The Witness

Chapter VII

I wake up in a bed in the corner of the room, my wrists and ankles tied to the bedposts. What happened? Why am I here? There's a note taped to my left hand. I turn my head to look at it.
I'll be back soon. If you don't admit I'm your mother by then, I'll do something worse than what I just did.
Olivia
Suddenly, everything comes rushing back to me. Being backed up against the wall. Olivia's cold hand against my forehead. The cool of the wall seeking onto my head. My head starts throbbing in remembrance. Maybe I have a concussion... oh, gosh. I hope not. What's she going to do to me next? I can't even begin to imagine it. Maybe... maybe I could call Olivia my mother, just to get out of it? I mean, I would be lying it wouldn't be bad... right? No. No, I won't disgrace my mother, my real mother, like that. Because that is my mother. The one who's loved and nurtured me since I showed up on her doorstep (if Olivia's story is true). The one who's raised me to the young woman I am today. Not the one who's kidnapped me, held me prisoner, slammed my head against a wall, and tied me to a bed. I hear a click as the door opens and Olivia pops her head through the doorway.
"Are you ready to admit that I'm your mother, and not that poor excuse for a woman?" How dare Olivia speak about my mother that way! I respond with silence. Maybe she'll get frustrated and go away. "Hmm, your choice," she continues, heading towards my bed, pulling a dagger from behind her back. man, she loves that dagger. "I'll just do this..." Before I have a chance to react, she plunges the dagger into the forearm of my left arm, and drags it upwards, towards my shoulder. The cool of the metal blade mixes with the warmth of my skin. The thick cherry redness flows slowly down my arm, pooling on the mattress beside me. My am tenses, then relaxes, then tenses again as oxygen hits the fresh cut. I want to scream. I want to cry. But I won't give Olivia that satisfaction. I grunt as silent tears fall down my face. The blade gets shallower as it gets higher up my arm, until it's not in my skin at all - but the pain doesn't reside. If anything, it just gets worse, without the blade blocking the oxygen. My arm throbs in tune with my head, reminding me of the night before. Olivia stands up, satisfied with her work.
"Are you going to admit it yet?" she says innocently, watching my distraught form withering on the bed below her. Throughout all the pain, I manage to, slowly, shake my head, to which she turns away. "Guess I'll just come back tomorrow, then," she says in that same tone, making me want to strangle her... if i wasn't struggling enough myself.
As she's about to leave the room, I gather my strength enough to call out, "Wait." She turns around, foot in the door, as I continue. "Why... why are you doing this t... to me?" I force out between gasps. "Why don't you just kill me? Wouldn't... wouldn't that be easier?" To my surprise, Olivia chuckles as she steps back into the room, letting the door close behind her.
"You're not the brightest, are you?" I get my tear-filled eyes to focus on the thin figure heading back towards me, and wonder how good it would feel to wrap my fingers around this sorry excuse for a woman's neck and squeeze. "You can't just kill royalty, now can you?" Royalty? Me? Huh? "Oh, goodness. Don't tell me you didn't catch on yet? I'm a queen, and you're my daughter-"
"Biological daughter," I cut in.
"Um, yes... biological," Olivia says, as if I just swore at her. "Maple, who's the daughter of a queen?" Suddenly, everything falls into place. Why I was in the fanciest jumpsuit. Why my hair was perfectly gelled back. Why my feet were rubbed in oil. I'm... a princess. Of an unknown island that keeps innocent people prisoner, sure. but, a princess.
"But... my guard said the only reason I was alive was because of you," I counter.
"John likes to scare prisoners," Olivia says with a chuckle.
"Princess or not, I will never call you my mother," I snarl, and by Olivia's face mirroring mine, I can tell she doesn't like the change of topic.
"You know," she says through gritted teeth, "I was going to bring you an apple-" my stomach growls at the thought of food- "but I guess I'll just let you starve!" Just as she's about to leave the room for good, an alarm blares.
"INTRUDER. INTRUDER." a monochromatic voice booms from the speakers.
"Shit," Olivia mutters under her breath, rushing to my side. She clips something metal around my neck, before unchaining me from the bed. "We're going to go for a little walk," she says with forced calm in her voice, working at my bonds. "You call out, try to run away, and I'll activate an electric current that runs through the metal. It'll shock you enough to freeze your body." Olivia starts working more frantically as the alarm blares louder. "You'll be able to see, breath, and hear, but you won't be able to move your body." She finishes undoing my bonds and helps me up. "Do you understand?" Once I nod, she grabs my arm and pulls me towards the door. What's happening? Why am I being moved? Who's the intruder? And... did they come for me?