David walks down the hallway to a room about the size of my cell. a fancy bucket sits in one corner, and a bowl with a spout over it sits against one wall. Finally, there is a large basin. He walks over to the basin and flips a switch. Water begins to fill it from the bottom. It seems to be coming out of nowhere. I stare, bewildered.
"What, you've never seen running water?" he asks.
"How did you do that?" I demand.
"Well, when I flip that switch, the water comes out through those holes," he points to four round holes in the bottom. "When I flip the switch again, the holes seal up and no water can get in or out. It's called a bathtub. You wash yourself in it."
"Where does the water come from?"
"There are pipes underground that bring the water here."
"Oh," I say.
He smiles and chuckles a little bit. "You're not from here, are you?"
"No," I say, but I'm not entirely sure. I don't remember very much about my life before the prison.
"I'll go get you some clean clothes," he says, then walks away.
I immediately go over to the weird bucket. It is sitting on top of a strange pedestal, and it has a basket attached to the back of it. I lift the lid of the basket, and it is filled with water. puzzled, I close it. Then I see the lever on the side. I push it down, and all the water in the bucket disappears. I let go of the lever. the bucket fills back up.
"I see that you've found the toilet," David says as he enters the room. I jump in surprise.
"You scared me," I say.
"Sorry," he sets the pile of clothes down on a table.
"That toilet," I say, testing the word. " What does it do?"
"Well," he begins. "You relieve yourself in it, and then pull that lever, and away it goes."
My cheeks flush in embarrassment. "Oh."
"It's okay, I didn't know what they were when I first came here, either. I'll give you some privacy. There's soap for your body there, and shampoo and conditioner for your hair there," He guestures at each item. Then he leaves the room and closes the door behind him.
Once he's gone, I turn and look at myself in the reflection glass. I look awful. My blonde hair is a mess of grease and dirt. It looks brown. There are deep grey circles under my emerald green eyes. There is so much grime covering my skin, you can hardly tell I'm there. I am unnaturally skinny. everywhere I look, my bones form sharp edges. I turn away. I strip and slip into the water. It is warm and relaxing. I close my eyes. After a while, I open them and wash myself. Reluctantly, I lift myself out of the water. It is brown. I flip the switch, and the water begins to disappear. I grab a cloth off of a rack and dry myself off. I dress quickly, and run my fingers through my hair. Already, I look much better. I walk out of the room and go back into the kitchen. David is sitting at the table, reading. He looks up at me.
"Well, look at that, there is actually a girl under all that dirt! I had no clue you had blonde hair!" He smiles playfully at me. I walk over and take a seat at the table next to him.
"What are you reading?" I ask.
"Oh, just some old fairytales," he says, looking down at the ground.
"Read to me."
He looks up, surprised. "What?"
"Read to me. Please."
He smiles, and it is a small, soft smile, and his eyes get a faraway look in them. "Okay," he says. " Once upon a time..."
YOU ARE READING
Ruby
Teen Fictionin a futuristic world, sixteen-year-old Veronica has been abducted, had her memory of her old life taken from her, and she's been tortured, all by an evil group with rubies for pupils. when she manages to escape, she must learn who she is and what s...
