Chapter Eighteen- Edina

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I ran down the hall. I had seen some adults down there, people who could have been my mother. It was only a hopeful assumption that she was still alive, but I had to check. I just couldn't leave without her. 

She was easy to find since she was in the first cell. Oddly enough, these cells were like the cells you would find at a Normal jail- bars covered the way out instead of an electric barrier. Maybe the Lynches didn't care about these older prisoners as much. The door, however, was still locked tightly. I pulled at it, but it didn't budge. Inside the cell, my mother stared at me, her eyes filled with fear. 

"Who are you?" shouted Mom. My heart sank as her words crashed down on me. It was true. What Caroline had said back at Headquarters was true. She didn't have a clue who I was. 

But I still knew who she was, and that was enough. I just had to get her out of there. After that, I could take her back to Headquarters with me, and they could make her back to normal. Getting her out was the first step. 

I didn't answer Mom, even though it broke my heart to see her so scared of me. I could explain it all when I got her out. The door wouldn't budge, and I didn't have a key, so I would have to figure out a way in that didn't involve the key. Although I had never done it before, picking the lock would have to do. 

I felt around in my hair, looking for a bobby pin. Surprisingly, I had one that I pulled out. The lock on the door was a pretty simple one, and I got to work on it using my bobby pin as my 'key.' Mom continued to ask me who I was as I worked, but I was too focused to answer. After a few minutes, the lock popped open and fell into my hand. 

I swung the door open. My mother cowered in a corner of her cell, watching me with fearful eyes. Now that I was inside, I got a closer look at her. The bullet wound in her leg was wrapped in a strip of blood-stained cotton that looked like it should have been changed two days ago. Her eyes, usually so bright, were clouded, and they watched my every move with suspicion. One of her eyes was blackened. Her clothes were ripped and dirty. Her hair was pulled into a messy ponytail. All and all, my mother looked defeated. 

And that made me want to punch something. How could they have done that to her? She was just a Normal, just someone who didn't know about this world of Fairies. They shouldn't have touched her. She did nothing to them, yet she was paying the price for what I did. Tears pooled in my eyes. It was all my fault. 

"Who are you?" Mom asked again, her voice shaking and cracking.

I didn't know where to start, so I started at the beginning. "Edina Libra." I felt so weird introducing myself to my mom. I crouched down so that I was level with her. "I'm your daughter."

"I don't have a daughter. I never have."

"Yes, you do, and I'm her. I'm almost fifteen."

"I know who you are. You're one of those people. You're working under cover to hurt me again." She tried to back up more, but she was already against the wall. "Don't hurt me!" Tear fell from her eyes. I reached to take her hand, but then realized that would not have been the best idea. 

"I'm not going to hurt you; I'm going to save you. I'm going to get you out of here. All you have to do is come with me. Can you do that? Can you stand up and come with me?" I spoke like I was talking to a three year old, and it worked. Mom stood up slowly. "Just stay behind me." Dumbly, she nodded.

I led my mother through the door and ran down the hall. She ran surprisingly fast, keeping up with me. I took us through the turns that Naomi had told me. 

As I neared the cave entrance, I saw Naomi waiting just outside. When we were twenty feet away, she jabbed down on her button to remove the invisible screen, and we raced under it. The moment Mom was under, Naomi removed her hand, but she still looked worriedly into the compound. 

"What is it?" I asked. 

"Gabe and Augusta should have been out by now, but they aren't."

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Author's Note: Another short chapter. The next couple should be a lot longer. Hope you enjoyed!



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