𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐓 | 𝙺𝙳𝙶

𝟶𝟿; 𝚁𝙾𝙾𝙼 𝚃𝚆𝙾 𝙿𝚃.𝟸

"𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐀 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄
𝘠𝘖𝘜 𝘑𝘜𝘚𝘛 𝘏𝘈𝘝𝘌 𝘛𝘖 𝘔𝘈𝘒𝘌 𝘚𝘜𝘙𝘌 𝘠𝘖𝘜𝘙'𝘌 𝘐𝘕 𝘊𝘖𝘕𝘛𝘙𝘖𝘓"

𝙻𝙾; 𝚁𝙴𝙳 𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙲𝙺 𝙲𝙸𝚃𝚈, 𝙱𝙰𝚃𝙾𝙽 𝚁𝙾𝚄𝙶𝙴 𝙻𝙾𝚄𝙸𝚂𝙸𝙰𝙽𝙰
𝙳𝙰𝚃𝙴; 𝚄𝙽𝙺𝙽𝙾𝚆𝙽

I grip the blanket in my fists as my eyes flit around the room, searching for the vent. There are two on the walls near the floor. They're white like the walls so not immediately identifiable.

Warm air hits me, and at first, it's nice. But the temperature keeps rising. Is Nardo controlling this? I can just see him with his hand on a thermostat, laughing as the room heats.

Rolling over, I sit against the wall, equal distance from both vents. The hot air pumps into the room. It's really warm, and I would definitely be more comfortable if I weren't wearing sweats, but it's still bearable.

Dropping my head back against the painted brick, I close my eyes. You're fine. This is okay. The temperature rises again, and it's close to being out in the sun for hours. How does it get so hot so quickly? Will anyone talk to me in here? I don't want to hear from Nardo, KD, or Toosii, but voices would be a comfort.

It's so small and isolated in here. Ja said hours, right? I could be in here for hours. This isn't the sleep-deprivation room. I can handle two hours on my own in the heat. I swat my neck as a bead of sweat trickles down my collarbone.

My eyes are still closed because the room is depressing, and I've only been in here about five minutes. One hour and fifty-five minutes to go. I squeeze my eyes together tighter. You're on a beach in Miami. The sun is shining and...oh my God, it's so hot.

My eyes fly open as the air thickens to the point where I can barely breathe. My skin prickles. I grip the waistband of my sweatpants and shove them down, desperately trying to cool off. This is what they want.

I sob, my heart sinking as I realize they're winning right now. I want to fight back, but it's too much. I gasp as I kick the sweats over my heels. My head flops to the side as I tug the hem of my sweatshirt. I need to get it off, too, but my muscles feel as if they've melted.

Gripping the material in my fist, I raise my arm and pull the sweatshirt over my head. I drop it to the floor and exhale. My palms are sweating, but I don't have the energy to wipe them. I don't even care that I'm sitting here in my underwear; it's just a relief to have the fleecy material away from my skin.

My insides are boiling. I want to claw at my skin and relieve the itching that feels like ants buried under my flesh. This is hell. How long have I been in here? I slide down the wall, and my face presses into the mattress. I should roll onto the floor, it's probably cooler, but my body is boneless. Every part of me is soaked with sweat.

My lungs burn with each scorching breath I take. My eyes close of their own accord. It feels as if I've been in here hours already, but realistically it's probably been about fifteen minutes. Why do they like this? What are they getting out of it? I'm floating. Ha, I can float. The heat is doing something, not just turning my skin pink and itchy, making me sweat and drying out my lips, but it's lifting me up. I'm weightless. This is okay.

See, I knew it would be okay. I'm flying, floating up and up toward the cool darkness. I raise my arm and flex my fingers. I want the dark. My arm drops, thudding lightly against the mattress, and I fall into that darkness.

I wake with a start. My skin pebbling breaks me from my sleep. I gasp, and my breath makes a little cloud in front of me. Whoa, it's cold. Sitting up, I reach for my clothes. Wait. I left them right here. Leaping to my feet, I look around the floor. My clothes are gone. Someone was in here with me. Nardo? I snatch the light blanket that was underneath me when I slept and wrap it around my exposed body.

I still have my underwear on, thank God. But I hate that they've seen so much of me. Don't think about that. Nothing matters right now other than surviving. I have to get through this by any means. I sink to the floor and curl my arms around my knees. Tugging the blanket over my head, tightening my arms in an attempt to keep
warm. How far will they go again before switching the temperature? Will they let me pass out? Is that what happens when you get too cold?

My body is still damp with sweat. Or maybe I'm just extremely cold. I don't really know. Am I wet? I run my finger down my icy arm under the blanket, but I can't tell. Somehow, I need to warm up. I tighten my grip around my legs, chaining myself around my own body and burying my head in my knees.

The blanket is around my head, completely covering every inch of my body. Why don't I feel any warmer? I close my eyes. Think about something else. What would Mama and Daddy be doing now? Besides looking for their missing daughter? They'll find me.

Parents don't stop hunting; they won't give up. So I can't, either. But it is so cold; the bitter chill seeps into my bones. Mom will be at home. Don't they make someone stay at home in case there's a phone call or something? She could be waiting for a ransom demand while Daddy drives all over town.

My teeth chatter. Why am I cold? I raise my head to see what's going on, but it doesn't move. Every muscle in my body is stiff, too weak to support the weight of my head. I can't even move my hand. Wiggle your finger. I try. I focus so hard, even going as far as picturing it in my head so my body knows what to do, but still I stay unable to move except for the aggressive trembling that's taken over my body.

Where am I? My head swims, heart beating slow and hard. It's the only thing I can hear. I don't remember... I flick my eyes open but can only see darkness. Your head is in your knees. Am I dreaming? I dream a lot, but never like this. God, it is freezing. I close my eyes again as my mind floats. What am I doing here? Where...