Black Stars - The Mors Mortis Trilogy Book 1

Chapter 11 - I Think I Win

It does not take long to strike a man with lightning.

- Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

A week had passed since Leah first woke in this room. Every day Jared appeared, gave her food, and asked questions. It'd become monotonous and exhausting, and Leah was terrified her mind would slip away if she stayed locked up much longer.

She knew inactivity could drive a person mad, so she busied herself by counting. First the floorboards, then the bathroom tiles, then the bricks. She folded clothes, took long showers, and did sit ups until her abs screamed. Nothing could shake the unease that stacked higher and higher. Her body was building towards something, she just didn't know when it would blow.

And she wasn't the only one ticking.

Jared was growing more impatient with every visit. He hadn't tried starving her again, but Leah knew another one of his tests was fast approaching and the only thing to delay it were answers she didn't have. But her Catch-22 had a solution: she had a plan to get out.

It was simple. Jared was unbeatable in a fair fight, but anyone could be distracted. Unfortunately, the only object in this room she considered capable of distracting him was herself. She'd seen the way he'd looked at her when they first met. The interest was there, she just needed to exploit it - something she had little experience in, or desire to do, but she was getting desperate.

The last few days had been spent calming their interactions. She'd stopped fighting him and scowling when he opened the door. She'd told him that Danny and Seth were people she saw in her sleep. Sometimes she looked up at him through her lashes the way Zarah did with boys. She wasn't sure it was working, but he seemed happy with her change in attitude, if not a little cautious.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door swung open and Jared strolled in, eyes characteristically narrowed.

"Morning," he said, throwing a paper bag onto the bed next to her.

Leah rustled through it to find a sandwich and apple as Jared dropped down into the chair and stretched his legs out.

"Okay," he said, once settled. "Tell me what I want to know."

...

"Leah, you're just making this harder for yourself."

Leah sighed and looked away, tired of the constant questioning. Two hours had passed since Jared had arrived today, and despite her best efforts, he was starting to get impatient. His head was tilted back against the wall in a seemingly relaxed position, but glares were being shot her way every few minutes.

"I don't know where the Mors Mortis Device is. I wish I did, but I don't. Can we just talk about something else?"

Jared grunted and sat up, resting his elbows on his knees. "No. I really won't care about anything else you could possibly say."

Leah tried not to look affronted at this, but realised she must have failed terribly when the corner of his mouth quirked up.

"Well, we won't talk at all then," she said, baited by the amusement in his eyes.

"That wouldn't be in your best interest."

"I don't care," Leah snapped. "I'm tired of you asking for the impossible. I. Don't. Know. Anything. Get it through your head."

As she spoke Jared's grin widened until it practically split his face open.

"Someone's touchy today."