Feather Dark

Chapter 5

Keira

When I rose up lazily through several layers of consciousness, I became aware of my surroundings in stages - and the result was confusing. The first thing I noticed were the soft sheets. Cocooning me, soft as a downy chick. I stretched languidly, enjoying the feel against my skin and not thinking much past that.

After a few minutes of sheet slithering, I realized there was a total lack of sound around me. Nothing. No traffic, no birds, no wind. Not even the sound of an air-conditioning unit hummed gently in the background.

Physically, I felt reasonable. Sleepy and vague, but nothing hurt. I wasn't sure how I was emotionally. Without really remembering, I was sure something unpleasant had happened, but I just wasn't prepared to recall it at that stage. Lying in limbo seemed like a good choice, at least for as long as I could stem my interest of where the hell I actually was.

Curiosity got the best of me. I opened my eyes.

The velvety sheets belonged to a king-sized bed, in the middle of what appeared to be a large hotel suite. Plush carpet peeped from beneath stylish furniture made from pale wood. A lounge suite in cream and a tall bookcase with dozens of books lining the shelves flanked two sides of the room. Beside me, an open door revealed a shiny bathroom, complete with spa bath and double-headed shower.

It could have almost been any upmarket hotel room in the world. It reminded me of the suite I'd shared with Leigh after our terrifying flight from the casino. I shivered at the recollection, partly from the terror of that day, but mostly from the memory of lying pressed against Leigh all night.

But there was a glaring difference between that suite and this one: mine had no windows and the door had no handle. It was an elegant prison cell.

Every wall was lined with enormous mirrors as large as windows, and I knew without being told they were made of two-way glass. Some of them were framed by embossed curtains, in someone's attempt at camouflaging their blatant weirdness. My dishevelled appearance stared back at me from the mirror across from my bed, and she looked just as freaked out as I felt.

My head was clear though; I vividly remembered the three suited men in my apartment, blood on the floor and the helpless terror of the needle. Wondering how terrified I should be, I looked at the facts. I was alive, I was unharmed and someone had taken great expense to give me a comfortable jail. Having a total mental breakdown wouldn't help until I knew what was going on.

I contemplated my next move. At least waking up in a strange place wasn't exactly new for me. Spotting a cushy robe on the chair next to the bed, I thought about a bathroom break to get out of the sleep shorts and tank I'd been abducted in. The sweeping mirror inside the bathroom stopped me. No freaking way. I wasn't getting undressed until I knew who or what was watching me on the other side.

"Hello?" I called out, trying to sound brave. "I'm awake! You officially have my attention!"

The knobless door swished open and an older lady in a white lab coat strode in. Without preamble, she said, "Good," in a cultured tone. "Let's begin then." She turned and marched out before I even had a chance to get a good look at her. It was clear I was meant to follow, so I did.

Outside my door, an ordinary corridor snaked away, carpeted and nondescript. I counted at least a dozen unmarked doors as I trailed along behind lab-coat lady. She didn't even turn back to check that I had followed, and I noticed she had a slight hump along her spine. Maybe she's older than I thought...

When she turned and entered a doorway, I paused. Inside, I watched my silver-haired host sit in a swivel chair at the head of a board table. She steepled her fingers and smiled pleasantly at me. "Come and sit down, Keira. I won't bite."