She's Too Naive

Chapter 41

If I kept pretending that everything was okay, maybe it would turn out to be that way.

Rosen and I didn't say goodbye, in fact we didn't utter another word as Knox began guiding me out of the meeting room. Instead, our meaningful glances were enough to tell each other what was going through our heads.

I didn't know what love was, but I had a suspicion it was something similar to what Rosen and I had. Although it was possible the only reason I felt that way was because of desperation. Because of the fear of never seeing each other again. Of the fear of being on our own.

☾

I let Knox guide me back to the elevator, the whole time keeping quiet. Only two other men had accompanied us as we descended down. I was expecting to be put back in the basement cell, so I was surprised when the doors opened to a crisp hallway that was lit up with bright lights.

Every floor here seemed to have its own vibe to it.

My blood stained shoes echoed on the squeaky clean floor as we walked in silence. The hall soon opened up to a heavy, windowless door. The type you would typically see at a prison. Knox slid his key card hanging around his neck into a slot, and the lock unclicked.

When the door swung open, I noticed a second door was after it for double security. I wanted to hug myself into a ball and hide.

After waiting a few moments for security clearance through a speaker by a guard, the door finally revealed what was behind it.

What I saw was a big room, with women mingling all over.

There were sets of tables and chairs, and even a TV was on playing some kind of movie in the corner.

I felt a small sense of companionship to finally be with my own sex again, especially after being holed up with Rosen and Cole for so long.

I missed being around girls.

A few of them looked at me, their gazes lingering, but most barely spared me a glance.

There were Def members everywhere, guarding and keeping watch over the girls. The whole room felt a bit like a hospital with its chemical smells and shining tiled floor. It didn't help that all the women were wearing what appeared to be white scrubs.

It wasn't until we began walking up to a counter with a guard positioned behind it did I notice I could still hear the sound of my shoes. Nobody was talking. It was completely and utterly silent.

Taking a closer look, I saw that most of the girls wore blank faces. Their eyes were glazed over and unattentive. To me, they almost looked like they were brainwashed.

"We have a new one for ya," Knox said to the man behind the counter. He was chewing on his gum obnoxiously, smacking it a few times before his sleepy gaze turned onto me.

"I'll get her registered." He grabbed out a slip of paper from a drawer and placed it up on the counter between us. The paper was slid to me, a blue ball point pen resting on top of it. "Fill this out," the man ordered. I obeyed, picking up the pen and looking at what he had given me.

The questions were all basics. Your birthday, full name, allergies, etc. I quickly scribbled it out as fast as I could, signing my name on the bottom when I was done.

Knox was talking to the guard about how he got transferred from home base to this base in North Carolina. I still didn't know where home base even was.

The guard barely glanced over the paper I had filled out before grabbing a packet from another drawer. He stapled my paper to the top of the packet.