Hero (Tom Hiddleston)

5

Shae was completely convinced that she was dreaming when Tom turned around, his face revealed. And now? Well, now, she might as well be in Narnia. Everything seemed echoey and far-off. Her vision was blurry and she could barely feel the things she touched. Even the ground beneath her feet seemed more gas than solid.

She could barely even breathe.

The authorities showed up in an undercover car, their guns out and backup waiting around the corner. They quickly separated her and Tom, whisking her away as quickly as they could, with an officer on every side of her, and the last she saw of her hero was his concerned, yet relieved, face watching her go.

They drove her to the police station and immediately handed her over to people trained to process people just like her. Everything still was happening in a blur, and, looking back on it, she honestly didn't remember much of what she'd said. They found her a room to sleep in, and, after long lists of instruction on what to do if she needed anything, they left her a alone, but with a female officer literally stationed outside her door.

When she was left alone, it all hit her like a rock.

She was free. It was over. Oscar, Garret, the customers... they were all gone from her life. Forever. But what about the other girls? With the information she'd given them, the police hoped to be able to find and free them all. But nothing was certain. In fact, everything was unlikely and covered in questions.

Why was it her that had gotten out? Why did she deserve it any more than any of the others? She didn't understand anything, and she couldn't comprehend it, either. It was all a God thing, and she knew that. But she didn't deserve it, and the others did.

She could feel tears beginning to bite at her eyes, but the last thing she wanted was for the officer outside to hear her crying and come in. So she turned to one of the only things that brought her peace and comfort in the midst of her shattered life.

She grabbed her iPod and selected "Priceless", closing her eyes and ducking under her covers, replaying the memory of when her father introduced the song to her until sleep finally took her.

Time-skip sponsored by Airplanes (cuz I'm on one right now)

When she woke up, she was sure that it was from the dream that had, in reality, been the night before. But it wasn't. Her eyes opened to show her the bleak little room where she'd fallen asleep, in the clothes the officers had provided her in exchange for that horrible, horrible dress.

She looked down at the t-shirt and sweats, the sweats barely able to go tight enough to stay on her tiny hips and the shirt hanging on her like a canvas sack, and it all hit her again. She couldn't believe it was over. She couldn't believe it was real.

Hesitantly, she got out of bed and slipped on the flip-flops that they'd exchanged for her heels. Then, strange though it was to tap on the inside of one's own door, she knocked lightly. It opened after only a second or two.

The officer, a young, beautiful woman with a petite-yet-muscular frame, dark, joyful eyes, and coffee-colored skin, smiled at her. "There she is," she greeted her. "How do you feel, Sweetheart?"

"Um... okay..." Shae replied uncertainly, not sure how else to respond. She felt like she'd been to hell and back, but part of her was still burning up.

The woman, whose name Shae had been told and now had absolutely no recollection of, nodded understanding. "I know it's a lot to take in," she replied. "Would a hot shower make you feel any better?"

She hesitated. It was such a stupid question, but she had to ask. "Alone?"

Compassion flooded over the lady's face. "Yes, Sweetheart. Alone."

"Okay."

She followed her caretaker to a private bathroom, locking the door behind her before enjoying the first relaxing shower she'd had in nine months.

She climbed out and dried off, then changed into the new clothes the lady had given her. It was simple again, loose jeans, a tank top, and her Loki hoodie, which had been in her bag in the room. Its comforting feeling and the memory of her father giving it to her made her feel just a little better about facing the day.

She unlocked the door and opened it hesitantly. The lady was waiting for her outside. She smiled again. "Feel better?"

"A little," Shae whispered in return. But nothing could wash away the feeling of filth that had taken her over.

"Well, I have some people I think you might like to see," the woman replied.

Shae felt like she really needed to call her something in her head. What about... Karen? The thought brought a slight inward smile to her. Sure, she'd called her Karen.

She followed "Karen" down a hall and into a larger room, obviously made to eat in. Shae's stomach clenched at the thought, her mind immediately snapping to Oscar's words from the day before. But she was quickly distracted when she saw the familiar faces sitting around the table at the center of the room.

How many? Sharon, Ella, Irene, Meg, Wanda, Olivia, Allison. That was seven. Her heart sank. There had been fourteen of them. So with eight of them here, that meant six still were with Garret. Liliana, April, Jamie, Gabriela, and Katie weren't here.

As if reading her mind, Karen spoke up. "I know it's not all of them, Baby. But we checked all of the points you gave us last night and these were the ones that were there. We're still working really hard on the others, okay?"

She nodded, unable to speak.

"Let's go sit down, shall we?" Karen pressed.

Shae followed dully.

At least they all seemed to be in the same state as her. They greeted her and thanked her and she responded, but they all sounded like robots, lacking anything genuine at all.

It wasn't that they wanted to be back with Garret... living with him had been living in hell. But it was that it felt like that was where they belonged. They all felt ruined, like absolute trash. It felt like they'd never belong in the real world again.

And anyway, Shae couldn't help but wonder what would happen to them now. It wasn't like anyone would ever want them again.