Icelamb

Chapter 11

Ara's P.O.V

"Do you think she is really worth it?"

"Don't question me. I know what I am doing."

In a hypnopompic state, I overheard a man and woman conversing. I can discern a feminine voice asking a question; she sounds agitated.

A deep masculine voice was responding to her question. I pretend to be asleep to listen to their conversation.

"Why are you so scared, Lara?" The man appears to be asking the question now.

"Don't you know she may replace me? During our date, all he did was talk about her. Ara this, Ara that." The lady complains.

I don't know If it is the person in question, but It is probably Lara, Mobo's secretary. I am too scared to look at the people conversing for fear of being discovered. I try my best to lay still.

"Or I could put her in her place, hmm," she says, and I feel someone peer into my eyes. I try as much as possible to shut my eyes but not too much for her not to notice I am awake. My plan is successful as she sees nothing.

"Lara, don't forget she is just a kid. Have you been taking your medicine lately? You are very dear to me, but I can't cover for you," I hear the man say.

"Oh please, I will be fine. It's even gone by now." She brushed him off.

I feel someone tracing her fingertip along my face and the person's burning stare on my face.

I could tell It was the 'Lara' lady because I could feel her long, sharp fingernails gently graze my skin.

"Lara..." The man started.

"Hold it. I won't be discarded that easily. I am putting up a fight, Tony. I have gotten used to this," she says with her fingers still on my face.

"If you lose now, it wasn't because he won. It's because you gave up easily." The man says.

She wants to say something, but she pauses and then.....

"Aargh!" Her fingernail dug into my left cheek. I open my eyes, jerk away from her, and feel a cut on my bruised cheek.

My cheeks hurt and are bleeding. I don't have time to recover as Lara moves her hand to my throat and grips my throat tightly. I try desperately not to choke, and I gasp for breath.

The man beside her doesn't stop her. He opens his mouth slightly. He is shocked that I could lay perfectly still without him knowing.

Well, Mister, I have a lot of experience pretending to be asleep when I want to 'dodge' house chores. Titi could never prove I was awake anytime she tried to report me.

"You little rat, how much of our conversation did you hear?"

I gagged as her fingernails dug deeper into my skin. I tried to pry her hands from my throat, but she held on tight.

I look into her eyes and realize I am correct; It's Lara, Mobo's secretary!

"What's going on here?" A clear, modulated voice comes out softly, not loud enough to command a room but clear enough to stop Lara. She unexpectedly stops holding me, and I wheeze immediately.

"Lara, I would like to have privacy with my patient," the voice commands

She laughs loudly like a mad woman, grabs her Louis Vuitton purse from a chair, and leaves the room.

The man called Tony opens his mouth to speak."I..I.."

"Save it," my rescuer cuts him short. Tony shrugs his shoulders and leaves the room.

I notice my surroundings. I am in a lab with projectors, scientific computers, and tools. I glance back at the man who rescued me from Lara, and I still don't understand our connection. Why did she say she felt threatened by me?

"Hi, I am Lanre, your behavioural psychologist. So I will help to modify your behaviour and help you get through with 'Aye.' The man says while gesturing with his hands.

"So relax. You can feel safe here. I disagree with the use of CCTV cameras during my patient's sessions. So It's just you and me," he explains.

I don't feel 'relaxed' with all that he has said. I, however, don't feel any pressure. He waves his hand to direct me to a chair.

"Please, sit down," he offers me a cup of water. He grabs a chair from the corner and sits beside me.

"So tell me, how do you feel after your 'experience' with Mobo?" He asks.

"I don't know," I reply. I don't know what to say. Who should I trust?

"Ara, I am not the bad guy here. I want to help you," he says with a gentle smile.

"So I am supposed to trust you when you are one of them?" The words fly out of my mouth before I can stop them. He chuckles lightly and doesn't appear offended.

"I remember when I first got here. Lonely, scared and always anxious because I did not know which new tricks the organization would bring.

The rules changed every day. I had to survive here on my own. I became a behavioural psychologist to help other people here." He says

"Are you always this explicit with every new 'Aye' captive? Are you asking me to leave this place?"

"No. I watch every one of the captives here. I saw you. The organization watched you before you came to 'Aye."

"There is something special about you. I just want you to hold on to whatever works for you."

So just relax. This is the only place in 'Aye' you can feel at ease, and remember, I was also a captive here. I wasn't also given a choice. So feel at home," he replies, a grim look on his face as he speaks.

His words somehow comfort me. At least he knows what It's like to be here, but I still don't trust him.

There is no way 'Aye's training did not rub off on him. I don't believe anyone can be sane after spending time at 'Aye' with all I have witnessed. I want to ask him how long he has been here, but I decide not to question him.

"So let's commence!" He informs me.

"Okay, Let's do this!"

"Have this" he brings out a piece of chocolate cake and a fork from a drawer and hands it to me. I take the fork from him a little slowly.

"Dig in," he says, and I hesitate at first, but I decide to eat the cake. I don't have a choice anyway.

I cut a wedge from the center of the cake and tossed it in my mouth. I chew slowly, and the fuzzy chocolate frosting melts in my mouth. It is warm and gooey in the middle. I savour the feeling. I finish the cake, each piece tasting better than the last.

Soon, a wiry sound runs through my ears, and I begin to feel lightheaded and...weightless. I hear a toneless voice speak incoherently. I recognize this voice to be Lanres', though.

I feel pain in my ears. My ears feel like they are on a grill, burning intensely. I repeatedly tap my hands to signal to Lanre that I am in pain, but I don't feel anybody responding.

I scream for help when I can't stand the pain anymore, but no one answers. A siren rings out, blocking my ears, and the pain stops. My body is drenched in sweat, I repeatedly pant, my body pulsing, and I probably have a temperature.

Lanre finally stands beside me. He stoops to my level with his face a few inches away from mine. Lanre stares at me with a curious look on his face. His eyes hold no emotion, and I decide to shield my pain. So much for not being the enemy. I almost died.

"You did well. I will put in a word for you," Lanre finally speaks after staring at me for a long time.

"Why didn't you help me when I tapped out? I was clearly in pain." I queried him.

"Ara, I was here with you throughout? You are not supposed to feel any pain throughout this test," he says.

"What? I was clearly in pain. I was screaming." I say. He stares at me with a confused look on his face.

"Ara, I did not hear you scream. You just need to rest. I will prescribe some drugs for you. Ensure you use it before you go to bed."