Taken

Chapter 8 (Part 2)

Giving me one last narrowed glance down her sharp nose, she sniffed as she turned. Clasping her hands behind her back, she made her way back down the hall, her steps barely making a sound. I didn't wait for her to get far before making my way into the washroom and rushing to shut the door behind me. Turning the lock on the doorknob, I released a breath that had been stuck in my throat as I heard it click into place. It sounded loud in the silence that enveloped me in the enclosed space covered in white tiles.

My heartbeat hammered in my ears as I set the clothes down by the sink and gripped the edge of the countertop with a white-knuckled grip. There were traces of dirt and dried blood across the taunt skin that my involuntary dip in the water earlier had failed to wash off.

My eyes slammed shut. Deep breaths, I told myself as the room began to close in on me, trying to keep myself from hyperventilating as I felt panic well in my chest. It only grew worse when I pried my eyes open to catch sight of my reflection in the mirror in front of me.

My breath caught in my throat as I caught sight of my terrified and exhausted, bloodshot eyes. Dark circles made them appear sunken in against my dull and dry skin that held smears of dirt and thin red scratches decorating it. Damp and disheveled hair framed my face and was filled with sticks, leaves, and knots that I wasn't looking forward to brushing out.

Following my hands in the mirror, I reached down to lift my clothes to reveal my side, gritting my teeth as I felt my shirt catch on the angry and swollen cuts I revealed. They had tears spring to my eyes as I took them in, prodding the inflamed edges with a hiss as my sight grew blurred. I couldn't hold back the overwhelming wave of emotions that adrenaline had been holding at bay any longer.

No.

Pulling my hand away, I lifted it to my mouth and bit down on the back of it to muffle a cry of frustration. I focused on the fresh, sharp pain that was different than the dull ache filling my body while clamping down on my surging emotions and pushing them back down.

I couldn't fall apart. Not yet. Not here, in this bathroom that looked far too normal to be in a different realm. Right now, I had to keep taking even breaths and keep moving forward. I couldn't break apart until I found my way back home. To Ash. I could come undone when I was recounting this fever dream to him.

Taking a shuddering breath, I gave myself one last look in the mirror before turning towards the clawfoot bathtub that stood under the one window the washroom had. Pristine metal pipes led up to a shower head that had me tilting my head. I guess faeries also enjoyed indoor plumbing and electricity. This wasn't what I had pictured when imagining where Silas was taking me. Though, the steady flames I could spot in place of light bulbs behind the glass covers told me things worked differently here than they did back home. Still, everything appeared normal enough that I could momentarily forget that I was in a different realm as I turned the water on, slipped my sore feet out of my wet shoes, and shed my wet clothes while staying on the tile and avoiding the soft mat in front of the tub.

Stepping under the spray of hot, steaming water, I willed my muscles to relax as I washed away the blood, sweat, and dirt of the previous night while warming my bones from the icy dip I had been forced to take. Reaching for the small cart by the tub, I sniffed the fragrant bottles it held before picking one to lather my hair with before scrubbing my skin raw with a bar of soap. I watched the water swirling down the drain until it turned clear before spending extra time cleaning the cuts at my side, afraid they would get infected.

Once done, I turned the water off and stepped out onto the soft bath mat, and rushed to grab a towel from the closet before I could drip too much water over the floor. Drying and changing into the boxer briefs and loose clothes she had given me, I swiped a hand across the fogged mirror to reveal clean skin that held a red pinch of color and life.