Eadlyn Selects

What Scares Me

After a long span of time, Hale returns. It's impossible to judge how much time is passing. The light never falters, my body is a mess, my eyes strain, and my throat is raw. I feel like I've been up for days straight. If this is a torture technique, it's working.

Hale, on the other hand, looks strong and well rested. He wears the same roughhewn clothes but they are clean. He throws another brown bag at me. I ignore it even though my stomach rumbles loudly.

Somehow through chattering teeth I manage to say, "Kadan will lead with me gone. You are doing this for nothing. You can't take all of us!" I immediately regret saying that. It's like a dare.

"Oh, I don't intend to." Hale makes himself comfortable on the stool. "As for your brother Kadan, he's a gem. He actually studies, leaves the castle grounds, talks to us. He is open minded where you are closed tight, like your legs..."

I gasp.

"Or so I thought." He arches a brow at me. I say nothing. "At least with you out of the picture we have a chance." He scratches between his shoulder blades, making his shirt strain against his muscular biceps. I could never overpower him. I'll have to outthink him. I'm hardly at my best.

He gives me a pitying look. "Play nice and I'll give you a chance to be a real person."

"I am a person!" I say angrily. "If you haven't noticed."

"I haven't." He stands. "I have some things to do. It'll be a long time before someone checks on you. Like I said, be good and I might let you out of here someday."

***

Despite the now four pieces of bread I have been given, I am weak and dizzy with hunger and fatigue whenever I try to stand up. Still, I try to build my strength in case I have a chance to make a break for it. I'm practicing scooting my back up the wall in order to stand when the door opens. I'd guess it has been twelve hours since Hale was here.

But it is not Hale who walks in.

"Neena!" I hiss, and slink back to the ground.

She gives me a cool, disdainful look. I barely recognize the demure young maid I once had. But it's her.

"You lying..." I begin.

She puts up a limp hand. "Oh, Eadlyn, that's a waste of your energy." She drops a large plastic bag on the floor. "Hale has made you his pet." She gives me a sly, narrow-eyed glance. "Be grateful. No one else has any use for you."

I am so filled with fury I cannot see straight. I rub my eyes and the room goes fuzzy. I lean my head back against the moldy wall and try to focus. I hear the door. When I regain clarity she is already gone. Did I hallucinate her?

No, the bag is on the floor. I open it and find men's jeans two sizes too big for me, a thermal undershirt, a long sleeve Henley, and thick wool socks. I pull it all on quickly. It's good to be in fresh clothing. Although it's scratchy and over large, it's clean.

In the bag are two more pieces of bread. I eat them carefully, hoping today I have a chance to see where I am. I believe what Hale said about Kile leaving the castle before I was taken. It makes sense because he was ignoring me and wouldn't want to see my engagement fanfare. It'll take him a long time to realize I am not in the castle mooning over Ean.

Kile is the one who would have a chance at guessing who took me since Hale tried to turn me against Kile after the invasion.

So it will be left to Ean, Kadan, and Dad to figure out who took me. Will they? Heath might have a clue. Eikko might be able to help. Ahren and Mom will come home. But without the populace looking for me, they will have no place to start.