For a place that I was being held captive in, it was stunning. Hard wood floors in every room. The floors were always shiny enough to see your reflection in them no matter how much you walk on them. There were so many rooms compared to what I was used to back in New York. There was a common room that doubled as a library. There was a very unusual feature to the library. There was a bookcase in the middle of the room with two sets of stairs going up from either side that leads to a platform bolted to the top of the bookcase. When you're that platform, you get a beautiful view from an enormous window. I always stare out whenever I can't sleep. In other words, I spent most of my time there. I spent so much time just looking out that window, desperately trying to find even just a bit of land. No matter how hard I looked, all I could see was clouds. I found that extremely messed up.
Another thing that I found messed up about this place, why my captors made it so beautiful and welcoming. The walls were painted maroon and navy blue, my favorite colors. Was it just a coincidence, I don't know. If it wasn't, I don't want to know.
I looked out the window as I usually did, taking in the warm sunlight as it hits my skin. It would be a bit more relaxing if I had some company. Like Gabe. If Gabe was there, I would be happy beyond belief. Having somebody there with me, to reassure me that everything would be fine would have been very helpful. I smiled as I closed my eyes and remembered my best friend. I remembered his messy brown hair that always fell in front of his eyes and how he would always get so annoyed over it. I remembered his hazel eyes that were a different color every time I looked into them. Although the thought of Gabe made me get butterflies and made me happier than I had been in what felt like years, the thought of him also came with sorrow and anxiety. I didn't even know if he was still alive. The Civil War that started before I got kidnapped could have taken his life since I got there and I wouldn't know a thing. It was a bit like Schrödinger's cat, Gabe was both alive and dead for all that I knew. Just the thought of him dying on the battlefield was enough to make me feel depressed for the rest of the day.
A blinking red light on the wall and a siren echoed throughout the rooms pulled me out of my thoughts. I started to panic as white gas started to be pumped out of the grate on the wall. My instincts told me to run, to go to my bedroom as fast as I could and lock the door so little to none of the gas could get in. Instead, I just stood there. Paralyzed with fear and confusion. I shuffled back so my back was pressed against the glass. The white fog was only a few feet away from me and was moving fast. I lifted the fabric of my shirt over my nose and mouth in hopes that it would filter the air and keep myself from breathing in the fog. How wrong I was. My vision began to get a bit blurry and I felt my knees get weak very fast. I collapsed to the ground with a loud thud as my face hit the cold wood floor. It was a miracle that I didn't fall off the platform. I vaguely remember the mirror from the art studio swinging open as doctors came filing out. My eyelids fluttered shut and I let the darkness consume me.
