Marked

Chapter Fifteen

Light pierced her eyes. 

After being kept in a dark room for what seemed like an eternity, the light was an unwelcome intruder. 

Rachel removed her arm from her eyes, eyes adjusting to the light to take it four bare white walls. 

Something was going to happen, she was sure of it. 

Rachel sat up, swung her legs over the side of the bed and waited.

One of the walls separated for one moment in a sliding motion to let a blonde woman through. 

It was Debra who approached Rachel and stopped halfway as if held back by an unseen force. Her lips were still a little swollen and she sported a large bruise over her jaw but other than that she was the image of composure.

She swiped the left-most wall with one finger and a panel appeared where she punched in a code that caused a white chair to spring up from the floor. 

She sat down and contemplated Rachel.

"You must be so confused." Debra began.

Rachel was startled- and even a bit angry- to see another person, a poacher of all people, sitting before her, trying to have a conversation with her as if they were merely discussing the weather. 

As if the events of the last few days had not happened. As if they hadn't just forced her to watch Hector and Jed die and then left her all alone in a dark room to drown in her sadness.

"I want you to know that we're doing all this for a reason. Soon you will understand, trust me."

"Trust you?" Rachel scoffed. "You made me kill my brother. Trusting you is the last thing on my mind."

Debra acted as though Rachel had not said a thing. "I need you to tell me anything about your life before being brought here. I want you to start from the beginning."

"Yeah, well I would like to be free and have my friends and family back but it looks like both of us are going to be disappointed."

The other woman sighed and brushed short strands of blonde hair behind her ear. "I understand your hesitation to cooperate but this will go so much more smoothly if you will just comply. All I have are a few questions."

When Rachel didn't say anything, Debra pulled a crisp sheet of paper out of her shirt pocket and said, "How old are you, Rachel?"

Anger raced through her veins, hot and scorching at the casual way the poacher woman spoke to her. 

How could she just sit there and talk to Rachel so nonchalantly? Couldn't she feel how much she hated her, hated all of them?

"Alright, how about an easier one...what is your full name?"

"Get out," Rachel said through gritted teeth. "Get out or kill me now but don't you dare sit here and pretend everything is okay."

"Oh, Rachel, only I'm trying to help you. The sooner I can prove that you are mentally stable, the sooner I can let you out of here."

Rachel's eyes shot up to Debra's face, surprised. 

What kind of cruel, sick game was she playing at? 

There was no way the poachers were going to let her go and if they intended to it would only be once she had the real mark stamped over her forehead.

"Let me get this straight. If I answer your questions, you will let me out of here? That's what you're telling me," Rachel repeated, humoring Debra as her eyes scanned the room for an exit.