Wrapped in Bandages

Next Day Arrival

Lying on the grey sheets of his bed, Chance stared at the wall with the faded grey paint. He lazily scratched his finger against the paint, peeling another portion of it away. Beneath it laid a simple coat of white paint. As if a white door wasn't enough to seal him in, they had painted the walls white as well. The grey coat was no longer doing its job properly. Before long it would entirely peel off, revealing the true color behind it.

Rolling onto his back, he rolled the piece of paint between his left index finger and his left thumb. It didn't last long before it crumbled and turned to dust. Sighing, he rested his hand across his midsection and just waited for the time to pass. He wanted to discuss the plans for invading Dez's mother's office, not lay on his bed and wait, while the workers outside discussed their lunch plans for the day.

Honestly, he didn't even need a clock to tell the time with the two workers chatting outside his door. Their constant conversations about what they would eat for the day were enough. Besides, their goodbyes to each other signaled when it was time for them to leave. Granted, Chance would always press one of his ears to the door in order to make sure that the workers had really left. It was strange that they didn't leave a guard by his door, but maybe they thought that a teenager couldn't escape them. How wrong they were. Regardless, he was quite glad that they were careless.

Grabbing his bear, which rested on the bed on his left side, he held it up above him. He couldn't help but be reminded of Dez's own stuffed animal. Of course, his was now a dull grey color, while Dez's was blue. Running his right index finger over the small tear in the animal, Chance smiled slightly. If it weren't this bear, he would've probably never met Dez. Most likely, he would still be lying on this bed, but he would only be a shell. Empty and content with the situation he was in. Beforehand, he had been content with his living conditions, but he wasn't void of emotion. Luckily, he was neither of those now. Instead, he was quite alive.

His thoughts wondering over to Dez, he realized how much she talked now. Before, she hadn't really spoken more than a sentence, yet now she answered him with more than a few. It was interesting to see how much the discovery of that sitting room changed her. She no longer sat at her desk and drew her dreams but was now fighting towards achieving them. He just couldn't hide the smile that stretched across his lips. Seeing his friend evolve so quickly over a period of time was stunning and inspiring. When they finally achieved their goal of leaving this place, he would look forward to Dez's countenance.

Soon his smile vanished, as he heard the door to his room open. Calmly, he set down the bear on the bed and glanced over at the intruder. In the doorway Ms. Waters stood. He was slightly surprised to see her there, since she had never given him an exam before. The first time he had seen her was through the air vent last night.

She brushed a few auburn bangs to the side of her face, as her hazel eyes locked on his blue one. There was no friendliness in her gaze. Instead, a look of greed and hubris possessed her eyes. It wasn't hard to tell that she considered him less than human. To her, he was her guinea pig. Pulling over the metal desk chair, she placed it in front of the bed and sat down.

"I've come here for a few questions today. Now, this is our first meeting, so you may address me as Ms. Waters. Granted, I already know your name, so you don't need to introduce yourself to me."

Chance only casted a side glance at the woman before sitting up in his bed. He wanted to roll his eyes at her last statement, but he resisted the urge to do so. Of course, he didn't need to introduce himself. She only considered him a piece of property. Besides, he didn't want to say his name to her. The woman didn't deserve to hear it.