A Touch of Madness (A Recipe for Disaster Novel 1)

Promises whispered in my mind

I dropped to the cold metal floor and slid under the bed frame. I could smell the stale tang of sweat on the torn bed sheet still on the bed. Last night’s terror was a sour taste on my tongue as I lay there, curled around my brand new terror. Sweat quietly dropped off my face to soak into my sleeve, but I did my best to make no noise, clenching my teeth around a snarl of frustration when I heard the cell door creak fully open. I spotted three pairs of feet and I knew who they belonged to. “She won’t be in here, she hated this room.” Jessica said cautiously.

I spotted Barry’s feet step closer to her, probably to touch her in comfort. “I think Jess is right.” Barry concurred, and I knew he wasn’t thinking properly. If he’d remembered our tactics class, he’d remember that when searching for intelligent quarry, nowhere is out of bounds. “Besides, the only place in here to hide is under the bed and I know Callie is better at basic hide and seek than that.” He scoffed. I wished fervently that they’d leave.

“You could Call her.” Jessica added and everyone went impossibly silent and I got a very distinct feeling that I wouldn’t like whatever that idea actually intended. “It would force her to come to you.” She added tentatively and I almost threw up. I was so sick and tired of people forcing actions on me outside of my control.

“If she’s strong enough, she can resist the Call.” Barry warned. “It’s a really BAD idea to back Callie into a corner. It’s up to you Alex, but I don’t think Calling her is the best thing to do.” He cautioned and I felt a small tremor of relief; he still had my back at least that much.

But I guess Alex was tired of playing manhunt. I suddenly felt like I was dipped in hoarfrost. My body ached with an unbelievable cold and it felt as if each breath should sear my lungs. Close by I could feel Alex blaze like a giant fire; his warmth beckoned me, begging me to come and thaw myself. It hurt me so bad to just stay lying there in that metaphysical blizzard. I would die here because I was too stubborn to go to him, too stubborn to give in. The cold suddenly vanished as he cut the Call off and I held in a sob of relief.

“Both of you get out.” Alex said calmly. I saw them hesitate but then they walked out and Alex closed the cell door behind them with a sigh. This was not good for me, so far being locked anywhere alone with this man ended in confusion and property destruction. Alex walked towards me and sat on the bed, his feet were so close that if he’d taken his boots off, he’d have felt my breath on them. “Oh Callahan, what am I going to do with you?” he asked softly and lay on the bed. I froze as he spoke, but he acted as if he didn’t know I was right under him. I relaxed fractionally, second by second, until I was lying in a slumped pose with him above me. It was just my truly abysmal luck that he’d stopped in here to do his ruminations. I almost laughed out loud in relief, but that would have defeated the purpose of hiding, so I calmed myself and just listened to his breathing. He was quiet for so long that I couldn’t help but gear down myself;  oddly comforted by how close he was to me. I could feel his weight on the bed over me without me ever touching him. He carefully shifted on the bed above me, slow, languorous movements that seemed like mere searching for comfort. In reality he had tricked me into relaxing so I never really worried about what his moving meant until he had dropped down beside the bed, grabbed my arm and pulled me out of my hiding space. I’d not been prepared for it at all, so by the time I thought to react and scramble free, he’d already pinned me completely.

“Callahan, I’m not going to hurt you!” he said insistently as I decided to struggle despite the analytical part of my brain knowing that he had out manoeuvred me. So he just let me exhaust myself and I never even budged him. Eventually even I give up, so I lay there, panting. “I knew you were there the entire time; I always know where you are Callahan. And I can always tell you apart from Cassandra.” His brown-orange eyes looked into mine. I thought he might say something else, something more than just that but he didn’t. “Usually I can tell you apart because she seems smart enough to not shoot her mouth off at me.” He joked, but the humour was flat in this situation. And then he surprised me by letting me go. “Albert was right though, it’s not a good idea to force you or back you into a corner.” He watched me sit up slowly. I sat with my back resting against the bed frame, sucking in air and cramming my emotions down so I wouldn’t cry. He settled in beside me, his shoulder touching mine. “Will you please show me your arm?” he asked softly. By this time he had to know what it would show but it was the gesture itself that mattered, not the end result.