Hide (Sequel to RUN)

Chapter 2

I was huddled in the fetal position when I heard the door opening, willing the darkness to disperse.

"Lekia," a voice resounded in my head, louder than it should be. I opened my eyes and looked up. My willing hadn't done anything. Darkness still surrounded me. And out of the darkness came Aaron. The swirling fog had concealed him until that very moment.

"Get. Away. From. Me," I growled, sitting up.

"Lekia, it's okay. It's just me."

"Just you?" I asked, laughing darkly. I was just putting up a front and he knew it. Seeing him scared the living daylights out of me. He haunted my nightmares every night. He was the cause of my psychotic breaks. I couldn't get away from him.

Aaron crouched down next to me, reaching out for my hand. I heard the oh-so familiar sound of a lock clicking. I struggled against the chains now holding my wrists together.

Aaron grabbed my face suddenly, rubbing his thumbs across my lips. Securing the duct tape he had just placed. I jerked my head away from him, scooting to the end of my chain. He advanced quickly, syringe in hand. I tried screaming into the smoke-filled darkness, but the tape made my screams nonexistent. There was the familiar prick of the syringe. I collapsed to the ground as the drug took it's grip.

"Lekia!" I gasped as if coming out of the depths. Light flooded the place where I was now laying. I sat up quickly, not completely sure where I was.

"Whoa, sweetheart," came a voice. I jerked my head around towards the sound. I saw the hand reaching for me first. It grabbed my own hand and pulled me up, guiding my still twitching body up onto the wooden bench I'd collapsed next to.

My eyes roamed the courthouse, taking it all in again. I pulled my legs up to my chest, placing my head in between them.

I couldn't stop shaking. The hallucination had been so real.

"Lekia," the voice came a third time. I jumped, scrambling away before I caught sight of who it was.

"Lansing!" I exclaimed, my arms snapping out to latch around his neck. He placed his solid arms around me. After a second, he pulled away to examine me at arm's length.

"We're gonna pray, okay? We're gonna pray and it's all going to be alright," he clasped my trembling hands for me and then clasped his own, bowing his head. I followed suit as his voice poured from his mouth.

"Lord, we bow before you and ask you to take away Lekia's pain. We pray that you would calm her mind and help her get through this. In your son's name we pray, amen."

"Amen," I echoed, bringing my head up. I wasn't shaking anymore.

"You good?" Lansing's concerned eyes searched my wild ones. I nodded, sighing loudly.

"You don't have to go back in."

"Yes I do," I responded, suddenly defensive, "What if they call me back onto the stand?"

"Then I'll tell them that you left due to..." he trailed off, trying to think of a good excuse.

"Due to a mental break down?"

"You didn't have a mental breakdown."

"I did, though. If I don't go back in there, Devon will call my mental stability into question without a doubt. You saw what he did in there. He's relentless." Lansing set his jaw in disapproval.

"You know I'm right," I insisted. Lansing glanced at the court doors, worry lines appearing on his forehead.

He sighed, "I don't like it when you get all logical on me." I smirked in reply, standing up confidently.