Soul Stitched (book one)

Chapter 58: Wilt

        I cracked my eyes open. A blinding light filled my vision. A small gasp fluttered out of my mouth. When I sat up, pain throbbed from my head and I groaned. I remembered after they pulled us from the truck, they dragged me away and brought me here when they drugged me. I had only woke up now.
        "Cryptic?" I whispered.

        Nothing. I tried to get a good sense of where I was. I was in a prison cell. Bars lined all around me. A single light bulb flickered overhead. I pursed my lips. I noticed a lock that held the cell door, you could only open it from the outside of course. I brushed hair from my face and stood up, slowly. My cell was small, maybe if I laid down I could fit my whole body. All I saw was a hallway that led to my cell and on the other end was a door leading out. The hallway was to long, so I couldn't reach the door even if I slipped my arms through the bars. I sighed and leaned against the bars. I was still wearing those stupid cuffs. I wasn't wearing my old clothes though, instead I wore a thin hospital gown that covered only what it needed to.

        "Hello?" I called out. Silence. I rubbed my hands together and licked my dry lips. My stomach growled demanding food. I, of course, had none to offer. So I tried to take my mind off of delicious McDonald's. I laid back down and closed my eyes. I allowed sleep to come and wash over me. My thoughts drifted away and sleep filled my mind.

        Once again, I opened my eyes. Cryptic stood peering down at me, almost scared of me. Dr. Shep stood next to him. I decided to ignore Dr. Shep.
        "Cryptic!" I cried. I ran to the bars and grabbed his hand. He smiled sadly and I watched as his eyes filled with tears. I turned my attention to Dr. Shep.
        "What's going on? Where am I?" I asked, not letting go of Cryptc's hand.
        "I cannot say." Cryptic mumbled, a distant look in his eyes.  
        "Come with us, we'll explain in my office." Dr. Shep said, already walking away. I met Cryptic's eyes. He opened my cell with a small key and I walked out. Then he bent down and whispered in my ear,

"I will get you out of here."

Those 7 words sent shivers up my spine. Confusion swept over me but I pushed it away and followed Cryptic to Dr. Shep's office.

        I stood in the doorway looking at the perfectly organized room. Every pencil had a place. A guard shoved me into the room and shut the door behind me. I stood up slowly and sat down next to Cryptic who was leaning on Dr. Shep's desk. I was waiting for an explanation. Like, where are my friends, why isn't Cryptic locked up, too, why did Dr. Shep lock us up in the first place?
        "You probably have a lot of questions." Dr. Shep said as he took a swig of coffee. I frowned at the liquid.
        "Before you say anything, allow me to explain." Dr. Shep glanced at Cryptic who was shaking his head, no. Once again, I was confused. Dr. Shep turned away from him.
        "I suppose I should start from the beginning?" Dr. Shep paused. I nodded. Yes, the whole story would be nice.

        "When I was a boy, I murdered my father. Not out of cold blood, I had reason. Everything I do has a reason." Dr. Shep looked at Cryptic. "My father used to beat my mother. When we found out she lost the baby she carried, I snapped. Like you, Wilt. We're very similar." he said, glancing over at me. "Anyway. I ran after that, out of fear. I found a small cave in Alaska, very far away from my family. I believe you where there once with Peter?" Dr. Shep took a deep breath.
        "Who's Peter?" I asked as I looked over at Cryptic. He looked crushed, Cryptic, as if his whole world was crashing down on top of him.
        "I thought you said you were together." Dr. Shep said to Cryptic. I narrowed my eyes at him.
        "Will someone please tell me what's going on!" I cried. Cryptic whimpered.
        "Look please! Don't hate me, but-"
"I have an idea. Instead of telling Wilt everything all at once, let's give her a little piece of the puzzle each day. Let's see if she figures it out on her own."
        "Uh, no! Wilt doesn't like that idea!" I cried. Dr. Shep ignored me. Wilt that, two guards who seemed to have materialized from thin air, grabbed me by the waist and started pulling me away.
        "Wait! Cryptic, help!" I screamed.

        The next thing I knew, I was back in my cell with darkness all around. I curled into a ball and sobbed. what was going on? I'd rather be home with my stupid dad then here. Suddenly, a horrible thought occurred to me. What if my mom was dead? I couldn't bear to think about that, no, I wouldn't accept it. She had to be alive. She just had to.

        When I woke up, I saw a small plate of food in the corner. I scurried over and stuffed my face with stale bread and weird looking water. But right now, anything would taste good.

        I wondered where Aqua, Cashmere, and Crystal were. I knew Cryptic was fine, he looked like he was fed well, but something in his eyes....something wasn't right. He almost looked sick, and I didn't like it. Something about this whole situation, it seemed planned. Every detail. Down to the words people said.

        I finished drinking the water and laid back down. Boredom overwhelmed me, so I closed my eyes and slept.

        A dream filled my mind. I was in a room full of sharp instruments and there was a metal table in the center of this white room. For some reason I was drawn to the table, so I walked over. I laid down and sucked in a deep breath. Suddenly, doctors came rushing into the room. They held me down and one doctor grabbed a sharp needle.
        "Stop moving." someone instructed. Just as the needle pierce my skin, I sat up. It was just a dream. I wiped sweat away from my forehead and took a shaky breath. But something about that dream wasn't right. Then it hit me.

        That was no dream, that was a memory.

___________________________________

Cryptic ran his fingers through his hair, full of frustration.
        "Are you feeling okay, Peter?" Dr. Shep asked him. Cryptic banged his fist on the wall.
        "Don't call me that!" he hissed through clenched teeth. Dr. Shep grunted.
        "You've changed. " Dr. Shep said, slowly.
"Yea, they're my friends and you're experimenting on them!" Cryptic shouted. "I'm going to be pissed if you're hurting them as if they're nothing more then animals." Cryptic yelled. Dr. Shep sighed.
        "You've become attached to them. You know your duties, follow them." Dr. Shep said sternly. Cryptic nodded, knowing that if he wanted to break his friends free, he'd have to act like he was still working with these nuts.
        "Of course." Cryptic said, flatly. Dr. Shep smiled.
        "How's the pain?" Dr. Shep asked. Cryptic frowned, shaking his head.
        "Not good. It's getting worse every day." he replied. Cryptic did not have the virus, he had something that even Dr. Shep couldn't identify. Something caused by Wilt when she hit his head back in the cave. It was such a simple gesture, but at the time she didn't know how to control her powers. But Cryptic was suffering, he'd been blacking out and having blinding headaches.
        "We will find a cure. For your sickness and for the virus." Cryptic knew that Dr. Shep only wanted a cure for the virus that he had caused just for power and money. But Cryptic also knew that Dr. Shep did want a cure for Cryptic's sickness. Cryptic looked up sadly and said, 

        "Thanks, dad."