Sang
“What fun that night was,” I almost felt like laughing as I hung through the front passenger window of Jesse’s car and reminisced on the cat and mouse that I had spent hours playing with the thief.
We had managed to capture him but not before he’d led us on a merry chase through the theatre and I’d been forced to duck into numerous different private boxes, thus ensuring that I had been thrust into the awkward position of having to explain my presence.
“Thank you for the help. You were a delightful companion,” Blayde murmured from his place in the back seat.
“You as well,” I replied and waved to them all before I turned to Ryan and indicated that he should precede me through the front entrance.
While the others were eager to go home, Ryan’s grandfather had been placed in the hospital due to a lung complaint and Ryan had offered to escort me to the boy’s room before he continued on his way.
“You did well,” he praised, “Are you hungry?”
I shook my head, “I nibbled for most of the night. They had good mini sandwiches.”
He chuckled, “I won’t tell Uncle that you said that.”
“Thanks.”
He chuckled again and held the elevator door open for me.
The rest of the trip was filled with a comfortable quiet. Ryan’s thoughts were his own and mine were filled with bitter disappointment. Dr Roberts had made me a promise that if the boy’s situation changed he would contact me immediately.
There had been no word which meant that I was looking at another night spent in silence.
“Here we are,” Ryan tapped on the door, “I might come in and say hello.”
I just nodded, “I know that you used to talk to Kota on occasion.”
“Yes,” he smiled wistfully, “We used to sometimes make a competition of our team’s successes. Kota had a buried mischievous side sometimes.”
“I wish I’d seen more of it.”
He pushed open the door and I stepped through. The room was dimmed but I could still see clearly and what I saw had me freezing so suddenly that Ryan tripped on the back on my dress. He stumbled into my back and grabbed a hold of my hips.
Movement came from the beds and I saw a dark head lift, dark eyes narrow on the both of us, “What the fuck is going on?”
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Ryan
She certainly was beautiful as I stood quietly by her side in the elevator. I couldn’t fault Sam for his interest but she had been firm in her aversion to the idea of dating anyone and the majority of my brothers respected that.
Except Sam. He was beginning to become a problem where Sang was concerned and I knew that tonight would have to be the time where I began thinking of a way to get it resolved before she decided that working with us wasn’t worth the hassle.
Damn him and his play boy attitude. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone?!
I followed her through the quiet corridor until we finally stood outside the room that held her family. It blew my mind how much loyalty she had towards them. Tonight made a whole year that they had remained asleep, and yet through it all, she had stood firm in her determination to stay with them.
How did one go about finding a girl like her?
I wonder if they had known how very lucky they had been.
She accepted my intent to pay a quick visit on them before I headed on to visit Grandpa Pete on one of the lower floors.
She had barely taken a step forward before she stopped so abruptly that I stumbled across the slippery material of her dress. Her train?
I steadied my hands on her hips for a second but ripped them away in shock when I heard a weak but barking voice, “What the fuck is going on here?”
My eyes locked onto the source and I couldn’t help the sagging of my lower lip. North looked back at me with a weakly thundering frown.
I yanked my hands back, “North?” It was barely a whisper and I stared down at the back of Sang’s head. She hadn’t moved, wasn’t saying a word. I knew that she was just standing there, staring at him. At them.
I moved my eyes around the beds and found that North Taylor wasn’t the only one to have awoken. I counted them and rubbed my eyes in disbelief as I found myself looking at the very much awake Blackbourne team.
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Sang
A hand lifted to my lips and I bit down on my gasp. They were all looking at me and I didn’t know what to do.
Was this possible?
“Sang,” Ryan murmured from behind him and I realised that I had forgotten his presence. “I’ll go and call Dr Roberts.”
“Wait,” I called in panic before he made it out the door, “Tell me. Are they really awake?”
I didn’t want to believe my own eyes and I knew that Ryan wouldn’t lie to me over something like this.
He laid a gentle hand on my shoulder and my eyes closed on a familiar growl, “They are. I’ll make that phone call.”
He slipped out and I was left in the room with people who were more precious to me then my own life but who suddenly seemed like strangers.
“Baby?” He groaned and I walked slowly down the middle of the room until I reached the end and Mr Blackbourne’s bed. Nine of them and they were all looking back at me in question for the first time in twelve months.
“Miss Sorenson?” I looked down at the weak question and found myself looking into dazed grey eyes.
I covered my mouth with both hands and tried to stifle shrieks. It was too much; even though I had prayed for this I had never really expected it. It took this to make me realise that I had truly lost my own hope and there had been no part of me that had thought they were going to come back to me.
“Oy, Trouble,’ Gabriel used the control on his bed so that he was sitting up and I looked over to see him giving me a quizzical look, “What the fuck are you doing in that dress?” He stared, “I don’t think I like the style on you.”
I let out a crazy laugh and collapsed in the nearest chair. They were all now leaning up in their beds and almost shouting questions at me but it all blurred.
I didn’t know who to answer or what to do. I was still dressed from my night at the theatre and the thought of how they were going to take it made me seek out Kota.
He was staring back at me with concern. They were all confused and I owed them some explanation; how did one tell a group of people that they had lost a whole year of their lives.
“Miss Sorenson, what is going on?” Mr Blackbourne asked and I saw his usual commanding expression take over.
It gave me the strength to stand up and face them, “Quiet.” I called and watched as their mouths snapped closed from the confidence in my voice.
“I know that you’re confused and you may not have any idea what’s going on. I can’t give you the technical information but I can give you the basics until Dr Roberts arrives.”
“How did we end up here, Peanut?” Nathan asked and I warmed slightly at the familiar and sorely missed nickname.
“You went to a warehouse because of a tip you received about Volto, yes?”
They nodded.
“He somehow managed to shoot you with darts and knock you out. You were transferred here after Mr Blackbourne managed to get out a message of warning to the Toma team.”
“Toma team?” Luke asked with bewilderment, “How do you know about them?”
I sighed and rubbed my cheek, refusing to close my eyes in case they opened to find them asleep once more, “A lot has happened since that day.”
“What day, Aggele? How long have we been asleep?”
“Yeah, Pookie. I can see that we’ve all lost some muscle and weight mass from here and I feel like I haven’t moved in ages. I barely have any strength in my limbs.” Sean’s voice was welcome and my eyes welled with the first tears I had welcomed in ages.
“Today is the 28th October 2015.” I watched that blow land and they all paled even more, “You’ve been here, asleep, for a year.”
Quiet, only broken by Kota’s small denial, “No.”