Echoes

Chapter 5

I really wished they had let me keep my backpack, but I don't know why I was under the impression they wouldn't take it. The group of men led me over to the cages against the wall, while their leader unlocked one just for me. They tossed me in and I fell onto the cold metal floor, my hands still shackled and unable to break my fall. I sat myself up and watched them shut the door and lock it. When they seemed a good enough distance away, I scooted to the back of the cage, out of view. I stared down at my hands and concentrated. Slowly, I wiggled my hands until they couldn't go any further out of the shackles. Then in one swift yank, I pulled them out, scraping the skin right off my hands. Someone stifled a screamed in the cage next to mine.

My neighbor was the strangest person I'd ever seen. Her skin was the color of ash and her waist length hair was only a slightly darker shade of grey. Her lips were black and she had a strange tattoo under her left eye, like a crescent moon with three spikes protruding from it. The only thing not monochromatic about her was her aqua eyes. She wore a dark green scarf wrapped around her chest and a tattered skirt. Her eyes were wide.

I stared at her, my skin slowly crawling back over my mangled hands. She covered her mouth with her hands. Once my skin was back to normal, she took her hands off of her face.

"That was terrifying!" She whispered in a squeaky voice. "How did you do that?"

I shrugged. "I wish I knew," I said, rubbing my hands.

"I've never seen anyone do that before," she said, her eyes still wide.

"No one?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No, at least not where I'm from."

"And that is...where?"

"Tenai'i. I'm from Auni'la," she said proudly, but I could see doubt in her eyes.

"The islands? What brings you all the way in here?" I probed.

She stared at the floor of her cage, her eyes darting back and forth. "Uh, kind of a long story," she answered in her high pitched voice.

I decided not to ask any more questions. She seemed nice, but I wasn't about to go poking my nose anywhere it didn't belong. I sat in silence for a while, trying to come up with the end of my plan. I didn't tell Josh because I knew he would have never agreed to help, but my escape plan wasn't exactly complete. I noticed the grey girl trying to get my attention.

"I'm Pix," she said, trying to extend her shackled hand for a handshake.

I smiled and stuck my arm out so she could reach me. "Nisa," I said shaking her hand.

"And I'm Gavie," a gruff voice said from two cages down.

"Oh, quiet Gavie, no one asked you," Pix snapped.

Down the way, a barrel chested man crouched in his cage in an attempt to stand up. His bright orange hair was pulled up into a frizzy ponytail and matched the spray of rust colored freckles across his face. His mossy eyes looked wild and he had a scar running down his jaw.

"Pix, I can make friends with whoever I want," he retorted back.

Pix rolled her eyes. Gavie, on the other hand raised an eyebrow and pointed at my unbound hands.

"Gavie, you should have seen what she did. It was horrifying, but also amazing!" Pix babbled. I smiled meekly.

He shrugged. "Unless she can get us out of these cages, it can't be that amazing."

"Ignore him," Pix said shooting Gavie a dirty look. "He's still cranky cus they took his boat when he was sailing too close to Alvion."

"Stole my boat! They didn't take it, they stole it and then locked me up!" Gavie ranted.