44th Piece

Yay! I'm finally back and ready to write more for Audra! I've missed writing a lot but between doing flags and taking advanced courses I could never find time. Anyway, here is the 34th post to my first story.(I'm thinking of calling it Thunder from now on). Hope you enjoy!

I wake up on the ground, the cement trying to cool my flushed cheeks. I try to push myself up and my hand lands in a puddle. I jerk back. What is that? I open my eyes just more than just a crack and see the red on my fingers.

The liquid fire drips down my hand and onto my arm. I watch it lazily thinking back on the recent events. Another great day, I smile a little and almost laugh. And then I do. I laugh so hard my sides feel like they are about to burst.

This is all so absurd! Why am I laughing? I should just be crying again. Oh well! I laugh for what feels like a lifetime before I'm am grabbed by the arm and brought to my feet.

I hear a sickening smack before I feel the sting. My hand flies up to my face and I feel my left cheek getting warm, that's going to leave a mark.

I've stopped laughing so hard and open my eyes just enough to see who smacked me. Stan. I should've known that Abaddon wouldn't have gone in here and risked me punching him in his smug face.

My brain is still really fuzzy so I don’t really react when he drags me out of the room. When I am dropped to the floor I open my eyes which have closed on their own, again. Stan stands motionless in front of me and my head lolls to the side.

The exit.

It’s right there all I have to do is go to it. I crawl to the left and try to steady my breathing which has been slicing the quiet air. I make it halfway to the door when a strong pair of hands goes around my waist and carries me back to the spot I was sitting moments before.

I still have the blood caked on my hands so I busy myself trying to get it off. I look up when I hear the sound of laughter coming from the right. It was Abaddon with another man.

The second man was a skinny guy but had the height to compensate causing him to tower over Abaddon. He has flaming red hair with pasty white skin and pale blue eyes that look too watery to be useful.

“Gooday cousin!” Abaddon booms. “Isn’t it a grand day Louis?”

“‘Tis indeed sir,” Louis replies less enthusiastically.

I lift my head up a bit and stare at them both in the eye. Louis looks away but Abaddon holds my glare.

“Louis is a spectator today. He will be watching how we treat lower life forms, and that would be you my dear,” Abaddon says loudly with a smile on his face.

“He won’t get much of a show if you think you’re going to break me in front of him,” I say not bothering to face him.

“Silence!” His voice shakes the floor a little bit.

“Impressive,” I mutter.

“Why won’t you shut up?” He yells getting frustrated.

“Why can’t I? This is a free country after all!” I yell weakly back.

“Oh wait, if this really was the home of the free I wouldn’t be trapped here, held against my will, and have to deal with a hard-headed, ignorant jerk,” I spit.

He takes a step closer and slaps me across the face. I stumble back and hit my head against the wall. I close my eyes again and feel myself being lifted and carried to another room. When I’m set down I try to lift my heavy eyelids and see Abaddon’s smirk and Louis’s wide blue eyes and slightly parted lips.

I chuckle under my breath at his reaction. It was like he’d never seen anyone get hurt before. He catches me staring but I don’t look away. He glances at Abaddon and then something strange happens. Louis’s eyes start to swirl making the watery blue eyes melt a bit, but then he shakes his head and they become pale and emotionless again.

I sigh and lean up against the smooth drywall and let my eyes drift to where the two men were standing.

Abaddon walks closer until the toes of his shoes touch mine. I put my hands on the wall behind me and lift myself up breathing hard. I make it to a crouching position and Abaddon kneels down until we are eye to eye.

He slams his hand on the wall next to my face and leans in close enough for me to smell the mint on his breath.

“Do not make a fool of me Audra,” he hisses without breaking the stare.

I cough up some phlegm and blood and spit it on his shiny crocodile shoes. He grimaces contorting his usually cocky face into one of disgust, as he grabs my hair.

“You will see here Louis, how we treat lower life scum like her.”

I look up to find his usual twisted grin planted on his face and then put my eyes to rest waiting for the impact. He lifts up my body using only my hair and is about to let go when I vaguely hear a shout.

Abaddon stops and asks in a calm tone, “What was that Louis?”

“I said stop,” Louis states in a quiet and firm voice.

Abaddon drops me to the ground and stalks towards Louis like a predator to prey. The only sound in the room is the clicking of his expensive heels and my ragged breath. To my surprise, Louis stands his ground. His eyes are no longer the dull watery color but swirl and turn into the light blue they are meant to be.

43rd Piece

This is the 33rd post to my firsts book. This "chapter" is really morbid so yeah I apologize for that but it's going to get better soon... I hope. I'm going to try and update a lot more but I'm taking a lot of advanced classes so I might not have the time. Anyways here's the chapter.

The man looks to be made of pure muscle, his face bored and grim. He takes two steps forward crossing half the room in seconds. I take four tiny steps back putting space between him and myself. His pupils show no emotion and almost entirely black out his irises. 


He scares me.

He grunts once and lowers his head so he could see my face. He reminds me of an animal. The blackness of the pupils bore into me and I find myself cringing a little. He looks around after analyzing me showing no emotion on his face. I turn away from him and notice the door has already been shut.

Great.

“I didn’t think you would have to see him until the second day Audra, tis a shame is what it is.”

I look at the mirror with my cousin behind it and growl low in my throat.

“My, my, I would have thought my cousin would have more manners but I guess not. Oh well.”

From some unseen or unheard gesture Stan tenses and faces my way. I move only my head to look back at him and before I have time to blink he lunges. I am quickly overtaken and he holds me by my feet.

The blood starts rushing to my head and as soon as I figure out where my surroundings are he shakes me. I go to hold my head in my hands but they are both held back with tight ropes. Wow this guy works fast.

I feel something tight and scratchy go around my ankles and find my legs bound as well. He lifts me higher and starts to spin. My face is getting really tingly and my thoughts start to drift off.

At once I feel weightless and wonder for a second if I’m flying. I don’t decide to question it anymore after that figuring I might as well enjoy since all good things come to an end. I open my eyes which I didn’t realize were closed. I look around still flying and see something white come closer and closer. Am I dead?

Just then a searing pain rushes through my skull and my teeth clench hard, I’m surprised I didn’t shatter any.

I lay on the ground defeated. 'Stan' makes quick work of untying me, and I slide to the floor as soon as the knots become undone. A pool of red forms around my bruised body and I take a deep breath. I hear the swish of the door closing and let out a long sigh.

"See what not listening gets you dear cousin of mine?" I hear the smile in his voice but don't react.

I form the fetal position and chant Eric's name over and over in my mind. He's the only one who will keep me sane even if he isn't with me right now.

I hear the door swish again and sharp clicks of expensive shoes. I look up and am greeted by the one and only Abaddon. Oh joy!

He must have thought I'm pretty harmless if he's willing to get this close. I turn towards him and look into his sharp green eyes not giving him the pleasure of knowing my emotions.

"Doing this again are you?"

I proceed to spit at his feet.

"I see, like father like daughter. Hopefully you're easier to crack though, for your sake," he threatens.

I simply turn away and try to keep my tongue from sticking to the roof of my mouth. Abaddon kicks my back making more of the crimson liquid escape my body.  I shudder as dark spots cloud my vision. I leave my face expressionless not letting Abaddon know he's getting to me.

"You're pathetic," he mutters with disgrace.

"Not pathetic so much as sane, unlike some people in this room," I say curtly.

"You little brat," he huffs, kicking me in my rib cage.

I can't see anything now with the black spots clouding my vision so I stay still.

"Well, I think we've had enough for one day, cousin, so I shall say good day."

After I hear the door close and the clicking of shoes retreat I let out a shaky breath. I feel tears slide down my face and no matter how much I will it they won't stop, so I lay there letting my tears mix with my blood.

42nd Piece

A little update: I have put the first book up on this website called Quotev (Here is my homepage) The title is Thunder because her name means thunder in Greek. If you want to check it out go ahead! If not that's fine too. Well back to business this is the 32nd piece to my first book. Hope you enjoy!

Judging by the way my joints are aching and my tired eyes it must be morning. My head is dangling and I don’t hear the door open. Someone clears their throat and I try to distinguish what the person looks like from those three seconds. Nothing like warming up the old senses, right?

I’m guessing it was a male who has a deep voice but prefers not to use it or is struggling to make his vocal chords work. I saw him as a tall man with who was used to taking orders, someone who had a rough past. Yeah, I’m pretty good at this thing.

I slowly raise my head making it crack loudly. I lift it higher and higher until it showed the man that I am not one who is usually broken. I must look like a wreck though because when I first raised my head he flinched his face turning into one with disgust. It quickly transformed and he waited patiently during my slow rise meeting my stare the entire time.

He shuffles from foot to foot and I notice the nervousness behind the pale blue eyes as he starts to speak.

“Look I don’t want to be here anymore than you do,” he starts with a hushed voice, “I just need you to cooperate and we can get out of here. Okay?”

I put all my energy into a smirk and say with a gravelly voice that I don’t recognize,

“Yeah okay, sir.”

I squint and my smirk vanished. My gravelly voice turns into one of flawless steel; I don’t know who was more surprised.

“I know that you are here to lead me away, probably to some other sort of torture chamber, so there is no reason to sugar coat it,”

His face morphs into a blank slate, but his eyes show the sadness. I look away wishing I didn’t see that so it’d be easier to hate him. I always try to believe that everyone has some good in them but I need to learn from my mistakes. I need to be distant; I can’t get attached to anybody. Eric being the exception of course.

I sigh a little at the thought of my only friend outside the fence away from me, but it also calmed me. He is safe.

“Are you going to unchain me now?” I ask with false cheer.

The man sighs and walks over. He delicately raised my arm so it is up to his face and turns it over. I catch a glimpse of a keypad. Huh they are getting high tech with this stuff, I mean really? A keypad for chains locked against the wall? Seriously?

The chains unlock and I rub my wrists which became pink from the chafing of the metal.

“Come with me,” He says in an even tone.

I follow him down the blank hallway and I hear strange sounds. There are strangled screams and... Gurgling sounds? Okay let’s hope I don’t go in there.

“Here we are.”

We stopped in front of a metal wall.

“Ha ha, very funny,” I say humorlessly.

He rolls his eyes and runs his hand against the smooth metal. Now it’s my turn to roll my eyes. I cross my arms and lean against the cold wall.

His hand stops on an invisible point and he stares at a tiny hole in the wall. A scanner goes over his eye and makes a beep. He then proceeds to place his hand on the dot and then he says a string of numbers which must have taken forever to memorize.

I’ve moved my position to behind him looking at the dot. What’s going to happen now the wall’s going to split in two opening to a dark hallway with one door at the end? Please.

The metal wall slides open. You’ve got to be kidding me. The dark hallway is a little different than I thought. Lights were everywhere, the ceiling, and the walls, even the floor had lights running up the sides. Every color in here that wasn’t a light is black.

The man goes down the hall of dark and light first, I follow close behind. Our footsteps echo throughout the hall and when we reach the door, which was farther away than what I originally thought, the man has to put in another key code and have his eyes scanned again.

We walk into a small room that is probably designed to make people comfortable. There is a small table with a checkered cloth and a lone chair in a corner, a tall lamp sits in another corner, a picture window showing the outside on the far wall, and a brown armchair in the middle of the room. What was strange is the large mirror taking up an entire wall. One way glass my paranoid mind says. Great.

I walk inside and the door slides shut behind me. I turn around and start banging on the door, even though it’s useless.

“Let me out!” I scream.

After about an hour or so my throat is scratchy and my knuckles are swollen and bleeding, and a crackle comes over an intercom.

“Ah, disambiguation, or thunder, so nice of you to settle down.”

I look around the room for speakers but don’t see any. I stumble towards the glass and press my face against the mirror trying to see if there is anyone in there. I can’t see anything, dang it.

            Well if I can’t see them by looking I’ll have to use force. I back up a bit and roundhouse kick the glass it wavers but doesn’t crack. I’m about to kick it again but a voice stops me.

            “Now, now cousin. No need to be feisty.”

            Abaddon.

            “What are you doing here?” I ask coldly.

            “Well after I was finished with your parents I decided to go see you! Surprise!”

            Yeah some surprise.

            “Where am I?” I ask.

            “You are in your new home! Do you like the window? I asked for that for you especially,” I can hear the grin on his face widening.

            I sit on the floor and cross my arms. If there is one thing I know about him it’s that he hates being ignored.

            “So early Audra?” I swivel myself so that I’m facing away from the mirror.

            He sighs frustrated muttering something.

            “Well you were going to learn sometime we might as well get it out of the way.”

            Get what out of the way? I hear the swoosh of the door opening and I stand up fast and sprint to the door. The next thing I see confuses me.

            “Every time you disobey me you get a visit from Stan.”

            A very large man was blocking the doorway and I back away. What did I get myself into?

41st Piece

This is the 31st piece to my first book. Hope you enjoy!

I dangle from the chains reviewing what just happened. My one ally from the Agency, Giagia, turns against me and I get locked in a prison cell leaving Eric to fend for himself outside the gate. Awesome.

I sigh. What is there I can do? My father is slowly dying I have no idea who my mother is and my best friend is gone, possibly forever. My stomach starts to get butterflies. I pass it off as hunger and think of what the future holds. Would I just hang on this chain and starve to death? The butterflies turn to pterodactyls and I feel like I’m going to throw up. Why is my stomach acting like this?

Suddenly I have get a falling sensation. I thought I was chained to a wall how can I be falling? The chains are gone now and I shake my hands. What’s happening?

I land in the same room I saw my father. That’s right! I say to myself That dart had that stuff in it making me able to do this. I smile a bit until I look up from the ground.

My father’s being led away with two guards, one on each side. I scramble to get up and follow them out the door that, when closed, joins seamlessly into the wall. His head hangs low and I hear the voice again. It repeats Lucy over and over. This time I know it’s my father. Sometimes he mumbles her name aloud, if the guards hear they hit him with a cane on his back. This has happened twice in the past five minutes. He always reacts the same, firsts whimpering and stumbling forward then shutting his mouth and staring at the chains that bind his hands.

We twist and turn until we reach a metal door. Never once did my father stop saying Lucy. The guards open the door and take us to the outside. I gasp. Everything is so beautiful. There’s a natural wall of trees and bushes surrounding us. My father doesn’t look up but stares at the ground with sad eyes. I scrunch my eyebrows in confusion. The ground is covered in a dark red.

The grass has been smashed to create a thick layer almost like a carpet. Dark spots range in sizes from the length of a body to tiny droplets. My hand finds its way to my mouth without my knowing. What once was beautiful turns into an ugly place full of sharp thorns and rough bark. The differents shapes of color on the grass is blood.

The guards drop my father on the ground. He lands on a large spot and when he turns to cower into a fetal position his face is marked with red. His breathing is ragged and he doesn’t try to cover his emotions. His eyes seem empty showing that he has no hope left. My eyes must have shown the same thing earlier.

A man in a perfectly tailored suit walks over to him and kicks his stomach. My father only cringes. He looks up at the man in the suit his face contorting into one of pure hatred. His eyes go hard and his mouth turns down. Even the way he is he works up the energy to spit right on the man’s expensive looking shoes.

The man in the suit’s face cracks into a sickening smile and chuckles evilly.

“I knew you would be hard to crack but seriously!” He exclaims, “You’ve gone through dehydration, starvation, being roasted like a pig!,” He says counting off his fingers. “But you haven’t broken! Not mentally anyway.”

There was fire involved? I take a closer look at him. Burn marks trail up his arms and up his chest. I gasp again and let my fingers trail the passage the fire took. Only an hour ago fire meant freedom.

My father hasn’t paid the man any attention since the spit. He has his eyes closed and his chest rises and falls evenly now.

“Fine if I can’t get your full attention by myself I know what can,” The man in the suit says coldly.

It surprises me how quickly he can change from being impressed to being angry.

“Bring in the girl!” He shouts.

From behind us the guards that were holding my father bring in a pale scrawny woman. This must be Lucy. My father turns his head to look in her direction curious as to what he has to offer. Lucy raises her head and the two make eye contact. My father’s face softens and for a couple seconds nothing else matters. Not the chains or the weakness, not the man in the suit or the guards.

My father puts both of his hands on the ground and pushes. He manages to get into a sitting position. A sheen of sweat covers his entire body. and he visibly shakes. He shifts his body into a kneeling position but in less than twenty seconds he’s back on the ground staring at the blood covering the once green grass.

“Drop her,” the man in the suit states.

The guards let go of Lucy. She stays on her hands and knees struggling to get air in her lungs. I stand by helpless as she crawls toward my now still father. She goes limp as soon as she’s at his side.

I tiptoe over to them even though no one can hear me. I kneel when I reach them and look at Lucy. I see the similar cheekbones and eye shape. My suspicions are true.

“Mom,” I whisper.

Her eyes flutter a little and I go still. She couldn’t have heard me. There is no way that’s what made her eyes do that. I put my arms around my dying parents. Why was I not told they existed? I could have saved them. I weep silently. The tears don’t fall off her face like they should. Instead of hitting the blood grass carpet they disintegrate when the touch the air off my face.

The man in the tailored suit had been watching my parents but now shifts his gaze in my direction. When our eyes meet there is a second of surprise scattered across his face. In an instant it’s gone and the corner of his lips pull back showing his teeth that had been sharpened into points.

The man clucks his tongue three times before saying,

“Well well well, I didn’t know you two had a daughter! And such a pretty one too.”

I look between him and my parents who are now looking around trying to see where I am. I stand and face the man and ask the only question I can think of not caring if he can hear me or not,

“Who are you?”

“Why, don’t you recognize me dear cousin of mine? Oh right of course not we never met!”

I shake my head trying to clear the confusion swirling in my brain like angry bees. He smirks. The butterflies are back and I know I’m about to leave so I ask one more question.

“What is your name?”

“Ah, but what is in a name?” He says.

“I asked you a question.” I say with a steely voice glaring at him.

He glares back for a moment but then wipes it away and replaces it with a proud smile.

“My name you ask? Why it’s Abaddon. Do you want to know what it means?”

I nod my head slowly the butterflies turn into mutant pterodactyls. He has to talk faster,

“My name means destruction or ruination. It’s a fitting title is it not?” He grins with pride in his horrid name.

I know it’s not his real name but it’s the best I’m going to get. The falling sensation happens and once again I’m hanging from the chains panting.

40th Piece

This is the 30th piece to my first book. Hope you enjoy!

I let my fingers trace over the swirling patterns on the bowl before resting them on the lip. I slowly lift and the pink liquid sways inside. I take a deep breath before sealing my fate. I lift the bowl as high as it can go. The punch comes out first in a dribble but soon turns to a torrent of pink hitting the dark wooden floor.

I turn and grab hold of Eric’s sleeve. I undo the bow holding the skirt in place and start to run in the shorts underneath. Eric’s quick to catch on and follows me heading for the glass. I sprint the last hundred yards ignoring the open mouths and stares. I reach the window and don’t hesitate when I slam into the colored glass. It shatters instantly and the girl with the red dress and curls is no more. I land on the ground hard and start making my way to the tree from before, Eric only steps behind me. I reach the trunk and stop to catch my breath.

Adrenaline is coursing through my veins and I have to hold on to the bark to stop myself from leaving right now. I need to focus on Eric he needs out more than I do. He comes beside me seconds after and looks at me waiting for instructions.

“Go” I mouth still out of breath.

He nods and begins to scale the tree. He was always a better climber than I, while it took me more than one try the first time he is up on the lowest branch less than thirty seconds later. He stops to look down at me and I motion for him to keep climbing so he does. I stand back and look at the tree. I take a running start and get up to the lowest branch around the same time Eric reaches the top. I make it there and tell him to jump.

He looks back one last time and runs off the branch pouncing like a cat once he reaches the end. He gets to the other side and turns toward my tree with a huge smile on his face. I cling to the trunk with tears in my eyes. He notices something is wrong and mistakes it for fear of heights.

“Don’t worry I’ll catch you just let go!” He shouts.

I shake my head and yell back, “I’m not leaving,”
            The smile leaves his face and his eyes go wide. The tears start to fall.

“If I leave it will only put you in danger!” I scream out.
            I start to lower myself from the branch but not after seeing his face. Crestfallen he looked at me with fear and sadness. I climb down to guards this time in tears not laughter. They grab hold of me and I pass Giagia and the guard both looking sad and guilty. I look questioningly at them when we make eye contact but they only look away with more guilt written across their faces.

I still have the confused look on my face when a brawny man stands before me.

“You’ll be coming with me,” He says with a straight face.

I think they’re going to take me to see someone else with a dark voice and scary looking room. He leads me down hallways that have no doors and some with so many they are almost connected at the hinges. When we stop at one of the doors it looks so different than the ones I’m used to seeing at the Agency. It’s barren with nothing but a small window with bars over it at the top and a knob with an iron lock on it in the middle.

He stops to unlock the bolt and opens the door. That’s when I knew that this isn’t another meeting with a dark looming figure with a scary voice or scar. This is a holding cell. A jail cell. A cage as if the whole Agency wasn’t like one enough.

This cell is different than the one in the dungeon. It isn’t dark or cold or damp. It’s white with a blinding light shining down on the metallic walls and floor. Two chains attached to the right wall hang like bones.

My eyes go wide and I think of my chance of escaping. Not very high. The man is about twice my height with muscles the size of my head. His crew cut shows a long pink scar from the back of his head to the front. Even if I got past him this is a part of the Agency I’ve never seen before so I would definitely get lost. I sigh and allow him to bring me into my new ‘home’.

He chains me to the wall and I stand there helpless. He slaps me right across the cheek. I inhale sharply and turn my face to look at him not even trying to kick or hit him. His face turns into one that’s disgusted.

“I can’t believe you’re the one who’s related to the Boss,” He spat, “You should be used to being alone you were since you were a child, this shouldn’t be any different. But it is, all because of your little friend Eric. Now that you have someone else you have to look out for you have a weakness. You are no longer strong so we will never need you.”

I squint at him, my eyes filled with hatred and he stares back. I break first and have to look away. He’s right. Eric is my weakness.

“You’re right,” I say and he lifts the corner of his mouth into a tight smile, if you could call it that. “I am weak, but if being strong means I have to be alone without a shred of humanity, I’d rather be weak.” My voice drips with poison and never wavers.

He steps back and leans against the back wall.

“See that’s the fight we are looking for!” He says. “Too bad it’s too late and for the wrong team.”

He steps up and leaves the room. I hear the click of the lock going back in place. I look up just in time to see him staring at me through the bars before walking away.

39th Piece

This is the 29th piece to the first book. Hope you enjoy there is more on the way!

When a slower song starts playing I grab hold of Eric’s hand and tell him to dance with me. He smirks and stands up.
            “I can’t dance stupid,” He says

            “You don’t have to dummy,” I respond

            He looks at me funny but lets me drag him to the middle of the floor. I let go of his hand and take his arms. I put them on my waist and put mine around his neck. He’s about half a foot taller than I am and I have to lift my head to look him in the eyes.

            “Now just rock back and forth,” I say loudly.

            “Okay,” He responds with a confused look on his face.

            I stand on my tiptoes to reach his ear and he lowers his head so he can hear.

            “So here’s the plan,” I whisper, “First I need to figure out how to get rid of the stupid cuff since I’m 99.9% positive it has a tracking device in it. Next we need to give the guard a distraction.” I pause for a second letting the plan formulate inside my head. “After that we can climb the tree and hop over the gate and fence. Simple really,” I state.

            “Yeah not so much, and you know that Audra. First off that cuff looks indestructible, next your guard buddy watches you like a hawk, and then there is always the little possibility that the fence is now guarded a little more after your little escape routine.” He has contradicted my entire plan and I scrunch up my nose in frustration.

            “I think that’s enough dancing for now,” I say quietly.

            Eric nods and we walk back over to the corner from before. We lean against the door and I pick at my cuff again. I scratch at it my fingernails searching for something to hook on to. There’s a crackle in my ear and I remember Giagia is still on the other end listening to every word.

            “Crap,” I mutter under my breath.

            “Audra I have a solution,” The soft silky voice in my ear says.

            I look to Eric who is watching something outside the window. I tap him on the shoulder and motion for him to look out and make sure no one sees me. He nods and steps in front of me.

            “Hello?” I whisper.

            “Yes, Audra? Can you still hear me?”

            I nod my head then remember she can’t see me.

            “Yeah, I’m here,” I say

            “Good because I need to tell you something,”

            “Okay well get on with it then!” I say quickly glancing around.

            “I have news about your father, your real one. Well he was taken and is now prisoner. Someone else has taken over. Your cousin in fact.”

            Cousin? I have a cousin? I didn’t even know I had an aunt or uncle for that matter.

            “Well you do,” I hear in my ear. My eyes widen for a second and then I remember that she can read minds, “They are both dead now and your cousin, he, well he killed them. He is evil and now in charge. He is 20 and wants to take over not just the Agency but the world. Nobody knows this and he doesn’t want them to.”

            I remember seeing my dad calling out for Lucy and am about to tell her before she interrupts.

            “Look the guard is on your side you need to remember that. For your cuff that one is a bit trickier. You have to find something really sharp and something really hot. When you find something sharp slide it into the skinny line on the side and pry it open. Then go to the thing that’s hot, fire works best, and drop it in. Tell the guard this and don’t mess it up, Ήρθε η ώρα. It means that it is time he will give instructions from there. Good luck Audra.”

            I hear another crackle and then silence. I put a hand on Eric’s shoulder and tell him what she told me. He nods and jerks his head to the left. There is a torch burning in the corner by the punch. The flames lick the air waiting to be fed. I allow a small smile to form on my face.

            “Now for something sharp,” I say quietly.

            We scour the room until I my eyes land on something shining on the wall behind the punch. A lone knife hangs from the wall next to a carving of a dragon which makes an appearance on the knife. I tap Eric and start walking to the punch bowl.

            “Cover me,” I state.

            I reach for the knife and the dragon swirls around it like a guard dog. I grab hold and the dragon stops its endless route. I turn it over and over in my hand before I slide it over the cuff locked on my wrist. The blade slips in effortlessly as if it were designed to do this job. I move it up and down the length of the metal and hear a click. It falls off and clatters on the floor. I move my hand around in a circle almost touching the freedom it held inside.

            I look around making sure no one heard and dropped down to pick up the thing that once locked me to this place and grin. I almost made it to the fire before the guard shows up at my side. I stop mid motion and pretend to not see him. My arm is raised above my shoulder the heat of the fire scorching my hand.

            “What are you doing?” he asks gruffly getting straight to the point.

            I’m so close to being free and now he’s ruined it. Then I remember.

            “Ήρθε η ώρα” I say softly hoping it’s correct.

            “What?” He says in shock.

            “Ήρθε η ώρα” I say a little more confidence.

            He bows his head for a few moments. Then says,

            “Drop it.”

            I do and the flame devours it hungrily. I turn to the guard and wait for instructions.

            He looks at Eric who is now staring openly at us. He points his finger the other way. Eric looks at me and I nod once. He looks a little longer hesitating before turning around. The guard looks at me like I’m a treasure before reciting the plan.

            “Only one of you can go,” is the first thing he says. I immediately think of myself leaving and basking in the open sun. I wanted to get out but then there is Eric. He’s been hurt for so long, if anyone has to stay here for another year it should be me. In fact if it wasn’t for me he wouldn’t even be stuck in this position.

            “Eric,” I say under my breath.

            “Good,” He says then runs through the plans.

I have to spill the punch grab Eric and make a break for it. The one window that is the flimsiest is the one with the girl in the red dress and curls. We run through the window shattering the glass and dropping about twelve feet and then head to the trees the way I did before. Eric will climb first and jump I will stay behind so they don’t go looking for him and they will take me.

Once he’s finished a give a single nod and step in front of the punch bowl and stare into the pink liquid that is about to change Eric’s life; and mine.