Chapter 6

"SHIT!" I scream as I rattle the handcuffs. I hated being restrained! Panic forms in my chest, and I start gasping for breath. Everything starts to close in. Memories of being shackled to a bed resurface. Aller would chain me up when I disobeyed him or didn't give him a cut of my stolen earnings. He would keep me in the room for days, shackled to a bed in the dark with a pot if I needed to relieve myself. My only friends, Fiona and Adrian, would sneak in with food and company. They were my calm in that raging pit. I focus on my childhood friends, concentrating on their features, their voices, and their laughs. Finally, my breathing begins to slow, and the pressure in my chest disappears.

I take another deep breath before focusing on my restraints. I shift my wrists around the cuffs, feeling for any empty space between my skin and the cold metal. My right cuff gave a little when I kept pushing my wrist against it. I turn my wrist, spreading my fingers out. I slowly move my