A Witch's Way

Chapter 23

Serena heard the door click open like it had for the past week now, and someone slid her a metal tray with the meager, disgusting glop they called food.

"Serena, come on. Look at me. I had to or Lillith would be killed," Garrett pleaded, hands on the metal bars.

Serena grabbed at the tray and ate the food slowly, trying not to gag at whatever this food was made out of. She refused to even bat an eye at him. Serena heard Garrett's heavy footsteps leave and the door clicked shut again, leaving her in the room.

The person on the other side might've been dead. Serena didn't even know. They hadn't eaten any of the food Garrett had been sliding in, not that it seemed like he even cared. Every day, for a week--at least Serena thought it had been a week. She didn't know. It could've been two weeks or even a few days. They came in, gave them the food, and left.

Occasionally, Garrett tried to converse with her--but she ignored him. She refused to speak with him, because everything that he'd done, and including betraying Lillith and Melanie, she couldn't stand him anymore.

She didn't know if Ian or Stella or any of the others were even okay. She didn't know anything, now that she thought about it. She didn't know if Lillith, Melanie, and Lyra were okay, or Jasper. She didn't know if she would get out of this alive. She didn't know if she would ever get to see Rosemary again, or Ian, or Stella.

She didn't know anything, and that scared her. She stared at the ground and sighed, putting her forehead on her knees, her arms awkwardly circled around her legs. She could still use her arms, but it was hard using her hands. She had to bend them in uncomfortable positions to even eat, as a result from the chains that chafed at her wrists at each movement she made.

Serena felt something tickling her, and her first instinct was to swat it off--only to realize that she couldn't. She struggled and flopped onto her side, now stuck in that awkward, curled position. Great.

Something green flashed at the corner of Serena's eye and she twisted her head to see it was a vine. A vine? How? It couldn't be hers, could it?

"What?" she whispered, watching it twist into the ground. Is someone in here with her? She kicked out her legs, freeing her arms and sat up, peering out into the other cell. "Hello?"

No response.

Serena tried to focus on the ground and once again, a vine pushed through the stones and up into the muggy air. She stared at it in shock. Had Fran given her the wrong kind of cuffs? Or was it Garrett's doing?

The door clicked open again and Serena hurriedly made the vine disappear, watching Garrett walk into the room. Why was he in here? He made a beeline for Serena and she dropped her head.

"Jasmine wants to see you. Come on," Garrett snapped toward Serena.

She stood up and looked to the side of his hip, keys jingling on his belt loop. She could grab them and run--but then what? She watched him unlock the cell and she stepped out, making a decision.

Garrett started to walk before stopping. "Serena? Come on--"

Serena created a vine and wrapped it around his waist. He widened his eyes, putting up his hands. "Wai--"

Serena threw him against the back wall, and he slumped down, knocked out. She scrambled over to him and yanked the keys off his belt, trying them rapidly before she would get caught. A click and the restraints fall off onto the floor with a clatter. She winced and froze, watching the door.

As the time passed and no one came inside to investigate the noise, she rubbed at her wrists and hurried down the hallway. Where was the hallway that Garrett had said to go down? She turned at random and her heart stopped.