Liz POV:
If there's one thing I've learned during my life, it's that you can't wait for anyone or anything. What's the point of pausing for someone if they happen to be the ticking time bomb that decides whether your heart keeps beating?
Simply put, I don't trust. Well, not very easily.
I can't help but wonder if Alix and Jess are wondering where I am. A part of me hopes that maybe they'll be interested in figuring out where I happen to be. As for where I happen to be, that will change fairly soon, if Drake decides to show up before I fall asleep.
The cell is freezing, making it feel no different than the cold winter temperature outside. When I was shoved in here about an hour ago, I didn't fight. Instead, I simply sat crisscross applesauce on the hard floor and stared right at the officers as they left the room, blank stares and all.
It was obvious from the beginning that there was something off with them. I'm leaning towards the possibility of a drug being used. It's always drugs, isn't it? But in the long run, only four or five police officers are needed to take out a few rogue teenagers, yet all of the police officers in the universe showed up at that hotel.
These things are happening for a reason.
I'm pulled out my thoughts when I hear someone clearing their throat above me. I lift my head slowly and carefully, though I know who will be there.
Sure enough, Drake Gonzales stands in front of me. Black hair, brown eyes, and the same cautious unforgiving frown he always wears. He looks alert even now as his eyes trace the lengths of the hallway once...twice...three times. He finally turns to me. My eyes are fixed on him now, and rather than saying anything, he merely dangles a ring of keys from his fingers, the side of his mouth twitching in an inappropriate smirk.
"Ugh, finally." I break the silence. "Get me out of this hellhole before I rot."
"Hey, you're not the one who had to sneak past security and convince every guard on the way here that I was ordered by Darrin to come and interrogate you."
"Aw, you poor baby."
He pushes the comment aside. "You're also not Hadley, who's doing all the hacker work that none of us understand. Without her, the camera in the corner of all the cells and this hallway would be on right now." He pauses for a moment as if to let his words sink in before continuing. "You wouldn't have been in this hellhole in the first place if you'd listened to me and stayed here safe rather than go and get yourself intertwined with business you shouldn't be interfering with."
"Nowhere is safe." I argue. "And I got us more information, didn't I? Isn't that enough to convince you that what I did was for the good of all of us?"
"Nope, not until I hear the information."
"You're impossible. Let me out and I'll tell you."
The sound of metal against metal is extremely loud in such silence. When Drake and I aren't arguing, though, everything seems quieter. The key slides into the lock and I can't help but watch Drake's face as he focuses on jimmying the lock open. When he's concentrating, I've noticed that his brows furrow together and his eyes go a shade darker than their usual light brown. His mouth presses into a thin line, and occasionally he'll stick his tongue out in concentration. I tease him about it sometimes, and he hates it, but it's all part of who I am and who he knows me as.
The lock slides home and I can't suppress a wince as he pushes aside the bars, expecting a loud squeaking noise that would alert Mars to my attempt at escape. But the bars slide aside as if they'd been recently oiled, and it is simple for me to slip between them and leave the cell behind.
"Let's get out of here." I mutter, rubbing my hands up and down my arms repeatedly. "This place gives me the creeps."
~
"You did what?" Drake's voice is disbelieving and strangely high pitched for a man who holds himself like Drake does. I wince. Our footsteps are already loud on the tiled floors of the building, and we can't afford to get caught on our way from sneaking me out of what was supposed to be efficient prison cell.
"I kinda became friends with the two. The girl goes through drama just like normal teenage girls do, and it's fun to be the one she looks to for help. As for the thief, he's the quirkiest, most interesting person I have ever met. They're normal in their own way, which is something that is hard to find."
"That's the thing, L. They're normal and you're not. You have to stop blaming yourself for what happened in the past. It's done. It's over. You're with us now."
I tense momentarily before changing the subject. "So how have things been going on your end?"
Drake easily picks up my unease about our earlier subject but lets it go. He'll probably bother me about it later. As long as it's not now. "Not terrible. I've taken your place momentarily."
I smile tightly. "I wouldn't expect anything less of you."
"Ha-ha. Hadley's been my second in command. We've been keeping careful eyes out, scouting around for anything out of the ordinary. But for the month that you've been gone things have stayed remarkably the same, except for the doctors' sudden shift in interest."
This causes me to stop in my tracks. "Shift in interest? In what way?"
Drake pauses beside me and tilts his head to the side to think. "It seems that Darrin has found himself a pawn to busy himself with."
"What do you mean?" I inquire.
"Just that. He's gotten out his chess game, and he's about to call checkmate."
"In English, please."
Drake sighs. "Fine. One of Darrin's minions brought in her son, who turns out to be incredibly close to the thirteenth subject." My heart stops. "If I'm not mistaken, he plans on using him to lure her into the trap he has set."
"Dammit," I mutter under my breath. I recall the conversation I had with Jess after the dance. She mentioned another boy, someone she'd loved before she met Alix. He must be who Drake is talking about.
"What?" Drake asks, his eyes staring into mine with concern.
"What kinds of things have the doctors been testing?" I ask, biting the edge of my lip. Drake looks as if he wants to argue and ask me again why I was freaking out, but he stays silent and answers my question. One of the things I like about Drake: he doesn't push when he knows he's not welcome.
"Oh, various things. Oxygen levels, emotion trackers, like anger, sadness, and happiness running through the brain. There has also been talk of physical and mental challenges to worry the subject and test her internal workings, and currently there has been gossip about the matter of a lost tracker system."
"A lost tracker system?"
"Yeah. Apparently one of the doctors failed to get the tracker to a vehicle or something, and he got sent to the smoke room for telling Darrin he didn't know how to fix it."
I gasp, eyes widening. "What? The smoke room? That's it." My fists clench at my sides. "We're ending this."
"Agreed. But we've been trying to figure out how to stop it, to shut down the systems all at once, but the computer database is simply too complicated, even for Hadley."
"Have there been any other ideas about how to cease the operations?"
"No. But now that you're here," he pauses to look over at me. "That might change."
Drake is my right hand man and not afraid to get his hands dirty. And though we work well together, we've never been attached to each other as more than friends. For one simple reason.
My heart was stolen a year ago, and the captor never gave it back.
It's because of that that I'm here today, involved in this with Drake. It won't happen again. I won't stand for it. Especially not to the two people I would go as far as to call my friends.
"I sure hope so."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are the home stretch, y'all! One last chapter to go! Do you feel like you know what's going on? Do you know how this will end? And, it's okay to be confused because you're supposed to be. Nothing is obvious yet. Don't assume anything, because if there's one thing you've learned from this book, it's to always expect surprise.
As always, comment thoughts and feels below and vote if you loved it =D
Are you ready for the finale?
I sure hope so.
Stay awesome!
~trebleclef18