Rise

11

*Elora's POV*

Several weeks went by. I haven't talked to anyone and I have been doing the bare minimum when it comes to work. I mostly just stayed in the cell and didn't leave. The door had been left open incase I needed to use the bathroom, but that's basically the only reason I left. Sometimes I even thought about just slipping off the edge of the cell where the big opening is. I didn't want to be here anymore.

Just because I didn't go up there, doesn't mean they didn't come down. Every couple hours Vivian came down to tell me, how I'm a disappointment, how no one cares about me, how I'm awful at everything etc. It began to get really hard to stay strong now. I couldn't block her out and with being alone. The dark let's my mind wander anywhere it wants to go. It was extremely cold down in the cell, which impeded my ability to sleep well.

I started to lose hope in Farrah finding me.
    I was laying on the wooden flat bed against the wall in my cell. I heard someone come down the stairs and tears began to fill my eyes. I had been conditioned to this since every time someone came down stairs, my emotions were picked at.

Since the door was opened, whoever walked down the stairs just came right in. They sat on my bed.
 
"Elora? You haven't been upstairs in sometime. You really need to eat," it was Caden. He set down a metal tray on my bed. I took a peek at it and I saw some bread and water.

"Wow, what a nice meal you've brought to me," I said sarcastically.

"I could've brought you nothing, I could've let you starve."

"You should've done that." I sighed.

"No I can't do that. Now get up, eat." I didn't move. I just laid there, "Elora. I said eat!"

"No." I mumbled.

"Why?"

"Because your sister is right. I do need to lose the weight."

"Oh Elora, no she's not right. She's a bitch and you shouldn't listen to her."

"It not like I can't when she comes down here multiple times a day to tell me about it."

"I'm sorry she does that."

"It's your fault to, for not stopping her. You actually sit back and watch it happen."

"I wish I could help, but if I did anything to help you, it's my head on the block. I could be in serious trouble."

"Probably wouldn't be worse than what I'm going through."

He sighed, "Come on, sit up for me please?"

I groaned as I tried to sit up for the first time in a while. As soon as I sat up my vision start getting darker, "I can't see." I told him.

"What? Shit-" Was all I heard until I completely blacked out.

I don't know how much longer it was but I gained back my consciousness. I didn't open my eyes, but I felt myself laying on something soft. I was warm too. I guess everything that happened was as dream since I was back home in my bed. I opened my eyes and sat up from excitement only to see I was still at the palace.

I groaned and closed my eyes, falling back onto the bed. Then the realization hit me. Why was I not in my cell? I sat up again and took a better look at my surrounding.

That was when the door opened to the room and in came Caden, holding a tray of food again. Only this time it was a beef stew. He shut the door behind him. Once he turned around, a smile appeared on his face.

"Oh! You're awake! Great!" He exclaimed. He walked over and sat on the side of his bed and faced me, "I brought you better food. I made it myself. It's the first time I've cooked! Vivian and mom usually do it."

My face stayed the same confusion that it's been the whole time. I didn't give him a response.

His face dropped, "You don't like it do you. Gods I knew I should've asked-"

"No!" I interrupted, "I like it I do I'm just...confused is all."

He set the food down and scooted closer to me, " What are you confused about?"

"Why you're being nice to me, why you brought me food, why I'm in what I'm assuming in your room. I don't even know what happened."

"Well, you were starving yourself, so you had to eat. And correct, this is my room. I brought you here because I caught you when you passed out. You felt really cold, so here we are now! And," he touched my forehead, "You've warmed up!"

I smiled at his gesture, "Thank you."

"Now," he grabbed the food tray and held it out for me, "Eat."