dystopia (mackenzie)

When he came to, all he saw was darkness. Some kind of cloth was pressed against his eyes, and he was bound in transfigured ropes.

What was the last thing he remembered?

He had finished work for the day, it having been a fairly busy one. There was a patisserie nearby St Mungo's in one of the alleyways in muggle London, and he intended to get something for Carina there on his way home. They were married and had their five-month-year-old son, and he was making a slow transition to solids. He couldn't wait until he could get a cake for him as well. Daddy's treat. But... had he even made the purchase there? Had he even made it through the doors?

There was only one thing for it. Whoever had captured him must be close by, so he had to stay cool and try to reason with them. "Hello?" He said, hoarsely, not knowing if he would get any response.

@Mackenzie Riddle

Mackenzie watched curiously as Louis came to. She knew he was awake when he heard his breathing change. She decided to have a hit of fun. She walked up behind him and rested a hand on his shoulder. She laughed when she felt him jump under her touch "now now Louis. No need to be so scared" she said In a wicked tone. She cocked her head to the side and dragged a single finger nail over his broad shoulders and up his neck at a torturous slow pace "if you be a good boy I will remove the blindfold" 

@Louis Weasley

Louis jumped, a small pressure came to his shoulder. Then a female voice spoke close to his ear, and he tried to keep incredibly still. Something about that voice was familiar - he knew it. Something dragged across his shoulders, and he tried not to flinch. His breathing was steady, but his heart was thudding uncomfortably inside of his throat.

He managed to find his voice again. "What do you want?" He asked in a would-be calm voice.

@Mackenzie Riddle

It took a while for the words to really sink in. Who was this woman, really? Was she just toying with him? He didn't say anything, he merely waited in bated breath; hoping that he could escape this without either one of them getting hurt. She sounded hurt: genuinely hurt. He had to tread very carefully...

The blind was lifted, and he blinked until things came into focus. He didn't know where he was, and he couldn't apparate in binds.

"Okay," He said quietly. "But listen. I didn't mean to hurt you, or cause any pain. I fell in love with Carina, and I could never change that. It wasn't a matter of choosing one over another, I just love her..." He wanted to turn and to see her. Whoever she was. She sounded sort of lonely... he felt sympathy towards her despite his situation of being under her capture.

Louis winced at her sudden outburst, then she faced him.

It was difficult to drink everything in at once. What shocked him wasn't the contrast of her appearance as she was as a school girl, but Mackenzie Riddle had a look in her eyes that was positively wild. He stared back at her, speechless for a time.

"Mackenzie?" He'd known that she hadn't pursued her once-dream of being a healer, because he would have crossed paths with her. So what was she now? What was she doing? Did she even know herself. "It's good to see you again." He had the strangest reactions to being tied up against his will. "I'm sorry."

She was just upset. If he could calm her down...

"don't try to kiss up now, Louis. It's too late. And I'm not falling for your charms again. Do you know how bad you hurt me? How much pain I've felt over the years. Seeing you with her?" The tears started to fall down get cheeks as she spoke "do you even care!?" She shouted as she got angry and her sadness began to disappear. There was nothing but rage now. "do you know how it feels to lose the one person you've ever had those kinds of feelings for? " She said as a darkness came over her. She chuckled in a way that would make a grown man shiver with fear "you will..."

@Louis Weasley

He felt powerless. Not from restraints, but from not knowing what to say that could subdue her. He had no idea of her feelings, and was desperately looking back into the past trying to figure out if there were any obvious signs. They had been friends, and he coveted her friendship. They had been kind to one another, just as friends would be.

"Mackenzie please... don't do something you will regret," He said this quite calmly, but the signs of fret were obvious from the way his jaw was shaking slightly. "I don't want you to do this. You can hate me if you like, but just don't hurt yourself. You know that anything you do to me, you can't take it back? You know that, don't you?"

Louis watched her desperately.

"I remember a girl who said to me that she wanted to be a healer. You said that you wanted to heal the pain caused by your ancestors, because that's the kind of selfless person I know you are."

He looked at her pleadingly.

"Please... don't do this to yourself."

"I won't regret anything." She said darkly as she turned to the door and someone walked in. She nodded at him and he left then she turned back to Louis "hurt myself? I don't plan to hurt myself. I plan to make you feel how I felt. " When he talked about their past she froze for a moment. And for that brief moment, she looked like the girl back in school. But she quickly shook her head and shouted "no! You can't do that. You don't get to do that!" Just then, the door opened and the same man from before came in dragging Carina behind him. He threw her to the floor as she screamed in pain. Mackenzie chuckled darkly and walked over to her "look who came to join us, Lou." 

@Louis Weasley

Louis hadn't attempted to struggle before. He was content in the idea that he could reason with her, and that all could be solved with a little warmth and tenderness towards someone who clearly felt unloved. But when he saw Carina being thrown into the room like a rag doll and her scream pierced the room; he instinctively pulled at his binds.

"Don't hurt her!" He cried in desperation, unable to hold back. "Just do what you want with me and leave her, please. Mackenzie... please..."

Now he was begging her.

MacKenzie's eyes darkened and she cocked her head to the side "now we're getting somewhere. I know this little slut is your weakness Louis. But you have no idea who she is. Who she really is!" Mackenzie said walkig to Carina who tried to cower away from her. Carina shook her head as tears fell down her face "mackenzie please stop this. We can get you help. You don't have to do this. Please.... We have a son. We can get the help you need. I... I can call Albus. We can call Albus. " At the mention of Albus something inside Mackenzie snapped. She reached out and smacked Carina across the face "DONT MENTION HIS NAME!" 

@Louis Weasley

Louis fought with such powerful might, he thought that he could break free from the transfigured ropes. It didn't matter if he didn't have his wand, somehow he could fight his way out of this; he had to. There was a loud smack as Mackenzie struck Carina across the face, and Louis groaned in agony as he tried to wrench his hands out from the ropes. He didn't care that it hurt. He needed to help her.

"If you have any feeling left for me then you'd stop this!" His voice was raised. It hardly ever raised. Another step and he would be shouting out for mercy.

Mackenzie whipped her head around and stared at Louis. Her eyes were dead of all emotion as she walked over to him. She lifted his chin up and smirked ".  Oh i still have feelings. But I can't let her go. Not. Until. You. Learn" she said then stepped back to Carina "I want her to admit the truth. About how she got that internship. I want to hear her say it! " She shouted as she took out her wand. She pointed it directly at Carina and spoke one word before Carina's screams surrounded them "crucio" she watched as Carina screamed in pain and writhed on the ground. MacKenzie's laughs got louder as more pain seeped from the other girl "tell the truth! You used your family name to get the internship. Because you knew I couldn't do that. Being a riddle. DIDNT YOU!?" 

@Louis Weasley

He was naive to think that Mackenzie was incapable of such malice. As soon as she uttered the incantation for the curse and Carina’s screams permeated the air; Louis saw his escape as a life or death situation. The binds across his wrists grew looser in his struggles, and soon enough he was kicking free of the last pieces of rope.

Inside his chest there was a surge of desperation that went against reason. He had to stop her, but he couldn’t use magic. From behind he made a grab for Mackenzie; trying to grip her wand hand tightly and steer the spell away from making contact with Carina. His hands were raw and bloody from the rope chaffing him, but they still managed a firm grip as he tried to force her away.

Mackenzie was shocked that Louis was able to escape but she still had a trick up her sleeve "now Louis. We don't want anything happening to your spawn now do we?" She asked and if on cue the man came out holding their son. He had his wand pointed to his lower back which conveyed the message 'Dont try anything stupid'. Mackenzie turned to Louis and raised an eyebrow "now why don't we sit back down like a good boy?" 

@Louis Weasley

Louis stopped immediately, an released her. He heard the gurgling of his baby son inside the arms of the stranger: this vile man. As a Father he had sworn to protect his son from anything or anyone that could do him harm; but as he was wandless and he was under threat, he felt utterly powerless. Tears slipped silently from his eyes and all he could do was watch.

“Okay - j-just. Don’t hurt him. Please... I’ll do what you want. Anything.” He sat down very slowly; making it obvious that he was willing to obey. His hands were up. He was talking to Mackenzie very quietly, his voice low and shaken.

He kept watching his son, who he knew would begin to cry sooner or later. For his Mother, or his Father. He felt he could die willingly now if it meant his son and his wife were kept alive, unharmed, untouched...

Mackenzie smiled and walked over to the man and the child. She took the child and held him. Something inside her smiled and it showed. The kid was cute. She walked over to Louis and stood in front of him "if you act out. I take him away again" she said handing him his son. She then walked back to carina "you ready to tell the truth?" She asked her child hood best friend. Carina groaned in pain and nodded " fine. I did it. I used my family name to get the internship. Just please. Don't hurt Alexander" 

@Louis Weasley"

He watched her all the while when she was holding him. He watched her as though he was going to split into pieces at any minute. Don’t hurt him don’t hurt him don’t hurt him don’t— Alexander was in his arms, and Louis cradled him close. The baby giggled and babbled. Good— he seemed undisturbed. Fortunately, he didn’t know what was going on.

He looked at Carina. It wasn’t something he knew about, but the information hadn’t shocked him. He knew Carina had a good reason behind what was seemingly betrayal.

“Mackenzie... Carina didn’t mean for anything to happen to you. She’s your friend. She still cares about you, and so do I.” He managed to smile at her, albeit weakly. Mackenzie was unstable. She was sick. She needed space, and patience. But he wouldn’t let her harm anyone else...

Mackenzie looked over at Louis "then why would she like? If she was my friend she wouldn't have done that!" Mackenzie shouted as tears fell down her face " she betrayed me" mackenzie shook her head and gripped her wand. She wanted to hex Carina, but not with the ba h there 

@Louis Weasley

Louis didn’t want to believe that Carina would have intended to do something like that to Mackenzie; but even if it were true, there was a resolution to all of it. ”It’s not too late, you know.” He told her, bouncing Alexander up and down a little as he began to sound a little grouchy. Usually he did when he was hungry. ”If it is what you want to do, and if you reform yourself now and stop doing things like this; I can help you.”

He said this very kindly, but there was still a little of that desperation in his voice.

Mackenzie shook her head as more tears fell down her face "how could you possibly help me? You don't know what I've done. What I'm capable of doing" Mackenzie ran her hands through her hair in agitation and tried to clear the screaming thoughts in her head "Louis..." She said in a soft broken voice 

@Louis Weasley

Louis smiled at her when she said his name. She seemed to be calming down somewhat, and he wanted her to feel at ease. So now he tried to reason with her.

”It’s never too late, Mackenzie. You are a sweet and caring girl, with the rest of her life ahead of her. Just... let go of Carina. Let her go.”

He looked at Carina, helpless, wishing he could just rush to her side.

Mackenzie wanted to listen to him. But something inside of her was telling her not to. But this was Louis. She had to trust him. She stepped aside and lowered her head "go. Just go..." She said pocketing her wand " Lou... I... I'm sorry"she said refusing to raise her head to look at him 

@Louis Weasley

Louis stood up, gingerly at first. He moved across the room and helped Carina to her feet by holding Alexander one-handed. He was busy looking about the place, interested in what was going on. He pointed at Mackenzie with his little hand.

”Yes, that’s your Aunty Mackenzie, Alexander,” Cooed Louis, giving him over to his Mother now she was stood up. ”Carina. Take Alexander. I want to talk to Mackenzie a little more.”

He turned to look at her, but she was avoiding his gaze. As long as Louis knew his wife and child were safe, he had no intention of leaving Mackenzie alone now. He had to make sure she was going to be okay.