WHITE OAK

Chapter 16

Mia:
Suddenly I felt very dizzy and tired. I could take a nap right here in the road. I don't think anyone will bother me. If they try the man with the stick can tell the not to. He looks like a respectable guy (accept for the creepiness and the fact that he sorta looked a bit like a hobo)
I wake up in a daze. Its very dark and something feels wrong. How could I have slept through the whole day is it already that dark outside. My car seat is also very uncomfortable and I try to turn on the interior light but my hand wont move upwards its like it just wont work anymore. I try my other hand and the same thing happens in a slight state of panick I try my legs and they won't work either. How could this have happened am I dead or just paralyzed? That is when I hear a deep laugh. A door in front of me swings open flooding the room in light and I see that I'm no longer in my car as I originally thought but in a dark steel room I'm sitting on an old car seat (probably just to confuse me.) In the door stands the same man with the creepy stick but he no longer looks old and dirty but he looks middle aged and he is in a crisp clean suit. I feel fear creeping up into my stomach as I look into the mans eyes. "Please sir my mom doesn't have any money and I don't think I have any rich relatives either they can't pay ransom" I pleaded with the man. He only looked at me with a confused look on his face. "Do I look like I need your ransom darling. I won't get much for you anyway you're not much of a looker." He sneered. Wow that surprisingly hurt my feeling damn man could you have some tact.
But he was right he didn't look like he needed any money but why did he want me then. Maybe for human trafficking! Oh no! Oh no! No no no no! This couldn't be happening this kind of thing only happened in the big cities with the dumb girls that walked alone at night or went home with some stranger but I was raised properly I knew how to look after myself! This is not the time to be panicking Mia I scolded myself silently. I think the man saw the turmoil on my face as he gave another low laugh. I told you I wouldn't get much for you so I'm not going to sell you either. At that my heart gave a leap of gratitude for this man. But he was still the man that kidnapped me so what does he want? I asked him that hesitantly and he gave me yet another low laugh (could this man stop laughing at me damn! I am a grown girl not some kid he can patronise all he wants.) Oh darling I'm going to bring out the best in you (could he stop calling me darling! And what does he mean by best that doesn't sound good) I sat there quietly trying to just please move my limbs he didn't even tie me up. Did he do this to me? I wouldn't be surprised but what the fuck man? He saw that I was struggling but only smiled this time. "Don't worry darling it is only temporary but don't bother trying to move it will only distract you from the big plan. At this point I was so pissed that I yelled at him and asked what the big plan was? He only looked at me and closed the door.

As soon as he left blue lights came on flooding the empty room in an eerie light. Then came the cold. Cold air came bellowing out of vents I didn't notice before and in a matter of seconds I was freezing. My tank top was not much to keep in any heat. I was very happy I had Uggs though as my feet got cold much later than the rest of my body. I've never been this cold before. The coldest weather I've ever had was on a snow day once when I was six. I was playing in the snow and suddenly the temperature just dropped! I couldn't find my mom and didn't know my way back home from the park. I must have walked alone in the snow for hours. My mom said it was only like fifty minutes but I was freezing. This was much worse. I could feel all the heat leaving my body. My breath left my lungs in icy tufts. I couldn't focus on the cold right now I had to get my legs to move so that I could escape this place. He didn't even lock the door. How confident was he that this paralysis was going to last. It made me worry a bit but I am stronger than this and I can beat this. I focused all my strength into moving only my pinkie toe. Its a start isn't it. It didn't work though. I tried and tried for hours but nothing would work.

There was suddenly a bel and I could move my limbs again I jumped up and ran for the door but there was already someone on the other side waiting. They shoved me back into the room and gently put a tray of food in front of me. Before I could get up and try again they closed the door and this time locked it. I looked at the food suspiciously and that is when an intercom sounded through the room. "Come now Mia you must eat I assure you if I wanted to kill you I wouldn't do it with poison and I would have probably done it by now." Said a male voice. I still wasn't convinced. "We will turn up the heat if you eat Mia" said the same voice over the intercom. I slowly picked up the fork and ate a chip. It didn't taste half bad and immediately the cold was gone. I finished the hamburger and fries. At this point I was so thirsty because I haven't had anything to drink since yesterday afternoon. I didn't want to push it though. The intercom sounded again "Mia could you please take your seat again so that the next test can begin." I didn't want to sit in that uncomfortable chair again and I stayed right where I was on the floor. "If you insist Mia." Said the voice. I could suddenly not feel my legs again and I felt myself slipping onto the floor. "Do not worry Mia we didn't poison your food, the toxins that we gave you earlier is on a timed release so that you can have time to move around for lunch and such." Said the voice. I didn't have time to process this as all of a sudden scorching hot air came flowing into the room through the vents. Luckily it's not cold I thought.
I spoke too soon within a few hours (I could see on the digital clock mounted on the wall) I was longing for the cold of this morning. I should have said something about my thirst as it had gotten much worse now and my mouth felt like sandpaper. Always when people talk about being in a desert in books and movies I laughed I mean what could be so bad about a little heat? I love the sun. But now I understood as I lie here in the floor it is awful. You can't think of anything but the blistering heat you are facing right now. I lied there for hours trying to move only one toe and when that didn't work I moved on to my fingers. Not much luck there either.
At about midnight I couldn't take it anymore the blue light had changed to orange when the temperatures changed and it hadn't faded out as the hours ticked by slowly. I couldn't sleep and I couldn't breathe. I was so thirsty that it felt like the inside of my throat was sticking together. At twenty past midnight the bell chimed again and I could feel my legs again. The door opened and the man in the suit was back. He looked at me irritably and handed me a bottle of water witch I finished in two seconds flat. Then he handed me a bottle of orange juice that I dank a little slower but still finished of before he started talking.
"Do you know what these tests are for darling?" he asked me. I got so mad I almost punched him. Why does he insist on calling me darling? All I said was "no" in a muted voice. I was too tired to care anyway. Maybe just to torture me for some sick reason. "Well my darling. Most leshies manifest on their own but some just need a little push you see. Extreme conditions sometimes bring out dormant genes in some people. That is why there are so many on the equator and on the poles." He said in a knowing voice. At least he knew what he was talking about because I had no idea. He continued without missing a beat "As your ancestors were leshies we assumed that you also are a lesie as it is a very dominant gene. In your case it is also a very stubborn gene and we will sadly have to put you through a few more tests." At that I sprang up and ran for it but he only shoved me back into the room. I couldn't handle any more of these tests what more could they do to me. I was terrified. This man is crazy all this talk about lesies and the equator he had to be crazy. He only looked at me and told me that he would advise me to sit in my chair for the next test. I didn't know what it was but I knew that I didn't want to lie down on the cold hard floor for hours and hours again. So I went and silently sat on my chair like a good girl plotting my escape.

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Hey guys I'm so sorry I haven't updated in forever but I've been so busy with school and exams lately that I just forgot to write. I know it is terrible. If and of you are still reading please give me you opinion in the comments (behalwe jy Stefan)

Lots love love
Johannie