Chapter 4

• I had no idea how long I’d been in my silent cube. My heart was still beating at an insane rate. I sat on the bed for a bit, trying to stay calm, or as calm as possible in my current situation. If they were monitoring my vitals with their little bracelet, I had to be setting off bells and buzzers by now. I knew there was no way I’d get out of here if I freaked out, so I forced myself to lay on the bed, which I checked and was clean. I closed my eyes and willed my body to look relaxed.
• The silence was nice. I could count, on one hand, the number of times in my life I’d had complete and absolute quiet inside my head. The years I’d been locked up were an abyss of misery and torture, being in such close proximity to many truly ill people whose minds weren’t stable— It was a horrible nightmare that quite often resulted in me shattering and looking like a total lunatic alongside them. Faking the silence in my head had taken a carefully honed blank expression and three years of my life to learn. It could have been longer; I have no way of really knowing how long I had been locked up. The only way to tell how much time had passed was when celebrated Christmas was celebrated but I think I missed a few of those while I was trying to survive the never-ending screaming, crying and ranting inside my head.
• A feeling prickled my skin. I opened my eyes and turned to see a very upset, however good-looking, blond man standing there looking at me. I was about ninety percent sure it was Rafael, but I was only going by the fact he was holding a bodkin point arrow in his large, white knuckled hand.
• I moved slowly but his blue eyes didn’t falter. When my socks were on the cool floor, I stood up. Judging by his glare, I would not be shown mercy or be allowed out of here. I took a deep breath and tried to keep my level of panic from rising any higher.
• Clasping my hands in front of me, I tried to think of something to say. How’s your butt didn’t seem like a good option. Before I could come up with some spectacular opening, someone else entered. He turned to talk to them and I couldn’t stop myself from looking where I’d shot him. He didn’t look injured at all, if the way he moved meant anything.
• I glanced to see who he was talking to. It was the man with the brown hair that had been there when I shot him, and he still looked amused. Maybe he was my way out of here. He didn’t come off as brusque and as scary as the rest. Rafael turned back to me and reclaimed his glower. “So,” I stepped closer, “you must have buns of steel.” I motioned to him, “you’re not even favoring that side.” I realized after it came out, that it sounded less flippant in my head.
• The man behind him covered his mouth, his shoulders shaking. I’m pretty sure he was laughing.
• Rafael didn’t move.
• “Is the speaker on?” I knew it was by the reaction of the man behind him, but was trying for humor, even though I really had no idea how to be funny. “Um, Rafael—” I shrugged, “sorry about your name by the way, but it could be worse, you could have a handle like Eugene or Herman…” He didn’t look impressed. I looked to see the other blond man was standing beside the brown haired one now, they both looked entertained.
• I took a deep breath and exhaled. “Okay, so I’m really sorry I hit you in the tush—I honestly mistook you for one those disgusting slags that were after those idiot girls, figured they were sending the pretty face in to distract them…” He didn’t move. The one with the brown hair behind him however, was bent over his knees laughing.
• Rafael turned around and looked at them. His arm was waving around. I didn’t know body language that well, but I assumed what he was saying to them wasn’t pleasant. He stopped and stood there looking off into somewhere I couldn’t see. I flicked my eyes to the other two, they were focused in the same direction.
• I watched a clone of the man with the goatee come in, only he had no goatee. He paused and looked at me. The man with the long black hair was back. I don’t know what he said to Rafael, but Rafael looked angrier than he did a few moments ago.
• The twins and man with black hair walked out. Rafael turned and crossed his arms over his rather large chest and stared at me. My arrow was still clutched in his hand.
• A whooshing sound had me spin around. The opposite side, where I’d come in opened. I backed away from the door, not because I was afraid of the three men coming in, okay, not just because I was afraid, but because I knew the silence in my head was going to end.
• They stepped in and the glass door closed. I regulated my breathing, waiting for the onslaught of nasty thoughts. There was only one…
• …she’s not part of it. We’re wasting time here.
• I looked quickly at each of them trying to see which one I was hearing. None of their faces gave away anything.
• The blond man without the goatee stepped closer. “Kara…”
• He said my name in a way that made it sound, fancier, regal, I suppose was the word. I nodded and hugged my waist.
• “No one is going to hurt you…”
• I rolled my eyes at him. “Yeah because I believe three complete strange men when they say that.”
• The one with the goatee grinned.
• Sarcasm wasn’t going to get me out of here, I reminded my mouth. “I’m-I’m really sorry I shot your brother.” I looked from one twin to the other.
• He inclined his head and motioned to the other men. “Our brother.”
• I looked at the dark haired one. “He’s your brother too?”
• He nodded slightly.
• That was bad for me. “I don’t suppose I could speak to someone not related to Rafael?”
• The one with the goatee shook his head, then jerked his chin to the wall they’d been on the other side of. “Only relatives here.” He looked amused.
• I turned to see where Rafael and one man had been standing was now filled with more bodies. Several large men and several concerned looking women. I immediately spotted the scary redheaded man that had done whatever he had to send me here. Standing beside him was the woman who had jumped down onto the fire escape. She was nodding to someone and looking at me, or above me.
• With just my eyes I looked up briefly. A sound beside me made me turn back to the men in the cube with me. “That’s a lot of family.” I said quietly.
• “Indeed.” The one closest to me said.
• I felt a pressure inside my head. Rubbing my forehead, I silently prayed I wasn’t going to have a rush of intruding thoughts, because coming apart in front of these guys wouldn’t end well. I had to convince them I was sorry. “I…” The pressure increased. I squeezed my eyes shut and pushed on my temples for a second. Opening them, I tried to breathe it away. It left just as suddenly as it started. Talk fast I prompted my mouth, in case it comes back.
• …oh that’s intriguing. Troy can’t get in…
• I ignored the thought that wasn’t mine. “I—overheard those slags stalking those girls, who by the way shouldn’t be hanging out there alone,” I shook my head, “so I went up the fire escape to see how it played out… then this guy, your brother, comes slinking along in the shadows heading their way—” I lifted my arms out, “what would you think?”
• “Troy?” The dark haired one said.
• The one without the goatee turned to look at him and shook his head.
• So, that’s Troy. What can’t he get into? I looked at the dark-haired man to see if it had been his thought. He was looking at me with an odd look on his face. I glanced over to the man with the goatee leaning against the wall with his hazel eyes locked on me.
• …Kara…
• My eyes went wide.
• He grinned and looked at the floor for a moment. “Brother.” He straightened up, he looked at his twin. “I believe her.”
• I tried not to look anxious. “I’m not in the habit of shooting people. Rafael was the…” I grimaced, remembering the Fitbit. “Okay, there was one other time I shot this freaky guy with glow in the dark eyes…” All three men looked at me all at once. “Pish,” I hissed, “tell me you don’t have a brother with glow in the dark eyes.” My luck was at an all-time low today.
• “What color were they?” The one with goatee asked, “the eyes.”
• “Purple.” I said quietly.
• “She can see mages.” He said to his twin.
• “I heard her, Chase.” He said still looking at me.
• Someone knocked on the wall. All of us turned.
• The scary redhead motioned with his head for the men to come out.
• The dark-haired one and Troy left. Chase inclined his head to me, a slight smirk on his face.
• When the door whooshed closed, my head snapped to look at the people on the other side of the wall. I didn’t know what was happening, but all of them were listening carefully to what the woman that had been mad I shot her Rafael was saying.
• Chase moved closer to the wall, once again leaning on it. He said something and all heads in the room turned to him, then they looked at me.
• My gaze darted around the group, from one to the next and next trying to find an ally. Someone had to feel pity toward the messed-up woman behind glass.