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Chapter 13
"What do you mean she's gone?" Lance looked up from where he had been asked to take a seat in Justin's home.
Justin looked at him from across the room from where he sat on his own couch. "I mean she's gone Lance. It happened in the battle. She had screamed to me, warning me that someone was behind me. When I turned to thank her, some guy tried to do the same thing to her that the guy I'd just killed had failed doing to me. There was no way I could have reached her and no one else was close enough to help. It wouldn't have helped anyway though, because the two disappeared."
"What do you mean disappeared?"
"I mean vanished. He teleported them out, you know, like Melisenda would." Lance looked like he'd just been punched in the gut. His breathing came in gasps and the world seemed to be flashing in his eyes. "Lance, you okay?"
"We have to get her," he whispered hoarsely, not hearing Justin.
"Hey look," he walked over and laid a hand on his friend's shoulder, meaning to comfort him. "We'll get her back. Don't worry. They can't do anything to her. She knows how to protect herself."
"It's my fault. I shouldn't have left her alone. If I'd been there-"
Justin was sorry his companion was feeling that way but he had to shake out of it and he now shook Lance by the shoulders. "Listen to yourself Lance! You had other business to deal with, and even if you were there, you couldn't have helped. I told you. No one could have done anything. It all happened too quick and there was still a fight to be fought."
Lance tried to grasp what he was saying. He looked up into Justin's eyes, which showed concern. Lance dropped his gaze first, ashamed and exhausted. "I just wish I could help her. It seems like every time she needs me, I'm not there."
Justin shrugged. "Don't put yourself down so much. You know that there's a point to this. Maybe this is Tanek's way of showing her a different kind of life. You've said so yourself she never left home very much. She's led a sheltered life and she needs to know what the real world's like, just like we all need to know."
"I still don't like it."
"Neither do I, but we can't question what's going on. It's pointless. Just deal with the shock, move on, and hope that things will turn out all right."
Lance digested this piece of advice and slowly nodded, getting up to go. "Thanks for telling me, Justin."
"No need to thank me, Lance. You deserved to know."
The two hugged quickly before Lance made his way out. As he made his way home, he looked up into the night sky. I hope you're all right, Jules.
How many days have I been here? What more can they do to me? They've already poked and prodded me enough. They've invaded my body in so many ways. They've forced themselves into my mind to find how I work. I feel like such an experiment and I can't do anything about it. When will this end? Tears flowed out of Juliet's eyes and she tried in vain to wipe them away with the back of one dirty hand and salvage what remained of her damaged self-pride. However, being treated as less than a dog had definitely been a blow to her self-esteem. For the time being, she was left alone, locked in a room made entirely of concrete and there was no light to let her see. Then again, there wasn't anything to see. The room was bare. Her right arm still ached dully but they'd had the decency to at least bandage that for her. Their reason was so that they wouldn't lose her before she could give them precious information. What kind of information she didn't know and so, she'd been unable to answer their questions. Of course, it didn't help that she didn't even know the language of the people here.
Juliet squeezed her eyes tight, trying to stop the tears. She should have been sleeping and getting her rest before they came back. She shuddered involuntarily. The thought of their hands on her again sickened her. The way they leered at her and then grinned when she put up any kind of struggle. She hated the way they watched her with such great intensity when they brought her out to eat just enough to keep her from dying. But for sure, the worst thing was when they laughed at her. They could point and stare and poke as much as they wanted, but to laugh? That was the biggest blow they could have given to her dignity.
Her future looked desolate. She didn't even know what day it was anymore. She'd blacked out too many times and the people who kept her never seemed to go to sleep. The days all rolled together in an endless wave of pain. She'd lost all hope of ever being freed or let go. And although she had resolved to never lose faith, the hope that she'd felt was fading. She'd been there too long and she couldn't do anything about it.
A sound came from outside the door suddenly and Juliet tried to stifle her crying. She had to preserve what dignity she had left. Her weak eyes blinked at the sudden light that came into the room and she turned away. Again, she wiped the tears away with her dirty hand and waited for the rough hands to drag her out again. Instead though, the door closed and darkness enveloped her again. But she wasn't alone. She could faintly hear the breathing of the one who'd opened the heavy door and let himself in. "Who's there?" she asked, fearful.
"Shh," the other whispered, placing a hand over her mouth so she couldn't speak. "I'm getting you out of here."
Relief washed over Juliet and she relaxed as she felt him hold onto her. For a moment, she was light-headed as she felt her surroundings change. The cement block that had held her disappeared and she found herself in another dark room. For some reason though, she still felt a little uneasy. Stop it, Juliet. You've just been rescued. The least you could do is thank the man. As she struggled to find the words though, she felt his warm presence disappear. Confused, she turned around and then realized where she was. She was in a large bathroom. In front of her, a shower was waiting. A robe and towel were set off close by.
Not needing anymore incentive, she glanced around one last time. She saw that she was indeed alone, and without any more hesitation, she peeled off the dirty rags that once passed off for clothes. She took one look at herself in the reflection a mirror and frowned. She was so dirty… So thin… Without waiting another moment, she stepped into the shower and began scrubbing away, relishing in the feeling of being clean. From time to time, she felt the feeling of being watched but she pushed it out of her mind. Her rescuer would surely have enough decency to let her alone while she got cleaned. Besides, if it was who she thought it was, she was certain he'd never peep in on her.
Sometime later, Juliet finally stepped out of the shower and drew the robe on before continuing to dry her hair. She glanced down at where her clothes had been piled up and frowned. They were so out of place in the otherwise spotless bathroom and she made a mental note to have Lance go to her house and get some clothes for her. The dirty pile on the floor could never be salvaged.
She opened the door and felt her breath catch in her throat. The bedroom from which the bathroom led to was stunning. I never knew Lance had such good tastes, she thought as she admired the simple yet tasteful furnishings. It doesn't show in his room back in Mississippi. She smiled as she settled herself on the bed. A tray had been set out for her topped high with enough food to feed her for at least a week. Eagerly, she picked up a plate and filled it with some food. Despite her hunger though, she ate slowly, savoring each bite. She couldn't force herself to eat too much, knowing that she would make herself sick otherwise. Her appetite vanquished for the time being, she felt the edges of sleep wearing down on her and Juliet finally closed her eyes.