THE ALGORITHM

10.

The mansion was always busy. People traveled back and forth—some brought in boxes filled with mystery, while others dropped bags of money off to be counted and properly stored. Penny watched it all, keeping her eyes on the men who ran errands for Bilal. 

What the hell is in those boxes? Penny questioned herself as she stood by the archway.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Penny diverted her attention toward the masculine voice. She took in the sight of Decon and realized he was coming near her. With his eyebrows furrowed and arms spread, he stood there watching her in confusion.

"You're supposed to be in the room. Why are you out here?"

With narrowed eyes, Penny blurted out, "I've been in this room for two weeks straight. Two weeks. I'm tired of staring at the walls. I have nothing to do in there."

Decon didn't bother to waste his breath on Penny. He just pointed towards the room, indicating for her to go in. Hesitantly, she moped inside, and he shut the door behind her, locking it.

"Every time we unlock this door and give you a little freedom, you show us you aren't ready." Decon rasped and walked away.

She blew out air from her lips while looking around the room. It had been two weeks since she'd been captured and brought to the mansion. In two weeks, she managed to analyze the entire bedroom. Penny spent time measuring the floor space by using her brain. She used her feet to calculate the length. Penny stood beside the wall, counted her steps, and extended her arms to count the number of times she could span from one side to the other. After finding the length and width, she calculated the numbers and determined the total floor area to be 500 square feet.

Penny shook her head in disbelief. This was so like her. She had her way with numbers. In school, she excelled in mathematics. Penny enjoyed participating in Sudoku, Chess, and other games that required logical reasoning and mathematical concepts. She didn't realize she was a geek and a lover of numbers until she joined a mathematics club in high school. The club consisted of members gathering to solve real-world problems and often participating in competitions.

Penny's exceptional mathematical abilities allowed her to solve problems quickly. Her mental calculations were swift, and she possessed a keen insight when navigating various situations. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the locks clicking. Decon opened the door and stepped inside to inspect the room. He walked around, feet heavy from how hard he walked in his shoes. Penny watched as he looked around, poking and prodding inside the nightstands and dressers.

"I don't understand why y'all come in here and do this every single day," Penny stated with some sass. "You're not going to find shit because I don't have shit."

"It's all about taking precautions," Decon responded as he walked out of the bathroom. "We like to make sure everything is clear around the perimeter."

Penny rolled her eyes and muttered, "Whatever."

Decon eyed her momentarily before saying, "Bilal wants to see you."

"For what?" Penny pushed out without interest. This would be the first time she laid eyes on him in weeks. The last time she spoke to the man, he rejected her request to return home and told her to stay put and reflect on her choices.

What choices? What choices have I made? Penny screamed inside her head. It was your people who screwed up, not me!

"You'll see when you get there," Decon responded with tranquility. "Now, can I escort you to his office, or do you want to be escorted by Scoop?"