One Thousand Songs Later

Lily's POV:

"You're completely safe now." Luke whispered in my ear. I grinned and flung my arms around him.

Luke had just gotten a call from my lawyer, who was calling to tell me that Kyle was sentenced for a life in prison. Everything was turning out so well for me, as if I was getting a happily ever after.

"Lily Tomlinson! We're ready for you!" Called the manager of the hair salon. I was finally getting a haircut, something I desperately wanted for three years now. I've always liked short hair but my first year in London, Eleanor never came around to taking me and Kyle always wanted me to have extremely long hair. The result: a bad case of split ends.

Thank God Luke noticed my hair was getting abnormally long and insisted that I get a haircut at his mother's salon.

Although I was supposed to go alone to get my hair washed, Luke came with me to hold my hand. It was a very sweet gesture: Luke was clutching my hand while he was introducing me to his mother, who was my hairstylist - quite a strange situation. But sweet.

She was a very nice lady, I can see where Luke for his looks from. The haircut, was the best I've ever gotten, I'm kind of obsessing over it. I've always hated the weight of my ultra-long hair.

As Luke and I walked out of the salon and strolled down the sidewalk, I couldn't help but smile about how much things were looking up. But why do I still have a bad feeling in my stomach? I've been dragging around an empty feeling in my stomach for three years now and it's still there.

I'm going to Princeton with Luke for goodness sakes! Why am I still nervous?

When Luke and I left the salon, everything looked gray although the sun is shining and the sky is blue. Something bad is going to happen, I just know it.

As if someone had heard me, my eyes drooped and my knees gave out. The last thing I remember is Luke falling down beside me.

********Sometime Later********

White.

Blinding, excruciating, and pure white. That was all I could see.

I managed to sit up and looked around. I yelped when I saw Louis, laying in a heap in the corner. I scrambled over to him.

I sighed in relief when I saw there were no bruises or cuts on his skin. He was asleep though, and the expression on his face was anything but peaceful.

"Louis, Louis." I shook his shoulder lightly. "Louis, wake up." He didn't stir.

I panicked slightly and put my ear to his chest, his heartbeat was still there. He was alive, but why won't he wake?

I covered my eyes with my hands and took a slow breath. Yes, I thought, it has to be that. Only the liquid Kyle had given me for punishments could be the answer. I shivered, I hate that liquid.

I carefully settled Louis into a more comfortable sleeping position and then stood up. Where am I? I thought, looking around.

The whole room was white, so white, it made my eyes hurt. The room was small and there was no doors or windows, you could say it was a cube. I went up to one wall and banged my fist against it. Nothing happened.

I tried all four walls but they stayed in place. I screamed my lungs out, begging for help. No one answered.

What was I supposed to do? I can't just sit here. Then I remembered, my phone! It's in my back pocket! I eagerly pulled it out, ripped out the earplugs and unlocked it. After a few minutes of desperately holding my phone out in every single direction, in search of a signal, I groaned loudly when I concluded there was zero cell service.

I angrily launched my earplugs across the room and screamed. I'm in pretty much the exact place I was several months ago! Trapped, fending for myself, and hopelessly lost, being led blindly around.

I began pacing from one wall to another, which was about three meters wide, deep in thought. This is different now, I thought, I have to take care of Louis. What is Kyle going to do to us now? Force us both to become prostitutes?

No! Louis can't do that! I won't let it! Anything but that! I calmed myself down and slowly slid to the floor. I need a plan. I stood up again and took a deep breath.

"Kyle, I know your listening, somehow you escaped prison and you've trapped Louis and I in here with Luke god-knows-where. I need you to promise me that you won't hurt them." It felt foolish to talk to walls but I knew someone was listening and watching me, someone always was.

"It's too late now, you must pay for what you have done." Said an unrecognizable voice.

"I will do anything, anything to ensure their safety. Please, let them go, I will come with you willingly, anywhere. Just like before and I won't even try to escape!" I cried, looking at the ceiling.

"I don't trust you, you've never stayed faithful to anyone before." the voice retorted.

"That's not true!" I called.

"Read this, perhaps it will freshen your memory." An enormous packet dropped out of no where and fell to the ground. I hurriedly picked it up and scanned the top.

"This is just a list of people and college departments." I said, confusedly while flipping through the pages. The print was miniature and every inch of the papers were crammed with names, front and back, I counted ten pages in total.

"This is a list of people who were accepted into Princeton for the year of 2018. Check all the names and once you've done so, you'll know."

"There's got to be two thousand names in here!" I yelled. There was no response. I groaned and began reading. I examined each name carefully, ensuring that there was no secret code or hidden meaning behind any of them. I noticed that it was alphabetical list and decided to find my name. While I was scrolling down the list, I saw a name that I hadn't thought of in three years.

I had pushed him to the back of my head, I dared not mention him to Luke or anyone really. It was just too painful. I double-checked the name, re-reading it over and over, searching desperately for any spelling differences. Even the department he was majoring in was the subject he liked the most.

I threw the packet at the wall and huddled in a corner. To think that HIM, Luke, and I would be on the same college campus for four years was unimaginable, unspeakable. No, it couldn't be him. Definitely not, his name was probably very common. Yes, that must be it. That must be a different Nick Sorenson.

Notes

I'm sorry for not updating in a while! I'll update Manners in a while too!
Love you guys!
-Louistomlinson
P. S. I know it's not very good but I've got a lot planned.