Chapter 42

Ivy’s hands trembled; she didn’t want to do what they wanted. She wanted to get up and show them that they had no control over her. But her body was weak, she was weak. She was barely able to drink the tea without help from Marcie.

Marcie hugged Ivy, “I’m sorry they are doing this to you.” She whispered.

“Then help me get out of here, help me get to your son,” Ivy whispered.

“Get up.” Samuel grabbed Ivy pulling her to her feet. “You need to eat something, and you need a bath.” He said pulling her out of the room. “We’re going to the kitchen; today you are going to eat something more than the soup.” He said impatiently. “I don’t want to hear anything from you. I know you want someone to throw sympathy at you, and what you try to show in Elder John’s office was nothing. He is already onto you and that isn’t going to work Ivy.”

“I don’t want to eat anything,” Ivy growled trying to pull her arm away from him. “I can walk on my own.”

“Can you now?” he said letting her go.

Ivy fell to the ground; she wasn’t able to do anything. “Ouch.” She said hitting her head on the wall. “Just leave me here, I will find my way.” She said rubbing her head. She didn’t want to get up, she just looked at him. She wished she was strong enough to get up and run away from him. She wanted to show him that she wasn’t going to throw her around like she was nothing. Hell, she was strong, she just wasn’t right now.

“No, you need to come with us, Elder John wants you ready when we do the ritual,” Samuel said pulling her up. “Stop fighting us, we’re going to get you better, but you need to see that we’re not threatening you.”

Ivy tried to pull away from him, but he was quicker than she was. He pulled her closer to him, he was aggressive with her. “You drugged me, two days I was fine.” She growled.

“You were going to be this way one way or another. You are with white dwellers.” He snapped. “I wish you would understand and now think if this was something we have done to you.” He said rolling his eyes. He knew she wasn’t going to listen to him, so he was going to have to be bossy with her, she was going to fight him all the way, it didn’t matter she was going to pay the price one way or another. Ivy was in for a rude awakening.

“But your situation is something special, I know you don’t want to think of it like that, but you have to see it that way. You are going to have to see this through. I promise you will understand, and we will get you through it.” Samuel said.

Ivy didn’t understand and she didn’t want to hear anymore. She kept quiet and let Samuel lead her to the kitchen. She sat down at the table and watched everyone else sit down but they didn’t look at her nor care that she was sitting with them. They looked like the people Quinn had in his realm. They looked like they were content with the way their lives were.

Samuel brought her some food, he sat down next to her Marcie sat down at the end of the table with other people she glanced at her a few times but didn’t say anything.

“Please eat and I will explain things to you,” Samuel whispered.

Ivy looked down at the food it looked good, but she didn’t want to give in to what he wanted. She wanted to show him that she had willpower too. She wanted to show she was protesting him. She was going to do whatever she wanted. She knew she was treading on thin ice but that didn’t matter to her, at least not right now. “I will eat when I want,” Ivy growled. “Don’t worry I will eat.”

Samuel rolled his eyes, he figured out she was testing him, so he wasn’t going to give in to her game. “Good I would hate to have to show my power in front of all these people. They were all once in your shoes and I don’t want them to be in fear again.” He said picking up his fork eating his food.

Ivy glanced around and noticed everyone was in normal clothes and saw that everyone seemed to be relaxed and normal. “So, the Elders don’t eat with us.” She said noticing Elder John wasn’t at the table.

Samuel didn’t bother to look at her, he smiled. “No,” he said chewing his food.

Ivy rolled her eyes, she kind of chuckled. Figured he was too good to eat with normal people. He was probably eating and drinking some blood or something sinister. She felt he was some kind of weirdo. “Why not, too good to be among his people.” Ivy challenged.

“No, he has his things to do right now since there is a threat going on,” Samuel said looking at her. “Now please eat, we have things to discuss, and I don’t think you want to do things here.” He said glancing at her good.

Ivy rolled her eyes; she wanted to keep talking to avoid eating the food that she knew had drugs in it. But she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep avoid eating it. “But I thought everyone knew about everyone.” Ivy challenged.

“Not everyone knows about what you are, and you don’t know about what you are. When you are going through the ritual a lot of what you don’t know is going to come to you and you are going to hate yourself and you are going to curse everything you wish you didn’t know.” He said putting his fork down. “So, eat your food so we can go back to your room and talk.”

“Fine.” She said looking down at her food, she wasn’t hungry still. She was more confused about what he was telling her. She would hate herself more because of what she would see. She didn’t understand that, she was innocent. She didn’t do anything to anyone, she didn’t hurt anyone at least she couldn’t remember anything.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t realize most of the people were gone from the table. “Are you finished?”

Ivy shook her head she’d only managed to eat a few bites. “I guess so.”

“No, you need to eat more.” Samuel snapped. “I wanted to bring you out of your mind; you need to stop thinking about whatever you are thinking about. Our ritual is a lot worse than what you went through.”

Ivy took a deep breath; she wanted to know more about this ritual and what it was about. She only remembered a little about the dark dweller ritual, mostly because Drake did it while she was out of it, but she didn’t remember being drugged. Maybe she was and that is why she couldn’t remember it. But she didn’t remember feeling like crap. “I thought it is easier since you are white dwellers?” Ivy said looking at him.

“Oh no, we have to make sure you can go through the process. We don’t want weak souls on our side. Only the strongest come through.” He laughed. “Becoming a white dweller is tougher because you are becoming a good dweller, sinless and good.” He said eating the remaining food on his plate.

“Great so I get to look forward to possibly dying because you might have messed up on part of the ritual.” She said rolling her eyes. “Look I don’t think I want to eat anything else here.” She said putting her fork down. “I want to lay down my head is starting to spin again and with what you just told me I think I want to think about my options again.”

“You don’t have any more options Ivy, you are going through our ritual, and then we’re going to go and get Nick and put an end to Quinn and his plans to destroy the remaining white dwellers,” Samuel said clearing his throat. “Don’t worry your little head about this, we will get through all of it, and you will be fine.”

“I have a feeling there is a lot more you’re not telling me. But I guess you’re not going to tell me anything more until after you get what you want.” She said looking down at the food again. She felt like vomit was going to come up. “Can you please take me to my bed I need to lay down?”

“Fine,” Samuel said rolling his eyes. “But tomorrow I expect you to eat more food. You cannot be weak like this when we do the ritual otherwise you will die.” He said picking her up. “Elder John isn’t going to like knowing I am carrying you he doesn’t like when we are nice.”

Ivy felt weak; she wasn’t sure if it was due to dinner or because there were other things that she didn’t know about. She was getting more scared as she was thinking about things. She wanted to talk more, but she was tired. “Does it matter right now?” Ivy said leaning into him, she wanted to sleep.

“It does when he says me being nice to you when you aren’t a white dweller yet.” He said laying her in the bed. “Please get some rest, when I come in the morning drink the tea so you can walk down the stairs on your own and show Elder John that you are willing to do what he wants you to do.”

Ivy didn’t say anything, she watched him leave the room. She tried to sit up. She wasn’t sure why this next ritual was going to be worse. Maybe it was because she wasn’t supposed to be good or maybe Samuel was just trying to scare her. She wasn’t sure; she didn’t want to stick around to find out.

She tried to get out of bed, but the room started to spin as soon as she stood up. She fell to the ground, “fuck.” She said out loud.

She didn’t want anyone to come in there and see her on the ground, she didn’t want to have to explain to Samuel why she was out of the bed, but she wanted to get to the bathroom to splash some water on her face.

Somehow she made it to the bathroom, pulling herself up. She turned the water on, with shaky hands she managed to splash the water on her face. Looking at herself in the mirror she looked horrible. Herself lifeless eyes stared back at her. She wasn’t sure what was happening to her if it was because of the white dwellers or if it was because she was away from Quinn and his city.

“Quinn?” she whispered.

“Baby!” Quinn answered back. “I’ve been calling you all day why haven’t you responded.

“I didn’t hear anything.” She answered back. “I’m dying I think.”

“You can’t.” Quinn sounded worried. “Don’t let them kill your love. You have to find a way out of there.”

“I don’t know if there is a way out of here.” She said splashing more water on her face. “They want to do their ritual on me, and they said I am going to slowly slip into a coma if I don’t keep drinking their poison.”

“I am going to kill them one by one I promise you.” He said.

Ivy could feel his anger through his words. She kept splashing water on her face trying to stay awake, but the more she stood there the less she felt she could keep awake. “I don’t know how much more I could stay awake.”

Ivy lost consciousness; Samuel caught her before she hit the ground. He laid her in bed and closed the door.