Fateful Hindrance

9. Who's To Say That I Can't Hide Out? Oh, That's Right...

Chapter 9

Who’s To Say That I Can’t Hide Out? Oh, That’s Right…

 

 

I didn’t know what time I woke up the next morning, but I knew it had to be late.  I hadn’t been able to get to sleep the night before, no matter how tired I had been.  It wasn’t like I was physically drained, more like mentally and emotionally – mentally from everything Kate had told me about what happened with her years before and what the Order had planned and emotionally because…well, how could I not be?

I must have fallen asleep for at least an hour, because the next time I opened my eyes, there was a try of food sitting on the table beside my bed.  Even when I got myself to sit up and eat, I could barely taste anything, which made me just push it away and not eat anything. 

No one appeared until later that night after the sun had set.  They came in my room without waiting for an answer after they knocked.  I didn’t, of course.  My head was buried in the pillows, but I peeked out with one eye to see Ryan with another tray of food in hand.

“Is this what you’ve been doing all day?” I heard him ask since  I’d already closed my eyes again.

I didn’t answer. 

“You hungry?”

Silence.

“Are you even alive?”

That, I would answer.  “Well, if you want to get technical in the legal sense…”

He laughed and I felt the bed dip beside me before the sound of the tray sliding onto the table.  “I knew that would get me an answer.”

I was quiet again, but the sound of Aiden and Sterling screaming and laughing out in the hallway floated in through my open door.  Their footsteps passed by before a loud thump, followed by more laughter. 

“The boys wanted to come in and wake you this morning so you could play with them.  I told them that you wanted to sleep,” Ryan went on.  “I don’t know if that excuse will work tomorrow, though.”

I peeked out from my pillows again to glare at him.  “Hey, Ryan?”

He raised an eyebrow since I was actually speaking to him.  “Yeah?”

My eyes narrowed to slits.  “You came to give me food, though I’m not hungry, so just get out.  I don’t want you here.”

His smile made me want to punch him.  “You know, barricading yourself in your room won’t do much for you.  You need to get out.  Juliet meant what she said about putting you through training…”

“And I’m not going to be put through training!” I yelled, pushing myself up.  My head spun, though I tried to get a hold of it before Ryan offered to help steady me.  I couldn’t bear to have him touch me.  “What do I have to do to get you out of here?  I just want to be alone!”

He held up his hands in surrender, shifting away.  “Okay, okay, I’ll go,” he said, standing up.  “But just know that you’ll have to get out of this room sometime soon.  Juliet won’t stand much for you doing nothing all day but lying in bed.”

 ...

Even with Ryan’s warning, I still didn’t get out of bed the next day.  I did the same thing, which was to not move from the cocoon I made in my covers and pillows.  Not even when Ryan came back with more food and to take the tray from the night before, still sitting there untouched.  Not when I could hear unfamiliar voices outside my bedroom door just after noon.  Not when I heard the door opened for a second time that day and two sets of footsteps slowly making their way toward my bed after the door clicked shut.