The Second Level

Chapter Thirteen- Edina

"Mom!" I struggled against the bonds holding me, but they held fast. "Let me go!" In an attempt to get them free, I twisted my hands.But the straps holding me were too tight. 

"No. But if you tell us the truth, your precious mother will not be hurt. Lie again and she will be shot." As if to prove a point, the man in the room with my mother cocked his gun and aimed it at my mother's arm. If he were to shoot, it wouldn't kill her, but it would hurt a ton.

"Now, where is the organization you come from located?" 

I paused, unsure whether to answer or not. On one hand, telling my kidnappers would save my mom. On the other, telling them would kill an a bunch of people because I was sure that these people would attack if they knew where Headquarters was. Not saying would save an entire race of people who I did not know. Telling would save the one person I did. 

Or I could lie and save everyone. 

"Ten seconds."

"Umm...The headquarters is in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina." The interrogator smiled. 

"Street?"

"Sunset Avenue." It seemed that he believed me. 

"Thank you." He nodded to the man . The man lowered his gun, pointed it at my mother's foot, and fired. I screamed as she did. 

"You said! You said we would be safe! Said she would be safe!"

"Yeah, I lied," sneered the man. He turned to a guard I hadn't even noticed coming in. "Take her away."

The guard marched over to me, holding a pair of handcuffs. Handcuffs open, he released the bonds holding me to the chair. At the max, I had about three seconds. 

I leaped out of the chair and elbowed the guard in the nose. He gasped and dropped his handcuffs, hand clutching his bleeding nose. I sprinted away from the chair. My interrogator lunged at me, but I shimmied from the grasp of his meaty hands. 

The interrogator screamed into his walkie-talkie for more guards. I kicked the device away and onto the ground, where it shattered. The door flew open and I darted out, sprinting full speed. Guards lunged at me, but they all managed to miss. 

Sprinting, I raced down the hall, not knowing where to go. I wanted to get to my mother, but I didn't know how to. This entire complex was a mystery to me. 

I took a couple of random turns before I heard the footsteps of guards, hot on my trail. The guards were a lot faster than me, and they knew the compound better, so I really had no chance against them. Still, I had to try. 

I turned down random hallways, going a different direction at every intersection. The footsteps behind me were getting a lot closer. There was the sound of something being fired and a something small and sharp hit me in the back of the neck. I wrenched it out and tried to keep running, but whatever was in the dart took hold quickly. I could already feel myself getting too tired to function. Moving my legs felt like a struggle, as did keeping my eyes open. 

In about fifteen seconds, I had to stop. The world was spinning around me, and I couldn't tell which way was up and which was down. I slid down the stone wall, stopping at the floor. 

Everything went dark. 

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"I've just got to ask you. Was running from a highly trained security squad really the best idea?" I opened my eyes and saw that I was back in my bunk. It was Augusta that was talking to me. I tried to sit up, but the world spun. Someone, probably Augusta, had moved my cot so that it was right next to the toilet. I leaned over the side of my cot and puked into the toilet. 

"Yeah, those tranquilizing darts really knock it all out of you. Figuratively and literally. Feel better now?" I sat up and wiped my mouth. In fact, I did feel better. I still had a killer headache, but the world wasn't spinning. 

"How did you know I tried to run?" I croaked, looking at Augusta. 

"Easy. They wouldn't have shot you if you were obeying them. What did they want from you?"

"To know where Headquarters is."

"Did you tell them?" Augusta leaned forward, looking both eager and scared to know the answer. She had been a part of the Fairies for a lot longer than I had, so she had more feelings for them. 

"Yeah, but I lied and told them it was in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I think they believed it."

"Smart."

"Thanks. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go back to sleep. My head kills right now."

"Drink some water." She pointed to the cup on the ground. I picked it up and took a few sips of lukewarm water. It didn't taste very good, but I knew that Augusta was probably right. 

"How do you know all this?" 

"Let's just say that I'm not exactly the best prisoner," laughed Augusta. With that, I leaned back and closed my eyes, drifting off into a restful sleep. 

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The next few two days past slowly. Since I wasn't trusted anymore, I was not allowed out of my cell, even to work. I just sat there, staring at the wall or pacing. Who knew that I would actually want to work?

I wanted to get to my mother, but I never could escape. For one thing, there was the electric fence that would zap and kill me. For another, someone had stationed four guards outside of my cell, watching at all hours. There was a vent in the side of the wall that I briefly considered using before finding out that it was sealed. Even with a lot of pulling, I failed to get the grate off. 

Then, one night, it all changed. It was about three in the morning, and both Augusta and I were asleep. Since the lights had been turned off hours ago, our room was pitch black. There was a clattering sound and then a muttered curse from next to my cot. Then a female voice whispered into my ear. 

"Edina, come with me."

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Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed. Thanks to everyone who has been commenting and voting on this story. You guys rock!