One Tortured Soul

Chapter Fourteen

After traveling for another hour, the group, mainly Kyle, opted for a rest. We had just reached a small town right on the edge of Davenport according to our guide, and he said that we would be able to find some food at a local restaurant. To that, all the group readily agreed. I was anxious to get to the base, but I knew I wouldn't be able to help my kids much if I was starving when we arrive.

We piled inside a quant sized cafe that was bustling at this hour. As the savory smell of food hit me, I breathed deeply. It had been a very long time since I had had a well prepared meal.

Waitress scurried by us, some carrying menus while other had their hands full of dishes both empty and full. I noticed Kyle's eyes follow a particular waitress as she carried a whole tray of steaming food by. I swallowed.

Our guide, who had recently introduced himself as Jeff, stepped to the front of our group and spoke to the hostess. "We have a reservation," he said, smiling casually.

The hostess, a young woman with long, silver earrings smiled back. "Name?" She inquired.

"We go by the name of Phoenix," he told her, his voice lowering ever so slightly.

A flash of acknowledge flickered in the hostess' eyes, then disappeared. She nodded, maintaining her easy smile. "Of course. Follow me, please."

She led us past the main table and around into a room that had a sign on it, saying "RESERVED." The room was completely cut off from the main part of the restaurant, with blinds covering the few windows to the outside and other part of the restaurant.

Jeff ushered the group inside, but I hesitated. I had assumed we were getting something to eat...

Jeff noticed my hesitation. "Don't worry, they know us. We can talk in private here while we eat."

I nodded shortly, but didn't completely distinguish my doubt. I had to keep in mind that I barely knew him, or these kids. These could easily turn bad.

Inside the room were several rectangular tables lined up together with restaurants chairs tucked neatly around them.

Once we had taken out seats, the hostess made sure everyone was seated before she left with the promise to send a waitress our way. The door clicked shut softly, muffling the noise of the restaurant. It was surprisingly quiet in the room.

Jeff leaned back in his chair and placed his arms behind his head. He grinned. "Not too bad, eh?"

Kyle enthusiastically agreed, but the rest of us remained quiet.

When the door opened again,  a different person entered. It was an older woman with greying hair tucked into a wispy bun. She had pad and pen in her hands. "Hey, Jeff," she greeted our guide, going over to stand near him. I was on the opposite side of the tables, along with Celest and Axel. Kyle was seated to the left of Jeff.

"Hey, Kate. How's it going?" Jeff grinned up at the lady mischievously. "Any more pesky customers?"

It must have been a running joke between them because the lady, Kate, grinned even wider, the skin crinkling around her eyes. She rolled her eyes, but I could tell she wasn't at all annoyed. "Only you," she shot back.

Jeff chuckled. "Touché."

"Alright, what can I get you all tonight?" Kate asked, turning to look at each of us in turn.

[]

Later, once we all had our food, Jeff began to explain some things in between mouthfuls. I eagerly dug into my plate of ribs and baked potato fries. Tangy and spicy flavors filled my mouth and I almost groaned. It was so good.

"So," Jeff started after swallowing a large mouthful of French fries. "I'm sure you guys are curious about a lot of things." At this, everyone perked up considerably, focusing on Jeff. "But like I said before, I'm not authorized to tell you really anything."

"Then why did we get his special room?" Axel put in.

I wiped my mouth with my napkin and sat back slightly. A weird feeling had started to grow in my stomach, like something didn't sit right. I tried not to focus in on it too much.

Jeff didn't answer right away. He took another large bite of his steak burger and chewed slowly.

Celest stopped eating completely. "My friend asked you a question," she said; her voice low and serious.

Jeff still didn't make any movements to hurry his pace and only once he was completely done chewing, did he answer. He shrugged. "No worries, guys. I said I'd take you to the FFA, and I will."

Another pang in my stomach. I pressed my hand against it. I glanced over at Celest who was right next to me and blinked, finding my vision slightly blurry. I blinked several more times, and it cleared slightly. Celest had a weird look on her face.

I looked to Axel and Kyle to see they both looked uncomfortable and sort of dazed.

"What... ugh," Axel groaned and crossed his arms over his stomach.

Then it clicked. The private room. The special code word. The friendly waitress.

I brought my hazy eyes down to my food, no longer hungry.

"You--you poisoned us?" Celest shuttered, struggling to stay seated. I leaned my elbows on the table, feeling ill.

"No," Jeff's voice faded in and out like someone was messing with the volume in my head. "...can't have you knowing the way... just sleep... don't worry..."

I couldn't hold my head up anymore. It felt like it weighed more than a ton of bricks. My whole body felt heavy like I was under water. I succumbed to the pressure, and closed my heavy eyelids.

Hey everyone! Hope you enjoyed that little chapter. Sorry it's shorter than I normally do. I kinda rushed it a bit because my life is a little hectic. I'm in the middle of doing NaNoWriMo (yay! 8432 words in!) and school and work and I am running out of time. But still, I wanted to update for you all.

If you enjoyed, then feel free to vote or leave a comment! Thanks again :)

Ithildae