Little Lightning

Chapter 30

Lyrical looked around and wondered how she had gotten herself into this situation for the fifth time in the hour that had passed since the Tribune had made their final decision.

She sat in the most lavish room she had ever seen. Lush rugs that her feet sank into covered the floor, brightly colored and soft. Lyrical could only imagine how long it must have taken to make them. A pristine white couch covered in extravagant fur of all colors, and what looked like a gold-plated table next to it. The room was well lit, bright lanterns hanging down from the ceiling. Above the couch was a small opening, almost like a window without glass. It wasn't big enough for her to slip through, but it was big enough to see through. She had already tried looking through, but all it did was give her a view into the next-door prison room. 

The one where Kirtash happened to be. 

Oh, the irony. 

She sank into the plush couch, sighing deeply, thoughts speeding around in her head like runaway ships, fast and nearly impossible to catch. 

She was stuck in a prison she was forced into by someone who was supposed to be her ally, her only companion the one person she was not on good terms with, with an evil alien organization she had once regarded as family chasing her with the intent to utilize her as a weapon to conquer her home planet when she herself didn't know her power yet. 

But hey, it couldn't get any worse. 

"Lyrical?" The voice came muffled, and she knew she would have to respond or he would worry.  

"Yes?" 

"Are you ok?" 

"I'm fine." They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. "You?" 

"Other than my neck and shoulders being sore, I'm good." She looked at her hands, fingers laced together. "Look, about earlier... I didn't mean to offend." 

"I know you didn't." She looked up at the spotless ceiling, resting the back of her head against the wall behind her, where she knew he was sitting on the other side of the wall. "I just..." She sighed. "I don't know. I think..." She trailed off again. "I just don't like being compared to other people. But what I really don't like is when people insist they need to protect me." She inhaled shakily then realized how bad that sounded. "That came out wrong. I appreciate the sentiment, and sometimes I do want to be protected. But not always. I don't..." She inhaled and exhaled again."I don't want to be coddled. It makes me feel weak, and feeling weak doesn't bring back good memories."

"I'm sorry. What happened?" She inhaled and wiped her cheeks, cursing her very sensitive tear ducts. 

"My mom died a while back of lung disease. My dad.... couldn't handle it. He began drinking, and a lot of my scars on my arms and back are thanks to him."

"Oh." Lyrical could feel the tension, and she could have sworn she could have cut it like a sharp knife through cheese. "I had no idea. I mean, when I saw you with Kace, I assumed something much more... selfish." He let out a small and bitter laugh.

"Wait, what do you mean, saw me with Kace?" 

"Well, when Kace went to check on you, I sort of... followed him? I mean, I needed to go get something from my bag, which happened to be in that general direction." 

"You followed us?!" She jerked up and climbed onto the couch, half noticing the dirt smudges she left behind on the white couch. His face was already visible in the six-inch-wide gap and she nearly hit her head on his. 

"Well, kind of. I-I mean, you seemed upset and I needed to get something and--" 

"Wait wait, so you saw me crying?" Crying was a light word for what she had been doing. If anything, it had been more like bawling or sobbing or... she didn't know anything stronger than that. 

"Well, no, I only saw that he was hugging you..." He trailed off, looking down, then looked up at her just as suddenly. "Wait, you were crying?!" She groaned and sank down to sit on the couch. 

"Yes, I was crying." 

"Did he do something to you?" He asked, his voice filled with defensiveness. She sighed. 

"Kirtash, if he had done something to me, why would I hug him?" She shook her head. "Anyway, no. It wasn't something he had done to me. I had had a bad dream and he just happened to be there." 

"What was your dream about?" She didn't respond. "Your dad?" He asked, his voice quieter. She didn't respond, only nodded, but this time her quiet was a different kind of quiet, the quiet that often affirmed suspicions. 

"One of the few times that I remember it happening." She whispered, but she knew he had heard her. "And one of the worst." 

"I'm sorry I couldn't pro--" He stopped himself. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help." He corrected. She smiled slightly. 

"Well, I made it, didn't I?" She shrugged and looked around, standing in the process. She turned to where his face still stood visible in the window gap. "Now, what do you say we get out of here?"