"Auden, Auden wake up," a soft voice awoke me as I felt a gentle hand on my arm, "Auden, please, wake up."
Slowly my eyes opened and the sight of grey eyes welcomed me and cause my eyes to widen in joy for the first time in ages.
"Ace!" I threw my arms around him and hugged him tight. His arms wrapping around me too. "I'm so sorry for dragging you into this, I didn't know that you could get hurt. I'm so-"
He cut me short when he pulled me back to look at me, "What are you talking about Auden?"
I stared through blurry eyes at him in disbelief, "I'm the reason you are here. They have you here to make me do things. They are using you as motivation."
He put his hands on either side of my face in comfort, "Auden, they didn't take me because of you."
I shook my head, "No, you're wrong, I'm the one that got you dragged here. I'm the one that they want."
A smirk went onto his face, "Auden, don't flatter yourself too much."
"What?"
Ace came closer, "Auden, I need you to trust me."
Again, confusion coated my expression, "Ace, we've gone through this."
He came even closer, his dark hair brushing my cheek as he went to whisper in my ear, "I'm not Ace."
Quickly I pushed him back, "What do you mean?" I was frozen, this wasn't Ace? Who then? How?
The boy came close and held me, "I'm going to get you out of here."
I didn't push him away and instead just looked into his eyes, "How can I trust you, if I don't know who you are?"
He rubbed a hand overtop of his face, his eyes closing. When they opened, they shone a light purple.
His eyes changed back once he saw my jaw drop, understanding that he knew that I knew who he was now, "Why are you helping me?"
"All that happened, all the pain that Ian inflicted onto 'Ace,' that was real. Just on me instead, Ace isn't even here."
I shook my head violently, a stutter in my voice, "How could your own sister do that to you? I thought you were close to Ian, so how can he just have you suffer?"
Seth looked down sighed, "Xena, she doesn't realize that what she is doing is terrible. She's- she's brainwashed in a sense."
Confusion coated my face, "Brainwashed?"
He nodded and leaned against the cement wall, making sure his eyes were facing just me, "We've lived with Ian all of our lives. He took us in when we were kids. Xena and I were the first of the Coren he had found. Since Xena's power was more violent, it was triggered more easily than mine, plus it didn't help with the fact that she already naturally angry, so it was hard to hide the fact that we were different. Our parents, got scared of what we were, not sure how it even happened, so they kicked us off the street, for fear that Xena may kill them. They didn't know I had powers too, so I was still allowed in the house. But, she was my sister, my twin, and I couldn't have her fend for herself. So, we took off together, two nine year olds alone on the streets."
I placed a soft hand on his shoulder, "How'd Ian find you?"
His body shook as he took a breath. It was hard listening to his story, especially as all of Seth's words were coming out of Ace's mouth. "One day, our hunger got the best of us. We went to a small farmer's market and tried to swipe some items. Of course we were nine around with time, we didn't really know the art of stealing at that age. As expected we were caught, and the owner of the cart wasn't very happy. He grabbed Xena by the arm and threw her onto the floor and screamed at her. Next thing you know, we both are getting carried away by Ian and the man was on the floor, blood seeping out of his ears," he hiccuped and took another long, slow breath, "He explained that no one understood us but him; that we were in the right. That we were greater than others who didn't have powers. Later he heard of the word Coren, and that was when he realized there were more people out there like us. That was when he decided to start an army."
A soft tear fell down his cheek, "Auden, do you know the worst part about all of this?" I shook my head. He turned to the ground and rubbed his nose, "Xena doesn't realize that there is another way, they're are good people out there. People who know more about the Coren than all of the people in this building combined."
"What people?"
"The C.I.L."
"The C.I.L?"
His forehead scrunched, "They are the good guys, the ones fighting against Ian."
I was about to speak when Seth suddenly grabbed my shoulders and held me against the wall, his body covering my view of anything else, "Right now, they think I'm convincing you to do what Ian wants, saying that if you do I and your family will be safe. I've contacted the C.I.L. so hopefully they will help. Ace Blanwell, who I'm sure you know, is a part of the C.I.L. so he told me the plan they figured out. When you are taken in to do more training, you have to refuse to do anything. No matter what they do to me, you have to let it happen. It has to look like you froze, like you lost all power. Hopefully they will bring you into the black cell," he tapped on the wall right behind me, "It's right by the outside, go to the wall closest to the left side of the door as a bomb is going to go off and it's going to take out that wall. Then you can escape."
I grabbed his arm as he went to leave, "What about my parents? Ian knows where I live,"
Seth sighed, a small smile on his lips, "Don't worry about them, they are under the protection of the police and the C.I.L."
For the first time in a while, a smile snuck it's way onto my face, "One more thing."
His eyebrows rose.
"Why are you helping me?"
He shook his head, "Auden, you don't know all the things Ian has done, and I have helped him do. And if saving you kills me, but helps others, it was worth it."
He looked to the door, "I have to go, but Auden?"
My ears perked up.
"Stay safe."
_________________________________
No one visited me for days. Well what seems like days, my perception of time was a little warped from being in a dimly lit room for so long. The only contact I had with the outside world was when food was brought to me. It was small bits of food. Enough to keep starvation away, but not enough to satisfy my constant thirst and hunger. It was my own forced version of inedia.
Being alone for so long is dangerous. Your mind is forced to the corners of your imagination, trying to entertain you in your time of misery. The only thing that kept me going was the time when I got to sleep. The times where I could dream and get away from this cell. It was in my dreams that I got to see my family.
The sad thing was, as the days dragged on, their faces began to blur. Like their existence was being erased from my mind and memory.
I wonder if they still remember me. Are their memories blurring? Or are photographs and the fact that they have each other helping with the pain.
I don't want to say it, don't want to admit it. But I think that when I finally get the chance to fulfill Seth's plan, I won't have the strength to do so.
Maybe he was lying. Ace isn't coming. There isn't an organization that can help me called the C.I.L.. Maybe none of this is real and I'm already dead, and this was just the afterlife.
My morbid thoughts were interrupted when the door opened, a figure in all black with tinted glasses pushed a tray to me, slamming the door a second later. Guess it's snack time kids.
I don't know what it is, but every time the door opens I think Ace is going to be there. I think I'll see him standing there, in the dark ember that makes his complexion glow. He'll smile and hug me tight, then we'll leave together. The funny thing is, I've only really known him for a week.
Seeing him at the stage erupted something in me. An indescribable feeling of hope. Thinking that now because he is here, it'll get easier.
He's not here though, never has. And probably never will.
Opening the top of the tray I hold my breath, wondering what could possibly be underneath.
An apple. That's it.
I huff and grab the apple and lean against the wall.
It's not even like it was a nice apple. It was browned and bruised. One side mushier than the other.
Is it that hard to give me a nice apple? Just for once can't I get something nice.
It is still better than some things I've gotten. Once I got the crusts of burnt toast. Another time I got half a fist size of cold soggy spaghetti noodles. Honestly I was a little surprised they were even cooked.
Seeing an apple once again reminded me of the day of my first training.
If I had lifted that apple to begin with, Ace wouldn't have- No, I mean, Seth wouldn't have gotten hurt. It made me happier that it wasn't someone I was really close to that got hurt. But someone still got hurt because of my actions.
Anger blurred my vision as I chucked the apple across the room and I closed my eyes, waiting for the sound that indicated that mush now coated the wall.
It never came.
Slowly I opened my eyes and looked to the apple again. It sat right by the wall.
Man, I can't even throw an apple at a wall, how weak have I gotten?
A strange thought crossed my mind. Maybe my body isn't strong enough to throw the apple, but maybe my mind is.
With a deep breath I stared at the fruit, all my concentration set on lifting this devil object. Almost instantaneously, the apple lifted a tiny inch above the ground.
I smiled and did a silent cheer in my head.
It was almost like my childish nature came back to me as I moved the apple around: spinning it, throwing it around, making it dance in the air. A soft giggle escaped my lips as I froze it, suspended in the air.
For a moment it felt like I was at home, having fun and playing games with my dad.
Sadly it was interrupted when the door flung opened. The apple dropped as two men pulled me roughly up by the underside of my arms.
"Time for training."