters with a tray of food. He sets it down on the ground, giving me a brief look of acknowledgment.

I wait for him to leave before turning my focus to the plastic bowl on the tray, filled with red soup—tomato, I'm assuming.

There's no steam emanating from it so I can already assume that it's lukewarm at best.

Looking away, I close my eyes, picturing the reasons for my existence. I hold onto the images, gathering strength.

They're coming.

"Time to move," a voice says, pulling me out of my slumber.

My eyes flutter open, blinded by the bright lights as blurry figures reach for me. I'm too slow to react, hands grabbing my arms as I'm lifted from the ground.

"Yep. Clothes are dry. She's good to go," one of them says, snapping my bra strap.

Swinging my arm back, I hit him in the rib cage. "Don't touch me!"

Hands tighten on me, unfazed by my assault as I'm dragged from the room.

I quickly find my footing, taking back some of my weight as we head down the corridor. Entering another room, I'm notsurprised to find Dr. West and Dr. Cromwell waiting, chatting quietly with each other.

"Did she eat?" Dr. Cromwell asks the men.

"Nope."

She frowns at me in disapproval, scribbling on that damn clipboard. "Alright. We'll just have to make do."

The men shove me onto a reclined chair in the center of the room, reminding me of a dentist's office. The brown, leather straps are fastened over my body, but I don't fight them. Glaring at the doctors, I wait for them to speak, knowing more is coming.

"You should be eating," Dr. West scolds.

I force myself to bite my tongue, not giving them the satisfaction of an answer. They appear surprised but continue moving around once the men step back.

Dr. West grabs what looks like a sheet of paper, peeling off stickers in the form of tiny white circles. As he steps closer, I notice little prongs on top, before he shoves a few onto the side of my head. I flinch away, bobbing my head as Dr. Cromwell clicks some leads hooked to a machine to the stickers.

"What the hell are you doing?" I ask, all strength disappearing as panic sets in.

"Just another observation," she replies simply. "I need you to stay still."

I do no such thing, flailing more as Dr. West approaches me with a needle. He sighs, pausing as he looks unimpressed.

"It would be easier if you kept still."

He grabs my wrist, turning my palm to inspect my veins. I gasp, trying to tug my arm away. "Get that away from me."

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