Catcher

Chapter 3

I know it's been ages since I updated but I really wasn't exaggerating when I said I wouldn't be working on this regularly! If you like this story then honestly I'm just going to apologize right now for being so inconsistent (both now and most likely in the future). If anybody is reading this then just know I'm super grateful and hope you're enjoying it! x

Ty had informed her numerous times as to how the great hall would be decorated, however what he had failed to mention to Cahira was the sheer number of people that would be present. The hallways outside of their living quarters had been scarce as they'd intentionally waited until the festivities of the Mist Drop had well begun before leaving.

After she'd agreed, Ty had hurried her into the shower. Hot mist filled the room, fogging up the mirrors and obscuring everything from her view. The water was scalding against her skin, however the sting of it was pleasurable – a reminder that the grime staining her body was being filtered away. She watched the dirt trail down the drain. It seemed too easy for years of pain to simply wash away. She scrubbed her face vigorously with a cloth until it was stained brown. Her fingernails were bitten down to the quick but all traces of dirt were scrubbed out of them. She was clean, bare, and raw.

While still wrapped in her scratchy – but to her, luxurious – towel, Ty helped apply the paint to her face, although he claimed to have added something to it to help it set more naturally. It was a kitchen supply she'd never heard of, so she decided to not question it. The mask he'd made her covered her eyes anyway, obscuring the abnormalities in her skin anyway, just as extra precaution. Her hair looked darker after being washed, as though despite it still being a light brown, it now lacked the dust that had caused it to appear grey. They brushed through it and even attempted to cut an inch or so off the bottom. It dried fairly straight and so they arranged it over her left shoulder to allow further cover for the side of her head.

The gold dress slipped on perfectly. It didn't stick tightly to her body, but rather hung loosely against her skin. She was certainly not overly tan, however her natural colour was highlighted by the shimmer of the gold. Still, she couldn't help but envy Ty of his skin. Each of his features were so crisp and fresh. Cahira, on the other hand, while her appearance looked radiant, could still feel the phantom layer of isolation clinging to her rising hairs.

She wore no shoes as they'd never had a need for elegant shoes for a young female and didn't want to draw suspicion. The concrete flooring on the walk to the hall was cold, however the familiar feeling was oddly comforting, the only thing she recognised from her seventeen years imprisoned. Her hand clung tightly to her brother's, who felt no excitement himself, only the excitement on his sister's behalf. For once, her own emotions felt stronger to her than those of other people. She was apprehensive, fearful, excited, thrilled and terrified. She felt like both skipping and running back home. But she couldn't. Home was not in her cell of a room. It was not surrounded by the smell of rot, it was here. Home was an emotion and that emotion was thrill. She felt the exhilaration of being out as well as the ecstasy of escape. Home was everywhere within her that had been locked away inside of her, just as she'd been locked away herself. Home was free.

Just before reaching where she assumed the doorways opened into the party, Ty tugged her arm and pulled her abruptly around a corner. Her back was to the solid wall and he gripped her shoulders, staring at her, concerned and wary. 'It's not too late, you know? If you don't want to do this we can-'

'I have to, Ty. If I go back now, I'll never know.' She gripped his hands and pulled them off her, holding them between them. 'It'll be okay, big bro.'
Together, they rounded the final corner. For some reason, she had expected guards and guns. She wasn't sure why, but the empty doorway surprised her. They walked through the door, faking confidence, so as not to draw attention to their immediate entrance. All thoughts of behaviour flew out of Cahira's mind the second she passed through the doors and into the space.
Her mind spun as she tried to take into account everything around her at once. Same as everywhere in the compound, the walls and flooring were concrete. From the ceiling, however, hung various lights shining varying colours throughout the black room. The mass of gyrating figures bundled together in the middle of the room like a swarm of ants each competing over a speck of sugar. Others – most either adults or children – littered about the edges of the large hall, drinking, laughing or simply watching their surroundings.
Cahira didn't notice herself getting pulled to the side with the tables until a drink was thrust in her hands. She looked at Ty, bewildered. He simply smiled and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead, ruffling her hair slightly.