Perspectives

Chapter 25

Sweat and tears mingled together on Piper's face. Were it not for the redness of her eyes, one might not be able to tell she was crying at all. Not that there was anyone there to see it. She was completely and utterly alone. 

Every muscle in her body felt weak, and pain throbbed in her head, her back and now her arm. She glanced down to her right forearm where a thin scratch two inches long was bubbling up with blood. Had her sleeve not been rolled up to her elbow, the spot would have been protected. The wound had been caused by a blade of grass. If that was what a single blade of grass could do, Piper was as good as dead. 

The overwhelming weight of the colossal world around her was too much. She was all alone, with no one is this god forsaken world who gave a shit about her. Obviously he didn't. There had been moments, brief as they were that she actually believed he might care even the slightest. But it had become clear to her how he really felt. She was nothing here, nothing but a tiny pest. 

Piper broke down in heavy sobbing, tears streaming down her cheeks in unending trails. Her shoulders heaved violently with each sob. She was only sixteen, hadn't even reached adulthood and here she sat--facing life and death. 

She didn't know how long she sat there sobbing, minutes or an hour, she would never know. But when the tears finally did cease, it felt to her as though she couldn't possibly cry a second more. The surge of emotion had left her feeling completely drained and exhausted. Now she just felt numb. 

Piper pushed herself up to her feet, ignoring the pain and exhaustion wracking her body. She had to move, she couldn't just stand there out the open as she was. The teleporter had said that it was taking them to a park, meaning there would be giants roaming around, not to mention gigantic animals that could potentially see her as a snack. She had to find some kind of cover.

Rubbing away the tears on her cheeks with the sleeve of her shirt, Piper turned around and began to walk. There was no point going the way he had left, even if she could manage to work the teleporter, she had nothing to go back to. All she could do right now was take on one day at time. 

It was an endless field of grass that she saw no end to around her, however she could see trees looming in the distance. Her best bet would be to get to one of them. Piper held her left hand over the scratch on her arm as she slowly picked her way through the forest of grass. 

After a while of walking, Piper found her path blocked by an ant the size of small dog. She couldn't even muster up the emotion to be startled by it when she saw it. But it was a strong reminder that she would also have to contend with the various insects that made their home in the park, and no doubt there would be some much bigger and aggressive than the ant. 

Making a detour around the ant, Piper continued her long trudge to the nearest tree. She could hear distant voices and she knew it would only be a matter of time before one came near her. If she didn't have anything to hide behind, she would almost certainly be spotted by the giants towering above. 

A half hour later, Piper fell against the trunk of the mountainous tree, her body spent and her feet like bricks. She counted the fact that she hadn't run into any giants along the way as the only sliver of luck she had received in days. 

There was a small crevice at the base of the tree that could serve as some cover, though it wasn't especially deep and wouldn't hide her completely if someone decided to look close enough. However, at that point Piper didn't have the energy to care. She crawled her way into the space, wedging herself as far back as possible before finally giving into the exhaustion weighing over her.

~

The look of betrayal of her face haunted his mind. He could still hear her pained shouts ringing in his ears. If he hadn't felt like a monster before, he did now. 

Natali stood waiting for him when he stepped out of the transporter unit. She eyed the small birdcage he had clutched in his hand questioningly but didn't mention it, instead gesturing towards the hallway as she informed him that his parents had returned along with the head of the council himself. 

Kalen stepped out into the hallway where his mother, father, and Lord Rothgard stood waiting for him. "What did you possibly need to get so urgently?" His mother asked, evening the harsh tone in her voice in the presence of Lord Rothgard. 

Kalen lifted his hand so as to display the golden birdcage. "I figured you would need something to transport the human in." He smoothly explained.

Rothgard gave a nod of understanding. "A good sentiment, however we came prepared." He told him, raising his arm to show off the strange device he held in his hand. The thing was clearly a kind of cage, but rather than having bars it was entirely solid on all sides, with a panel of buttons on one the sides. There was no doubt in Kalen's mind, it had been developed with the specific purpose of entrapping humans. "It's still a prototype, however I thought this occasion would be the perfect opportunity to test it." Rothgard explained with a slight smirk. 

"Oh, of course." Kalen responded with a bow of the head, before setting the birdcage down on a nearby side table. 

Lord Rothgard clasped his hands together in front of himself. "Now if you would, Mr. Stenton, I'd like to see that human now." Kalen gave a short nod before leading Rothgard and his parents up the stairs to his bedroom.

"So this is where you were keeping them." Kalen's father murmured as the group stepped into the room. "I never imagined that's what you were hiding." 

Kalen took in a long breath before gesturing to the top right drawer of his dresser. "That's where I've been keeping her." He announced. Rothgard turned to look at him with raised eyebrows, but said nothing. He made his way over to the dresser, Kalen's parents hovering behind him, all eager to get their first look at a human. 

He waited with bated breath as Rothgard slowly pulled open the drawer and then-- "Where are they?" Kalen's mother asked, confusion in her voice. Rothgard jerked the drawer all the way open and peered inside. 

"There's a hole in the back." Rothgard growled, pulling the drawer all the way out of the dresser and throwing it onto the bed. "It got out." 

Kalen's parents turned to look back at their son, eyes wide. "How is that possible?" His father demanded. 

Doing his best to look as panicked and shocked as possible, Kalen ran over to examine the drawer. "I-I don't know, she must have somehow broke through! I didn't think she'd be able to do that..." He stammered. 

"It can't have gotten far." Rothgard stated, pulling a telecommunicator earpiece out of the inner pocket of his jacket. He stuck the earpiece in his ear and gave the order for his office to be contacted. "I need a search team at the Stenton Estate in Caffren now. Bring full scanning equipment." Rothgard ordered into the earpiece.

Rothgard ended the call and turned to Kalen, disapproval written all over his face. "You assured me it was well contained." He said in a clipped tone. "I must say I am disappointed Kalen Stenton." 

"You have our greatest apologies." Kalen's mother replied, dipping down into a low bow. "We will do everything in our power to assist in the search." She promised. 

"Indeed. We can only hope that this human is found swiftly." Rothgard stated darkly. Kalen lowered his gaze, sure they would see the deception in his eyes, for if he had his way, they'd never see Piper in their lives.