Edward Kenning
It's terrifyingly dark. I can't feel the air in my lungs and it's almost as if I have forgotten how to breathe.
Without sight, I am helpless. My hands reach out to find that Teddy's grasp on my fist is no longer present and worry spirals through my body.
Where is he? Is he safe?
The eruption of noises that follows the tripping of wires isn't helpful, either. Yells and screams ring painfully loud in my ears and in a desperate attempt to sound them out, I clasp both hands over them.
I stumble blindly, feeling a mess of Solars brushing past me, their skin frightfully cold against mine. The presence of darkness and the lack of light- no of us can thrive fruitfully in such an environment.
Removing my hands, I weave my way through a maze of people, praying that I don't trip.
"Teddy? Where are you?" My voice gets lost in the sea of sound as Solars call out to their loved ones, theirs voices high with anxiety and pitched at a tone that is ear-piercing.
As I am about to call out for the second time, I feel fingers grab at my arms, wrapping around my wrists and tugging my body to the side. My mouth falls open to release a cry for help but the moment the words leave my mouth, a thick wad of fabric is stuffed deep into the gap between my parted lips, choking out all sound.
Struggling hard to wriggle out out the person's clutches, I raise my arm and shove it backwards, sending a forceful jab with my elbow towards the stranger's chest. Unbothered by my futile attempt, the person's violwnt tugging grows into a more gentle pull.
Only aware of the ground beneath my feet and the friction that occurs between the soles of my shoes and the floor, indicated by the way ny heels are being dragged across, distress engulfs me.
Who on planet Atlanta could possibly want to kidnap me? Knowing that trying to escape would be useless, I let try to stifle the forceful gasps of fear that racks my chest and focus on anything that would give away this stranger's profile.
His/her breathing is calm but grows dense with the effort of pulling me and from the way his/her skin feels against mine- smooth and cold, it has to be a Solar.
The Darks that sometimes slip through the cracks of the border that separates the Solars and Darks work best in darkness and they wouldn't feel so cold, nor would they feel burderned with the task of moving someone in pitch black.
That's my guess.
A lump of anxiety obstructs my throat as my body is being thrown to the ground. The impact sends a jolt of pain reverberating through my muscles. The spasm of shock prompts a shocked gasp as I pull mys arms towards my body in a protective gesture.
Just as I ready myself for the worst, the world around me ruptures in fresh swells of colours. The sudden slam of light makes me groan and I pull my arms over my eyes, trying to choke out the bright blares of pigments.
I'm in one of the stores but I'm unable to see which- the room overflows with a variety of devices and household items. The glass windows have been covered up, seemingly sheathed in black pieces of carbon frames that blocks out the view.
Wincing from the pain still tumbling through my system, I draw myself upwards and fixate my stare on the Solar before me. He's the same Solar from earlier- the one I bumped into. He quickly makes his way towards my curved body and snatches the fabric that has been stuffed into my mouth.
Speechless, I try to marshal my feelings in neat rows, to give myself a better understanding of the events that i have just been through. But it seems crazy and surreal, almost as if I'm living through another Solar's body, looking through another set of eyes.
"Your brother." The Solar speaks with an underlying tone of authority, his arms sliding into a fold that dares me to challenge him. His eyes- dark and glittering with determination, forces me to shrink backwards from the intensity.
"What about him?" My voice wobbles as my fingers sprawl across the floor weakly, searching for surface to grasp onto- anything that felt stable enough to latch myself onto.
"They've taken him."
"W-what are you talking about? Who are you, anyway?"
"I don't have time for games! You need to tell me everything you know about him and everything you know about them!" The Solar hisses, nearing me and adatping a crouching stance as the distance between us closes in.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" I refute, inching away from the Solar. Upon closer inspection, I spot the ink that stains his skin starting to reveal as his shirt sleeve hitches upwards from the mocement of his arms. There are dark swirls along his skin, creating a strange pattern which winds and twist along his muscles.
Horizontal marks appear between the Solar's brows as he examines my features, dark eyes slowly absorbing every inch of my face. I realise that my breath is caught in my throat and pretend that his gaze doesn't daunt me, that none of this does.
"You're mistaken," My words sound like they're being spoken by someone else. They're too slow, too calm and precise for me to even devise, "My brother and I are normal Solars. We have nothing to do with your group and we don't plan on sticking our heads into your business."
"You're kidding me." A new kind of rage flares across the Solar's face as he leans away from me steadily, extering pressure into his palms as he presses them against the floorboards.
"Do you even know who I am? The group I'm in?' The Solar's sneer sends chills running down my spine and I bite at my lower lip, suddenly losing my nerves.
"You- you're part of the Resistance, aren't you? Solars that don't believe in solar energy." Just saying the words makes my heart beat faster. The rhythmic pumps that my heart has taken a liking to is suddenly discarded, abandoned for a more rapid surge.
"The Resistance?" The Solar throws his head back, releasing a loud bark of mirth. The fury that occupies his face vacates for a few seconds but it soon returns as he re-plants his stare on me.
"I'm not part of the Resistance. You didn't even come close to answering that question correctly."
He falls silent for a few seconds as I gather my thoughts.
"Then what are you? Who are you?"
There is a sudden heaviness in the air as I ask those questions and I'm almost able to read the atmosphere. It's too tense and he's too suspicious. Giving me an answer that isn't a lie would be jeopardising himself.
"Tell me," I plead, suddenly filled with a deisre, a need to know. The feeling almost saturates my body as the gap between us grows tiny, insignificant.
And it's the truth- I need to know. Because whatever group this Solar might be a part of- it might have something to do with my father's death. I can't be sure but I would never know if I don't try.
I have never been out for revenge but the knowledge that my father was killed by a faceless ghost is painful. It's a fact that I live with everyday, that lingers in my subconcious whenever I look at Teddy and realise that he'll never get to see his father, our father.
"It's too damgerous." The Solar shakes his head after a momentary pause.
"At least tell me your name. You kidnap me amd expect me to just play along without knowing your name?"
A sigh which sounds more sympathetic than annoyed.
"I'm Daniel."
"Why did you kidnap me?"
Another pause.
"It's complicated."
"You're right. It's complicated for the hostage." The sarcasm that slips its way into the cracks of my voice surprises me.
It seems to break Daniel, too. He slides closer towards me, his voice a shaky breath.
"I'm sorry that I had to succumb to such measures but you need to understand that things are harder than ever. Someone got your brother who is key in my group's operation."
"Now you're just talking crazy. My brother isn't key in anyone's operation- he's an average kid."
"No, he's not." Daniel insists. The credence in his voice shakes my confidence and I have to shake my head, to clear the mist of doubt that has began to wrap itself around my mind.
"You don't know what you're saying. I've been with Teddy for years and there's no way he's some pawn in your game." I snap, drawing myself into an upright position.
"You don't know him as well as you claim, or as well as you like to think that you do." Daniel says, eyes darkening to a shade of black that seems strange for a Solar.
"I barely know you. What makes you think that I would fall for this? There's no way you know me or your group or your enemy group knows either of us." I defend.
There is a hint of finality in Daniel's face as his gaze becomes hauntingly difficult to evade.
"You don't wish to trust me? When you head out there, you'll find that your brother is missing. You can search as much and as hard as you want but you'll never find him."
I open my mouth to squabble but all that comes out is a broken string of stutters.
Noticing the failure to spar with him, Daniel runs a hand through his dark mess of curly hair, eyes filling with the slightest pinch of pity.
"I'm going to do something that I have never done before. I'm going to make you an offer- come with me and we'll find your brother. There's a safe house where we'll be able to come up with a plan to get your brother back."
"I don't trust you. Even if you're right, there's no way I'm letting you use my brother. Calling him a tool in an operation is no way to treat a Solar."
Laughter. It spills from the base of Daniel's throat- a strange mixture of amusement and bitter understanding. Even as the sound ends, it is spookily difficult to erase from my head. It is the most beautiful, chilling vibration that I have ever heard.
"I'm not usually a nice person," Daniel says, his lips twisting into a smile that is both luring and cruel," But I'll make am exception for you. Should you change your mind, you know who to call."
With that, he pulls a strip of fabric from his belt and without warning, drags it across my face. Gasping, I struggle to breathe as the fumes from the fabric begin to clog my throat. The world around me starts to sway and spin into a blur that I can't deduce. It darkens into a piece of black and tilts until the lines of the floor allign itself with my body and I lose all sense of conciousness.
Word Count: 1884 Words
A/N: I hope you like the book so far! Tell me what you think and how you feel about the chain of events! (:
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