Broken [In Revision 2023]

Chapter Eight - Dawn Light (New 2023)

Caleb lay on his back in the large expanse of bed his head resting on plush pillows. The quilt hugged him tight but offered no comfort from his thoughts. He watched the darkening ceiling. One by one, bedroom doors closed, televisions shut off and lights extinguished, leaving him alone with only the ticking of a clock for company.

The moon hung low in the sky, its gentle glow casting eerie shadows across the room. The faintest sliver of light crept in through the gap in the curtains, caressing the edges of the window frame with a silver luminescence. This ethereal beam danced across the walls, adding a surreal touch to the otherwise suffocating darkness.

His eyes itched with tiredness. He rolled onto his side and mumbled to himself that "no news was good news." Yet, this frail reassurance crumbled beneath the weight of his gnawing doubts. Fatigue settled in his bones, begging him to surrender to the embrace of slumber.

Footsteps creaked up the main staircase as if purposely announcing their approach. The gentle tapping at his door sent Caleb scrabbling to his feet. He hesitated at the doorknob. With a deep breath, he pulled the door open.

"You need to be up at first light," Robyn whispered, "my office, and ready for the second task."

Caleb swayed a little on the spot, "I passed?"

"Were you not expecting to?"

Caleb shrugged his shoulders.

"First light, my office," he repeated and turned away.

Any hope of sleep disappeared. Caleb went through the motions, he set his alarm for ten minutes before sunrise and tucked himself into bed. He closed his eyes and tried to count backwards from 100, a trick that had always worked in the past. After the fourth repetition, he gave up.

His thoughts wandered back home, was his father managing the farm chores? Did Rose miss him as much as he missed her? What were they telling people about his absence? Did people know the truth? Had Blaise moved communities yet? He pictured June's look of disappointment and opened his eyes to try and remove the image.

Some degree of sleep must have taken hold as the alarm jolted him awake. He stretched to grab his phone and miscalculated, instead sliding on the sheets and landing in a lump on the floor between the bed and the wall. Cursing and rubbing the pain from his elbow, he stood up and silenced the phone. He hurried to get dressed as the first hints of pink bubbled up on the horizon.

The house didn't stir as he hurried down the stairs. He peeked into the lounge, half hoping to see Oliva and get some gentle words of encouragement. A large black car sat in the driveway. He pulled the curtains back to get a better view.

"Do you want to do the second test?"

Caleb wheeled around and came face to face with his uncle. He nodded, unable to untie his tongue.

"Come on then, we need to get started." Robyn held an arm in the direction of the door.

Caleb hurried, his socks slipping on the polished wood of the hallway. He had barely put his hand on the doorknob of Robyn's office when he caught his uncle heading further down the corridor. "Where are we going?" He whispered.

"To the sunroom. While you were taking your time waking up, we were getting things ready." He marched to the room and held the door open for Caleb.

Caleb ducked his head as he entered as if to avoid a blow to his head that never came. Darkness filled the room,  the only light shut out as Robyn closed the door. The click made him jump. Incense assaulted his nostrils and made his eyes burn, he strained his eyes to try and find its origin.