Night Flower

8

YELENA

The weather started to match my mood. The grey sky combined with the lowering temperatures began to freeze the hope I had gathered. With the dislocated shoulder I needed a sling so making one out of his bed sheets seemed reasonable. The trick was getting something sharp enough to cut it and finding a way that I could hold the thing. In the end, it was awful but it kept my arm immobilized.

That first aid course had been a good choice. That and survival instincts were a good match, the only thing I lacked was common sense.

"Rise and shine."

Here we go again. Her whole assemble looked like something out of a magazine spread. She looked like a million-dollar sugar baby while I looked like someone had dragged me through the mud. Which they had.

"Here we go, oats and fruit." She was being far too amicable. "We need to get some food in you so can get better. I spoke with Dalio and he said he was sorry and that he won't be doing that again."

Her saccharine smile was terrifying.

"Unless you try to do that again." Another threat is fun.

"Thank you," I said after a long while, she stood there watching as I inspected the food. The oats looked like they had been left out for a long time, and the fruit, well they had seen better days.

"You are very welcome." And she didn't move, I felt like her eyes were shooting daggers or willing me to do something with the horrible food sitting on the plate. Tap water sounds better than her current offering. "Dig in."

"I don't eat oats."

"Oh," her smile suddenly fell. If my suspicion was right there was something else inside the dish. "I guess you have to eat the fruit then."

"Strawberries give me hives."

"Eat the other ones." She said signaling the slices of cantaloupes and pineapple.

"They already touch, it's contaminated. I can't even go close to any of them. I'm sorry you had to go to all this trouble."

"No, I should have asked." She said between clenched teeth. "What can you eat?"

"Oh don't bother, I'm not hungry."

"Are you sure?" If I didn't know her and her intentions I would have fallen for her concern but the fakeness exuded from her almost invisible pores.

"Positive." It was my turn to give her a big fake smile.

"Suit yourself." She didn't even bother to take the tray with her. Her flourish departure was very theatrical Her bouncing curls and her ridiculously high heels.

The worse part had been taking a shower and not moving my arm too much. A little help would have been pretty helpful but everyone in this place seemed to hate me a bit more ever since the accident a week ago. The game had been going the same just that my meals were being delivered by someone that wanted to take out my gut and used them as a collar.

"Dinner is served."

Whatever it had been on the plate looked sad. She made sure that whatever was sent to me was already cold and looked like a toddler had played with it. This one at least had no meat since she seemed to forget I had lied about being a vegetarian. The potatoes were a bit soggy but edible and the roasted tomatoes chewable yet bland. Either way, I ate it. Slowly, the satisfaction of her tapping foot as she became more and more annoyed. The little battles I won and seeing her defeated were what kept me entertained.

"Thank you so much, this one was perfection," I said after placing the plate onto the plate. "Seriously, chef's kiss."

"Whatever." She turned but before leaving she said, "Ayder wants to see you, someone will come and get you."

A fool wouldn't be nervous. My heart had been thumping like crazy inside my chest from the moment she told me and to his massive office. Watching him watch me, I felt the need to lower my head as a sign of respect but my Lyanna Black had no idea who she was dealing with while Yelena was silently praying this wasn't her judgment day followed by her beheading.

"Lyanna."

"Yes?"

"Is that your real name? Lyanna?"

"It's what they named me."

"Who?"

"My parents."

"I thought you didn't have any."

"Not anymore, but I did at some point."

Silence. Details about their sudden death had not been established and right now, coming up with something was too risky. I could mess up later trying to recollect my lies.

"You have no friends."

"Uh?"

"The contacts on your phone, you haven't been contacted by anyone for a long time. There are no pictures or text messages. Is suspicious."

"That I'm not on social media, or that I carry banal conversations with people over my phone is something that you find strange because I'm not like every person. You need to stick your head out of –."

"I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you."

Being me is what got me into this puddle of murky water. Is what keeps me here too.

"When am I getting out of here?"

He leaned back onto his massive chair.

"It seems that you have forgotten that you have no power here. Inst anyone is waiting for you from what you have told us and what we have been able to find out about you." He stood up and started to walk where I stood. "There seem to be big gaps where you appear and disappear. Like a ghost."

"Since you already know so much why did your people keep drilling me with questions?"

"Hoping you'd slip."

"And?"

"You're hard to crack."

"Or I'm telling the truth but you're too thick-headed to just let it go."

The way his mouth opened and closed just like a fish does underwater was amusing. That argument was already getting old. "Look, just drop me off somewhere. You'd never see me again. Hell, I don't want to see any of you again. Ever." I said it while he stood too close. This time there were no guards that might stop me from touching him but the sling reminded me of the consequences of doing just that. Retreating seemed like the right choice when he invaded my space.

The scent of spices almost knocked me to the ground. On other occasions, it had been a hint but now, it was too strong.

Unless..oh no.

Being away from the pack, I had been able to ignore it. The higher the rank the stronger the attraction, something to do with the biology and the genes, I didn't care but this was far stronger than ever and If this happened here, if he was around, there was a high chance that the ruse would be over. Forgetting about something so simple, my nature was about to betray me and there was nothing I could do about it.

His refusal about letting me go.

"Can you please stop?" He halts abruptly. I surprise both of us but he looks astonished and must look terrified and on the brink of a panic attack. I keep digging myself deeper.

"You don't learn, do you?"

"Dude, you're like in my space." I proceed to demonstrate by waving my arms around me, showing where exactly he shouldn't stop. "I can perfectly hear you from where you were, there's no need to be here, this up close."

"You mean, like this?" In a flash his hand had wrapped up itself on my neck, I had a first-row view of the stubble on his chin. My body molded to his. I forgot how to think, how to breathe, if there had been a pain my brain couldn't process it. All I knew was him and his scent and his warmth.