Warriors | Bellamy Blake |

alone

I was facing the back wall when I heard the door slide open. I barely picked up my head to glance over my shoulder and saw two guards standing in the doorway. I recognized one of them as the officer who normally worked the night shift patrolling the halls, but the other one was new. I rolled over and pushed myself to sit upright while rolling my head around to crack my neck.

"Come to get me already?" I asked them sarcastically. My hearing was in two days, but maybe they had gotten tired of me that they decided to bump it up to now and get rid of me once and for all.

The older guard didn't acknowledge my remark and looked behind him down the hall at someone else. "You have five minutes," he said gruffly as he stepped to the side to let my mother walk in. I jumped to my feet to embrace her in a hug as the guards backed out and shut the gate behind them to give us privacy.

"Olivia," she smiled at me warmly and wrapped her small arms around my shoulders.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" I exclaimed and pulled back so I could get a good look at her. She was thinner, and her hair was turning a little grayer on the ends. She wasn't that old, in her mid 30s, but I guess that's what stress does to you.

She bit her lip and let her eyes wander a little, "They usually let the family say goodbye before..."

I nodded sarcastically, "Before they send me to die?"

"That won't happen," she assured me and stepped past me to sit on the edge of my very tiny and uncomfortable bed. I hated that thing, but it was the only thing in my cell other than a bucket and a shattered mirror.

"Your father and I have been talking to Marcus and the other council members. We think we've got a solution for you," she continued in a hopeful voice.

"What kind of solution?" I raised an eyebrow at her. A "solution" didn't really seem like a better alternative than being floated. Being floated was quick and painless, and I doubted whatever this solution they had came up with was better than that.

"I can't tell you yet, but we're going to get you out of this," my mom nodded firmly.

"We're? I've seen dad twice in the past year. He always sends one of his minions to come talk to me if he needs to give any updates. I doubt he's out there pleading for my life," I scoffed and rolled my eyes. There wasn't any part of me that believed he wanted to help me.

She took my hands and forced me to look at her, "He still loves you, Olivia. More than anything. This has been hard for him."

"Hard for him?" I repeated in disbelief. "How has any of this been hard for him? He's the one who turned his back on me. I know how things are run around here, and dad has more than enough pull to get me off the hook if he wanted to."

"It's not as simple as that, Olivia," she shook her head and slowly stood up. "Things are changing. Something's going to happen in a few days that's going to change everything."

"What are you talking about?" I walked over to her.

"Time's up," the gruff voice returned and the doors opened as the guards stepped in.

"Wait no, we're not finished," I told them quickly as my heartbeat picked up. I didn't want this to be the last time I saw my mom.

One of the guards grabbed my arms and pulled me back as the other one ushered her out of the cell. "Mom!" I yelled and thrashed in the guard's arms.

"I love you, Olivia. I'll see you soon," she promised as she disappeared down the hall. Once she was gone, the guard roughly pushed me away and left me alone in the cell again. I was hoping she'd come back, find someway to slip past them so we could finish our conversation. But she never did, and once again I was left alone.