Chapter 7

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Serena's POV:

I rolled my head to the side and noticed that my arms seemed awfully heavy. My thoughts were slow and fragmented. I lay there just trying to collect my thoughts. I managed to open my eyes and blinked slowly at the white ceiling. The shed didn't have a white ceiling...

I tried to sit up in sudden alarm, but my body didn't respond properly and I ended up halfway rolling onto my side, laying there as my breathing sped up in anxiety. My memories came back to me. Where was Darien? The mere fact that he wasn't here was almost painful. What had happened?

The room was small and basically empty. And white. White ceiling, white walls, white linoleum, white sheets, even the doorknob was white. The decorator obviously had an obsessive compulsive disorder.

A small camera in the corner was watching me. This had been partially covered in my evasive training in the event that someone did manage to kidnap me. If possible, play stupid and hope for a chance to escape. I doubted that this group would be so careless, but I had nothing to lose by trying.

I tried to sit up again and this time succeeded, although I was swaying pretty badly. My expression was one of confusion as I looked around, hopefully they didn't realize it was mostly fake. I was still in my clothing, so that was a good sign. I must not have been out too long. My head was rapidly clearing and I was grateful for that.

There was a glass of water on a small nightstand. I was extremely thirsty and hoped that they hadn't drugged it. There were ways around it though. People often didn't realize just how precious clean water was. It was a lesson I had learned on the streets. Sometimes access to fresh tap water simply wasn't possible. It was one of the few hums that I had used and honed - the hum to purify water.

My legs were too shaky to stand so I simply slid closer to pick up the glass while quietly humming. I felt the magic rise, peak, and fall as the humming song ran its course. I took a small sip, but it tasted like normal water. No surprise there though. This was one hum that I knew worked infallibly.

I had once filled a water bottle with muddy water, hummed it pure and took the crystal clear water to a center that did free water testing for people. The results had come back so pure that the company had been curious as to which area had such a clean water supply.

I slowly drained the glass and put it down. I felt much more alert now, although I was somewhat tired, so it was likely still night time. There wasn't a clock or window in this room to give me any hints. I glanced down at my sandals and noticed there was a thick black metal band around my ankle.

I lifted my ankle onto my other knee as I examined it. It was quite bulky and I didn't see any obvious way to get it off. It was tight enough that I could barely spin it. I bet it was some sort of tracking device in case I did manage to escape. I pretended to ignore it for now and let my foot go back to the floor.

The door handle turned and opened. A man in a white lab coat came in with a clipboard, "Ah, Serena, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

It disturbed me that he knew my name. They must have taken my purse and ID from the shed. I blinked slowly, uneasy in the stranger's presence, "I am feeling well, thank you. Ummm... What exactly happened? I am afraid I do not remember coming here... Where are we?"

The man seemed friendly enough, like most of my customers when they were in a good mood, "You fell and bumped your head while running. We are keeping you here in the hospital for a few days for observation, just in case of any side effects or concussion. What do you remember?"

It was a test and a fairly subtle one. If I didn't admit to this, then they would know I was hiding knowledge. Besides, I wanted a good excuse to find out how Darien was doing.

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