I Feel Like A Monster

Chapter 24

(Shadow's P.O.V)

God this is just torture, sitting in a room like this. I don't know how it's been, but it feels like days. I just sat there against the wall with my head looking towards the ceiling, wondering. Wondering if my father was okay, and if he is, and I pray to God that he is, was he looking for me right now? No he has to be, he has to be looking for me; with that thought in my head, why do I have doubts about it?

I wasn't just thinking about my dad, I was thinking about the visions that I had thus far. Especially on my recent one. All of these visions had to be connected somehow; I mean they are my memories how could they not be connected? And yet I thought about it long and hard, and the thought of it makes me tremble. That person in my recent vision said, if I was in my wolf form for a long time, than it could destroy my mind.

"Was that the real reason that I lost my memories?"

I picked my head when I heard the door open. At first I was scared since it could very well be Bloody Mary; But I sighed with relief when I saw that it was that girl again, Chris.

"Chris." I said as I sat myself up, "Thank God, for a second there I thought you were Mary."

"Don't worry, I'm not her." Chris said to me as she shut the door behind her.

She didn't sit in the only chair that was available, she sat right next to me. She had something covered in a handkerchief. She unwrapped it and it was two cuts of sandwiches. "Here." She said handing me one of the cuts, "It's not much, but I thought you might be hungry."

"Thank you." I said, taking the sandwich from her.

I took a bite out of the sandwich and surprisingly enough, it was really good, I couldn't help but just melt to the taste. I heard Chris chuckle, "I take that you like it than?"

"Yeah." I said to her after I swallowed, "This is delicious!"

"Thanks." Chris said. She started to eat the other half of the sandwich. We both sat there in silence for a while, as we at the sandwiches, enjoying each others company. I don't know exactly how long I've been here, but I have to say, I like having Chris around for company. She's been coming in with every chance she got, and talked with one another. I assume that she's with the Crooked Man's people she told me about, but I didn't want to believe it honestly. She actually seems like a nice person and looks like she's about as old as I am, but I'd rather not ask of her age; I can't believe she would work with someone like the Crooked Man.

I was bought out of those thoughts, when I saw a faded red mark on her right ankle, and couple of faded scars on her leg and stomach.

Chris noticed this and did her best hide them from me. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare." I said turning away finishing off the sandwich. She replied hesitantly, finishing off her sandwich as well, "No, it's alright."

I turned back to her and asked with concern, "Can I ask, how you got those marks? I don't mean to upset you but..."

Chris shook her head and replied to me, "There's a price to pay for everything, especially when you get in trouble."

"...What did they do to you?"

"...They took me to the Cut Above, chained me up and forced me and other Fables to make magic and glamour. They beated me whenever they saw me slacking off."

My eyes widened in shock at thought of making Fables like her and I being chained and making magic, but soon my expression softened when I could just imagine the pain that she had to endure. Chris didn't notice the expression my face when she soon said, "It would've been far worse, if my dad hadn't convinced them to relieve me of the punishment."