Breaking Hope (Finding Sky edit)

Chapter 26

I started to resurface God knows how long later, my head thumping and feeling incurable heavy with every beat of my heart. There was a deep sense in my gut of dread and... Panic. A deep heavy sense of panic – the type you get when you realise you are in deep, deep shit. Which I probably was, but a thought settled down on my mind.

I still have a family.

But I never wanted a family that would return God knows how long after my derelict abandonment in a car park. As far as I was concerned, I had my real family now. I had two families, if I considered myself a part of Oscar's family. Would I be welcome there like I was before if Ella did die? No, I can't think about that. I am determined she will be okay. I know she would tell me to focus on my own situation and that I was the main priority in this situation. I needed to focus on what is happening, take in what I can and work on a way of getting out. I cannot guarantee that Oscar knew I was kidnapped, so I needed to find a way to get my ass in gear and get the Hell out of this situation. In the words of The Man, he said he knew my Dad and then said family stick together. Does that mean we hold a genetic link? Who is he? The Man was definitely not old enough to be my Grandfather, so that one was out the picture. Cousin, maybe?

Slowly, I forced my eyes open to see myself staring out across the chocked streets of Vegas. There was nowhere else I could be when it came to this. Streets were lined each sides with hotel after hotel with fancy water displays full of lights. People the size of ants walked up and down these street, shining an ambitious glow as they head for a night of gambling, hoping to hit it up lucky. I frowned – these people were literally shining. Where so many people lined the streets, groups walking all together and others wandered the streets by themselves, all shone with the colour of Hope. I never realised my name had a corresponding colour, a light blue colour, almost the same colour as the dress I wore to the opening. Ha – such an ideal coincidence. Some walked away from the casino's held within the flashing hotels with a gun metal grey of corruption, and couples shone proudly as the waltz down the Strip in central Vegas, engrossed in each other's love, happiness and dedication – a wonderful mix of shining gold, light pink and dark burgundy which complimented each other perfectly. I smiled, happy I could see this before the realisation (a wonderful shade of orange) smacked me around the face. I was seeing emotions. Like, I was seeing emotions like they were Crayola colours. I could see what these people were feeling and the corresponding emotion to the colours too. I smiled happily and quite sleepily too, to myself as I realised what this meant. This was my gift, then, wasn't it? Ella had said to me earlier today my gift was something to do with emotions. I could only assume it was this and in my tired state, so drained of even emotional capabilities, that this was my gift.

Oscar would be so proud of me if he found out.

That is, if I was alive to tell him.

I realise I was lying on my side on a window seat, looking out across the view I had from the height I was at. I could feel a soft knit blanket of a high quality over my body and a pillow under my head that was of a stupid softness. I was so comfortable I could happily fall asleep several times over and just embrace this weird scenario. Behind me, I heard a heavy door slide open, and expensive shoes making that tap-tap noise they normally do.

'Is she awake, yet?' A man asked. Young, and educated with a very articulated tone. Probably born and raised in private tuition in America.

'Not yet, no.' The Man replied, but his tone was a lot more calm and more relaxed than it ever was.

'Can't we just wake her up?' A younger girl said. She sounded a bit older than me, a younger tone but still had the articulated tone that the younger gentleman had. I sensed that there was only these three in the room with me; the Man and the younger boy and girl.