Freedom

Chapter 15

I woke up on my bed, back in the room. I felt my tears, hardened on my face. My eyes and nose felt irritated from all the sobbing. I turned my head and Trent was sitting on the floor.

"Trent?"

"Yasmin! Thank god you've woken up. I was starting to panic. Are you alright?"

I turned to sit on the bed and Trent approached me. My head was still spinning and I felt confused. I couldn't piece together what had just happened. It felt like I had just woken from a dream. I felt so hazy. Why was everything black and white? I felt so dizzy. Like my head was full of dynamite.

"Jump in my Mercedes." I whispered to Trent.

"What?" he said. Then I grabbed his head. Our faces were so close now. I could feel his breath on me. I then started to close the gap between our lips. His lips felt smooth and soft against mine. It only lasted a second before he pulled away.

"No Yasmin. I don't know what they did to you, but taking advantage of you like this isn't right. I'm sorry." He anxiously ran his hands through his hair before walking away.

"I don't know what got into me." I struggled to speak. "I should've never even gotten close to you. I'm drunk."

"Yasmin, what can I do to make you trust me?" his voice was pained.

"How, Trent, how can I possibly trust you? You have this dark past life and you're a murderer, and not just of random people because you had to..." he looked surprised when I said this. "All I know is you're part of them. So forgive me if I can't 'trust' you."

"I don't know what else I can say. I've told you everything. I'm not part of them, not anymore! I hate them. And you don't know why I had to do what I had to do." his voice cracked. "I'm on your side Yasmin. You're the only one in this place I have a chance with. If you would just let me, I could help you. We could get out of here together."

"It all sounds good Trent, but how do I know you're not just conning me? I'm sorry but I can't trust you."

I looked at him. His eyes were so hurt. Maybe he was telling the truth. He looked so vulnerable, sitting on the floor, practically begging me for my trust in him. I was so torn. Here Trent was, giving me every reason to believe him, but then there was Alexis, telling me what a lowlife Trent was. But then again, Alexis was the one you was working with the association. Trent was actually in the same position as me.

Trent walked up to me and held my wrists. He looked deeply into my eyes.

"Please Yasmin. You're all I've got here." he whispered. I felt my eyes watering, again. I held him in my arms. We were embraced in a bundle of sadness. We both found comfort in each other, no matter our differences. I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. He felt so warm and muscular. He wrapped me in a tight bear hug. It felt so good to feel human touch after so, so long without it. We sat like that for a while before I let go.

"I'm so scared Trent. I feel like everyone is against me right now and I don't want to let my guard down."

"I know Yasmin." he stroked my cheek. "I'm feeling the same way. I've got to be careful what I say, but after that test, I don't think I'm very safe." He looked into my eyes intensely.

"Why haven't they killed you yet? Isn't that why they captured you?"

"I don't know. That's also why I'm concerned. Maybe they have something worse in mind for me. Worse than death."

I hugged him again. Even if I did hate him, I don't know what would happen to me if he was gone. What if I was all alone in this tiny room while they kept doing these traumatising tests on me. I felt like an animal.

I felt much better now. These depressing topics of discussion sobered me up. I couldn't let my intoxicated mind affect me now.

"Are you alright now?" Trent asked me

"Yeah I'm feeling much better."

"Wait, where did you even get alcohol from? Where were you?"

"Oh, it's, uh, a long story. I don't want to talk about it right now. It reminds me of the test."

"Right. Well how about we think about something else. What's your favourite colour?"

I chuckled at such a childish question.

"Blue. What would our world be like without blue? The ocean would be red and the sky would be green." Trent laughed. "Blue represents life for me. It calms me and reminds me that I'm alive." Trent was still wearing his blue jacket from the party, and I was wearing my black dress. Both had been dishevelled and destroyed over the past few days.

"What about you?"

"Red. When I was only a boy, my dad gave me a sword necklace. Engraved in it was a red stone. The necklace was the last of its kind. My dad's mother made them and when she died, no one could replicate them." He pulled out his necklace from under his shirt. It was grey and black with a beautiful red stone in the centre. "This necklace symbolised strength for me and I feel a sense of empowerment when I wear it. Call me crazy, but I have a feeling it has something to do with the stone. It has some kind of power, I can feel it." He seemed so relaxed for once, talking about this. "When I was in that test, my dad appeared. I didn't know what I was going to do, seeing my beloved dad almost being killed. But this necklace got me through it." He smiled at me.

"Oh Trent. That's really beautiful. It's nice to hear something real, from the heart, when everything these past few days has been such a terrible nightmare."

"Yeah." he tried to smile, but looked exhausted.

"You look tired Trent."

"Yeah I am." he rubbed his forehead. His eyes had purple circles around them. He looked like crap. I probably looked the same, but I wouldn't know with no mirrors around.

"Yasmin, I just want you to know, that no matter what happens I -"

But before Trent could finish, a man burst through the doors. He grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the room.

"Trent!" I screamed.

"Yasmin! No!" Trent yelled.

We were both panicking. What did they want with me? The man kicked me forward. I cried in pain. I was lead down the corridor and people scurried to their tiny windows to see what was happening. They were whispering, like what was in store for me was not good. Who would save me now? Trent was locked behind the iron door and Alexis was no where to be seen. I was sobbing. Alexis had told me that I was "special". I vaguely remembered it, since I was so intoxicated, but it stuck with me. The man punched me if I tried to pull away. The pain vibrated on my face. I bet I would be bruised by the end of this.

"Let me go!" I shouted.

The man punched me in the face again. A huge fist smacking on my face. I cried uncontrollably. I was so pathetic.

We arrived to another room after spiralling down a long, dark staircase. I was shoved in a cramped room. I fell on the floor. The floor was hard concrete. It was so cold. The man slammed the door shut. Silence. I was all alone. I couldn't see a thing. It was pitch black. I curled into a ball and sobbed. What was going to happen to me?