Remaining unwavering matters. My strength matters.
Noise outside my door catches my attention. I perk my head up, straining to listen, but I can’t make anything out. Crawling closer and doing my best not to make a sound, I rest my head on the door, positioning my ear so it is on the seam, and try to hear through it.
Someone is talking. No, not talking. Arguing. But they are doing their best to stay hushed. I move to the other side of the door, pressing my ear against the other seam, hoping it is closer so the sound travels through it.
The low voice that I have become all too familiar with grumbles through the door.
“There is no reason for you to be concerned.”
“Bullshit there isn’t. You need a break.” It’s the woman who brought me here.
I stifle a gasp. Has Weston been the one on guard? Has he been the one sitting outside my door at all hours? Surely there’s a rotation, or he’s filling in. There is no reason the leader of the Castaways would guard a prisoner.
Unless he’s waiting for the right time to break me.
“I’m fine,” he snaps.
“You are not fine. I know what it’s like when you are fine. This isn’t it.”
“I suggest you follow your orders, Sig.”
“To hell with my orders. I’ll take over, andyougo do it. They need you up there.”
“She hasn’t eaten. At all,” he grumbles, his voice rising slightly with anger so I can hear him better.
If I ever needed reassurance that I was doing the right thing, this is it. He wants me to eat, wants me to give in to my hunger, and he’s sitting outside the door waiting for me to do it. Edmond was right. I can’t trust the food.
“Sitting in this chair all day and all night isn’t going to make her. Go. You need to take care of everyone else out there. Yourself, too.”
There’s a pause, and I hold my breath, waiting for his answer.
“I’ll be back soon,” he says finally, before his heavy footsteps trail away.
I slowly let out the breath I was holding, and my head spins with the lack of sustenance and air. A small shred of relief settles in my chest knowing he’s gone, at least for now, but I know I need to hold out even longer. He could grow impatient at any time and burst through the door demanding answers. I need to prepare myself for that moment.
The chair scrapes on the floor again, followed by the squeak of weight settling into it. I am startled by her voice speaking again, breaking the silence of the room after I thought the conversation was over.
“You can stop listening to us now.”
I freeze. I’d been silent. There is no way she could have known I was here listening.
As if she can read my thoughts, she calls out, “I saw you move under the door.”
I scramble back to my spot, the movement and commotion giving me up, but it doesn’t matter. I already heard their argument, and she already knows I did.
“You know, it would be better for everyone if you just ate something,” she says, her voice raised so it easily carries through the door to where I rest back against the wall. “It’s making him an asshole.”
“He’s always an asshole,” I say without thinking, and am surprised to hear a chuckle from the other side of the door.
I can’t help but smile slightly, even though I know I shouldn’t. I shouldn’t feel any sort of camaraderie or affection toward any of the Castaways, especially one who clearly has a great deal of sway with him. The first step of developing a connection to my captors is having something in common, and that is exactly what just happened.
It’s exactly what they want.
I let myself have this one moment before shutting down again, turning off my emotions. His goal is to manipulate me, and he’s clearly trying in different ways, but I won’t give in.
My refusal of the meals is getting to him, and it gives me satisfaction that his plan isn’t working. He probably thought I would be easy to break, a stupid young girl that would crack under a little pressure. Little does he know, I’ve been trained for this. I expected it, and I won’t let him win.
My back aches as I curl onto my side and lay my head down. Thoughts drift through my mind as I let go and start to slip into sleep again. What is happening back at camp? Is Dane out looking for me? Will he ever find me?
