Positioning herself on her knees once more, she placed one hand on the wall as a guide and the other out in front of her and crawled forward. It didn’t take long before she found the corner of the room. Another turn and another several feet found another corner. There has to be a door, somewhere.
Dani took the next corner. After a few more feet, she found what felt like a hinge on the wall, connecting a wooden door. Her fingers searched for the cracks around the door but only felt rubber flaps. So that’s how they keep the light out. Dani made her way to the other side of the door. There were no handles, but the rubber flap running up the opening was curled slightly. She pried it back from the crack and the tiniest bit of light filtered in and across her hand.
She breathed a sigh of relief as the sliver of light shone like a needle across her fingertips. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to help her keep her sanity. Her training at the academy had taught her that if she were ever captured by the enemy, she needed to find something to cling to. Attaching hope to that little sliver of light would keep her from completely losing herself.
She pulled her hand back and let the flap close, blocking out the light once more. The darkness no longer seemed so bad. Still, she checked the flap every few moments to get a glimpse of the soft yellow glow.
Dani wasn’t sure how much time passed in the Cellar before she heard the footsteps. Her stomach became a ball of pain from the lack of food over the past several days. Her lips were cracked and dry, the parchedness spreading to her tongue and throat. She wasn’t sure what fate awaited her upon her release from this dark hell, but she needed to get out of here. As time passed, the sliver of light started to lose its magic.
The door creaked and Dani hurried away from it, crouching down against the wall several feet away. A moment later, it burst open and light filled the stone room. Dani gasped and shielded her eyes, squinting toward the door. She could just make out the rotund figure of the warden along with two guards.
“Time to get you ladies topside,” the warden’s jolly voice rang out as the guards stepped past him into the room.
The first guard stooped and grabbed Dani by her upper arm, hoisting her onto her feet. He quickly placed the restraints on her wrists. He shoved her toward the warden before continuing on into the Cellar.
Cramps in her legs caused her to drag her feet as she painstakingly made her way to the door. The warden chuckled as she stepped into the light spilling in from the doorway.
“Have you learned your lesson yet, Ms. Devereaux?”
Dani glared at him, resisting the urge to punch him in his fat, round face.
Warden Quill jutted a thumb back over his shoulder and into the bright room behind him. Dani stepped out into the bright room, wincing at the harsh light. Her once-friendly golden sliver was actually a series of unforgiving, glaring bulbs making her long for the darkness from whence she came. She stumbled as she tried to navigate the room with her eyes mostly closed.
A third guard, one she hadn’t seen originally, caught her by the elbow. “Easy there.”
She recognized his voice as the guard from the trial. The recognition caused her to hesitate and lean against him for support momentarily before he guided her to a seat as the next prisoner stumbled out of the room.
Dani covered her face with her hands, trying to filter the light and allow her eyes a better opportunity to adjust. She slowly pulled them away and looked to the woman beside her. It was Roni. From the looks of it, Dani guessed that Roni’s hard exterior had cracked in the darkness. Her eyes were puffy and swollen. The dried line of tears down each of her cheeks made her look broken rather than fierce. The fire had gone from her eyes, and her gaze caught Dani’s for the briefest of moments before she looked down at the floor.
The two guards dragged the next woman out of the cellar. It was Geneva. Roni and Dani shared a glance as the guards dropped Geneva to the floor. Had it not been for the quiet groan as they released her, Dani would have mistaken her for dead.
The fourth woman was one Dani hadn’t seen before. The guards were carrying her out, but she resisted. Her arms and legs flailed as they tried to get her out the doorway before they finally let go and watched her scamper back into the dark.
“Leave her,” Warden Quill ordered. He gazed into the Cellar a moment before turning back to the guard closest to him. “Throw in some bread and water.”
One of the guards withdrew a loaf of bread and a large water bottle, placing it into the room before sealing the door once more. Dani looked at the familiar guard, silently pleading with her eyes fixated on his mask. She would give almost anything for bread and water right now. She’d even consider returning to the confines of the Cellar. Thankfully, that wasn’t necessary. He retrieved the food and water, distributing it among the other three women.
The trio of prisoners unceremoniously tore into the bread and gulped down the water in a matter of minutes, the warden shaking his head and laughing the whole time. As soon as they finished, he waved his hand over his shoulder as he left the room.
“Return them to their cells.”
The three guards helped the women to their feet. Dani felt slightly better now that her belly wasn’t empty, but her stomach quickly cramped as though it didn’t know what to do with the food.
“We’ll catch up,” the guard assisting her said to the others before helping Dani back down into her seat. “Are you alright?”
“Kind of a stupid question,” Dani mumbled as she clutched her abdomen.
“Look, I know you got a raw deal, but you did confess.” The guard crouched down next to her.
“I had to or they would have killed my entire crew.” Dani bent forward over her legs, hoping to calm her stomach.
“You think they’re better off without you?”
“I think they’re better off alive.”
“There are worse things than being dead, you know.”
Dani sighed. “Yeah, like being in that hell hole. How can they even do that, anyway?”
“Well, the government is considerably more lax in the rules of punishment against those who’ve committed crimes against them. They don’t throw just anyone in there, or there would be a problem.”
“So basically just the pirates, rebels, and me then.”
The guard stood and offered Dani his hand. “Let’s get you back to your cell.”
Dani accepted the gesture and stood. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
The guard shrugged. “Someone needs to look out for you. Your roommate doesn’t seem too invested in your safety.”
“I don’t blame her. Roni and Geneva have authority here. I wouldn’t let Meg get involved anyway.”
“You need to quit worrying about everyone else and focus on taking care of yourself, or you’ll never make it in here.”
“Make it until what?” Dani turned toward him as they made their way down the corridor. “Take care of myself so they can execute a well-adjusted, healthy person?”
The guard laughed. “Well, hopefully things don’t get to that point.”
Dani stared at him, her forehead crunched. “You were there when they sentenced me to death. You know how this ends.”
“You’re right.” The guard hesitated as they neared the door to Dani and Meg’s cell. His helmet faced her, but he didn’t say anything else.
Dani couldn’t help but feel like he wanted to say more. She was starting to think he knew more than he let on, but she wasn’t sure if she was just looking for another sliver of light.
“Look, try to stay out of trouble. Okay? And please, eat something before you completely wither away. I’ll do what I can to make sure Roni and Geneva leave you alone, but I can’t be everywhere.”
Dani nodded as he slid the door closed with her inside. “Thanks.”
“And Dani,” he added. “Don’t lose hope.”
Chapter 7
Dani crawled into bed, welcoming what little comfort the thin mattress provided. Don’t lose hope, she repeated in h
er head. Even her thoughts sounded sarcastic. Meg snored across the room from her in her own bed, making sleep difficult for Dani. She rolled over and faced the crack in the wall, tracing it with her finger.
The tiny crevice in the wall felt like the rift running through her heart and mind. The two sides of each not quite aligning. She desperately missed her crew, and the thought of never flying again caused her soul to ache. A sigh escaped her lips as the hopelessness and desperation started to close in. She felt that the GC’s swift reaction and punishment weren’t fair. Until now, she hadn’t really thought much about those pirates and rebels that flashed across news bulletins. Their fate was of no consequence to her, until she shared it.
Her fingernail glided along the broken crack in the wall until it snagged on something. Dani propped herself up on her elbow and peered into the crack in the dim light filtering in from the hall outside her cell. A sliver of white rested within the folds of the wall. She picked at it, the paper just barely out of reach. Her frustration grew with the little progress she made. Pausing for a moment, Dani glanced around hoping to find something of use—a bobby pin, toothpick, anything—but there was nothing.
Dani’s determination set in. She peered in at the piece of paper and slid her nail up against it again, repeating the action over and over until the corner finally poked through the surface of the wall. Eagerly ripping it out of the wall, Dani hastily unfolded and read the slip of paper.
Take the job.
Dani scrunched up her face at the handwritten letters. What the hell does that mean? She turned it over in her hand, looking for more information, and then stopped to read it once more. The handwriting had a vague familiarity. It resembled the notes her mother would slip into her bag every time she departed for the academy. Dani shook her head. No. Mom’s dead.
Dani stared at the note once more, gliding her fingertip over the words. Her mom hadn’t made it to her graduation. Neither had her father for that matter, but he was away on a mission. Dani’s mother had always been the reliable one, the one that was always there, until that day. That was the day she went missing.
Dani had hurried home after the ceremony, fearing something had happened to her father. When she got there, the lock on the door was broken and the door was ajar. There was no sign of her mother, but there was blood, so much blood. Dani’s stomach turned just thinking about it. Things were a blur for a while. Dani’s father was contacted, and he returned from his mission to talk with the investigators while Dani became an afterthought.
She never knew the details of the investigation. The file was sealed due to her father’s military career. All Dani knew was what her father told her, that there was too much blood around the house for her mother to have survived whatever attack took place.
Dani squeezed her eyes shut. She knew the handwriting wasn’t her mother’s—it couldn’t be. She was sure her mind was just reaching out for some hope to grab onto. Besides, she had no idea how long the note was there. Just because she hadn’t seen it before didn’t mean that it was meant for her. For all she knew, it could have been for the previous tenant.
“Whatcha got there?” Meg spoke out from her horizontal position on her own bed.
“Nothing,” Dani grumbled, crumpling the note. “You’re up late.”
Meg gave her a puzzled look before sitting up on her bed. Not a moment later, the prison-wide wake-up alarm played across the speakers throughout the facility.
“Right.” Dani sighed.
“I’m glad you’re back. You should really clean up, though. You look like shit and it’s visitor day.” Meg hopped off of her cot.
A guard clanged his baton on the cell door. “Wake up, ladies. You have visitors today. Visiting hours begin in two hours.”
“Wait, both of us?” Dani perked up.
The guard glanced down at the clipboard again. “Looks that way, unless they no-show on you.”
Dani peeled herself off of her cot. Sleep could wait. Her spirit was rejuvenated at the thought of seeing a friendly face. She wondered who it was as she hurried through her allotted shower time. After she was cleaned up, she stopped by the mess hall. Geneva and Roni were already there and at their respective tables. From the looks of it, they both had foregone the shower for food.
Geneva’s eyes tracked Dani through the line, causing her to shift uncomfortably. Much to Dani’s relief, there was no encounter that day. After finishing her breakfast, Dani hurried to the visitor’s lounge and checked the digital marquee on the wall. Her name scrolled by, along with a few others.
“Line up,” a guard spoke out and the prisoners formed a single line, Dani falling in with them.
A quick glance at the list and the guard waved the women into the visitor’s lounge one by one, each of them taking a seat at a numbered table indicated by the guard. Dani was the last prisoner permitted for the first round of visitation and sat at the last open table.
Nervousness vibrated through her body as she anxiously awaited her visitor. The list was passed from one guard to another who stepped out into another room. Slowly, the visitors entered, making their way to the prisoners they were there to see. Dani watched each reunion, bouncing her legs under the table impatiently. Some of the encounters were tear-filled, others were surprises met with laughter. Then it was her turn.
The door opened once more and Jag followed the guard in. Dani’s heart leapt into her throat at the sight of him. She grinned and stood, holding out her arms for an embrace, but Jag avoided the hug and sat down at the table.
Dani quickly put her arms down and slid into the seat across from him, her spirits slightly dampened. “It’s so good to see you. Thank you for coming.”
Jag stared at her for a moment before looking down at the table between them, not saying a word.
Dani shifted in her seat, disappointed he wasn’t happy to see her. “How’re things?”
Jag sighed, lifting his eyes to meet her once more. The playful sparkle was gone. “How could you do this to us?”
“What?” Dani sat back in her seat and stared at Jag. She started to see more than just the lost sparkle. He had bags under his eyes, his cheeks were hollow—he looked as though he had been right there in prison with her. She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “You think I’m guilty?”
“Of course not.” He batted the idea away dismissively with his hand. “I just didn’t think you’d give up so easily.”
Dani’s mouth dropped open. “Give up? You think I just gave up?”
Jag shrugged and folded his arms across his chest, leaning back in the chair.
She felt crushed, the weight of his accusation pressing down on her. “I took the blame to save the rest of you.”
“No one asked you to do that,” he said nonchalantly.
Dani stared at him in disbelief. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Oh, here you go, pulling that ‘the captain goes down with her ship’ self-righteous bullshit that you do.”
She looked around the room at the other couples, families, and friends joyously carrying on their conversations. This has to be a joke. This can’t be real. Her eyes worked their way back to Jag’s face. There was no concern for her in his eyes. In fact, he looked angry.
Jag leaned forward. “Maybe being in here will help you realize that you don’t always get to call the shots for everyone else. Your way isn’t the best way. Other people’s opinions matter too.”
“I... I was trying to help,” Dani stuttered.
“That’s the thing, Dani, you’re always trying to help, but you do what you think is best for everyone else without actually talking to them about it first.” Jag sighed. “Look, I’m sorry you’re in here, but you did this to yourself when you decided to take this entire situation on alone. We were all sticking by you, and you made us look like fools. We know the truth, Dani. So do you, and you still just surrendered like you were doing us all a favor.”
“I was doing you a favor!” Dani shouted.
“You think
you were doing us a favor. We’re still in trouble, Dani. We are all grounded. We can’t fly, we won’t be part of another crew—we will have no life.”
“But you’ll be alive,” she protested.
“And you’ll be dead!” Jag argued. He lowered his voice again after a guard cleared his throat at the two of them. “You’ll be dead, and we’ll all be miserable because you didn’t let us help.”
“There was nothing you could have done.”
“Now we’ll never know, will we?” Jag stood and started to walk away from the table. He turned to face Dani once more after a few steps. “You want to know how your solution ‘saved’ us? Cassia’s in the nuthouse, Cruz is locked up for assaulting that ass of a detective, Howard fell off the face of the planet, and I get laughed out of any job I even think about applying for. You know I counted on my salary to take care of my parents. At this rate they’ll be homeless within a month. So yeah, Dani, you saved us real good.”
Dani couldn’t breathe as Jag banged on the exit door. Her chest felt tight as he left the room, and she realized that the chatter from the other tables had completely ceased. All eyes were on her. The last thing she remembered was the whispers that started as the pain in her chest intensified and blackness enveloped her.
* * *
“She’s waking up.”
Dani’s eyes fluttered and the nurse standing over her came into view. A moment later, Warden Quill leaned over her on the opposite side of the nurse, the deep frown on his face highlighting his displeasure.
“You, Ms. Devereaux, are really quite a pain in the ass.” The words drawled from his lips.
Dani struggled to find her voice before weakly managing to utter, “Did I have a heart attack?”
“Hah,” the warden chortled and stepped away from the bed. “Wouldn’t that have saved everyone a lot of trouble? No, my dear, it was just a panic attack. Though you caused such a scene I was forced to cancel the rest of visitor’s day. I’m afraid you won’t be too popular with the other inmates.”
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