"E-Elise," I stammered, staring at her in shock.

Elise cocked her head to the side, her blood red lips stretched in a sadistic smile as she played with a curl of black hair, "is that the way you greet your mother?"

"You abused me for eight years," I snapped, "sorry if I'm not very welcoming."

"Didn't you tell me she died?" Alex frowned, looking at me.

"I- uh- yeah," I gazed at Elise.

"Elise?" A voice in the doorway gasped. They came into the room and I saw it was John.

"Hello, John," Elise smirked.

"No... you died! I saw you put the needle in..." if the situation was different, it would've been amusing seeing John gaping like a floundering fish out of water.

"Oh my dear John," Elise crooned, "did you really think I'd go that easy? After I brainwashed you, it was merely a matter of faking my death so you'd be free to destroy Iris and her family."

"But I brainwashed you," John's eyebrows were furrowed, "turned you against your daughter."

Elise walked up to John and patted his cheek with her gun, "no, it was I who brainwashed you. Who do you think started the fire that killed your family? Who do you think is the boss of all this? Who do you think recruited you to our gang? Who do you think poisoned you against my old family?"

John paled and I saw him subtly put something in his pocket, but Elise was enjoying her victory too much to notice it.

"Why?" John croaked, "why kill my family? Why allow me to abuse your own daughter?"

"Please," Elisa scoffed and glared at me, "she's not my daughter. She's a mistake. An effort to bring life to a dead marriage," however, I noticed a flash of sadness wash over her features, but it was gone in an instant.

Alex's jaw was clenched and he lunged, but I pulled him back, knowing Elise wouldn't hesitate to shoot.

"As for your family," Elise continued, "they were related to the American Mafia. After their deaths and your disappearance, it wasn't too difficult to convince them to hand over the Mafia. Your in-laws were so distraught when their only daughter and granddaughter perished. Your parents went mad with grief at the prospect of loosing their two sons."

"What about my sister?" John asked in a strangled voice.

"Oh she survived," Elise's smirk grew wider, "in fact, would you like to see her?" Without waiting for an answer, she called for a guard to bring in 'the special prisoner'. A few moments later, some men dragged in a squirming, bedraggled girl.

John cried out and collapsed next to her and held her in his arms, tears flowing into her black hair.

"John?" She croaked sleepily, "is that you?"

"It's me, Becky," he whispered, "I thought you were dead."

"Nah," the girl pulled away from the embrace and wiped John's eyes, "just kidnapped. Which I guess is better."

"Awww how adorable," Elise mimed vomiting. Huh, I guess sarcasm runs in the family.

John crouched protectively over his sister. If looks could kill, Elise would be six feet under.

"The door's open," Alex murmured in my ear, "we could run?"

I shook my head, "too risky. We might get caught and who knows that they'll do next? It's better to wait until we know it's safe."

"John, if you even think of betraying me, I will kill your sister," shivers went down my spine at how casually she talked about killing.

John looked at me, then back at Elise, his face hardened and he nodded, "I understand."

"Excellent!" Elise chirruped, "because I'm in a good mood today, your sister can live with you as long as you both remain in this building. Don't try to run, darling, I'll always find you," for some reason, I felt like she was addressing me as well.

"Why?" I asked, "why are you doing this?"

Elise raised an eyebrow and looked at me, "why? Why? Well, to bring death and destruction to your father and his new family of course!" She cackled maniacally before returning back to 'normal', "your father and I were having some minor skirmishes. It progressed after you were born. As you know, we divorced seven years later. I didn't want you, but your father said that I had to take you because 'it was no place to raise a child' and that 'enemies could try and kill her' blah, blah blah.

"So I took you in. Two years later your father married that idiot with her three sons and that made them a 'perfect little family'," Elise's eyes darkened, "I wanted to destroy that. So I beat you, wanting to extinguish the light from your father's life. Then, I thought 'why not use John to wreak more havoc on the family?'" She grinned and I realised that Elise was mentally unwell. I remembered the kind, caring mother who would read to be at night and couldn't comprehend how she turned into the monster in front of me.

"You're evil," Alex whispered.

"Why thank you sweetie," Elise smiled, "come along John and Rebecca," She walked to the doorway, her heels clicking against the stone floor and John gently lifted his sister and carried her to Elise. Rebecca grumbled, but allowed it since she was quite malnourished and weak.

"I'll be back," Elise promised and slammed the door shut, leaving me and Alex to digest what had happened.

"I knew Elise was a psycho, but this is taking it to the next level," Alex shook his head and glanced over at me, "you alright Rainbow?"

My lips rose in a half-smile, "how do you always know when I'm unhappy?"

Alex shrugged, "intuition. But seriously, how are you feeling? That was quite a bombshell."

"I don't know," I admitted, "I'm terrified, in denial and completely shocked."

"All normal of course," he nodded, "but have hope, we will get out of here. Even if it takes years. I ain't dying in a tiny cell with a bunch of moronic kidnappers."

I laughed lightly, "I hope so, Al. I really do."