by C. J. Felver
After a moment, she pulls a syringe from a pocket on her lab coat and steps closer to me. The woman swabs the crease of my elbow.
“What is that?” I ask, spitting the words at her. “What are you doing?” She ignores me, still not saying a word.
I struggle against my restraints as she brings the syringe closer. It feels like she’s moving in slow motion, dragging it out. But I think my brain is playing tricks on me.
The last thing I want is to be injected with some mystery drug. A mystery IV is bad enough, especially knowing what happened to my dad while he was here.
My struggling doesn’t seem to bother her. She sticks me with the needle and pushes the fluid into my arm. It burns for a moment, making me feel hazy. The room around me swirls and my eyelids grow heavy.
Don’t fall asleep. Sleep is not an option. I can’t—I won’t—make myself vulnerable. Whatever they’re going to do to me, I need to be awake for it.
The woman in the lab coat leaves without a word—big surprise there. Once again, I’m alone. Working through the fog, I move my right leg, trying to get enough leverage to pull my foot free. My leg has such a small range of motion that I can’t even lift it high enough to get any part of my foot out.
Next, I try my arms, but it’s the same. My restraints are too tight. No matter how much I move, there’s no way for me to pull my hands out either. All I’ve managed to do is rub the skin on my wrists raw. I’m pretty sure they’re bleeding. Time to stop before I do any real damage.
How in the heck am I going to get out of here?
My mind wanders over the last few days. How has my life careened so out of control?
Focusing on anything else—because there’s no point in thinking like that—I resign myself to staring at the ceiling tiles.
Time ticks by meaninglessly. The hazy feeling hasn’t gone away. I’m out of things to list in my head. All I can hear is an incessant beeping noise behind me, and if I don’t hear something else soon, I may just go insane.
Sometime later—around thirty tiles and seven images in the tiles’ spots later—the awful woman in the lab coat returns. She’s not alone this time. There’s a man with her. He looks a little familiar, but I can’t quite place him. He carries an air of authority with him. I would say a condescending authority. He’s tall and slender, with dark hair, which is actually pretty hot. Good grief, why are the assholes always attractive? Because this guy is most definitely an asshole.
His eyes, blue and cold as ice, meet mine, making me shiver as he looks at me with cool disregard.
Yep, definitely condescending. Hit that nail on the head. There’s something familiar about him though. Why can’t I place his face?
He steps up beside the chair I’m strapped to, glancing at the machines. Whatever the machines do must be pretty interesting, because that’s where Lab Coat is as well.
“You don’t resemble your father much, do you?” Fucking bastard, bringing my dad into this straight away. “I wonder …” he taps his chin in thought. “Do you possess the same abilities as him?” There’s no mistaking the amusement in his voice.
Dead set on not answering him, I just stare at him with narrowed eyes, pushing as much rage and venom toward him as I can muster. His eyes hold a knowing glint, one that says he doesn’t need me to answer anyway. This guy is playing mind games with me.
“Your father played an important role here in my facility. His involvement led me to creating a serum—the very serum running through your veins in fact.”
The asshole’s eyes crawl across my skin, watching me, gauging my reaction. One I won’t give him the gratification of having. But what does he mean, my father’s involvement?
“Forgive me,” he scoffs. “Where are my manners? I am Doctor Aulder Harlow. Welcome to my facility.” His facility. It makes sense now. Doctor Aulder Harlow: the scientist running Harlow Scientific Industries. That explains the familiarity. “You caused me quite a bit of trouble here over the last two days. Imagine my delight to learn that Lieutenant Sayers was successful in his mission last night.”
A gasp escapes me. Wren wasn’t trying to help me by answering my questions in the alleyway. He was setting me up. Telling me where to go to find my dad so that his men could capture me. This was all part of Aulder Harlow’s plan. And I played right into it. I cringe inwardly as he smiles down at me, but he composes himself so quickly that I almost didn’t catch his previous expression. Unfortunately, my slip up gave him some sort of enjoyment.
“After viewing the footage of you attacking my guards, I knew you’d prove to be more useful to me than your father ever was. Watching you deceive my employee at the front desk and obtain two of my detainees was rather exhilarating. Although, I’m more disappointed by your intrusion than by losing my assets. I must say …” His eyes travel the length of my body, igniting my fury. “You’re not as impressive as I had hoped.”
Aulder runs a finger along my tender, aching wrist. “A word of advice …” he dusts his hands off, “… fighting will only make things worse for you. But I think I may enjoy breaking you.”
He gives me a sinister smile, his eyes chilling me to the core.
Oh shit. I have a feeling things are about to get a lot worse for me.
He looks at Lab Coat. “I want her on the accelerated formula. She should get a dose every three hours.” Aulder gives me another dismissive glare before turning and leaving the room.
Every three hours …
Lab Coat steps up beside me, startling me as she checks my vitals and takes more notes on her clipboard. Then she exits the room silently, leaving me alone again. She didn’t drug me again, so that’s a plus.
Now that I’m alone, the weight of everything settles in. Wren played me like a damn fiddle. I’m trapped in the very place I broke my dad and best friend out of. They’ve drugged me—with a serum they used my father to create, whatever that means.
Now that I have a face to put behind everything happening to my dad, I’m not surprised. Aulder Harlow, excuse me—Doctor, as he put so much emphasis on. How I hadn’t put it together sooner is beyond me; his name is literally on the side of the building. The guy looks like a malicious motherfucker. I have never seen such icy-cold, menacing eyes as his. What could he possibly gain from ridding elementals of their abilities? That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?
Tricks
My limbs are a jittery mess, despite not being able to move them—no thanks to the restraints. My eyes close of their own accord as I try desperately to connect with water anywhere within my reach. No one removed my IV, so I should still be able to feel, but … I can’t.
Craning my head as far as I can, I try to look behind me to see if the bag is still there. I can’t move far enough to see it, but I can hear the dripping.
Why can’t I feel it there? It’s not the same feeling as when there isn’t any water near me. I cannot even feel the connection—the connection that has been with me for as long as I can remember. It’s just … gone.
Tears well up, running down my cheeks, but I can’t sense them through my power. They fall harder as my breathing grows heavy, heart pounding harder. A sob bursts from my chest, my body shaking as the onslaught of emotion takes over.
I don’t know how long I cry, but after a while, there are no more tears left. I lay my head back and stare at the ceiling, allowing my body to go numb. The agony doesn’t let up. It grows and swells, pressing on my chest and making it hard to breathe. Sweat drips down the sides of my face and my neck. I’m helpless to only feel it through my skin and nothing else.
Eventually, they’ll let their guard down and unbind my limbs. They have to, right? My dad wasn’t bound. Neither was Lyza, for that matter.
Whenever that happens, I’ll be ready. I’ll make them regret doing this to me and my dad. Knowing he had suffered for so long at the hands of Aulder Harlow to make this serum possible fuels my fire all the more. And it’s all going to rain down on the man himself.
As I sit strapped in t
his godforsaken chair, I try to come up with all of the possible ways to get out. While the list of possibilities is endless, the list of plausible possibilities is pretty damn short. Especially considering not being able to wiggle free on my own. My wrists are extremely raw. Who knows how long it’ll take for them to heal.
Aside from the beeping, I don’t hear much from outside of the door. I’m pretty sure I’m in a room at the end of an unoccupied hallway. The last two times someone came into the room, I could hear them approaching long before they opened the door. Since then, it’s been virtually silent. So, even if Lyza and Zander somehow break into this massive building, I doubt they’d ever be able to find me. Not that I want them to try anyway. They need to stay safe and off the radar.
Once again, I find myself looking for ways to pass the endless time. It’s worse now that I know what’s going on. Every second drags on. My stomach growls, sounding strange against the beeping behind me. “No need to shout,” I tell it, as if I can satisfy it with my words.
Will Aulder have someone bring me food? At this point, I don’t expect anything from him. I’m lucky they even gave me an IV. I guess they have to keep me alive or this is all for nothing.
Each time I blink, my eyelids get heavier and heavier. Only, I can’t fight for my life if I’m asleep.
I can feel the urge to scream clawing at my chest, building there. I bet they’d like that, hearing me scream. They won’t get that satisfaction from me. If I’m getting myself out of here, I have to be the one holding all the cards.
For now, I work on some breathing techniques, hoping to gain some sort of sanity.
Eventually, the clicking of heels breaks through my scheming. It sounds like one set of footsteps. I’m guessing it’s Lab Coat—I wish she would wear a badge so I can learn her name—again.
My mind wanders and I imagine her coming in and removing my restraints, telling me to slip quietly out a back door. But … it’s just a fantasy. There’s no way that would actually happen. Whoever this woman is, she’s on Aulder’s side. Otherwise, why would she freely give me or anyone else the serum?
What a mess.
Sure enough, the door opens and she walks through. What the hell is this woman’s name? She still doesn’t appear to have a badge or identification card clipped to her anywhere. How does she get through all of the security doors without one? I know this building has them. She must be pretty high up the chain of command, I guess. Or she’s just smart enough to come in here without any incriminating evidence.
Lab Coat walks around all of the machines, as always writing on her clipboard. Then she tucks her clipboard under her arm and takes my pulse. Her touch makes my skin crawl.
Reaching into her pocket, she pulls out a foil packet and tears it open. The smell of alcohol fills my nostrils as she takes the swab out and rubs it over my skin. I fix my glare on her, but it doesn’t matter, she’s not looking at me.
I do my best to pull my arm free before she can do anything else, not caring how much it hurts. There’s no way I can let her drug me again. I don’t wanna know what prolonged exposure will do to me. I don’t even know how long the serum already in my system will last, let alone another dose.
Despite my struggles, I’m not going anywhere. As Lab Coat pulls a syringe from her pocket, the door swings open. She turns toward the figure as they close the door behind themselves. A familiar voice fills the room.
“Harlow has big plans for this one. Don’t give her another dose, he needs her as is.”
Disgust rolls through my stomach, settling there like hot stones. I should’ve known Wren was setting me up before. Clearly, it had to do with whatever these big plans are.
“I have orders to transfer her,” he says when Lab Coat just stares at him.
“I was given a direct order from Doctor Harlow himself to administer the next dose,” the woman replies in a nasally voice.
Holy shit! She can speak after all. It doesn’t surprise me that she has almost the exact same condescending attitude as her boss.
Wren looks to be doing his best not to scowl at the woman. Before he has a chance to reply, she turns toward me and shoves the needle into the crook of my arm. She depresses the plunger slowly, pushing every last drop out of the tube and into my body.
The same burning sensation spreads through my body, following in the wake of the serum as it moves through my veins. I am completely powerless to stop her and I have never felt so violated in my life.
“I’ll need to check that transfer order before you take her anywhere,” Lab Coat says to Wren as she turns to walk out of the room.
The haze in my mind doubles as the clicking of her heels fades out through the doorway. I’m not entirely sure what is worse: the haze or knowing that I’m alone in a room with Wren.
As soon as the door latches shut, he steps forward and starts undoing my restraints. “What are you doing?” I whisper-shout, sneering at him, hoping he can feel the wrath he’s ignited within me.
“I have orders to move you to a new location,” he says, meeting my gaze. His eyes are gentle again, which is distracting and confusing.
Through the brain fog, it takes a moment to register that he’s leaning down toward me. Alarms start going off in my head, but I’m stuck.
Curse these damn restraints!
His cheek brushes against mine as he moves close to my ear and whispers, almost too low for me to hear, “I have an idea. I’m getting you out of here, but I need you to trust me.”
Trust him? Yeah freaking right. I choke out a laugh. That shit isn’t going to happen.
But … wait, what did he say? He’s getting me out?
I look at him, confusion furrowing my brows. Why would he want to get me out if he had been working with Aulder to get me here to begin with? Something isn’t adding up, and it isn’t just because of the serum’s haze.
“You’re the reason I’m in here, you asshole,” I say through clenched teeth. This guy has jokes, and they’re not funny in the slightest.
“I had orders. After Harlow saw you—” He cuts himself off, shaking his head. “I should’ve helped you get your dad out of there instead of giving you the bait for you to end up here.”
No shit, asshole.
What am I supposed to do now? There’s no way I can get out of here on my own, so am I supposed to just trust this guy? How do I know he’s not lying to me, trying to manipulate me into doing what he wants and playing right into Aulder’s hands again?
Wren pulls the last strap from my wrist, his hand lingering there just a moment longer than necessary.
“You’re hurt,” he says, gingerly touching the wounds left on my wrists from trying to escape.
I shrug at him, trying to ignore the pain. They probably look a lot worse than they feel. But sore wrists hardly compare to losing my connection to water.
Stepping back, he grabs my hands, helping me to my feet. Unfortunately, I do need the help. My legs feel like Jell-O from the serum.
I don’t really know how I feel about this. My first instinct is to run—not that I could—and where the heck would I go? I definitely don’t know my way around this place, or have the security clearance to get through whatever checkpoints there are.
At least I’m out of the chair. That’s definitely a plus.
I’ll just follow along and then ditch him as soon as I get a chance.
Still holding on to my hand, Wren pulls me toward the door, where he peers into the hallway before turning back to me. “I’m going to need to put you in cuffs,” he says, looking apologetic about it. “I know you don’t trust me, but I promise I’m not trying to play tricks on you.”
I snort at him, biting back my laughter so no one hears us. This guy is deranged. Of course I don’t trust him. He hasn’t given me many opportunities to. Except … maybe he has? But he’s also given me just as many not to trust him.
It doesn’t really matter. I want out of this place, and it looks like he’s my only way out. So, I hold out my wrist
s for him to cuff. What did I say about the whole judgement thing? Yep, definitely need to work on that. The expression on his face is a little smug as he clasps them behind my back. “They should be loose enough for you to slip your hands through if you need to.”
I experiment with them and find that he’s telling the truth, cringing when they rub against my raw skin.
“Cleo, there’s one more thing I need to tell you, and you’re not going to like it.” Wren looks to me for approval to continue.
I sigh, “Just tell me.” How bad can it be?
“The serum they gave you is a blocker. You won’t be able to harness your elemental abilities for at least a few hours until the serum wears off,” he says, looking distressed.
This is the best freaking news.
“Good to know it’s not permanent,” I tell him, beyond thankful to know the effects aren’t permanent or long lasting. Sure, the next few hours will suck, but it’s better than the next few days. Or, you know, the rest of my life.
“Let’s go,” Wren says.
“Wait!” I’ll never live with myself if I miss this opportunity again. “Is Joe here?”
“Joe? We haven’t brought in anyone by that name.”
“Really? My e—my best friend, Joe … a fire elemental? You haven’t brought him in? He’s been missing and no one knows anything about it. That sounds an awful lot like AGAS to me.”
“No, we haven’t brought in any fire elementals to this facility.”
I sag with a sigh, “Alright, let’s go.” Wren nods, directing me through the door and into the hallway with his hand on my back. He stays behind me, guiding me through the halls like—well, like a prisoner. The hand on my back is gentle, his touch feather light and barely there.
Taking stock of my surroundings, I notice how different these hallways look than the ones I found Lyza and my dad in. Almost all of the doors are open, revealing unoccupied rooms, identical to the one I was just in.
This wing has more of a medical feel to it, with all of the equipment in the rooms and the white walls, ceilings, and floors. Everything looks … sterile.