TRAVELLER

Chapter 2

Slowly blinking the sleep out of my eyes I attempted to raise my hands above my head in a yawn but found pain shoot through my muscles which seemed to scream with every millimetre they moved. I had been on longer runs before last night and I had never experienced pain such as this, the next morning. My arms hadn't moved very far when a loud clink echoed throughout the space. I tried again faster this time but to no avail my hands were restrained with what felt like metal hand cuffs, behind my back.

Panic set in. Raising my head, my eyes shot open searching my surroundings again trying to make sense of the restraints. Blinding light stunned me for a second before I could adjust to the room I was in.

There was no making sense of it I was in what looked like a interview room at a police station.

My breath quickened. My eyes darted back and forth searching for something, I don't know what.

In front of me was a table and a couple of chairs all of which were encapsulated into the 4 grey wash walls, that surrounded me. Everything was grubby. I could tell that at one point everything was once a clean fresh white but now dirt and time had coloured everything in sight in a dull greyness. The room was quiet with only the sound of my rapid breath and the low buzz of the bright light, above my head, to fill in the void.

I couldn't stop the way my eyes darted around the room trying to find something to explain all this. Where was I? Why was I in handcuffs? What was happening?

Taking a deep breath I tried to slow my breathing down to a normal rate but before I was able to, the door to the left of me swung open forcefully.

Two police officers stepped into the room. The first had a thin folder in his hand who sat down straight away on the chair backwards so he could lean forward resting his arms on the back of the chair staring at me intently while the other gripped a video recorder on its stand and went to the corner to set it down. All the time I sat silently not knowing what to say, what to ask first. A million and one things darting around my brain, not one word was able to push its self through my lips.

It was only when the first officer opened his mouth to speak that I realised that I had been staring at both officers but hadn't really seen them. My eyes shot down to the badge on the first officer, there it was plain to see, sheriff. How could that be? Sheriff? I'm British we don't have sheriffs? What the hell? Where am I?

"Helloo... HEY... I asked you your name" the voice of the first officer regained my attention. I looked up from the badge unable to make my mouth pronounce any sound other than a small barely audible whimper. I shrank back into the uncomfortable metal chair.

"Do you know what happened" his voice got softer this time, if only by a slight amount. Although I had my head down I could feel the intense eyes of the police officers on my face also trying to make sense of me.

I kept my head down as he began talking again. "You were found passed out outside Harry's Bar last night, surrounded by 5 men... only one was still alive when we got to the scene.. he kept repeating that it was you that did this to them that you were the one that was responsible" With my head still down I scrunched my eyebrows together. None of this was making any sense. When was I going to find out what was happening?

"It's your right to be able to stay silent.. but that's not going to help you" the second officer said gruffly in a manner of fact tone. What do I say? I'd just sound crazy if I said anything right. Who'd believe me anyway? I didn't even know what happened?

In what felt like a last-ditch attempt to get me to talk the first officer opened up the file that I'd forgotten he'd brought into the room, to reveal my driver's license, which he passed to me. I took it and held it between my fingers looking at it then back up to his face wondering why this was relevant to anything.

"That's yours? Your names Freya?" He said almost accusingly under a quiet chuckle.

I nodded my head gently to try not to aggravate my screaming muscles "Hmm" I was able to mutter. I let my eyes ask the 'why'

A small smile reached his lips, which I assumed came from being able to make me at least reply in some form. Well Freya, we just can't understand why you would make a fake ID with a date of birth which makes you what, 10? Now that just doesn't seem like a smart thing to do, does it?"

Looking at the ID again I confirmed with myself that there wasn't anything wrong about it. The date was right 1 March 1998. I'm 20. I handed the ID back to him.

It just got even more confusing.