Saving Annabel

Chapter 7

Thank you to @juniormartinez15 for your continuous support! :) And also everyone else :) I am so happy every time I see a new vote or comment! You ALL are so supportive and I wish I could give everyone a dedication. I will try my best to in upcoming chapters. :)

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I open my mouth to talk—or scream—but my mouth dries up and nothing comes out.

My muscles become rigid, and I can't move. All my life, have I been watched by these people without ever knowing? All those mirrors...are they all like this one? Reflective on one side, but see through on the other?

A sour tang forms in the back of my mouth. What reason could these people possibly have to want to watch us like some rats in a cave?

I haven't noticed I've stopped until arms grab me by my wrists and yank me back.

"Hey!" I retort, but a deep voice cuts me off.

"What do you think you're doing?" I recognize his voice as the man who rescued me from the elevator.

I squirm around in his grip, but he just clamps down tighter.

"Oww!" I protest.

The man turns me around in his arms so that I face him. His face is flushed and he's breathing hard. My heart stutters—I recognize him—he's the Officer who has been stalking me for the past month and the one who rescued me. Tyler.

He glares daggers at me and all I want to do is shrink away. Tyler, now dressed in white, takes me by one wrist and drags me toward the closest door.

"Your curiosity is going to get yourself killed." His voice comes out as a snarl. "The more you know of this place, the more dangerous it is for you if you don't pass the test."

Then he mutters something under his breath so that I barely catch it. "Please don't let me regret saving you."

I give him a questioning glance, but before I can say anything, Tyler opens a large black door and shoves me inside. I look around in surprise as my eyes adjust to the darker lighting.

"Where are we?" I ask, turning my head to look at Tyler, but he has already left, talking now to a woman dressed in a white jumpsuit. They stand next to a large round table located in the center of the room, ten yards away. The woman has her hands on her hips and she leans toward Tyler aggressively. I can see a vein popping out of her head and her voice comes out in low hisses.

I'm able to pick out bits and pieces. "...better be right about her..." She points directly at his face, "...lose your job and..." She glances over at me and her voice drops lower so I can't make out anything else.

After they exchange a few more angry words, the woman walks over to me, her chest out, chin high, and arms back. Her slick blonde pony tail is drawn tightly at the back of her head and it swings back and forth with every step. I press my tongue to the top of my mouth when I notice her garish white lipstick and eyeshadow overpowering her features.

"Welcome," the woman says, plastering a smile onto her white lips. "I'm Dr. Shields."

She waits expectedly, her lips pressed into a thin line and her eyes narrowed.

Next to me, Tyler whispers to me and says, "Tell her that you appreciate her presence."

I sputter and my body slightly trembles from nervousness. He elbows me and I mumble something out along the lines of: "I appreciate you...uh...being here."

She purses her lips as if she had just swallowed something sour.

I'm barely able to hold back a grin when I realize that Dr. Shields' lips reveal what emotion she is feeling. Usually eyes are the window of the soul, but for Dr. Shields, it's her lips.

"We'll start your test now. I'll admit, this is a little bit unexpected, so we couldn't narrow down a specific forte to test you on. Instead, you'll have to try several before we can decide..." She hesitates for a moment before continuing, "your skill."

I cock my head to the side. What does she mean deciding my skill? I think back to the doctor. He healed my breathing just by touching my arm. Is that considered a skill? A skill is something you need to learn, to master, and I know of no one else who can do what the doctor can.

But she says they need to decide what skill I have. That must mean there are more skills than just healing. I've never been great at anything. How could I have a special skill? Surely I would have noticed if I had one.

"Okay, so!" she says, clapping her hands together. "For the first evaluation, we're going to test your mental abilities. Have a seat on that chair over there." She points to a chair that I hadn't noticed before, pushed to the very edge of the room.

I nod my head, and walk past a wall of glass into the blocked off section. I sit down on the plush material and lean back so that I look up at the ceiling. Tyler walks over to the computer next to me and starts typing on the screen.

"It's really important you do well on this test," Tyler whispers to me. I look at him startled. "Your life depends on it."

"Wha—" I start to say, but he cuts me off.

"Listen. I'm going to do whatever I can to make it easier for you, but you have to promise me you'll try as hard as you can."

I widen my eyes, but nod, letting him know I heard him.

"If you don't have an ability, then there's nothing I can do to protect you. But I've felt something in you, I just can't figure it out." He takes some wires and places the ends carefully to my head. "And be careful. The players are meant to confuse you."

He attaches the last wire onto my neck and gives me a warm smile. "I know you can do this, Reagan Martinez."