Cloak and Dagger

Chapter 21

It's cold. I'm blind, but not blindfolded. It's the same blindness that comes from being in the dark, but all my other senses are kicking into high gear. I can feel Beyond, laughing at my misfortune. The cold, dense air is familiar to me - that's right, it's the same type of air that hangs in a garage. I'm tied up, tied to a wooden chair with zip-lock ties that I'm not strong enough to break, but I might be able to pull open if I get the angle right

And, there's Matt. I feel relief wash over me as I feel his presence. He's not hurt, either - I don't smell blood, I don't feel pain rolling off of him.

"Big sis?" Matt calls, breaking the silence with even that soft whisper.

"Yeah, sweetie?" I ask softly, frightened of disturbing the silence too much.

"I'm cold."

"Me too."

~~~~~

Plan, need a plan. Gotta figure out how to get us out of here, or we're having a bad time.

"Where are we?"

"I dunno, sweetie. But if I take a guess, I'd say an abandoned storage lot. We're in a garage."

"You can tell?"

"By the feel of air and the scent."

"You can recognise those things?"

"Yeah. I always pay attention to all my senses. I think it's part of my paranoia."

~~~~~

"Big sis?"

Stop calling me that, I'm not your sister. I've failed at being your big sister. I'm a failure - failure, screw-up, fucking mistake -

"What is it, sweetie?" I ask to cut that train of thought.

"Why did Mikami do this?"

"I dunno." I admit. "I wish I did."

~~~~~

"Oh my God."

"What is it, sweetie?"

"Did he do anything to you?" Matt asks suddenly, louder than anything we've said previous. "Anything? Did he hurt you, or, or did he..."

I realize what Matt's saying and cringe as it stirs up memories of that night.

"I don't think so. I'm not hurting at all." I tell him quietly. It's true, I'm not, but God knows whether or not something happened while I was passed out. I feel a little sick at the idea.

~~~~~

"He took all my gear." Matt says. "Like, he frisk searched us. I've got absolutely nothing."

"We'll get it back, pumpkin." I tell him.

"Is that a hair quip?"

"Heheh. That's right, honey. Keep lookin' up."

I've gotta keep his spirits up. If he's hurting, if he's scared, then I'm gonna lose it. Beyond is painful enough to deal with, but if Matt loses hope, I'm done for. I'll go mad.

~~~~~

The first hours of consciousness pass like that. Matt asking questions that I didn't have answers to, though I try to keep his spirits from falling as low as my own. Being tied to chairs in a sealed, dark room doesn't leave much room for cheer, but I do my best. For Matt's sake.

For my own sake.

Of course, there's one question we kept revisiting.

"Is anyone gonna come and get us?"