Memory Risk

Chapter 3

      No one got any sleep that night. Every one of them watched the clock as the hours ticked by. There were attempts at conversation, but anticipation had all of them on edge. They all wanted to know what was happening with Trent behind the door. His present discoveries could answer so many of their questions. Relief from the vast fog of ignorance, that hindered their ability to relax, remained locked behind the door, with no end in sight. The wait was torturous.

      Stacie paced up and down the right, along the wall outside of her room. Jordan remained outside, alternating from shooting basketball and swimming. From time to time, Aiden would stand in his doorway to check on the main door before returning to his bed. Vivienne had shut everybody out, but left her door cracked so that she could hear if Trent returned. Maddy sat back down on the couch and used the time to think.

      Looking down at her hands, Maddy thought about earlier when she was comforting Stacie. She was glad to get away from her. Comforting Stacie felt like the right thing to do, but Maddy felt like Stacie was weak, and associating with that kind of behavior made her feel uncomfortable. Maddy was a beautiful girl with long, straight, dark brown hair, but without any mirrors, she didn't know how attractive she was. She was of Latin descent, and took a minute to think about the difference in skin color that she and Stacie had. Looking over her shoulder, she took a minute to stare at Jordan outside, and paid close attention to his skin color. In that moment she was starting to notice differences in them. It was a concept that she wasn't fully understanding at the moment, but she knew it was significant. She knew that it was race, but she didn't know what hers was. The loss of identity scared her.

      Maddy had no identity, felt alone, and felt weak. She didn't know how to perceive the situation. Wanting to gain strength for comfort, she started to plot on what to do. Her options were limited since Aiden and Vivienne kept to themselves too much, and Stacie appeared weaker than Maddy was. Moving from the couch to the outside area, Maddy joined the only likely candidate that could help her gain power.

      "What's up sweet thang," Jordan said as Maddy exited the door.

      "Not much. Just freaking out a little. I don't know exactly how to deal with all of this."

      "I'm just trying to forget about it actually. There's not much I can do. I'm just going to do the time, and not let the time do me."

      "Yeah, I guess if we're stuck here, we might as well make the best of it."

      Jordan took his attention off shooting hoops, stuck the basketball under his arm, and turned to Maddy. "You know, I could help you make the best of your time."

      "Oh yeah," Maddy laughed. "How's that?"

      "You're a beautiful woman, and you should be taken care of. With all this tension, I know you need some type of release. I could help you out with that."

      "You could, could you? I don't know about that."

      Maddy had Jordan where she wanted him. She had something that he wanted, and she was in control of it. The flirting continued as she deepened her hooks in him. Her intentions were to string him along until she could persuade him to do things that she wanted. Turning away from him, she undressed and slipped in the pool. It didn't take any persuasion to get Jordan to follow. They swam naked in the pool while Maddy teased with him. In the beginning it was a joke, as Jordan gave chase to Maddy who tried to stay out of arm's length, but he eventually caught up with her.

      "Stop playing games, girl," said Jordan after he grabbed a hold of her arm.

      "I'm just having fun. Let go."