Inside Your Mind

turning tables

Turning Tables - Adele

1st November 1999

It was a cold day.

Not unusually cold for the time of year. But it was a biting cold; the kind that could seep into your bones and make it impossible for you to shake off until you step into a warm shower or wrap yourself in the comforting heat of a hot bath.

She pulled her gloves on tighter, balling her hands into fists in an effort to hold in what little heat she could around her fingers, and wrapped her arms tightly around her waist. She stepped out of the front door of the dentist's office, locked it with her set of keys, and walked towards her car so that she could go home and have that hot bath in an effort to fight off the day's cold.

She didn't notice the man watching her from across the road as she opened the car door. She didn't notice the man walk towards her as she climbed into the driver's seat and turned the car engine on. She didn't notice the man until he was opening the passenger door and shoving himself into the passenger seat.

She let out a yelp as the passenger door opened, scrambling for her door handle with numb fingers, but it was no good.

'There's no use trying to open the door.' The man said in a low, and surprisingly calm, voice.

'Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in my car?' She growled, pressing her body against her door in an effort to put as much space between her and the stranger as she could.

The man laughed. It wasn't a long laugh, more like a jovial grunt, but it was enough to make her blood boil in anger at his callousness.

'Who. Are. You?' She asked again through gritted teeth. She watched as he pulled something from his coat pocket and pointed it at her.

'All in good time.' He whispered, leaning across the seat to get closer to her.

The last thing she registered before the world went dark was the smell of peppermint.

***

The first thing she could hear were voices, swirling around in her mind, as the fog slowly cleared and she came to her senses.

'How could you not think of what the next part of the plan is?' The first voice asked.

Somewhere in her clouded mind she recognised the cold, sharp tone.

'I left that to you. You were the one who came up with this whole thing in the first place.' The second hissed back.

'Alright.' The first voice said. 'I have an idea but they aren't going to react well to it.'

'You're not considering waiting for her to wake up and just explaining everything to her, are you?' The second voice asked with a groan.

She could've sworn that she heard a chuckle from the owner of the first voice.

'It will be fine. They'll understand.' The first voice said. She could tell that the person had gotten closer to her, the smell of peppermint wafting towards her nostrils, as they spoke.

She considered her options; she could try to run away from her captors, she could scream until her lungs were ripped to shreds and pray that someone could hear her, or she could listen to what they had to say. Though she did not know who had taken her, or why, the snippet of conversation that she heard made her think that they had no violent or malicious intent. The thought was insane, she knew that, but there was an air of familiarity that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

The first thing that she saw when she opened her eyes was a face.

A handsome face; chiselled jaw, piercing eyes, and perfect hair.