Underneath Us

chapter six: lucas

I had just started walking home when I heard a siren. Naturally, I ignored it. And naturally, I shouldn't have.

I was only half a mile away from the monster when I got arrested. Wow. It's only, like, six thirty-five.

I'd been strolling along for a single minute before a car sped behind me. I didn't even realize what had happened when a piece of cloth was in my mouth, a bag was over my head, my arms were wrenched behind me, and I was shoved into something. Obviously I don't know what I was shoved into because I couldn't see.

I was rudely awakened by a loud clanging noise, like someone banging on a metal pot. My hands were tied behind my back with something cold and something was covering my eyes. Someone had the cruel humor to put my glasses over the blindfold.

"Very funny," I muttered. I didn't think anyone else was there, but a voice answered back.

"You like it?" It was a pristine, sarcastic, middle-aged woman's voice. "I don't know why it got approved."

I was so, so confused. Where was I and why?

I heard her slam her hands on something. "What were you doing at the end of Elsmere Street right after we were notified of an escape?"

Huh? Escape? Of what?

"I was on a run," I answered hesitantly.

"Great time to be on a run. Right as illegal business starts."

What the heck? What is going on?

I furrowed my eyebrows for an extra show of confusion. "What?"

"What do you mean, what?"

"I mean what the heck are you talking about? Escape? Illegal business? I was just getting some exercise!"

The lady sighed a huge, exhausted sigh.

"I do not get paid enough," she muttered. "Nella! Get in here!"

A minute later, a very tall girl yanked my blindfold off.

I looked around the room. It was a typical cell; a small room with off-white walls, a small oval table, and thin shackles securing me to the ground, not to the chair like I had thought.

I studied the girl. She wore a black and red military suit with a calf-length cape and looked to be around my age. She had an upturned nose, as if she was always judging everyone. Her dyed white hair hung down, framing her face. Her ears stuck out of her hair and they had, like, six piercings on each side. A tattoo of a teardrop with a line next to it was positioned right under her left eye. I've never seen such a weird tattoo.

Nevertheless, she was pretty, but not really hot. She had a powerful beauty that one couldn't help but look at, and that's what I did.

"You!" she yelled, surprised and slightly angry, for some reason. I was baffled once again.

"Me...!" I uncertainly yelled back. I paused. "Do I know you? Also, is your name Nella? That's a really weird name."

She blinked and seemed to realize something. Then she ignored my first question.

"No, you idiot, it's not my name. What the heck are you doing here?"

"How should I know?" I shot back. "No doubt you know more than me!"

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and walked out of my cell.

That was quick. I sat alone in the room. I thought about my family. Were they okay? They must be worried about where I was. It was certainly later that I had planned to be back home. I didn't know how long I'd been out, but it had to have been at least half an hour, which is longer than I can run, and my dad knew that.

Right as I was starting to get bored, two guards stormed into my cell and unlocked my shackles. They roughly pushed me to my feet and nearly dragged me out the door, down the hallway, (which was also white) and out the building.

I stood on the sidewalk and glanced around, wondering what on earth just happened and what on earth I should do. I reached into my pocket, wondering if I still had my phone, and—surprise, surprise—empty pocket.

I groaned. I had no idea where I was, so now I'd have to wait for a car to come by if I wanted to get home. And I had to buy a new phone. I sadly sat on the curb.

And the worst part is, this isn't even the worst day I've ever had.

-Hiiiii! Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! I'm sorry that the picture at the top doesn't really go with the last picture for Lucas, but I couldn't find another that looked that close and I definitely was not about to absolutely fail at attempting to draw him.

Anyway, stay safe, stay happy, and have a great day!

-Asinine Paronomasia