Superior

Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Delaney

Nessa was right; the new cells were nicer. Though still underground, they were larger, cleaner, and brighter. And, rather than being lined up in a row, these ones ran parallel to each other with a hallway in between.

I stretched back on the white cot bolted to the far wall, staring up at the ceiling. We'd been there for a while now, after Nessa left us with the promise that she'd be back with food the next day. With nothing to do, it felt like an eternity.

Rolling to my side, I stared through the plexiglass covering the front of the cell. Trai, who had the space opposite mine, sat on his cot, staring blankly at the wall and tracing listless circles on the mattress with his thumb. He didn't seem to notice me.

I don't know how long we were in there. After a while, the hours just seemed to mesh together into one never-ending span of time. Though I spent most of those endless seconds daydreaming, I also took the time to braid my hair into about twenty different styles.

No change came for a long time; not until I forced myself to my feet and dragged my lethargic body across the cell to the drinking fountain built into the wall. As I sipped the lukewarm, metallic water, a gruff voice called, "Lights out in ten!"

And all of a sudden, the ground shuddered beneath my feet. A pillar of water struck me in the face, and I toppled over onto my backside. There was a horrendous screeching sound, like untrimmed nails on a chalkboard, and I realized that the cell was moving. Slowly, my cell was inching closer and closer to Trai, who was watching, wide-eyed.

When finally—finally—the movement stopped, the hallway had disappeared, and the glass of the two cells were only an inch apart. I saw now that the air holes that dotted the clear surface of my wall matched up perfectly with Trai's.

We both stood up and walked shakily to the glass, so that we were, essentially, face-to-face. I scrubbed at my water-spotted glasses with my sleeve. There were no further announcements from the guard, but it was a moment before either of us spoke.

"You okay, Delaney?" Trai's voice was emotionless. I tilted my head and looked at him with blank eyes, my neck cracking in protest.

"Just lovely," I muttered, my tone coming out a lot less sarcastic than I had hoped for. Groaning, I leaned back against the wall, my hand clutched against my stomach. Out of the corner of my eye, I stared at the nondescript camera on the wall. It had taken me a while to notice it, but now I knew the thing was following my every move.

"How long do you think we'll be in here?" I had to force the question from my lips; a part of me was scared to know the answer.

Trai grimaced. "Until Miracle makes up her mind, I guess."