Cursed with Power

Chapter 12

The doctor stared at me for a long moment. Then she got up and strode towards me. I felt my insides turn to ice as she drew nearer. Even the thumping of my own heart sounded like the drumbeats of death. 

She stopped by my side and stared at me for a moment. Then, she said, "So, you're Ellys. The girl Henry told us about. " 

"Henry?" 

"Henry Lucas. He was the 'lonely old man' who let you know the truth when no one else would, remember?" 

I felt as though my head was spinning. Mr. Lucas had been in with these people the whole time? But... why had he helped me then? I opened my mouth to speak, but the doctor didn't seem to care.

Instead, she said in a brisk tone, "We don't have a lot of time. All you need to know is that there are people who want to keep kids like you safe. Don't ask why, we'll tell you ourselves when the time comes. All you need to know is that you must be ready at all times. A storm is coming. And you, Ellys Davidson, happen to be exactly at the center of it. Keep your head down and do exactly as they tell you to. Don't try to rebel. " She paused and a hint of sympathy came into her eyes.

"You must hide yourself. That is the only way you can survive." said the doctor in a tone of finality.

The she quickly undid my fastenings and ushered me out of the room. She muttered something to the guard there and he nodded once and motioned for me to join the group standing huddled in the far corner of the room. 

The group was significantly smaller than it should've been and, as I joined them, I couldn't help wondering what had happened to the rest. Thankfully, Aarav was still present. I gave him a quick smile, which he returned and... waited. I didn't know what I was waiting for, but right now, it seemed to be the only thing I could do.

I mulled the doctor's words over and over in my head. Meanwhile, more children trickled out. Some of them joined us, others were led away by guards stationed around the room. The looks of terror on their faces and the glee of their captors was unmistakable. I tried not to think about where they were going; The only answer that came to mind was too sickening and I prayed fervently that Shyrene and Ryan weren't among them.

Eventually, we were separated into two groups. There were two doors at the back of the hallway. The girls were taken first, along with a female guard, through the door on the left. As I was leaving, I gave Aarav's hand a gentle squeeze. In only a few minutes, we'd somehow become friends, without exchanging even a dozen words. It was a connection forged through a shared sense of fear, helplessness and hopelessness. 

Wow! I'll end up winning the Nobel Prize for Poetry at this rate!  

I attempted to smile at my own feeble joke, trying to ignore the fact that an elephant was doing ballet in my stomach.  

We walked through a depressingly gray and narrow corridor, but as we progressed, the corridors we trudged seemed even more void of color and life. Our steps echoed off the cemented floor, creating a mournful rhythm. It was dark and we couldn't see much except endless, mind-numbing gray.  

After a while, the guard yelled, 'Stop!' and opened a door that led into a hallway filled with doors on both walls. By this time, my legs felt more like tree trunks than body parts. My mind had gone blank and all I wanted was to lie down and sleep.

Our guard flipped on a switch, illuminating the hallway. Blinded by the sudden light, I flinched and covered my eyes. When I could finally see, I realized that all the doors, except one, had a number engraved into the wood.

 The guard walked to the unmarked door and opened it. She pulled out a packet, opened it and handed out loose fitting T-shirts and parallels, eerily reminiscent of prison clothes, except, these were a sickly green color that reminded me of puke. 

When it was my turn to get my clothes from her, the guard barked at me, "Name?" 

"Ellys Davidson." I answered.

" You're in room twelve." She informed me, wrinkling her nose as if I were some particularly disgusting slug.

 "And keep those eyes down, freaks!" she sneered. "You lot don't deserve to live, but too bad there are so many fools out there. Couldn't pass up the chance. So much free labor..." she made a tsking noise and continued going down her list, muttering ominously.

I was emotionally drained and exhausted. I really didn't have it in me to watch her looking down her nose at me. So, I quietly snuck into Room Twelve and shut the door behind myself.

There were twelve beds set against two walls on opposite sides. Plain gray cement was covered only by a thin layer of whitewash which was already peeling off in some places.

Directly opposite me was a door. Upon inspection, it was revealed to be a tiny, dingy bathroom. There were two cubicles and two sinks, to be shared by twelve girls.

I turned the squeaky tap on. It was jammed with rust and took some effort, but I managed to produce a little more than a trickle. Washing my face with the ice-cold water, almost gave me a sense of normalcy, just for a second.

I closed the tap and ventured out again to sit on a bed right in the middle. It was harder than I was used to, and lumpy and there was only a thin blanket placed at the foot of the bed but at least, it was clean better than the floor.

I hadn't expected there to be a lavish five-star hotel style bedroom waiting for me, but I couldn't help feeling a sense of gloom and dismay as I once again stared at my new home for god knows how many years.

Well, there was nothing I could do, not that I particularly cared about doing anything anyway, so I simply let out a long sigh and laid down on the bed. I had completely given up on everything including hope. I simply didn't care anymore. What was the point in trying to achieve freedom? It was only momentary and it hurt even more when it was taken away afterwards. 

Turning away from the door, I thought that perhaps, just perhaps this wasn't quite so bad. The lumpy mattress was a comfort to my sore legs, I had clean clothes, even if they were a little shabby and eleven other people who would live with me. Willing myself to believe the words, I said aloud, "Yes, this is not so bad after all."

A/N: So, updating after a really, really long time. I should probably tell you in advance that updates will be few and far in between for quite a bit of time. I'm really sorry about that but I just can't help it.

 Anyway, what do you think of this chapter? It looks like our young heroine has finally lost her fighting spirit. Is she just going to accept her fate or will something change her mind? Also,  who suspected that Ellys wasn't actually finding things out, but being fed information? Tell me in the comments!

Vote, Comment and share! Love y'all!