It's been three days and I am starting to become claustrophobic of this stupid room. The walls stare down at me and I feel like I am going to be crushed. Mik and Reagan have been in their rooms as well for a whole day now. None of us really do anything, we are still on lockdown. Maybe it would be better if we could work or move or get our minds off of Aya and Sophie.
No one has been able to find them. I can't get them out of my head. How long does it take to find two girls? This place isn't that big.
Time passes, how much? That would take too much effort to find out.
Suddenly, I can't stand it. It's like something in me just snaps. I scramble out of bed and run out the door. I don't care if I get caught. I won't stay in there any longer, the wait is slowly killing me.
I burst out the door and run. I have no destination in mind, I just keep going and going. After a while, I can't breathe, all of the air has escaped my lungs. I stop and just walk my eyes unable to focus on anything.
Up ahead I see the big rock near the stream where I got lost that first day. I walk up to it and stare into the ever-moving water.
The current flows never stopping, rocks try to block its path, but the water goes right around it. I wish I could just go around my problems, my heartache. I really liked Aya and Sophie. Not that we were close or anything, but there was always a comforting feeling around them. They were probably the most normal out of everyone. They kind of lived in their own little world. Being next to each other made them happy, they didn't have need of anyone else. Sure we were there, but they never needed us.
Teca, stop. You're starting to sound like a naïve simple minded loser that can't do anything.
Well, I mean I can't really do anything, we are technically on lock down.
You petty dolt. You're pathetic.
What if their...
This is so lame, I am having an argument with myself. Plus, I am thinking of them like they are already dead. They still might be out there, wandering. Hopping someone would find them, scared to death.
Be reasonable, Teca. No one could survive out there for three days. They are probably mangled up and a bloody mess. Their heads bashed in, eyeballs plucked out, skin peeling off of them, intestines carved out of their bodies... Dead where no one will ever find them.
God, I have awful thoughts.
I turn around to head back when I see someone lying on the rock next to me. I steadily walk up to the rock. A guy is laying on the rock. He has nice long legs and a flat abdomen and his shirt is raised slightly showing his stomach. He has a defined chin with a five o'clock shadow. His eyes are closed, but he has long blond eyelashes and blond hair that sways in the wind.
Daniel.
Now, that I really look at him, he pretty good looking. I can see girls falling head over heels for him. The way that his hair sways in the wind with it reflecting the sun would make any girl fall for him. His hair just looks so soft I could touch it. My hand slowly reaches to touch him when his blazing blue eyes snap open and a boyish grip slowly enhances his features.
"Like what you see?" Daniel asks smugly.
Yeah, is what I would like to say and almost do. I open my mouth to say it, but I would rather eat worms than admit to that. So I am left there with my mouth hanging wide open.
"We need to stop meeting like this." Daniel continues as his smile widens. He totally noticed me checking him out.
Daniel moves toward me and slides his fingers under my jaw and closes my mouth. God, this couldn't be any more embarrassing.
His face is right next to mine and I can feel my face turning red as his eyes pierce mine. He is so close his nose is almost touching mine. My heartbeat picks up and I can't move, I defiantly don't want to move away. No, I do. Take a step back, come on move feet.
All of a sudden he backs up and goes back to sitting on the rock. He scoots over to the far side and I sit down next to him. Still tongue tied about how close his face was, just a few inches from mine.
That was way too close. I couldn't even do anything to stop him. It's not like I wanted him too, but I just can't do that. I have more important stuff to be worrying about like Sophie and Aya. I look over at him and he is staring at the water. His eyes are distant and seem so far now. My eyes glance downward to his lips which were just inches from mine a second ago.
Finally, I speak up.
"You know we are on lockdown right now. Shouldn't you be in your cabin?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
Damn. That was probably the stupidest thing I have ever said. Shoot me now.
"Why are you out here anyway?" Daniel asks.
"My room was too small, I needed to get out. I felt like I was slowly dying if I didn't leave soon, so I left."
Daniel does say anything just continues to stare at the water. We sit there for a while, I don't know how long until Daniel decides to speak again.
"I heard about what happened with Mason."
"Who? Ah, the creep. He can go die in a hole."
"Yeah, but he won't fall easily. He will take a few people with him."
"He can take all of his cronies with him because if they follow that loser their I.Q. can't be better than a squirrels'."
"They may be stupid. But they have done some seriously bad shit. You made enemies with the wrong people."
"Who cares? There are security guards everywhere. They will get caught."
"You'll be surprised with the stuff people get away with here."
Well there is no way I am going to apologize. If he wants to fight, I say bring it. Though I might lose in a direct fight, I can give him hell in many other ways. Mik, Reagan, and Messy could help if they wanted to. Maybe even Aya and Sophie. No Sophie is way too shy for stuff like that she would be terrified to go up against Mason. Aya would want to protect Sophie and stay with her.
"I wonder if they are okay," I softly whisper to myself. Please let them be alive.
"I am sure we will find them any day now."
I look over to Daniel and stare into his blue eyes. "How can you be so optimistic about this? They are missing and we don't even know if they are alive or not. How can you let such bullshit exit your mouth?"
I am screaming by the end. I know I am taking out all of my frustration and anger out on him but I don't care. I glare at him and throw a punch in his direction. I miss and swing again. This time I connect with the palm of his and throw another punch. Not really aiming, just looking to take my pain out on someone. It comes out all at once.
Daniel grabs both of my wrists in his hand and flings me backward against the rock. I squirm under him trying to kick him, anything to make contact. He hurls one leg over me and pins me underneath him. I toss and turn for a little while longer until I finally lose all of my energy and look up at him.
"Are you done now?" he asks.
"Yeah."
"I wasn't trying to be optimistic. I am not very good with comforting people. Just when I was in an awful mood people always said stuff along the same lines, so I thought it might make you feel better."
"It didn't work. The people who say stuff like that flunked kindergarten."
He chuckles above me and then he grows serious. His eyes darken as he looks at me and leans forward.
"You know, you keep surprizing me." Daniel whispers in my ear.
"How do you figure?" I quickly respond. He is way too close. I know he is pretty good to look at. Someone might even call him handsom, but that doesn't mean I am willing to get this close with him. I mean he's practically a stanger. Plus, I should be more focused on Sophie and Aya who are probably dying behind a tree waiting for someone to help them only to slowly dive into an eternal sleep.
"Well, how do I put it? There was the elevator thing and you always trying to pick fights like with that one guy at lunch. What was his name? Deren? I think."
"Derek." I correct.
"Right, right. The point is you always seem so strong. Yet, here right now, you are at the point of breaking down right in front of me in such a vulnerable poistion none the less."
He leans even closer and suddenly, his lips are pressed up against mine. I let out a gasp as Daniel's lips moved against mine. It took me a minute then I let our lips mold together and I melted underneath him. His strong arms trapped me as I placed my hands against his chest slightly grabbing onto the fabric of his shirt pulling him closer to me. Everything was screaming at me to stop, but I couldn't he just felt so good. I just felt so lost. I didn't know what was right and wrong. My life was screwed up and I didn't care. His lips on mine was the only thing that felt right, but I couldn't do this. Not here, not now.
"Daniel." I whisper in a low voice. I was going to tell him to stop, but I couldn't because his lips were crushing mine again. With that hands that were once holding on to him, I roughly push him off of me. He falls backward in suprize and looks up at me with wide eyes. I can't acknowlege him or even look in his direction. I quickly stand up and brush off the invisible dust clinging to my pants.
"That shouldn't have happened. I think I should get back before someone notices I left." I whispered to him, not trusting myself to speak regularly, afraid he might hear my reluctance.
Slowly, he nodded and moved off of me and sat back down on the rock. I got up and started to walk back to the path. The trees engulfed me and Daniel disappeared along with the relative peace that stayed with him when I left. The walk back was long and I just couldn't get there fast enough.
Eventually I arrived back and went inside where I found Mik sitting on the couch. Instinctively, my hand tried to smooth out my hair that I am sure looked like a rats nest, but Mik didn't even look at me. Simply stated, "Lockdown isn't over, you aren't supposed to leave."
"I know, I just couldn't stand it anymore."
She looks up at me. "I just hope you didn't get caught roaming."
Right after she finished saying that our door flung open and there stood Ms. Crimson with two guard dressed in black right behind her.
"Teca. You left without permission during a lockdown. The punishment for that is isolation."
The guards behind Ms. Crimson swiftly grabbed hold of me and yanked me out of the room. I struggled against them, but they didn't so much as flinch. I called them all sorts of bad names and in return I received a slap that sent my head spinning.
They led me to a building more of a shack and shoved me inside. I tried to escape, but the door was slammed in my face. There were no windows and the inside was completely dark, only a sliver of light entered from where the door used to be. I heard the door lock as it closed and all that was left was an isolating darkness that I couldn't escape.