Argent Eye II

30

I was at the front of the crowd, with Ellie and her friends next to me. Ronan had seen me, but tried not to maintain eye contact- I guess he was relying on the hope that the doctor didn't know I was here, and that it was just him. But of course, Ellie recognised him.

"Hey, Sally, isn't that your friend?" She asked, but not in the worried kind of way I thought she might ask. I looked at her, and at her friends, and not one of them was concerned or surprised. Ellie just looked at me, knowing.

Ronan must have seen the situation, because I could see in his eyes that he was pleading for me to leave. I was trying to calculate the situation in my head, to try and figure out how I could get the both of us out of here, but came up with nothing. This box, whatever it was made of, was clearly stopping Ronan from teleporting. I could see no sign of a door into it, except a control panel over the other side. It was then I could see the doctor standing in front of it, looking directly at me through the glass.

My heart stopped in my throat, and for a moment I thought I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move.

"Welcome, everyone." The doctor began, making his way round the box to face the audience- he didn't break eye contact with me. "It seems that tonight has taken a rather unexpected turn, but for the better. You see, I was planning on a speech and a demo from my subjects, which you will get, but we have a couple of other guests here tonight."

I could sense the tension in the room. The anticipation. These people, whoever they were, didn't seem too surprised to see a human being trapped in a box. I remembered the woman in the hall, who'd mentioned that last time was a disaster- perhaps the doctor had done something like this before. Perhaps all these people knew that the doctor was experimenting illegally on people. The masquerade theme started to make sense- these people were rich, and possibly famous and well respected individuals. They wouldn't want to be recognised at an event like this if that were the case.

I had to get out of here. If Ronan was trapped, I would need more help than just myself to save him. I turned, pushing through everyone. At first, people were moaning, wondering why I'd be in such a rush to turn back. But then I bumped into the man at the door. He grabbed my arm.

"Where are you off to, girl?" He asked, his huge build looming over me.

I channelled the fire through my arm, yanked it away when his hand started to burn, and went to run through the double doors only to find them locked.

"You can't run this time, Millie." The doctor said, and I turned to see him standing there, in front of the crowd of people who were looking eager to see the drama. Ellie stood next to him, a snarky grin on her face.

It was then that I realised something wasn't right. Aside from the fact that Ronan was locked in a mysterious glass box and that I'd been spotted because of Ellie, I felt a little lightheaded. My vision began to blur. I thought about the champagne I'd drunk, but it was the same as everyone else's... wasn't it?

"Feeling a little dizzy, are we?" He asked, stepping closer to me. I was trying to get to the ice, but somehow I was finding it hard. Every time I tried to access it, it was like it was getting further and further away, out of my reach. I tried one of the other elements, but they were even harder to get to.

It was getting difficult to breathe, and to stay on my feet, and so I leaned on a nearby wall for support.

"You see, last time you were in my company, I did manage to get a quick sample of your blood whilst you were passed out." The doctor continued. "That meant I could alter this champagne so it would only affect you. Clever, right?"

I frowned, and found myself getting weaker and weaker. I slid down the wall, onto my knees.

"My good friend Ellie alerted me of your attendance as soon as you made acquaintance on campus." He continued. "She told me that she'd met another elemental called Sally, however I could not recall such a person. After she described you to me, it clicked. I knew you wouldn't come alone, either, which was a bonus on my part." He clapped his hands together, excited. "An elemental with powers over all the elements? I didn't even think that such a thing existed."

My eyes were growing heavy. I could only just make out the shapes of people around me- they were all blurry. I tried so hard to stay awake, to get out of here, but my limbs were floppy and useless.

"Don't fight it, Millie." The doctor said. "All will be well."

"Fuck you." I managed in a last effort to stay awake, before I couldn't help but surrender to the weights pulling me down.

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