Illusion ➵ Zach Mitchell

23 ➵ battlefield

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ILLUSION

[chapter twenty three]

"WHY are we here?"

"This, is the only place they can't find us," Owen said, leading us inside. The outside matched the inside. Cluttered and manly. This place was what a realtor would call 'cozy': small, but lived in. A small lamp cast a comforting glow along the walls.

I felt Zach's hands touch my waist as he followed close behind me. Owen squeezed past us. "Follow me," he said, gesturing to a door. The door opened to darkness. Trying not to trip, I could barely make out the steps as I trailed behind Owen. I felt Zach grab on to my arm. It was reassuring to know that he would always be there to catch me if I fell.

My brain wouldn't let my heart bask in comfort for too long. I still had to tell him what happened. I feared he'd leave me once he found out.

I could hear shuffling as we got closer to the bottom. Someone else was here. Hopefully Gray and Claire. Speaking of here, why did Owen even have this down here? Why make a basement when he could have had like more living space? Did he know something like this would happen?

"Why am I here? Shouldn't I be with the rest of them? Getting to the ships?" The voice sounds familiar, but I can't place a face to it.

"There are no ships, Mr. Gennaro," I hear Claire say, "and you know why you're here. Your family has been representatives of the park ever since we first opened. It's your job to keep this place running," Claire pleaded.

"No that's your job, Ms. Dearing. This place will never outlive this! It'll take a miracle for this place to go back into business!"

The stair under me creaked and the man stopped talking, turning to us. That's why the voice was so familiar. Not only had I heard him complaining at the front desk, he was the man on the other side of Claire's constant phone calls. Why they couldn't just meet in person was beyond me.

"What is she doing here," I hear Zach whisper. I follow his gaze until I land on a frantic Victoria. Her blonde hair lay lifeless along her shoulders and her blue eyes changed direction every few seconds. She was clearly scared out of her mind. I watched as she picked at her nail polish and I couldn't help but think that was me after the first attack.

Zach led me to the couch were Gray sat, messing with his fingers. I took a seat next to him. Gray stared up at me, silently begging me to tell him what happened. I offered him a small smile. I couldn't say anything, not yet.

"What are we going to do, Owen," Claire asked as Owen took a seat beside to her. She laced her arm through his and rubbed his back reassuringly, the same thing Zach does. I want to rest into him, to relax, even for just a second, but I know I can't. Not until we figure everything out.

"I got a call from Barry. He says that boats for supposed to arrive in a few hours. For real this time."

"How are we supposed to get down to the docks," I urged. "With not only InGen monitoring people, but now we have HosCorp to deal with! How are they even allowed on the island?"

"Excuse me," Mr. Gennaro interrupted, "but who are you?" He looked to Owen, "what does this little girl know of HosCorp. She's what, fifteen? Who authorized her to be in charge?" He glared at me. "Leave this to the adults, kid."

It took everything in me to not roll my eyes and flip him the bird. "I am Marella Masrani," pausing for emphasis, "I'm seventeen, and I don't recall seeing you out there running for your freaking life," I hissed. "Unless you know who's running HosCorp or know an easy way off this island, I suggest you keep your mouth shut."