Unspoken

Chapter 9

A soft scent wakes me--lilies, roses, jasmine, lilac; every flower my mother loved through her short days. When the weather had allowed, she spent every spare hour she had in her garden. I'd help her as often as I could. I can still feel the breeze on my skin. The memory is so old I struggle to make out details. Her face is almost unidentifiable now, but her laugh as we worked and played around is still strong. I will never lose her voice.

This flash of memory might be the greatest gift I've had in a long time.

As the recollection fades, another feeling takes its place. Pain shoots through my head and torso. I groan sharply and clench my fists tightly. I can feel dried blood caked on my skin, feel where it makes my clothes cling tighter than they normally should.

"You're finally awake."

Though it hurts, I'm able to pry my eyelids apart. I'm able to adjust to the dim lighting of the room quickly. A girl who can't be much younger than myself sits beside me. Her face is small and round, housing blue eyes and a slim mouth. Her blonde hair cascades down her back. She sheds her own light on the room; she's a sun, a fire.

I can't tear my eyes away from her.

Hers meet mine and stay there. Rounds of questions and emotions pass through them. I'm so shocked for a moment that I can't read them; this girl hasn't always been a Free Speak. She was once in the Movement, too.

Another face enters my line of sight: Xander. He crouches beside the girl. There's a deep, purple shadow under his right eye and the lid is swollen. Though he is obviously hurt, he still maintains a smile.

I try to sit up. My head starts to pound where I've been hurt. I hold in the urge to cry out--a sound that would be harsh enough to register as a word.

"Do we have anything for that?" The girl asks as I bring my head back to the ground. Her fingers touch my face in a tender spot where my head had hit the ground. I breathe sharply and the fingers retract immediately.

"Yeah." He digs in his pocket and pulls out a small plastic bag containing a green capsule. "Jeremii gave me this pill when I ran up to see him." He pulls the pill out of the bag and holds it toward me. "You need this to help with the pain."

I grab the pill from him and bring it to my mouth. I've never been needy enough for Painkilling Transmitters, much less a foreign pill--I've never experienced an injury like this before. The worst I've ever had was when I sprained my wrist as a child. Even that had been minor.

"Just put it in your mouth like food. You can't chew it, though," Xander says. I follow his instructions. I can feel the capsule travel to my stomach. I'm disappointed when the pain doesn't immediately disappear. Like the food and unlike the Transmitters, it must be a longer process.

Though I'm in pain, I slowly work to sit upright. I point to Xander's eye. My elbow is incredibly sore; it pulses with each beat of my heart. There's a large bruise around my elbow, deep like night.

"Brody nailed me when I tried to get him off you." He cringes in pain as he tries to smile wider. If this is what Brody had done to him, I can't imagine what I might look like after a much more severe beating.

The girl, who's been very silent up to now, stands. Her eyes are on the watch she has around her right wrist. "If we want lunch we need to get there now. They stop serving in ten minutes."

"You ready to get out of this room?" Xander asks. He looks excited enough for the both of us. I can see his fatigue behind his bruises.

I nod. I'm ready to see more than black walls.

I'm ready to see how the Free-Speaks live.

--

A/N:

Slowly but surely, we're moving forward! And now you guys have met Baya. She's one of my favorites! You'll get to see some more of her as time goes on. 

I'm sorry this was a short chapter, but it's a great little filler! Another update will arrive on Tuesday! Don't forget to vote or leave a comment! I love all of your feedback!

Until next time,

Alisha