Moments In Time

Chapter Two

Her head was pounding as she groaned and shuffled in the chair. It only took a few brief moments for the realisation of where she was to sink in. The cool feeling of metal shackles caressed her wrists and ankles, the weight forcing them down. She had no energy to fight it – she was mentally and physically exhausted. Opening her eyes, she examined the cold, gloomy room around her. She was in the centre with a single light dangling above the chair she was chained to – the glow painfully glaring in her eyes. She let her head fall and her hair create a curtain around her face. She couldn't stop the tears from starting – as if someone had opened a valve that she was unable to shut. She had run away from a life she was trapped in, just to end up chained to a chair somewhere she didn't know.

At the sound of the door creaking open, she looked up and saw the silhouette of two large figures standing before her. As they stepped forward, the single light illuminated their features – the man with the scar stood there with another she hadn't seen before. "Who are you?" His voice boomed with threatening tone, making her skin crawl. Sudden panic clouded her thoughts as she realised, she couldn't admit her real name – there weren't many people in the town with her name other than the king's daughter. Her hesitation angered the man, and before she saw it coming a hard slap made its way across the side of her face. The taste of metal soon filled her mouth as she groaned. "I won't ask again, who are you?" His voice was deadly, and she quickly complied.

"Elisa. My name's Elisa." She stuttered, she body shaking in fear. Elisa was her mother's name.

"Did Belamy send you?" The other man interrogated, bending forward and painfully gripping her chin in his hand – forcing her to face him. Tears spilled from her eyes.

"No. No. I swear!" She cried, pleading with the man. He leant back and stood straight, before bringing his fist down hard against the side of her abdomen. Pain radiated through the area as she crunched over in agony. Her crying became audible as she tried to sit straight again. "Please, I promise. I didn't mean to see you in the alleyway." She gasped.

"I smell bullshit." His voice echoed off the walls, and she winced in preparation to take another blow. Instead, he grabbed a fistful of her hair and snapped her head back. She screamed in pain.

"Please..." she cried, "I wasn't following you. I swear" she swallowed the pool of blood that had built up in her mouth and gasped for air. Another strike across her face made her scream out in pain, and tears streamed down her face. She stayed crumpled over in her chair in pain, any energy she had left had completely vanished.

She heard the men leave the room, and quickly gave into her exhaustion and passed out. She awoke again what felt like hours later to the sound of voices outside. "She can take a hit like we suspected, but there's something about the way she takes it that makes me unsure. She's definitely hiding something, but it might not be what we thought." The man spoke, but the rest of the conversation was inaudible as her head pounded. The door opened and she heard the men enter. She sensed a man kneel down in front of her, and she was startled as his fingers gripped her chin tightly and lifted her head up. It was the man who had ordered them to take her.

Before he could say anything, she pleaded again. "Please, I didn't follow you. I don't know you." she cried, keeping her gaze on his. His blue eyes glared deeply into her soul and she had never felt more vulnerable. He stared at her for longer than she felt comfortable holding, before releasing his grip. The spot he held ached as her head dropped from the lack of support.

"You will stay here until I believe you aren't a potential threat to our plans." He stated nonchalantly, and the surprise of his words caused her to look up.

"W-what?" Her voice fumbled. She couldn't stay, he would find her. She had to leave.

"You will stay here until I say otherwise." He repeated, before turning on his heels and leaving the room. One of the men from earlier walked towards her and roughly unchained her from the metal shackles. He grabbed her arm and lifted her onto her feet, forcing her to stagger and follow him as he left the room. She was too exhausted to make out her surroundings, and after stumbling up-stairs was thrown into a small room with the door shut behind her. She began crying again – unsure if it was from the pain coursing through her body, or the relief that she was no longer being interrogated. She crawled towards the bed in the centre of the room and succumbed to her exhaustion.