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There’s not a chance I would bring Dean here, where my family is safe, even if it means I lose my life.
Are they safe?
My chest aches from my pounding heart, and just when I wipe away the mist of sweat on my forehead, lights brighten inside my room. It takes a moment to adjust, and I see someone walking toward me when my focus returns.
A woman dressed in a solid blue uniform stands at the cell’s window, hands cupped at her front. She’s pulled her blonde hair into a tight bun, and I notice the tip of her brand where the sleeve rides up her arm.
“A. Rowan Lawson Rivera,” she deadpans.
I freeze and stare at her, still disoriented from the nightmare.
She scans something on the glass and the lights twinkle. There’s a whoosh when the door slides open, and she steps inside unarmed. “That’s quite a name you have.”
“That’s quite daring of you to open the door,” I croak. “I could run.”
“Not in your state, dear,” she frowns. “You’re smart to have made it this far. Smart enough to know there’s nowhere to go.”
I get to my feet and do my best to pull back my shoulders, pretending they don’t ache and I’m not about to fall back to the ground. If my legs would allow it, I’d run through the open door and find my family. But she’s right. I’m barely able to walk on my own, and we’re miles below the surface, with countless locked doors standing in my way.
The blonde woman steps to my side, and a glass of water hovers in front of my lips. “This will help,” she says. She tips it, encouraging me to drink, snapping her fingers at the open door.
Water slides down my throat like butter. My stomach warms, and I guzzle down the sweet liquid, realizing too late it’s tainted with something. Not that I’m surprised or wouldn’t drink it. I’ll keep my word to Alexander, and I trust he knows what’s happening here. It takes seconds for the tingles to spread across my limbs, making them heavy and relaxed. Someone wheels a gurney inside, and I sway, almost losing my footing.
“I’d like to walk,” I say. “Where are we going?”
She looks unnatural and dreamlike. Her blue eyes blur, shifting back and forth over my face.
“Go ahead, gentlemen,” she says. “She’s ready.”
My knees buckle, but a man catches me. I sense my body sliding onto the mattress, and the lights overhead burn my eyes. Everything spins, and I know they’ve drugged me, but I know don’t know why. With what strength I have left, I roll onto my scarred arm, trying to hide it from view.
I’m brought to a white room similar to the cell I left, except it’s cleaner and brighter. Curtains hang on a wall, emulating a window that looks out at nothing but concrete. The gurney comes to a stop, machines blinking by my bed. Shutting my eyes, I grip the railing, worried I’ll fall off.
“Rowan.” I hear Alexander’s voice.
I try to open my eyes, but it hurts. “Alexander?”
“Don’t speak,” he warns.
Footsteps sound around the room, and someone takes my hand. I think it’s Alexander, but the skin inside my elbow pinches, making me flinch. A needle slides inside, and I look down, but can’t focus. My arm with the burn remains covered safely, but that won’t last. Cool liquid slithers into my veins, and I wait for it to take effect.
“Why,” I whisper, feeling myself go.
“To get better,” Alexander says. “You wouldn’t answer my questions.” I open my mouth to protest, but then I understand the game he’s playing.
There’s a shadow through my closed eyelids when he hovers over me. “We’ll keep your arm covered. I’ve bribed the nurse assigned to you, but just in case.”
I drift off before I can say thank you.
BeLew’s voices are small, quiet things that drift down a dim hallway. I’m standing in a solid red uniform, much like the woman’s with the blonde bun, and I feel rested. My dizziness is gone, replaced with renewed energy, and I haven’t felt this good since I left the island.
I’m dreaming.
The only question is, in what time?
Reaching for the scar on my forearm, I pull the fabric up and see it’s healed.
How long would it take to heal?
