You Took It All Away

Chapter 2: Jane

A/N: Hey everyone, sorry for the late update. I had written the chapter a long time ago, but when I went back to it, it was a mess. Thanks for everyone who commented and voted. I really appreciate you reading, voting and commenting. :D

Chapter Two: Jane

          January, 2007

When I woke up, I was surrounded by complete darkness. My head was spinning and as my eyes adjusted to the lightless room, I noticed that I was lying on a cold, hard-surfaced floor. I tried to remember where I was, but nothing rang a bell in my head. For a moment, my mind was blank, but all too soon a flash of memories made their way into my head. My dead mother, the plane ride to Washington, the bus stop, the knife pointed at my throat before it all went black.

Panic rose in my throat at the realization that I was abducted. Where the hell was I? Who was after me? What in the world happened?

As I fully regained consciousness, I was able to make out the images of the room I was in. My body ached all over, from the pounding in my head to my cold feet.  I realized that it also smelled like an old damp basement that was left abandoned  for years. I let my eyes roam over my surroundings but the room was windowless and empty except for an old wooden desk and a torn chair.

I was about to lift myself off the floor when I heard a faint sound of footsteps coming from outside the door. I held in my breath as I waited for the door to open. A short moment later, a red-haired young woman walked in, dressed in dark jeans and a red tank top. She glanced at me and a look of annoyance crossed her sharp features, panic settled in my stomach. She stopped a few inches away from me and bent down to my level. Without a word or a greeting, she handed me a glass of what appeared to be water.

It was the look on her face that made me freeze.  I had no idea where I was. I didn’t know who this woman was, or what she even wanted from me. Did she kidnap me? Was she the whole reason I was here? I wanted to get up, hit her, and then see how far I could actually run until I would meet civilization. But I was frozen. I couldn’t move. I could only stare at the woman and the glass in her hand.

Although I didn’t really know what’s going on, the sight of water made me realize that I was really thirsty; too thirsty for my liking. I couldn’t help but wonder how long I was unconscious for that the sight of water caused my mouth to water.

"It's not poisoned."

I nearly jumped in surprise when I heard her speak for the first time. She must have sensed my suspiciously strange reaction towards the glass she was holding. I looked up, eyes wide, but didn’t dare grab the glass from her. I didn’t know who this woman was, but I knew she was somehow related to that knife. There was no way I could trust anything she said or did.

When she noticed my expression, the woman sighed in irritation and put the glass on the table. “Suit yourself.” She shrugged her shoulders in nonchalance.

I gulped down my saliva and shook my head to clear my thoughts. "Why am I here? Who are you, where am I? Why-"

"Calm down, kid. One questions at a time," she interrupted, lifting up her hand. She pulled the chair that was tucked behind the desk, brought it closer to me, and sat down.

Why the hell was she so calm? It seemed as if this was a regular procedure for her. Did she do this every day? I looked around the dark room nervously, trying to find a possible exit. The only way I could actually get out was if I could somehow pass this woman to the door behind her; there wasn’t even one window in the superficially lit room.

"I'm Clara and you are here because Varo brought you," she replied, snapping me back to reality. "You're at a brothel," she continued, "and unfortunately you do not have any chances of leaving anytime soon," she informed me, with a hint of smugness in her tone.