Autumn knew she would never forget it. When she told Penna, Penna would just hug her and remind her that if anyone every asked her about it she was to tell them she knew nothing. Truth be told, when Autumn thought about it she really did know nothing. She had no idea who would want to shoot at them and why. Autumn cleared her throat before she somberly said, “I’m sorry. I’m still not sure what happened.”
Carter reached out and patted her on the shoulder as if to console her. “Well, don’t you worry about it. We're on it and we’ll find out who was behind it. Of course, if there is anything else you might like to add that would be helpful…
“I’m sorry, I don’t know anything.”
“That’s okay.” said Carter, pulling back his hand. He sighed before he dug into his pocket. “Maybe something will come to you or maybe you’ll just want to have a talk.” Carter pulled out a business card and handed it to Autumn. “Here, take my card. Call me day or night. Leave a message if I don’t pick up.”
Autumn didn’t take the card at first. She bit her lip as she looked around. No one seemed to be watching her, so she took it not to be rude. Autumn doubted she would keep it. She made a mental note to get rid of it as soon as possible, knowing Cage didn’t like the police.
“Well, better get back to the family. You have a nice day, and enjoy the rest of your shopping,” said Carter as he turned to leave.
“Thank you, you too.” said Autumn.
“Bye.” said Cater as he walked off.
“Bye.” said Autumn as she held the card up to her face. She ran her thumb over the indented print of Carter's name and number. Penna joined her a minute later. “Oh, there you are. I was beginning to worry. You should have told me you were going to another section.”
“You seemed into what you were doing.” said Autumn. “I didn’t want to bother you.”
“You’re no bother. And besides, it’s my job to keep any eye on you. Anyway, we should really be going. Are you ready?”
“Yeah. Umm, before we go, a detective gave this to me.” said Autumn. She knew she should just throw it away, but she thought maybe it was better to tell Penna about it.
Penna took the card from Autumn. She looked at it and then looked around the room. “When and where did this happen?”
“Here, just now. I wasn’t paying attention and bumped into Detective Carter. He said he was just out shopping with his family. I was polite. He asked me about the party, but I told him I didn’t know anything.”
“I see.” said Penna, “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to take this and give it to Cage.”
“It's okay. I was just going to throw it away. I don’t want to cause either of us any trouble.”
“Right.” said Penna, putting the card in her pocket. She smiled at Autumn but Autumn could tell she was uneasy.
The two paid for their books as the bodyguards seemed to appear out of nowhere to join them. The one reading a magazine seemed to be alert once more. She wondered now if he was really distracted or had been paying attention the whole time. Autumn enjoyed the ride back to the tower and didn’t think it was so bad to be returning.
When they got back to the top of the tower, Penna went to put everything away. Autumn planned to go to her garden, but thought she’d take a moment to thank Cage for letting her go out. She knew this was an effort on his part to give her something like this. She figured she’d tell him about running into Detective Carter and the card. Maybe if she showed him he could trust her, he’d let her do more things.
When she went to his office she heard laughter coming from within. She knocked on the door, wondering what was going on. Fredric answered a second later and Autumn could see inside Cage’s office. There were two naked women inside. Cage was naked, fucking a redhead while a blonde was drinking from a bottle of wine. The blonde giggled and laughed as she offered Cage some wine.
He took a swig before putting it down. He pulled out of the redhead and entered the blonde. The redhead sat up and took a drink of the wine before she laughed. She ran her hands over Cage’s back before pouring the wine over the blonde’s breasts. Cage buried his face into the blonde’s chest, licking the wine off of her as he thrust her into his desk… and Fredric cleared his throat.
Autumn didn’t realize she’d been staring. She looked up at him and he glared at her. She took a step back and he asked, “What do you want?”
Autumn found herself stunned. She didn’t know why. She knew Cage slept with other women and had even seen a few as they passed by, but she’d never actually seen him doing it. She knew she shouldn’t care, but somehow seeing him like that felt strange. Fredric cleared his throat again and Autumn quickly said, “It can wait.”
Fredric rolled his eyes as if she had wasted his time before shutting and locking the door. Autumn turned and made her way to the garden. She didn’t know why she was bothered by it, or upset that other women had been touching Cage. It didn’t make any sense to her.
She hated him. She despised him touching her. So what did it matter if other women took some of the grief off her? She attempted to work in her garden but her mind kept flashing with images of Cage and those other women. She told herself she should be excited that she’d gotten to go out today, and that a lot of things had improved over the last few months. The tower, and even Cage, were becoming more bearable with each day. So she should just be happy. But she wasn’t happy. As she sat in her garden she couldn’t help but feel empty, and alone.
Chapter Seven
Autumn’s outings quickly became her favorite part of the week. For about three weeks she went to the shopping center. She made it a point to go into every single shop so she could experience them all. She had lunch with Penna every time they went out and thought up all sorts of places she’d like to go and things she'd love to do.
She submitted list after list of all the places she came up with. She made requests to go to the mall, and to ride bikes in the park. She wanted to visit her family and go to the beach. She wanted to see museums, aquariums and even the zoo. Any place she could think of, really.
She thought about asking to go to an amusement park, but it was too soon. Even though it had been several months since her birthday, she didn’t think she’d ever be able to go to another amusement park again. Penna told her that one day she would be able to go to an amusement park. That eventually she would become desensitized to the world she lived in. Autumn wondered if Penna was desensitized. She didn’t know if she wanted to not care about death. There were some things it was okay to be desensitized to, but life was important to Autumn. No matter how big or small.
Cage looked over her lists, but not all of her requests were approved. The farther out the place was, the less willing he seemed to let her go. He flat out denied her request to go to the beach as there was none in the city. He also denied her request to see her family.
They lived in another city, but Autumn suggested they could come visit her. Perhaps he could set her up in a hotel for a few days and she could say she was just hanging out in the country for a while. Cage rolled his eyes and told her no. It was enough that he let her talk to them. He didn’t want them involved any further.
Autumn was a little disappointed but she figured she could eventually convince him. After all, he was letting her go out, and that was something she hadn't thought he’d ever let her do. Until she could convince him, she decided to enjoy the places he would let her go. Her first week he let her go to a park. It was different from the one she'd had her party at.
It was more of a nature park, with dozens of trees, and trails to walk and ride on. Autumn and Penna rented bikes and rode all around the park. At one point they saw a kite vender and they both got kites. The weather had been amazing and after a few hours they had a picnic made by the kitchen staff. After lunch, Autumn even took a nap in the shade.
The next week she and Penna went to the mall. They had to had five bodyguards with them and at least two dozen plain clothes guards. Before Autumn could go in
to a store it had to be secured. While they were waiting people would look at her and Penna and again wonder if they were some sort of celebrities. People stared and took pictures. Autumn and Penna both found it funny. After a while they went shopping and picked up some hats and sunglasses. Once they were done shopping they went to a movie before getting food to go at the food court.
When they got home, Autumn asked if her main guards could hang back a bit or at least wear plain clothes. Cage wouldn’t let them hang back but he allowed for them to dress in plain clothes so it looked like Penna and Autumn were just out by themselves.
The next week Autumn enjoyed going to an art museum. When she was little she used to hate going on field trips to museums because they were so boring. Penna suggested that she give one a try as an adult and Autumn thought, 'Why not?' She loved it so much that when she had dinner with Cage later that night, she asked if she could take a painting class.
When she went to the Aquarium, Autumn found it stunning. They had all sorts of underwater creatures. It was like they had taken the ocean and put it in the center of the city. She got several of her favorite sea creatures at the gift shop and enjoyed watching dolphins and a whale perform different tricks. When she got home she decorated her room with her new treasures. She loved getting souvenirs from all the places she’d been.
When they went to the zoo, Autumn took pictures of nearly every animal. She went to the petting part of the zoo and enjoyed feeding the animals. Some of the animals looked really happy but there were a few that looked sad. Autumn could almost see the longing in their eyes. She knew it well, as she had seen it in her own eyes. She could tell they wanted to be free but were making do with what they had.
She sighed, wondering if she would always be making do with what she had or if she could ever be happy. There were times that she forgot she was in a cage. When she was eating popcorn, or laughing with Penna, she’d almost feel normal. Maybe if she could just hang on to the normal bits of her life she truly could be happy. Who knew? If Autumn could get Cage to let her go out, maybe one day she could get him to let her go. It was a long shot, but it was still more of a possibility now than ever.
Autumn found herself content as she rode the express train back from the zoo. The zoo was on its own island away from the city. You could get to it by boat, or by an express train that went under the water and came out at the island. They chose the express train because it was faster. While they were on the island several guards stayed with the cars. As they arrived back in the city Autumn watched her guards radio each other to say they were coming.
When they got off the train several of the guards walked ahead to make sure the parking lot was secure. A few others were off to the side, and it was just Penna and Autumn. The sun was so bright it nearly blinded her eyes. Autumn asked Penna for some sunglasses and Penna dug them out of her bag. They stopped for a second so she could put them on. When they were on she smiled, looking around at the scenery.
Penna started to walk again looking at what time it was. Autumn knew she was supposed to follow her but something caught her eye. It looked like a rug on the tracks. Only after a few seconds she realized it was a dog. A small shaggy dog. Autumn looked around for its owner, wondering what it was doing on the tracks.
The signal for the next train came on and Autumn realized that if it didn’t move it was going to be hit by a train. She took several steps towards the tracks, whistling to it. She shouted and waved, “Doggie! Hey, doggie, move!”
Penna took notice of her turning back around she called out to her, “Autumn what are you doing?”
Autumn turned slightly to explain but saw the train in the visible distance. She realized that if she didn’t act fast, the dog was going to be hit. Without much thought Autumn burst into a run, dropping her things on the pavement.
Penna quickly darted after her yelling, “AUTUMN, STOP! AUTUMN!”
Autumn didn’t slow down. She knew if she stopped now, she’d never make it before the train. The bodyguards realized something was up and all of them closed in, running after them. Autumn pushed herself to be as fast as she could, jumping onto the train tracks. She bent down and grabbed the dog, frantically dragging it up to her chest. As she did so, she felt something pull against her, until there was a snapping noise and a piece of plastic broke away from the dog's collar. Adrenaline surged through her body as her heart pounded.
Penna screamed at her. Both of them were now on the train tracks as the train barreled towards them. They just barely made it to the other side. The train whizzed past them and the bodyguards were trapped on the other side. Penna panted from the sudden exertion. Bending forward slightly, she rested her hands on her knees.
Autumn held the dog in her arms. She checked it to see if it was okay as Penna gave her a dirty look. “Autumn, what were you thinking! You really can’t run away like this!”
Autumn could see Penna was upset. “I know, I’m sorry Penna. It's just that I saw this dog and the train was coming. I had to do something. It would have been killed.”
Penna looked at Autumn and then to the dog. She petted it before letting out a heavy sigh. “I know you were trying to do the right thing, but you have to understand that something like this leaves you open to an attack. Your bodyguards aren't just here to watch you. They're here to protect you, Autumn. They can’t do that on the other side of a train. What if something were to happen? You have to understand, Autumn. You have to value your life more. If not for yourself, then for the others around you. If something ever happened to you, Cage would never forgive any of us.”
“I’m sorry.” said Autumn, feeling bad. She knew she shouldn’t have run off, but she didn’t like the idea of this poor sweet creature getting killed. Especially if there was something she could do about it. The dog was shaggy and unkempt, with an old, cracked, plastic collar. It must have been a stray looking for food. It was so oblivious to what was going on that it just panted in the afternoon sun as it looked up at Autumn. It licked her suddenly.
Autumn smiled down at it as Penna got on her cell phone. It was buzzing with the constant texts she was getting from the bodyguards. They were all asking for confirmation that things were okay as they waited for the train to pass. Penna started to text them when a van suddenly appeared before them.
It sped up fast, skidding to the side as it stopped a few feet short of them. The doors slid open within seconds. Several men with ski masks poured out, coming towards them. Penna took notice, quickly dropping her cell phone to the ground. She drew her gun from somewhere. In one fluid motion Penna pushed Autumn to the ground and began shooting as the attackers drew stun guns and firearms.
Autumn nearly dropped the dog as she crashed to the ground. Penna’s gun went off, not frantically, but carefully as she choose and took out her targets one by one. She dropped two of the attackers immediately. Autumn saw them fall to the pavement as others returned fire at Penna. She stood calmly over Autumn, shielding her with her body. She presented as wide a target as she could.
Autumn’s head spun and her heart raced as she heard Penna’s firearm go off, pop, pop, pop. Another man fell to the ground. Behind her, sparks shot up from the speeding train as bullets ricocheted off it. The only sound Penna made was the occasional grunt to accompany her marksmanship.
Autumn wondered how everyone seemed to be missing Penna. How, in a hail of gunfire, she could still stand so tall. The train was nearly gone. The attackers had no choice but to retreat. They quickly rushed back to their van as Penna shot at them. Pop, pop, click, click, click. Penna dropped her empty clip and slapped in a replacement and then suddenly the train was gone.
Behind Autumn and Penna, the bodyguards raced forward. Weapons drawn, they shot at what was left of the attackers as they rushed to get away. Only one managed to get in the van before it sped off into the city.
Hesitantly, with her knees shaking, Autumn stood up. Her back was to Penna as she looked at all the bodies on the ground. Shocked she said, “Wow, Penna,
that was amazing! You saved us! I don’t know how…” Autumn’s voice trailed off as she turned around to face her friend.
It was clear from the first moment Autumn laid eyes on her something was wrong. Penna stood stiffly without moving. She had a grimace plastered across her face. But it wasn’t her face that drew Autumn’s attention. No, it was her shirt. It was covered in blood. Autumn looked at her in horror. Penna’s face finally seemed to change as her eyes met Autumn’s. She almost seemed to smile before she collapsed to the ground.
Autumn dropped the dog and rushed to her screaming, “NO! NO! PENNA! Penna, no!” Tears burst from Autumn’s eyes as she fell to her knees. She reached out for her friend, cradling her head in her hands. “No…no you’re going to be okay…You’re going to be okay...You can’t-” Autumn’s voice caught in her throat.
Penna seemed disoriented as she looked up at Autumn. Her voice came out weak and brittle as she said, “Shouldn’t…run away… from… bodyguards… gonna… get… yourself… killed…dangerous…” Penna’s eyes rolled to the side before freezing in place.
Autumn stared down at her waiting for her to move, to do anything. When she didn’t, Autumn threw herself into Penna, shaking her as she tearfully whispered to her. “Please Penna, please don’t leave me alone.” Autumn held Penna’s body in her arms. She buried her head against Penna, crying over and over again. Several tears fell unnoticed from Penna’s eyes as she drifted away from her earthly form.
As Autumn wept over Penna, the bodyguards were hard at work. They quickly secured the area, creating a shield around Autumn and Penna. Cage was informed of the situation as a few men quickly riffled through the dead bodies. A car sped out after the van and sirens wailed in the background as people started to gather. Orders were given out and without a word of warning Autumn was ripped from Penna’s body.
She protested at first, struggling to stay with her friend. But once Penna was out of sight Autumn went numb, barely noticing her bodyguards shoving her in a car. They drove away quickly. All Autumn could think about was her friend standing over her, refusing even to flinch as bullets struck her again and again. All Autumn could hear were her words of warning. “You shouldn’t run away. What if something were to happen?”
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