Connection

Chapter Five: Charlotte

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Chapter Five: Charlotte

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 The dripping of water was all Charlotte could hear. She couldn't see anything; the darkness was so heavy she felt as if she could wrap herself within it.

Something was stabbing into the back of her head and she was acutely aware of a dull throbbing originating from that area of her body though she didn't know what it was.

Her back seemed to be pressed against a similarly sharp, equally uncomfortable surface. Her tongue was as dry as sandpaper. Her heartbeat seemed to be in her ears and she knew, buried deep in her mind, that she had to get up; to try to move, but her body restricted her—told her she couldn't. No matter how hard she tried, her legs wouldn't move and her back remained stationary against the unbearable ground—she just didn't have the energy to move. She noticed her arms were coated in dirt as her throat screamed for water.

How long Charlotte laid there, unsure of whether or not her eyes were open, she was unsure of, but it felt like an eternity.

It wasn't until she truly believed she was going to pass out again from dehydration or hunger or a mix of both that she heard the footsteps. They were quiet at first—barely audible over the dripping water—but steadily grew louder. Charlotte wasn't aware that the body they belonged to arrived at her side, though, until she felt a hand touch her neck roughly, as if carelessly searching for a pulse.

"Charlotte?" a soft voice asked. A gentler hand was placed on her arm, in the same way a mother would to comfort a child.

"What?" she attempted to say, but it came out of her mouth as an inhuman grunt.

"She probably needs water. Go get the Appelendius juice. And hurry—you know she's not supposed to be suffering like this," the same voice commanded and this time, Charlotte recognized it. Even though she couldn't see anything, she was positive Aria stood before her.

Her blood boiled—these were the same people who kidnapped her, saying she wasn't supposed to suffer! These were the same people who knocked her out so she couldn't get back to her home! And now they were acting like they wanted to help her? She wanted to act upon the anger that was filling her up, but just the thought tired her out. Besides, for some reason, it was directed mostly towards Aria, and she knew, no matter how much she disliked it, she should understand what she was acting on before she did it. So as a second pair of footsteps approached once more, Charlotte remained still, the fire that pushed her to fight and be brave seemingly diminished.

She felt her jaw pulled open softly and a tiny drop of grape flavored liquid fell onto her dry tongue and rolled down into her throat. Two more small drops followed the same path. Then nothing at all.

Even though only three drops of liquid were given to her, a feeling of hydration spread through her body within seconds, and her mind cleared as her body began to function once more, like an animal waking up from hibernation.

"Appelendius juice. Of course; three drops will fully hydrate," she murmured to herself, relishing in her quick recovery. As if on cue, her stomach growled, reminding her she wasn't nearly fully recuperated.

"Illuminesce," a male voice said in an irritated tone, as if he blamed someone else for the lack of light.

A large beam of light shot from his finger, illuminating the area around them. The light detached itself from his hand and clung onto a stalactite on the rocky surface above them.

Charlotte seemed to be placed in a cave, with structures formed purely from rock surrounding her. A stalagmite jutted up next to her, almost impaling her arm and her head was on top of a rock with large crevices in it. The ceiling arched high above her and the area they were in was extremely open, forming a sort of room that resembled a bubble. Only one passage led out of the room, and it was quite small. How they navigated in the dark was far beyond Charlotte, and she didn't have any particular reason to ask.