Panic Room

Part two; the fifth

I hope I'm not spoiling anything here, but writing this chapter made me cry so much! Agh, good luck. I just need to go and hide now!

Wednesday; 1998; Luna; The stone room; 13:40 pm

Luna turned back toward the adults, but they were no longer there either. Luna felt panic build up inside of her, but it faded as soon as she saw the adults packing bags one one of the walls of the room. She walked toward them, stumbled, and collapsed onto one of the benches lining the walls. The woman looked over at her and handed her a heavy backpack. "Come over here and get set up," she said, "and sweetie, leave the bag over there if you wouldn't mind." Luna dropped the bag onto the bench and walked over to where the others were standing. Together, she and the woman covered luna with a variety of different padding, each time the woman clucking her tongue dismissively before removing it and placing Luna in the next. Luna had never enjoyed clothes shopping. Dressing and undressing in an unknown environment had always been a big no for her, and here was even worse. 

Here she was in front of men. 

Luckily however, none of the outfits seemed to require the removal of clothes, but Luna still hated it. After trying on ten different outfits, the woman seemed to be like a skin-tight black bodysuit, which made Luna feel as though she was suffocating. She waddled over to the place where her bag stood, but looked back as a sharp laugh filled the silence. The woman stood, her hand over her mouth, shaking her head in a fit of giggles. "What?" Inquired Luna, and the woman seemed to gain control of herself. "Sweetie," she said, smiling, "you're supposed to take off the clothes underneath. You look like a penguin."

"Oh." Luna muttered, "Well, maybe I can just-" But she was cut off as the woman raised a long white blanket around her and bowed her head. Luna quickly stripped off the suit and the clothes that she had underneath, feeling embarrassment slide through her. Changing may have only taken a minute or two, but when the blanket was eventually lowered, the men standing on the other side of the room looked at her as if she had taken an eternity. Their bags, fully packed now, were slung over their shoulders, and they had placed heavy masks over their face. The woman grabbed her bag and strapped one of the masks over her face. Lune reached for one, but the taller of the two men got there before she did. He strapped the mask to something on his belt, earning a reproachful look from the woman. "Nicholas," she hissed, "the girl is basically an adult, she can carry her own mask!"

"Sorry," the blond man said, "but I'd honestly feel more comfortable if I carried it myself, ok?" Nicholas, thought Luna, nice name. Nicholas walked a few paces and grabbed Luna's backpack. Though Luna had struggled to carry it across the room, he had no trouble in stuffing it under one arm and promptly leaving the room. The rest followed suit, and the woman, who was last in line, flicked a switch, throwing the room into darkness.

The five people walked down hallway after white hallway, twisting, turning, occasionally climbing a few steps, and then just continuing their march. On and on they walked, and with every step, Luna became more and more grateful that Nicholas had opted to carry her bag. Under the weight she may have not even made it halfway to where they were now. Luna was practically bursting with questions, but she swallowed them down and kept her mouth shut. No reason to annoy them. Eventually, after what felt like a decade of walking, they reached a dead ended hallway. The shorter of the two brunette men walked forward and pressed a flat palm against the wall. Suddenly, the walls began to rumble and the floor underneath everyone sank down, taking them down and into the earth below.

Luna looked around in astonishment. The place they were in was cramped, but the walls were covered in smooth marble, and the floors checkered tiles. The adults walked forward, and it wasn't until Luna felt a hand on her spine that she realised that she was frozen.