The Stolen

Chapter 28

I wander around the empty corridors. Everything's dark, I can barely see two feet in front of me. Behind me, the cell I despise with every fibre of my being, and inside it, Emma.

Well, actually, it's not the cell's fault. Let me rephrase that.

Behind me, my cell, and inside it, the person I despise with every fibre of my being.

It's mostly Emma's fault. She tricked me into coming. I think I would have been better off if I had stayed back in Opportunity. At least I would have died happy.

Now that I think about it, the name of the ship is kind of ironic. Opportunity. An opportunity to save the human race, to help fix everything we have broken. Because I'm sure it's us who did this to the planet. It makes the most sense. We humans are badly flawed, and by creating a comfortable life for ourselves we've given the Earth and its inhabitants a terrible fate.

But in reality, going on Opportunity granted you the same chances to die as staying. And I would rather have died on Earth, during the earthquakes. I wish I would have grown up like a normal girl, instead of being raised like a killer (slash future leader).

Wow. Being trapped alone with her thoughts sure makes a girl deep.

I have very mixed feelings about turning around. What if Emma has woken? What if she screams? But on the other hand, I want to look at her and prove to myself that she hasn't.

I end up deciding for the latter, and I don't regret it, because Emma still lies on the ground face-down, behind the bars, my black clothes on and the hood pulled up so no one sees her face or hair. That will buy me some time.

I throw the cell keys up and grab them in mid-air with my left hand. My eyes dart to the clover.

You were meant to be a leader.

I brush that thought away and straighten Emma's teal dress. It's a bit loose on me, because Emma weighs more and has a bigger chest than me, but I'm praying no one will notice or recognize me. I've cut my hair with Emma's pocket knife and I still haven't seen myself. But my awful looks are the least of my worries right now.

Every little sound from above me makes me jump and gasp. These sounds let me know I'm in a basement, which had already been indicated by the lack of windows.

The corridors look in no way happier than my stinky cell. They would have looked scary for the girl I was back on the ship.

No, not scary. Terrifying.

Because that old Chrix was easily scared, she was pushed over, she thought she was strong but she hid her true self behind a confident façade. And I think people bought it. They thought she was strong and unbeatable.

Well, what do I know. Maybe they knew me better than I knew myself.

The foul-smelling walls are grey and I've already hit them once, thinking the corridor went on. It's awful, not being able to trust my senses.

The corridor gets lighter with my every step,and I know I'm reaching the exit. If I'm being honest, I consider running back and locking myself in the cell again, because at least there I'm safe and have food... Even if it's disgusting and it's not often there.Voices become clearer, and hope no one up there knows about a girl named Christine locked down in a cell, hope no one saw Emma go in and never come back.

It's been no more than ten minutes since she went down, according to my -nonexistent- skills at knowing what time it is.

I see stairs, and for now, no sight of Nico - or any other person, for that matter.

Ruffling my hair over my eyes, I try to make my sore legs walk up the stairs easily. Try is the key word. But I need them to be strong, or at least stronger than they are now, in case I need to run.

There's no turning back. Emma is probably starting to get up now, and that means screams and shouts that might alert someone up there.

Some light is starting to make its way down this pit of darkness, and I see a rectangular shape up at the end of the stairs. It's a door, and as I climb, it becomes clearer. It's grey and thick, made of steel. It'll probably make a lot of noise when I open it.

And when I reach it, it does. It opens with a sound that reminds me of what a pterodactile screech would probably sound like, and closing with the same ear-piercing sound.

Of course. Designed to make a sound when someone goes out. What I don't understand is why they wouldn't put a lock or something. Well, they probably wouldn't expect anyone to escape, but I did.

I find myself in a big hall with walls a shade darker than Emma's (which is now my) dress. It's big, but it's empty. The voices from earlier came from a different room, whose door I can see to my right.

There's another door at my left, and no sound comes from that direction. It might be another prison.

I can't make up my mind. I need to find people. Nico is my first thought, but I would have enough with Marta or even Ségolène. And I don't know where they'd be.

Probably near the door at my left, because they used to lead Stolen HQ, and Brooke's Army would have locked them if they knew of their existence. And they do, because of Nico's little stunt that cost Olympia's life.

Ignoring the rational thoughts that tell me to go left, I approach the other door, dragged by my human instincts. The part of me that needs being surrounded by people her kind.

I open it, and this time the door opens without a sound, closing behind me swiftly when I let go of the handle, then hitting the door frame with nothing but a faint thump.

People.

They're everywhere. Over a hundred, in front of my very eyes. It's frightening and exciting at the same time.

They're all dressed nicely, like Emma was in her dress, and soft music is being played by two violins, a cello and a piano.

The people surrounding me don't even look at me. Of course, they wouldn't expect one of the prisoners from downstairs to be in one of the Army members's dress, dancing around them.

Because yes, I am dancing. I hadn't noticed, but my feet are moving and my arms are swaying rhytmically at my sides. I used to listen to music while training, when I was back on Earth, but I didn't remember how easy it would be to dance.

It's obvious even to me that I can't dance like other people, who are talented, but it feels kind of fun.

The great feeling is interrupted by my body freezing, because I suddenly see him.

Him, dancing with a blond girl like it's the most normal thing in the world and he shouldn't be behind bars or worse, like I was just minutes ago.

And it turns worse when I see the girl's face.

Nico and Ségolène.