Miakoda

The Awakening

Madison's POV

The smell of something tickles my nose, making me smile, my mouth water and then my stomach rumble. I shift slightly from the position I'm in and I realise that what I'm laying on is a lot softer and warmer than my usual bed, which makes my entire body tense with panic. Shit! Shit! Shit! Where am I? What is happening? What are they going to do to me now? What have they done to me? As my mind starts running through all the endless ghastly possibilities of what could happen in this moment, just waiting for a scalpel or some sort of injection or a rough hand.... Anything, something. I hear her voice in my head.

"It's just bacon, Maddy." Coos Miakoda.

With just her voice my body relaxes. I flinch as a floodgate opens and all her memories of the past few days washes over me. I lay there looking at them with awe. I couldn't help but ask, "You did all that?..... For me?" I couldn't believe Miakoda would do all that. Just for me. "And the others? They all got out safe, right?" I had to know about the others. It wouldn't be right if we got out and not the others.

Her voice puts me once again at ease. "Yes, Maddy. We got them all out. All of them." I couldn't help the smile that that fact brought. I was glad. Relieved that the compound fell and no-one was left behind to get tortured more.

Knowing that I had Miakoda with me, I confidently opened my eyes. The dream of Selene flashing back to mind. Are we back at my old house? I wondered as I found myself staring at a wooden ceiling. I shifted again to get a better look at the room. I couldn't quite remember my room from back then, but I do remember everything was wood. In an instant, I jumped to my feet, throwing the blankets aside and ran out the bedroom door and down the hall to the stairs. Not paying any attention now, to my surroundings, I kept running, taking the steps down three at a time. Selene, was all I could think about. I desperately wanted to see her and hold her again.

I got to the bottom of the stairs and froze.

I was staring at a huge man, bigger than the hunters and rogues at the compound. His tightly covered, muscular back was turned to me, tensing and flexing with every motion he made. I got glimpses of his fully tattooed arms, which showed every time his arms came away from his body. He seemed to be standing in the open kitchen where the smell was coming from. He leasurely turns to face me. His sun-kissed face looked friendly yet stern. His salt and pepper hair, cut shorter on the sides than on the top and neatly trimmed beard framed his face with all his years of experience. Making him look not only hardened but some what fatherly. His features were not as angry and sour as the hunters I knew.

He cautiously took a step back from the counter he'd just turned to, on which he had placed a pan.

"Good morning Madison." He spoke slowly, his voice laced with being unsure and slightly worried. I couldn't help wonder how he knew my name.

I didn't move nor did I respond. I just stood there waiting to see what this man was going to do. My body started tensing, getting ready to run. I could see a door out the corner of my eye. It was open. No bars, no gates, no cages.

The man raised his hands in surrender and inched slowly out the kitchen and around the counter.

My body tensed more.

"It's ok Madison. I'm not gonna hurt you." He said still inching his way along.

With his movements, the light coming into the room reflected off something resting on his bulky chest. My eyes moved down from his face and caught a glimpse of the amulet strung around his neck. My eyes flashing back up to his face with widened eyes.

He smiled. "Selene gave it to me." He knew, somehow he knew I would recognize it. My body relaxed enough to not run, but was still untrustingly tense.

He moved again, still keeping his hands raised.