EDEN (Completed) (EDEN Series Book 1)

Chapter 7

They strap me to a hospital bed like I'm some kind of lunatic. Sydney, along with a team of doctors, crowds around me. I still feel the effects of whatever was in that dart that hit me. They wipe the blood from my lips and spray my mouth with cold water. A needle pokes my arm, and I watch the syringe fill with blood. One doctor takes a scalpel while Sydney holds a small, white cube. It blinks red, the same red I saw behind my bandage, and I barely feel a pinch on my left arm. It's a small cut they've made to place the cube inside. I feel like I should be asleep for this. Perhaps, it's my punishment. He did say I would "pay." I'm thankful for the dart, though, or I would feel every second of the cutting and stitching. They wrap my arm with a bandage after, identical to the one I already have. My anger has subsided, and I can't hear the voice at all anymore. I miss it.

Sydney lets the doctors go, and it's just her and I left in this room. I just can't figure this woman out. If she doesn't want to hurt us, she should just let us all go. I'm still in a daze as she looks at me with disapproving eyes.

"I thought you were different than the rest of them," she says. I try to sit up, but the pain in my stomach keeps me down, even more than the restraints. "You have a couple of bruised ribs. You should try to move as little as possible. You're lucky that's all you got for that."

I can't believe what she's saying. Someone torments me about the death of my parents, and I'm the bad guy? This makes me sick to my stomach.

"How can you side with a man like that?" I ask.

"I know he's rough around the edges, and it's a tough job, but someone has to do it. I see the light in him. It's faded, but I know it still there. I'll get it back."

"Is that what you tell yourself?" I say. "Does it help you sleep at night? Or get you through another miserable day in your miserable life?"

It feels like the voice is talking for me. I don't even want it to stop. Sydney turns away from me, placing her palm and forehead against the wall. It seems like those words cut through her. I wish I could cut through her right now. That'd be... nice.

"I didn't ask to be a part of this, okay. It was this or death. One of you were on my operating table a few years back. He was frightened and froze two of my colleagues in an instant. I had never seen anything like it," she says. "We notified the police, and they said they'd handle it. Before long, Vince and a few men, all with badges, showed up at my house asking me exactly what I saw. Vince offered me a job, here, at this underground genetics facility. I later realized, I would've been killed had I declined."

She seems distraught, or maybe it's just a ploy for mercy. Either way, I will take her and Vince's lives. Actually, I think I'll take everyone's here who's a part of this. None of them deserve to live.

"Are you hoping to get my sympathy?" I ask.

"No, I'm hoping that you'll just understand why I have to do this."

I almost burst out into laughter. She doesn't have to do any of this. I won't let her in my head. So, I now know where I am. Now, I can focus on getting Lucy and I out of here. Every time I think of her, it calms me. I just want to be on the beach, laughing and relaxing with her. I can't lose myself like that again. I thought for a second they were going to kill me, and I didn't even care. I try to make my mind my own again. My power isn't physically working, but it still lingers in my thoughts. I need to bottle it up and put it away. I can't die; it wouldn't be fair to Lucy.

My stomach growls with a majestic roar. I feel like I haven't eaten in days. I'm growing weak from the mental and physical exhaustion of the past couple nights. It growls again, louder this time. Maybe I should just keep my head down while I'm here. I should stay out of trouble, at least until Lucy wakes up.

"Look," I say, "I don't want any more trouble with anyone, I'll play by your rules if it means Lucy and I are safe."

I feel like I'm lying to her and myself. Those criminals have been here for years. I'm not a criminal, though, so they should stay true to their word, right? I still don't know who I can trust. All I do know is that I can't trust Vince. My mom wouldn't want me to live with revenge in my heart. She'd want me to forgive him, but I don't think I'm strong enough. God, I wish she was here. Sydney loosens the bindings on my arms. She helps me sit up and rests her hand on my head.

"I know I haven't told you much and that you're confused, but I promise, if you just help us, we will let you and Lucy go. And if you ever feel down, just remember one thing, stay positive," she insists.

They really must have been watching me for a long time. Sydney undoes the restraints on my legs and helps me to my feet. My body still feels hazy and bruised, so I throw an arm over her shoulder. The pain in my ribs causes me to flinch for a second, but I have to be strong now, more than ever, for Lucy.

"I didn't know if that was a lion or your stomach growling a minute ago," she says jokingly.

I let out an obviously forced laugh. We wobble out into the hall, my stride trailing behind hers. I hear a commotion coming from down the far end of the corridor. The voices all sound familiar to me, I think they belong to the people I just met in the observation room. The smell of food fills my senses, and at this point, I don't even care what kind it is. I think the pain of hunger is outweighing the pain of a couple of bruised ribs. I can only hope that Sydney is taking us to wherever that beautiful scent is coming from.

We reach the end of the hall and come to a room labeled "cafeteria." It appears all my prayers have been answered. The doors are heavy to push, but nothing can hinder me from food right now. I see Aroma, Mute, and Sol sitting at a table. There's an empty seat and a full tray sitting next to Aroma and across from Mute. Hopefully, it's mine, because I'm going to eat it all, anyway. She waves in my direction and points to the empty chair. The boys all sit at the table adjacent to the girls. I wonder if they choose to sit that way or not. Decoy whistles and rubs the empty chair next to him, snickering.

"As if," I declare.

Sydney escorts me to the girls' table, and just when I thought I was about to get a moment of peace, Vince enters with his eyes locked on me. I remember this look; it's the same one the popular girls gave me in high school. It's a look full of senseless malevolence and ill will. His neck is bruised, and I can't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. It's a moment I can add to the very, very short list of times I've stood up for myself. He stands next to the other guards near the food trays and utensils. If I weren't so hungry, I would probably be too uncomfortable to eat.

Aroma hugs me tightly before I even get a chance to pick up this steak that's been calling my name since I got here. I grimace from her grasp, and she snaps back, concerned.

"Are you hurt, love? Oh lord, I thought they were going to throw you in solitary. It is simply dreadful down there."

"I'm fine," I reply.

The ominous two words I use to get out of any situation that I don't feel like talking about. The plastic fork they gave us won't even poke into the tough, over-cooked steak. I grab it and start eating with my hands; I have no time for decency right now. Aroma looks like she isn't pleased with my table manners. She seems to be overflowing with elegance. Her napkin is tucked into the collar of her gown, and her elbows wouldn't dare touch the table. Oh well, to each their own.

Shouting erupts from the from the boys' table. My delicious food all but hinders me from caring about what's going on. Decoy and the man Vince caught trying to break into his office are in each other's faces. I thought everyone here was a "family." They grab each other by the collar and their voices bellow throughout the cafeteria as they clench their fists, ready to fight.