Alethea has always been awkward - eccentric, even. On a typical day she spends her time cloistered inside a tiny apartment hiding from the world she doesn't really understand. When her therapist encourages her to push herself outside her comfort zon...
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When I woke up I was naked and I was lying on the cold, metal floor of a cage. An alarming amount of blood had pooled on the floor near my head and my black hair had turned a rusty red-brown where it had dried and matted. I blinked repeatedly, but no matter how many times I tried to focus the room seemed to spin and wobble in front of my eyes. My aching head throbbed with every beat of my heart and the pain and dizziness had begun to overwhelm me to the point I felt nauseated.
Taking several deep breaths, I tried focusing on something small in an attempt to steady myself. I stared hard at my bloody and bruised fingers silently willing them to stop blurring and multiplying.
After several minutes of attempting to focus without any success I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was lie back down and pretend none of this ever happened. It would be easy. I hadn't had any food in three days and I had had very little water. My body had already been shutting down even before I got injured and now with my head wound it wouldn't take much for me to slip into a coma and die peacefully.
But if I didn't find a way out Roran's life was in danger. He was the only true friend I had ever had and he had always protected me. It was only fair that I returned the favor.
With a groan I shoved myself up off the floor and stumbled forward until I collapsed against the cage bars. As I peered out of my cell I noticed I was somewhat suspended above the ground, my cage being carved into the rock wall. It wasn't too high though: nothing that would permanently cripple me if I jumped. Or at least I hoped not. My depth perception was probably way off due to my concussion.
Below me two – or maybe four - shape-shifters sat playing cards at a table. They weren't watching me, but I had the feeling they could sense I was awake. With their super enhanced hearing they probably knew the second I started stumbling around up here.
My heart sank a little bit in my chest when I realized how impossible it would be to escape. I had no idea what to do. I was injured, naked, and human: not much of a threat against monsters with super strength, hearing, and speed.
I let my head fall back down against the cage bars with a thunk. Surprisingly the sound drew the attention of one of my guards, his eyes flicking over to me for mere seconds, but it was long enough for me to figure out two things.
One, he was just a kid – eighteen at most. Or at least he looked like a teenager. Who knew how old these shape-shifters were when they could look like anyone. But the second thing I noticed, and the most important thing, was that he blushed. His eyes had only glanced over me for a moment, but his cheeks had flamed brighter than the sun.
If I could get and keep his attention, it was possible I could use my being naked as an advantage and flirt my way out. The only problem was I had never flirted with anyone. Ever. And I wasn't exactly supermodel material. My stomach wasn't trim and flat and my hips were a bit too wide. Not to mention I still had the other guards to worry about. Or guard. I still couldn't be sure if I was seeing double or if there really were four of them.
