Colourless Skies

8. Gone Insane

Awaking in a puddle of sweat, Leah's mind quickly slipped into the state of repetition; leaving her breathless and spellbound as the man's words kept repeating in her mind, over and over as if a record played again and again.

She tried to clear up her clouded mind and when it did, she realised she wasn't handcuffed anymore. Looking straight, she could see the tray of food was now empty, her stomach suddenly feeling full as if she was the one who has feasted on the food.

But she knew she couldn't be more wrong, after all, there was a reason her parents had put the tray in-front of her, so she could beg for it.

Then who, how, and why?

Knowing she had worse things to ponder upon, she pushed those thoughts away and made her way to the basement door. The knob clicked and she finally let herself out of the hellhole.

She ambled to the bathroom, quickly splashing cold water on her face to awaken her senses. It was still dark outside, and she hadn't turned on the light, so she couldn't see her face, just a murky outline of it in the mirror before her.

Suddenly, she felt a chill run down her spine, and cold wind made its way to her, she started to shiver. She tensed, the hair at the back of her neck standing up, as she realised someone was watching her.

She slowly turned around, only to find herself facing the bathroom wall and an open window, at least it made sense why she felt so cold all of a sudden.

She sighed to herself as she washed her face the last time, then closed the tap and the window, and made her way to the basement.

Walking back, her nightmare hit her like a truck. She was quick to realise that another poor soul, someone she didn't even know was about to face their inevitable death and she could only blame herself.

Leah didn't know the time, the only way she knew what time of the day it was by gazing at the sun. Today, it shone midst of the sky so she knew it was afternoon already, but her call hadn't come so she hadn't dared to move out of the basement. The devil's call they say.

The door opened and her mother walked in. For a moment she appeared shocked as she stared at the open handcuffs with huge eyes. But she recovered and returned to normal as soon as her eyes landed on Leah's face.

"Come on.", she ordered. Leah followed behind as they arrived at the door of her room, her room where she hadn't been for so long. "Get inside and change, you smell like what you are, an animal." Without sparing another glance at an unfazed Leah, she left.

Walking inside, she was surrounded by memories of the room that had given her comfort in the saddest of times. Though she had never had any convivial memories since she had been adopted, but the room told her she was safe.

As a young girl, she had wished to live a happy life, with parents who would love her like her own parents might have once loved. But unfortunate as it was, her destiny wasn't meant to be blissful.

But no matter how she was treated, no matter how many hardships she had faced or still had to face, she loved her parents. They didn't care, but she did, because they at least had taken her in and provided for her with although a crude accommodation, a better life than living on the streets.

She was an optimist, to sum up.

But little did she know it was all about to change.

Hehe.