For my own sanity I convinced myself Ryker had escaped from the balam and was fine. What did he imagine happened to me? What was he going through trying to find me? He had to be frustrated knowing he could do nothing but wait. He had no idea where I’d gone, or if I could get back, but he also couldn’t leave Peru, knowing I would return the moment I could.
I pushed thoughts of Ryker away. While I liked the softness he created in my heart, here I had to be stone: no emotion, no sentiment, no cracks in my walls.
I finished dressing. The hoodie was thin, but it gave me a little more protection than my tank top. Using the supplies he’d given me, I cleaned my teeth and washed my face.
When I came out, Carlos was waiting for me. “Your bed is over here. All your stuff will go into the basket under your bed. We do random checks, so don’t bother trying to hide anything. We have our fight training in the yard.” He nodded to the back doors.
“You worked at a prison before this, didn’t you?” I teased. By his pointed glare I realized I hit on something. “Resident?”
Carlos moved till he was only an inch away from my face. He was only a few inches taller than me. His voice razor sharp. “Five years at the King County Correctional Facility, and I didn’t become anyone’s bitch. Got me, perra?”
Touché.
He didn’t scare me. Instead, I respected him a little more, but I didn’t want to purposely piss him off. I gave him a curt nod, and he stepped away.
“Watch your back.” He knew, as well as I did, there was a large target from all sides. His disfigured lip curled with amusement, then he walked away out the main doors. Probably heading across the street to Maria. The boy had it bad.
The springs of the cot protested as I sat. It was adorned with only a pillow, sheet, and scratchy wool blanket. I slid the basket from under the bed and placed my newly acquired items in the holder.
“How are you feeling?” A small voice turned my head up. Annabeth stood in front of me. She wore the uniform of yoga pants and a hoodie, her hair knotted back in a loose bun.
“Hey.” I smiled. “I’m feeling better. Thank you for patching me up.”
Her critical gaze roved over my face, her brows hitching together. “You are almost healed.”
My hand automatically went to my face, brushing over my bandages and bruises. My eye was practically back to normal, no longer swollen shut. “Uh... yeah.” Her eyes narrowed on me suspiciously.
“Chow time.” A woman’s voice accompanied a loud bell.
“Hell,” I mumbled. “I feel like I’m in prison.” I rubbed my hands over my face.
“No.” Annabeth shoved her hands into her pockets. “You’re in hell.” She turned and walked to the line forming at the buffet.
TWENTY
How true her statement became.
On my way to get in line, I was tripped, shoved, and insulted in every way. They only backed off when I stood next to Annabeth. I guess I wasn’t the only one who felt like protecting, instead of harming, this girl. She brought out the same instinct in me Lexie had. I didn’t know how long I’d be here, but until then, when I was around, no one would touch her.
I lifted my tray, holding it out for food to be slopped on it. The women ignored me, pushing it out of the way as they served the other girls. My head already pounded with annoyance. I wanted to drop the tray and go back to my bed and crawl into a ball. What I wanted to do and what I had to do—polar opposites.
“You really want to start out like this?” I shoved my platter back at the girl serving, my tone walking a thin line of bemusement and threat. “It’s really early to get on my bad side.”
The girl lifted one eyebrow in a challenge.
“You know those rumors about me?” I giggled, sounding a bit crazy. “Like I enjoy drinking the blood of my victims?” My face fell, and I reached over and grabbed the girl’s throat. “They. Are. All. True.”
Whatever it was, my expression, my tone, or the dead seriousness she saw in my eyes, she placed food on my dish. “See how easy it was?” I let go of the girl, patting her face, and continued down the line, humming. Unstable was a good trait to use. People didn’t like being unsure; it created insecurity and fear. I might be small, but they’d learn I was not someone to mess with. I earned my reputation.
I settled at a table, and Annabeth sat next to me. She was wise. Even though most were taller or bigger than me, she was insightful enough to sense my underlying power. I was someone to align with, not challenge.
But not all took the wise road.
“Oh, AB, has she already made you her pet?” Jada came to the table, leaning between two girls on the other side of me. “You’re a sweet kid, but not too bright.”
I took a bite of my eggs and snorted. Talk about not too bright.
“You have something to say, Skipper?”
“I would have to talk too slow... and I simply don’t have the energy for stupid this morning.” I took another bite. The powdered taste reminded me of the breakfast at Red Cross, which probably wasn’t a coincidence. Everything here, including the water, appeared to be stolen from them. Maybe it was the red crosses displayed on everything, including the tray I was eating off, that tipped me off.
Jada’s shoulders hunched to her ears. “Oh no you didn’t.” She swirled her finger at me. Seriously, I could take a nap while she worked up to the point.
I shoved a piece of toast into my mouth, ignoring her insignificant chatter. Annabeth sat rigid next to me and everyone, including the guards, watched us. Even they knew a fight would happen between Jada and me, but until then it was all talk. Supremacy only had room for one, and sooner or later she and I would have to fight for it. I wanted to fast-forward to it, but she seemed to need the foreplay.
I sighed. Foreplay. The only foreplay I wanted was with Ryker.
“What the fuck are you smiling about, cunt?” Jada’s fingers grabbed the lip of my tray and flipped it up. Oatmeal and runny eggs slipped onto my lap with a slopping sound.
She wasted my food. Now I was pissed.
“Dammit!” I rose to my feet like a phoenix. “I wasn’t finished with my meal yet.”
“Oh, does the little princess want more eggs?” Jada taunted.
“Yeah, actually I do. Thanks.” I waved her off like a servant.
It was only a blink, the calm before the storm where you could hear everyone suck in their breaths, then the storm crashed onto the shore.
People wailed with excited cheers as Jada flung herself over the table, her nails coming at me like missiles.
Finally.
The guards yelled as they moved away from the walls.
I snapped up the empty tray on the table and swung it at her face. The plastic vibrated as it made contact with her head.
Hoots and whistles buzzed in my ears along with the adrenaline. The noises became background as I focused on my target. I needed to learn her weakness.
Jada continued to smack talk, but she did not hesitate in striking out at me. She had the tendency to claw at me in between punches. Old schoolgirl fighting—scratching, pulling hair, and nail gouging.
I nailed her in the eye, knocking her across the table. Her back slipped over gooey oatmeal, and orange juice spilled into her eyes. She touched the back of her head, where oatmeal and egg clung to her curls in globs.
“You bitch.” She grabbed a tray, ramming it into my stomach. I curled over. She flew at me, knocking us both to the ground. She seized my hair, banging my head against the cement. I curled my elbow in, stabbing her in the soft part of her throat. She rolled to the side, coughing. I took advantage, obtaining the upper hand, literally. I climbed on top of her, my hand connecting with her mouth, cheeks, and eyes.
The girls cheered as we fought.
“What the hell?” Carlos’ voice reverberated from the doorway. “Stop this!”
The guards who had been letting us go at it suddenly jumped in, trying to split us apart. “Get a hold of her.” My body was pulled back, a voice
yelling in my ear. But I wasn’t done. She needed a final lesson.
“Stop.” Carlos grabbed for my arms, trying to contain them.
“No.” The word almost came out inaudible.
“Okay, I warned you.”
Suddenly my body was on the ground, twitching and flapping around like a fish. Pain so intense I couldn’t see pummeled down each vein, shredding them. My muscles seized, ripping the air from my lungs. My eyes were still open, but I could not focus on anything. My thoughts retreated to the faraway depths of my mind.
Finally, oblivion consumed all my senses.
I scanned the area. The off-white walls were blank, but I knew them well. The DMG training room was like a second home to me. The floor was adorned with black mats, which Daniel had thrown me down on way too many times to count. A girl stood a short distance away, her back to me.
“Hello?” I called out.
She turned around, and I let out a gasp. The girl staring back at me was me.
“You are a pain in the ass, Zoey Daniels.” She walked to me.
“Excuse me?”
“You are trapping us in this hell.”
“Since this is a dream, it’s you who dragged me here.” I motioned around the room.
“No, not here, here.” The other me rolled her eyes. “I mean here as in this prison camp you have stranded us in.”
“Do you think I want to be here?”
“No, but you are the one keeping us here.”
“What?” I exclaimed. “How am I keeping us... me here? I have a monitor strapped to my ankle and over seven guns trained at my head at any given time. How is it my fault?”
“Because the decision is yours.”
Annoyance at myself was growing, shifting my weight between my feet.
“Don’t you see? You’re the one blocking it,” her voice echoed my irritation.
“Blocking what?”
“The magic.” Without warning she swung her arm. I barely ducked in time, feeling her arms skim over my head. I jumped up and danced back. A smirk grew on my other self’s face. “Stop fighting it. Let it in... don’t you feel it? Wanting to come out? To be part of you? As soon as you heard about him, how it was killing him, you cut it off.” She lunged forward, and I fell, somersaulting backward till I was on my feet again, pushing her back.
“You don’t think I haven’t tried to bring the powers out? To get the hell out of here? But nothing happens.”
She wrapped her leg around mine and ripped my feet out from under me. I hit the mat. “The problem is you can’t lie to me. I know.” Her hand came for my throat, and I rolled out of the way, bounding back on my feet. “You’re blocking them because you’re too scared to fully accept them. To take them from him.”
I hooked my arm in a punch as she bobbed near. She weaved out of my reach.
“He has made you weak,” she sneered. “Love has turned you soft.”
“Love?” I scoffed. “You think I’m in love with him? I care about him a lot, but—”
“Yeah, keep telling yourself that.” My twin circled me, trying to move in closer. “It’s killing you. Holding on to the idea of one, while loving another.”
I immediately wanted to dispute her claim. Daniel was the only man I would ever truly love. The image of his smiling face, all he had sacrificed for me. Guilt twisted my stomach. No. Only Daniel. I cared for Ryker, but not loved. I did not throw that word around. Love was frightening and held enormous power for me. Only two people ever reached that level with me. And after losing them, there was no way I’d let in a third.
Especially Ryker.
There was no doubt he’d wormed in enough that I would do anything for him, protect him with everything I had, but I did not love him. I couldn’t.
Her foot came up, slamming into my stomach. I went sailing back, hitting the ground with a thud. I couldn’t move. My own face came into view, leaning over.
“It is up to you, Zoey. You can change your own fate.” She moved closer to my face, her features turning fuzzy the closer she got, till I could no longer make out my own appearance.
“Hey?” the blurry figure said. I saw her hand move and a sting zipped across my cheek. My vison cleared. Maria sat in front of me with a frown etched on her face.
I blinked, trying to sit up. Instead, I continued to lie there, my muscles unresponsive.
“Your body is traumatized. It will be a couple more hours before it will fully function again.” She sat back on her heels. “I am really sorry I missed you being electrocuted. I would do it again simply to watch it for myself, but Duc will be here tonight, and I need his new prize not to be shitting herself.” She pressed her bright red lips together, barely containing her laughter.
Oh hell.
“Regrettably, you only peed yourself. Still funny though.” She got back on her feet. “But because of this incident, both you and Jada are in confinement. We need to keep order and can’t have our girls fighting each other out of the ring.” She grinned. She knew perfectly well bringing me down would cause a fight. She wanted this to happen.
Maria stepped to the door and another figure joined her. I didn’t need to see him to know it was Carlos. His hand went to her lower back, escorting her out of the door. The door clicked shut behind them, the room going dark.
I was back in the room where I had been before. Though I couldn’t move, I felt the shackles back around my limbs, the ankle device replaced by a metal one. I could also feel my pants were soggy at the crotch. Awesome. When you are stunned with what seemed like thousands of bolts of electricity, losing bladder control was the least of your problems. But the chilly stone floor only emphasized the dampness and caused my muscles to lock up more.
It is up to you, Zoey. You can change your own fate, a faraway voice in my head spoke.
Was I the only reason I was still lying here in my own urine? Was I blocking Ryker’s powers out of fear or guilt? Because I cared too much about him? My brain wasn’t ready to mull through heavy thoughts. Instead, I concentrated on trying to get my muscles to move.
It took me fifteen minutes before my fingers and toes could wiggle. In twenty, I was able to sit up but left drained. The simple movement of trying to lift my head was like pulling it out of drying cement. A weight of a bowling ball attached to my shoulders made it hard to curl forward, propping myself up higher. My arms hung lifelessly, prickling as sensation started flowing down to my fingers. My forehead lined with sweat, I leaned back against the wall, spent.
The door squeaked open, and Annabeth and Hiro ventured into the room. Annabeth carried a fresh pair of yoga pants and Red Cross issued underwear. I was all too acquainted with the generic brand of underwear they used, stealing many myself.
“I need to get her in clean pants.” Annabeth pointed at the cuffs around my ankles.
Hiro grunted, shaking his head.
“I can’t get pants off or on with the ankle chains.” Her voice was soft, but determined. “I need those off. She can’t do anything with her arms still bound.”
“I’ll be good.” The words slurred out of my mouth, my tongue still having problems coordinating itself.
Hiro finally relented and pulled a key from his belt. There was a moment I thought about betraying my word and attacking him the moment he mobilized my legs. But I wasn’t strong enough yet, and there were too many guards outside the door to get through. My energy would be wasted, and I’d probably be beaten till I blacked out again. I would wait. Bide my time.
My ankles were released from the binding and Annabeth kneeled in front of me. She glanced over her shoulder. “You don’t need to watch.”
Hiro’s eyes widened then narrowed into dangerous slits. His face gave the impression he was horrified at the thought he might enjoy watching me be changed. He walked out mumbling words in Chinese. I didn’t understand them, but by the tone I could tell they weren’t pleasant. He kept the door partway open and stood rigidly on the other side. It was more privacy than I expected.
“Here, I brought you this.” She held out a granola bar. “It’s all I could grab undetected.”
This girl was officially on my “favorite people” list.
She unwrapped it and handed it to me. I grabbed the familiar item, shoving it into my mouth. If I weren’t starving, I probably would have gagged. Even the wrapper reminded me of the countless days these bars were my breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I grew to despise them, but hunger always won out over taste buds.
Annabeth went quietly to work changing me.
“Thank you,” I forced out. It was slow and choppy, but at least they sounded like actual words. Annabeth nodded, not looking at me. I watched her. She possessed a quiet strength, holding her shoulders back while keeping her head downcast. It was like she hoped to go unnoticed, but an inner strength was ingrained in her, something you perceived no matter how invisible she wanted to be. Someone who probably curled in a ball and cried quietly to herself, but rose each morning without complaint, doing what she needed to do to survive.
“How did you get here?” Her light blue eyes flickered to mine then back down. “I promise, Annabeth, I won’t hurt you. I want to help get you out of here.”
“And go where?” Her brows furrowed.
“Don’t you have any family? Friends?”
Liquid coated her eyes before she blinked, pushing the tears back, her voice barely above a whisper. “No.” She swallowed, feeling my curious gaze on her.
“My family was killed in the electric storm. The apartment building we lived in collapsed, and they weren’t able to get out.” Her voice trembled, but didn’t crack. “I was at school. A volleyball game. My entire school was destroyed... I don’t know how I got out alive; only a few of us did. We tried to stay together, but I heard about the Red Cross tents, and one night trying to get there I was kidnapped and brought here.”
“If you could escape, do you have any extended family you could go to?”
The Barrier Between (Collector Series # 2) Page 21