sophie.

Chapter 12

JULY 27TH, 3750 

It was five minutes to noon, and Hendrickson led me to the back room to tie me up. I wasn't complaining, which might've come off as odd to them, but I didn't see any reason to act otherwise. Whatever exchange was meant to occur between Adrien and Daemon was not my problem, but it was simple enough to assume that I was returning to where I belonged one way or another. In the study, Hendrickson asked me to sit down in the chair and I did so without complaint. He sighed as he went behind me, and was trying to make sure my arms were comfortably tied, considering that the last time I wore them, the redness around my wrists didn't disappear for over an hour. What I immediately noticed while he did this was that his knotting skills were far less superior to whoever had done them the first time, and I considered this observation a good thing. Maybe, if all else failed, I could slip out of the knot and escape out the window?

"Sorry about what I did to your friend," he apologized. He seemed pretty genuine about it, too. Should've known he was; every time we previously exchanged glances, he always had a touch of sympathy in his expression.

"As long as he's fine, you have nothing to worry about," I said. I didn't think he deserved my forgiveness yet; until I saw Sawyer up and moving, Hendrickson would be left on the fence. 

"I was just doing my job," he said, then came around, into my line of vision, and sat in the chair opposite of my own. "I didn't want to hurt the guy." And whatever notion I possessed that felt sympathy for him, was momentarily blocked.

"Just shut up and put the sack over my head. I don't want to look at you right now," I spat. He didn't look any more hurt than before, and quickly obeyed, picking up the burlap which sat near Daemon's manual and putting it over my head.

It must've been very close to noon, because Bones called Hendrickson back into the main room, and the study was locked behind him. Worse off, I think it was by key. And unless Adrien knew how to break down doors, then I was stuck here, and Adrien was stuck obeying whatever needs or demands Daemon had for him until I was released. And by the outcome of my last encounter with Daemon in the kitchen, I had no qualms about Adrien disobeying Daemon's ulterior motives. Because while it might've been the truth, about his wife and daughter, the noble desire to help them was shrouded by his ability to create an atmosphere so sinister, looking him in the eye had felt impossible. And that two-faced objective of his was what kept me on end, and kept my brain muddled from the truth.

The clock that rested over the mantle of the fireplace in the next room rang loudly, indicating that noon had finally come. And by that same sound, I heard something different, something slightly familiar: carousel music! Someone had just traveled to the conspirator's den, and by the sounds that followed, they were talking. But I couldn't hear what they were saying; with the door shut and all, their voices were muffled to the point of gibberish. But that didn't stop me from hearing the inflection in their voices, the rises and falls of excitement or seriousness, and three minutes into their talk, one voice rose in volume, and the opposing did as well,  and it was then that I remembered Hendrickson's loose knots.

The voice that I presumed to be Daemon's, the likes to which were quite loud, had a quality of controlled flatness interred within it, which led me to believe that neither him or Adrien were at their wits end just yet, and as such, I had time to try and escape. With the thumb and forefinger of my right hand, I felt around as best I could for any sort of loosened piece of rope, and for a despairing moment, I couldn't feel anything. My breath caught in my throat and stayed there as I felt around for a means to escape, but there were none, and I let out a terrible exhale in defeat.

But then there was the window.

I didn't notice it at first, what with the voices in the other room taking most of my attention, but the sound of the window rising caught me off guard, and in the quietest voice that I could muster, I whispered, "Who's there?" and was met with a beat of silence.