Truth & Lie

Chapter 22

Hey! Just realized I couldn't put songs on here! I'm going to go back and put songs in all the song chapters.

Thanks for all your support!

Stepping into the kitchen, Katie quickly found the tray with Huey's food. She walked over to it, taking it from the counter. She looked over the meal, and stuck out her tongue in disgust. A stale roll and some unidentifiable slop in a bowl. Katie held it away from her when the smell reached her. "Oh... Huey..." she said in sympathy for him. She glanced around the kitchen, trying to find something.

Setting the tray back on the counter, she grabbed a stool and pushed it against the fridge. She climbed on top of the stool and looked over the top of the fridge. Her face lit when she found what she wanted. A jar of cookies. She grabbed it and stepped down the stool. Taking off the top, she smiled. After digging around in the jar, ignoring any raisin cookies, she pulled out two chocolate chip cookies.

She held one in her mouth as she put back the jar and the stool. Then she got the tray and put the second cookie on it. She swallowed the first one, leaving chocolate and crumbs all over her face. Taking the roll, she put it on top of the second cookie to hide it. Even Huey deserved something sweet.

Katie took the tray down the halls of FOWL. She soon found the door down to cell 25. She tried to juggle opened the door, holding the tray, and turning her phone flashlight on all at once. Balancing the tray on her beak, she grabbed the door handle. She swung it open a bit and put her foot between the crack. Then she put her hand in her pocket, pulling out her phone. With her foot, she pushed the heavy door open and stepped into the dark hallway. It shut behind her with a loud thud.

She held the tray in one hand now, and with the other hand, she held her phone as a light in the pitch darkness. She shuddered. There was a warm atmosphere to the hall, the sort that made you feel claustrophobic. She frowned, worried that the heat would melt the chocolate. She moved a little quicker, the pat of her feet hitting the floor as the only noise.

Finding herself at the cell door, Katie took in a deep breath. It had been a while since she had seen Huey. And if she was right in working for FOWL, wouldn't that make him an enemy? He must have done something to end him up in here. Her mouth was open as she thought over everything.

She shook herself of her fears and uneasiness and looked to the door. Her grandfather hadn't given her exact instructions and she hadn't ever been down here before. She looked over the handle, trying to figure out how to open it. It seemed like there were two openings. One handle opened the entire door, and the other handle opened a small slit, just big enough for the tray. The two handles were right next to each other, making it hard to tell which was which.

Katie's hand hovered over one handle. "I think it's this one," she said to herself. Hearing the sound of her own voice comforted her somehow. It made her feel less alone in the dark.

She took hold of the handle, but realized she had forgotten to unlock it. She dug around her pockets for her FOWL keycard, which had limited access due to her being and agent in training. But her grandfather, for the time being, had given her access to unlock this door. She swiped it over the scanner and tried again.

To her surprise, the whole door opened. Her heart raced and she dropped the tray, making a loud clang. Her breathing was uneasy as she realized her mistake. A moment's hesitation.
A figure jumped out at her, pinning her against the wall. In the process she dropped her phone, letting the light reveal the figure. "Huey!" she smiled.

He glared at her, pressing his forearm against her neck. "Don't 'Huey' me, Katie," he snapped.

Katie looked him over, heart pounded. She didn't know whether to be happy to see him or scared that he was so threatening all of a sudden. His head feathers were ruffled and messy and dark bags hung under his eyes. He looked strange without his cap to Katie. His palms and joints were gray, probably from sleeping on the dirty floor. He had a few bruises and he was thin and looked unwell.