Restored (A Caleo Selection)

26 ~ A Gunshot So Loud

After that, the silence was deafening.

Days passed and I was the only thing that moved in my barren little home. Well, except for the spider that has taken up residence in Leo's corner. I'd named him Gerald. (Yes, I was that bored.)

I thought of Leo constantly, wondering if he was home, and well, and alive. If he'd figured out how he could defeat the Titans yet. I'd told him everything I could think of about my relatives, but he'd already known the majority of it.

That had been one of the most comforting things of his presence. He truly did know every filthy inch of my past and still chose me anyways.

What more could I possibly ask for in this life? His well-being was all I needed.

But in the middle of what I assumed was the night, I was awoken by sounds of faint shouting outside my door. Crawling out of bed, I made my way to the closet, pulling on the least fancy of the dresses hung.

The shouting grew louder until it sounded like it was right outside my cell, and I pressed my ear to the door. Then the sound was fading, the cause apparently having continued on.

Fully awake now, I considered turning on the lights, but thought better of it. As long as the lights were off, I was safe from the cameras.

I'd never heard anything from above me, but now I heard a thump directly over my head. In the dark, I fumbled for anything capable of functioning as a weapon, and managed to find the leg of a chair Leo had taken apart in his boredom.

I waited. More soft thumps sounded from above, and I wondered if someone was taking things apart. Packing up.

Maybe we'd been discovered.

Hope expanded in my chest, and I desperately wished for a knife to cut the chip from my arm. Instead, I reached for the cabinet of unperishable food and swept the first things I could feel into my thinnest blanket, adding a couple bottles of water.

More shouting came, and something banged on my door. I considered yelling, but there was always the possibility that these were hostiles. Who knew how they would react to a teenage girl, imprisoned in a basement room?

The noises faded, and I stood very still, straining to hear anything. What had just happened?

Finally giving up, I sat back down on my bed, reaching back to unbutton the dress. Foolish to hope.

The door slid open.

I froze, waiting for someone to barge in. No one came.

Cautiously I walked over, scanning the hallway. There was no sign of any living thing nearby. What the heck is going on? Is this another trick?

I stared at the doorway, not wanting to test my luck. If someone wanted me to escape, they'd have disabled my chip. But it was more likely than not that this was a joke to watch me suffer those awful shocks again.

Finally I forced myself to put a hand through the doorway. Nothing happened. I put my whole arm through, and then, ever so slowly, I stepped outside.

When no debilitating pain came, I hurried back inside, snatching up the bundle I'd created, and then dashed back to the hall. I couldn't remember which way I'd been brought, so I picked a direction at random and began walking.

Behind me, the cell door slammed shut, making me jump. Well, I'm not going back there, I guess.

Heading forward, I moved as silently as possible, although the thick dress material was not making it easy. I cursed every single uncle I could remember for the beautiful dresses.