I'm laying prone on the bed when James comes back out. I had been staring at the wall blankly, but now I lift my head to look at him. He gives me a small smile and sits down on the bed across from me. "Are you okay?" he asks quietly.
I shake my head no. Of course I'm not okay. My best friend is dead, my home is destroyed, I'm being held by my enemy, and I feel sick to my stomach. I'm anything but okay.
"I'm not either," he says.
I tremble hard, tears stinging my eyes again. "What will we do?" I whisper. "Everyone saw us fall. They must think we're...we're..."
"Dead," James finishes. "And for all we know, we will be. He wants me dead. You know that."
I think about the premonition. It's as clear as day. I cry harder. But a comforting thought strikes me. "Remember how we were certain that you would die, because in that premonition, I'm ready to avenge someone's death? That's what we thought, anyhow."
"Where are you going with this?" James asks a little warily.
I sit up, my hair clinging to the side of my face from static electricity. "It doesn't have to be you. We just lost so many people, I lost my best friend... it may not mean I lose you too."
James is silent. Then he stands up and says shakily, "I'm gonna ask the guard if food will be brought here. You stay put."
"Where could I even go?" I mutter. James ignores this and goes to open the door. Then he swears.
"What?" I ask, standing up.
"Either I've lost the ability to open up a door, or they locked us in," James says angrily. He kicks the metal door. "Dammit!"
"Watch your profanity," I say without thinking. Thankfully, James doesn't hear this, because he knocks on the door and asks, "Are we allowed out? Hello? Hello? Somebody?"
As he continues to receive no response, he begins to panic, to the point where he begins to slam his fists against the door and screaming, "Let us out! I thought we weren't gonna be treated as prisoners! Let us out! Let us OUT!"
"I don't think that's quite the way to let us out..." my voice trails off as James looks at me, his face blotchy and tear-streaked. Then he sinks to the ground, hugging his knees to his chest. He sobs a bit, then looks at me.
"I'm suppose to be your strong guardian," he mumbles. "Capable of staying calm when you're upset...and I'm throwing a fit when you need me the most. I'm so sorry."
"I'm not mad at you," I say quietly. When he doesn't answer, I get up to sit next to him. I wrap both arms around his shoulders, and he bends his neck to lean his face on them.
"I don't know what to do," he whispers. "We can't leave, we can't escape..."
"I know," I say. I lean my head on my upper arm too and cry as well. "I know," I repeat.
I think we both his on the floor for a good hour, crying on each other. Eventually, James sniffs and lifts up his head. "I think we should go to bed," he says finally. "It's been a long day for both of us."
"No kidding," I say. He gives a sad chuckle and helps me up. I make my way unsteadily to the bathroom. My stomach lurches and bile rises in my throat. The next thing I know, I'm bent over the toilet, losing my stew.
Immediately, James rushes into the bathroom. "We're being held against our will, and our friends are dead, and now you're sick..." he mutters.
"Not helpful," I groan before retching again. James bends down to hold back my hair. He doesn't ask if I'm okay like when I was little. He knows the answer already. When I'm done, he helps me up. I go to the sink and splash water on my face to clean it. Kira failed to bring us pajamas, so I climb into bed in the clothes that I'm wearing. James kisses my forehead before climbing into the other bed.
***
My sleep was anything but restful. I tossed and turned all night, waking up from bad dreams and James thrashing around in his own bed. When I wake up the next morning, I'm sore all over. Thankfully my stomach settled down during the night, so I don't feel as nauseous. I stay in bed, curled up in a ball, the covers pulled up to my chin. I wait for James to wake up. Instead, I get up from a knock on the door.
"What?" I snarl through it.
Now James wakes up, staring at me through sleepy eyes. "Wuzzgoinon?" he mumbles.
The door slides open, and there's not one, but two guards waiting outside. "Simon requires your presence in the control room," the one that had been stationed outside of our room announces. The other-a female with a long blonde braid over her shoulder-sways on the spot, clutching her gun. She's human, and clearly hypnotized.
"Wonderful," James mutters, throwing back the covers. Apparently sometime during the night he pulled off his shirt, and everyone gets a view of his hairy chest (a sight that I don't wish to see, but that's probably due to the fact that he's my Guardian). "Can I go pee first?"
"Pull on a shirt, while you're at it," I mutter. "Is our presence mandatory?" I ask the guards coolly.
"You may want to watch yourself," the female warns. But she sounds so dreamy, it's hard to take her seriously. I just roll my eyes. Not gonna lie, I feel bad for her. She didn't do anything to deserve this. Her life had been ruined.
"How long will it take?" I ask.
"Depends on how cooperative you are," the other one replies.
I'm a prisoner of war, but the enemy's a psychopath, so I'm not entirely sure how cooperative I can be. "If we're cooperative, will you no longer lock us in?" I ask him. "Remember, I'm a guest here. I'm like a princess. You're just a peasant."
This earns me a hit in the face with the butt of the gun. I fall to the floor, groaning.
Just then, James comes flying out of the bathroom. "What the hell just happened?" he demanded. He kneels down next to me. "Are you okay, Callie?" he asks.
"She was being provocative," the male guard growls.
"Well, I don't think Simon would like this," James says, shaking his head. "We're trying to be as cooperative as possible, but what happens when one of his own people hurts an important part of his plan?"
The male guard recognizes that James is laying it on real thick, but the female guard gets mad at the male one. "Are you stupid?" she demands. "He's gonna get pissed at us!"
"Not my problem," he growls. He grabs my arm and yanks me off the floor. "Up," he demands. The female guard grabs James and the guards pull us down the hall.
I'm disoriented again as we get back on Marix. The guards don't stop at all, not until we arrive at the control room. Simon and Kira are both hunched over a computer. They look up as we enter. Simon grins widely. "Perfect! It's almost ready."
He grabs my arm and pulls me to the machine. "Callie, I believe it is time for us to fully activate the machine, to open the bridge between universes," he announces melodramatically. He gives me a gentle push. "Go on."
I spin around and punch him in his jaw.
Both guards lunge for me, but I've thrown everyone off guard. I manage to dart around them and dart for the door. The male continues after me, but the female decides that a gun is better. I hear the gunshots-one, two, three. Then James gasps in pain.
It's as if that gasp slows time to a snail's pace. I spin around just to see James sink to the ground, a crimson spot spreading across his abdomen. "James!" I scream, but it sounds like I'm screaming underwater. I manage to grab him before he hits the ground.
"No, no, no, no..." I moan, sinking to the ground with him. I pull him into my lap, press my forehead to his. "Nooo, you can't die, you can't..."
"We...knew, though," he mutters, his head turning to the side. "We...knew...guessed it..."
"You can't die," I sob. "We'll get out of this-you'll see! You...and m-me...."
He grasps the front of my shirt. "Be...brave," he whispers. Blood trickles from his mouth and his chest rattles with every last breath. "Win this...for me."
"James, please don't die. Not yet," I whisper, as if it's his choice that he's dying.
"Baya..." he whispers, his eyes focusing on the ceiling. "See... Baya..."
He goes limp in my arms, exhales one last time. The hand clutching my shirt drops to my lap. I rock him back and forth, sobbing my heart out. "Noooo...." I moan. Then I scream it. "Noooo!"
I'm sorry.