Glass

Trust

"Kanna."

I turn around to see a short, black-haired woman standing behind me.

"My name is Vanessa. I'm the one who's been talking to you through your communications device."

I frown and backpedal, holding out my hands as a warning. "I don't trust you."

"I wouldn't expect you to." Her brown eyes seem cold and calculating. She stands there, arms at her sides, unmoving.

"Then why are you here?"

"Because this is the only time I have with you face to face."

"What the hell does that even mean? Where am I?" I whirl around, looking at the space around me. Everything is white. It doesn't even seem like I'm inside of a room, it's just an empty space with no floor or walls or ceiling. My hands start to shake. I ball them into fists and press my fingernails into my palms. Stay focused.

"You're in the in-between. Limbo, you might call it."

"Limbo?! What kind of crap are you trying to pull?"

"Listen to me, Kanna! You died!"

I stop. My hands go loose, and my eyes widen. "What?"

"You're dead. Those creatures killed you." Vanessa's eyes soften with pity.

"You're crazy!"

"You remember it, I know you do."

Crack.

Rotted teeth snap over my head, sinking into my neck.

"No, no I don't! You're lying!" I shake the images out of my mind.

"Look, we don't have time to argue about this. You can't trust that boy."

"Why not? Why should I believe anything you say?!"

"Because, he's..."

And suddenly, Vanessa is gone, and the white space disappears.

I'm inside the hallway, outside of the Glass room.

Lu is holding me and shaking me. "Kanna! Wake up! Wake up! Please, please wake up!" His eyes are squeezed shut. A tear falls out of one of them and lands on my cheek.

"Lu." I say softly.

He opens his eyes and stares at me in disbelief. "You're... you're alive."

I nod, slowly.

"But... how?"

"I don't know."

We sit there in silence for a long time, him holding me on the floor. And the whole time, I couldn't help but think about Vanessa's words.

You're dead. Those creatures killed you.

And some part of me knows that what she says is true.

⧫ ⧫ ⧫

"...and then she told me not to trust you. Again."

"She did, huh?" Lu is sitting next to me on the floor, staring at his hands and listening intently.

I nod, even though I know he isn't looking at me. "Yeah."

Lu is quiet for a moment. Then, he turns to me and grabs my shoulders, looking directly into my eyes. "Kanna, I have to tell you something."

I feel heat rising to my cheeks. "Wha... what?"

He bites his lip, looks away, and then looks back into my eyes. "She put us in here."

I stare at him. "What?"

"That witch is the mastermind behind this whole thing. She's the reason why any of us ended up in this hell, and you CANNOT trust her or anything she says! Do you understand me?"

"Why didn't you tell me that earlier?" I shout, standing up and looking down at him.

"Because you doubted me. You didn't know whether or not to believe me or them. But after all we've been through, you have to trust me. That woman wants nothing but your suffering!"

I think for a moment, then slowly nod. "Okay. I trust you." I stand up and pull the speaker out of my pocket. Somehow, through everything that's happened, it's managed to stay in there. I drop it on the ground.

And then I crush it with my foot. I feel it crunch underneath me, and the connection I've had with Vanessa is gone. I look up to see Lu grinning at me.

"You trust me that much, huh?"

I nod. "You've saved my life more times than I can count. Why wouldn't I?"

"That's good. I trust you too."

Author's Note:

Thank you so much for reading! I've gotta give a quick shout out to Leshae51304 , she's been making me feel super awesome by being so supportive! Go check out her two books, they're amazing!!!

Please vote and comment, it means a lot to me! What do you think about Kanna's choice? Should she have cut that connection with Vanessa?