Strings and Schemes

Chapter 37

(Raina's POV)

The world was still blurry when I stirred, my body swaying slightly with the movement of the car.

My head was pounding.

How long had I been in here?

I blinked against the dim interior, my wrists stiff from how tightly my hands had been clasped together in my lap. The window to my right was tinted, the lights outside bleeding through in smudges of yellow and white.

Then I heard it.

A deep, mechanical roar. Engines. My pulse quickened.

I sat up straighter, straining to hear beyond the low hum of the car's movement. Another sound followed—a sharp screech of wheels against the tarmac.

A plane. I was near an airstrip. That didn't make sense.

I had expected some sort of underground bunker, some sterile training facility. But an airstrip?

My stomach turned. Something was wrong.

The car slowed, the tires crunching against what sounded like gravel before rolling onto smoother ground.

My muscles tensed. I shifted slightly, testing the doors. No handles. No obvious locks I could reach.

Not that I was surprised.

My breath came in slow, measured inhales, the way I had been trained. Don't react. Don't panic. Wait.

Another distant roar of an engine cut through the night.

I knew that sound—military-grade.

The car rolled to a stop.

A beat of silence.

Then—the locks clicked open.

I swallowed hard as the boot was pulled wide, cool air rushing inside.

Two men stood outside. Dressed in black, standing just far enough apart that they weren't cornering me—but close enough that I knew there was no point in running.

Not yet.

I stepped out, my heels clicking against the pavement. This is the last time I ever wear shoes I can't run in on a night out. 

Then I saw her.

My mother stood a few feet ahead, the wind from the planes tousling the ends of her perfectly styled hair. She couldn't even send my dad to come greet me.

Dressed in her usual pristine navy-blue suit, arms crossed, an unreadable expression on her face.

The sight of her sent a sharp, visceral reaction through me—one that twisted somewhere between relief and anger.

I took a single step forward. "Mom."

She exhaled, her shoulders shifting slightly. "Raina."

I clenched my fists. "What the hell is going on?"

No answer.

Another plane took off in the distance, its lights flashing as it disappeared into the dark sky.

My mother's lips pressed together. "I'm sorry."

My blood ran cold.

Sorry? Sorry for what?

Before I could move, before I could say another word—footsteps behind me.

I turn just as a needle pierced my skin. A sharp sting, then warmth. The world tilted.