Losing Eight Lives

16 | Area 9L

The softness under me didn't feel like the bed I knew at home. It felt foreign and my heart suddenly started beating faster when I started to wake up. Where am I?

I sat up quickly, almost hitting my head on a ceiling. What?

My eyes dashed around the new room I was in. I was high off the ground and my only light source was a window on the other side of the room that took up almost the entire wall. A bunk bed was against the opposite wall and a small TV hung from the ceiling in between them.

Where am I? My mind repeated.

I crawled over to the edge of my bed and looked down. I was in a bunk bed too. I spotted the ladder and slowly made my way over to it. Carter laid on the bottom bunk of the other bed, and when I started climbing down the ladder, I noticed Jace was on the bunk under me.

How did we get here?

Once I reached the solid floor, I took another look around the room. The walls and carpet were the same color gray and the window showed a landscape of snow.

And a dark wooden door was behind me.

I quickly walked over to the door and tried to nob.

Locked.

Of course it was. It was silly of me to have hope that it wasn't.

I let out a frustrated sigh and glanced at Jace. He laid neatly on his back, and stared at the bottom of the top bunk behind closed eyes. He looked so peaceful, I almost wanted him to keep sleeping. But, I wouldn't last long in here alone.

My feet carried me to the edge of his bed, and I studied him for a second. How did I want to do this? I placed a hand on his shoulder, and was about to shake him a little when his eyes flew open. He sat up and his gaze immediately landed on me.

"Phoebe," he said through fast breaths.

I kept my hand on his shoulder. "You're okay, you're okay."

"Where are we?" his breathing calmed down and he softly grabbed my hand on his shoulder.

"Well, I think we are in that huge skyscraper in the middle of nowhere, judging by the window."

Jace slid to the edge of his bed and stood up, looking out the window. He nodded and his gaze landed on the door a few feet away. He looked at me with hope.

"Locked," I said sadly.

He pursed his lips and nodded again. I backed up as he stood, inspecting the room. "Does it not strike you as strange that we have a TV in here?"

I smiled and let out a small laugh. It did seem weird. "Yeah,"

He grinned and looked at Carter. "So, I remember what happened to him. He hasn't woken up yet?" Jace asked in disbelief.

"Not that I know of. Maybe he is just tired and wanted more sleep." I suggested.

"Hmm," he looked at him a few seconds longer before turning to me again. "And what happened to me?"

I hesitated, trying to remember. My memory was foggy. "Oh, I remember. We tried to escape, and they got you with a dart that knocked you unconscious." I couldn't remember what happened after that. "And obviously I didn't make it either or I wouldn't be here."

Jace let out a small chuckle and walked passed me to Carter. "Better wake him up, huh?" He put a hand on both of Carter's shoulders, but before he could shake, Carter woke up.

His eyes opened quickly and darted around as his hands gripped the side of the bed. Carter's gaze landed on Jace, and then me behind him. He looked back at Jace. "Where are we?"