• Troubled

    After Julian left, I pondered over what to do. In my heart I wanted to forgive Angel, really, but my mind couldn’t forget the other and worse feelings he created. I could feel his wings, his breath, and hear his voice still. I could see his eyes.
    I shivered. Could anyone really expect me to forgive him? After what he’d done? I couldn’t see him again for awhile. He would just have to wait until my scars faded a little. For now, I knew I couldn’t stay.
    I went back to the closet and found some shoes. They were a faded grey and hopefully wouldn’t be noticeable. I listened at the door, a stupid thing to do but time had made me cautious. I slipped into the elevator and pushed the ground floor button. The kitchen was there, and surely there was a back door of some kind. If that didn’t work, I would look elsewhere and keep searching no matter what.
    The elevator seemed to take forever until it finally reached the floor. As the doors opened, I looked up and immediately swung to the hall beside the elevator. I looked around the corner at Julian following as very determined looking Angel. They stood waiting for the elevator next to mine. They were close enough for me to hear them.
    “Julian you know I have to do this, there’s no other way.”
    “Anything is better than this and you know it. We should giver her time!”
    “There is no time, it has to be done now.”
    The elevator dinged and they both stepped in. Even after it closed I couldn’t move. He was planning to kill me. I was a threat to his secret and I had to disappear. I was only 16, I still had so much to do! This wasn’t fair! I tore down the hall. I had to find that escape now or never. The kitchen seemed so lifeless when no one was there. The tables stood empty and much too quiet for comfort. The kitchen stood off behind a wall in the corner. When I went in, I was very much taken by surprise. The kitchen was cleaner than I thought it would be. The hotel must have been five star. The cabinets were spotless and white, and the floors were made of intricate and smooth tile. This must be the only place besides Angel and my room that didn’t look like a wrecking ball had had a go at it. For some odd reason, this intrigued me. I forgot my goal and went to check the cabinets. Different foods were stocked in the cupboards and refrigerator. I wonder who the cook was? I couldn’t seem to imagine Julian. A giggle escaped me. I quickly clapped a hand over my mouth, as I heard the doors thrust open. Someone also called my name.
    I ducked down behind the counter next to the door. The open door. I had forgotten to shut it!
    “I don’t think she’s in here.” I heard one boy say. He sounded young. The other may have been older.
    “We have to keep looking, Boss says we gotta find her or it’ll be our hides!”
    Please don’t come in the kitchen, please don’t come in the kitchen!
    “Lets go, she’s not here.”
    Yes!
    “No.”
    No?!
    “We have to check every square inch.”
    Dammit!
    Come on, I thought, you have to think of something!
    The footsteps slowly got closer, they were checking the tables.
    So I couldn’t slip out. But I could go back to my original plan.
    I crept quietly to the back door I spotted. When I got there, I touched the metal that had been sauntered into the cracks. It was shut tight, and I was in trouble. I squished myself up under the counter again. I heard their footsteps, and the door began to open.
    “Wait.” said the youngest. The door stood ajar with a foot stopping it.
    “What?”
    “Lets not waste our time, I don’t hear anything in here. I don’t think she would run into a dead end and just hide. That would be stupid.”
    It took all I had not to throw the nearby cutting knives right at his…
    “Put a sock in it Jaz, boss told us to look everywhere!”
    “I know, but we’ll find her quicker if we use that common sense Julian’s always teaching us. She’s not here, I feel it. Lets keep moving.”
    Wow, and everyone said the takers were smart.
    I listened and waited for the far off sound of the cafeteria door closing. Once they were gone, I came out slowly. I checked the door since I had more time now. The door was sauntered all around its edges. The floor had a sheet of metal bolted to the bottom to block the gap. I guess it was safety measure.
    Well, for them anyway.
    As I was about to leave, I noticed my shadow on the door. I turned and only then noticed the window.
    Maybe that ‘stupid’ remark was to far off the target.
    I did have an excuse though, I was so nervous and scared, I couldn’t be bothered with details. It works doesn’t it? But that didn’t matter, I had found my way out.
    The window wasn’t as re-enforced as well as the door. A few screws here and there, and some bars.
    Thank god my dad had trained me so well.
    I scrambled around for a blunt knife. I fitted it into the screws and undid each one with a lot of patience. Emphasise on A LOT. After the window popped loose, I found some salt and filled the sink with warm water. I mixed in the salt and used one of the cutting knifes to cut a piece of my shirt. By the time I had gotten a long enough piece, the torn shirt hung far to high above my belly button.
    I never liked mid-drifts.
    I soaked the long piece in the sink water and folded it over a couple times. I wrapped it around the top of the bars in the middle. I pulled both ends of the cloth tight and twisted it. I took a deep breath and pulled as hard as I could. After a few minutes, the bars began to bend. I pulled harder and harder, till I heard a loud ding, and flew backwards. I sat up on my elbows and saw the square with all the bars sitting at my feet. The sun shone on the small filings flitting through the air.
    Apparently this building was rather old.
    I immediately listened for footsteps, but thankfully heard nothing. I climbed onto the counter and grabbed the edges of the window. I felt the wind and felt like I wanted to cry. I felt the afternoon sun on my skin. The only thing that ruined it was the large, barbed fence surrounding me.
    I slipped out the window looking around. No faces, no one to see. I ran to the edge of the wall that held the window. I peeked around the corner. There was still nothing, except a small outline in the fence.
    An exit.
    It didn’t matter if anyone saw me. I gunned towards that small hope. I reached for it and tried to wretch it open, but offcourse it was chained with a padlock.
    Why couldn’t anything ever be easy?
    I could try to climb it, but the wire above me wouldn’t be easy to overcome. I could push it aside maybe, without touching the little spikes. No matter what, I had to try something. I began climbing. I never had much upper body strength without adrenaline pushing me like in the fight. It was harder, but staying here would be harder. I got to the top and carefully placed my hands between the sharp wires.
    Alright, now what?
    The top was a fairly thick pole, I could balance on it if not for the wire. I’d just have to try to work around it. I lifted my foot to tuck it under me, and then pushed on it to lift the other up. I got it to the top, and tried to stand. One of the spikes cut across my hand as I pulled up but I ignored it. I was in a crouch with one foot still hanging. I pulled it up slowly, the spikes poking into me painfully. I grimaced as I finally started to stand. I wobbled a bit, but stayed in balance. It was quite a drop as a ditch lay against the fence line. A few thoughts ran through my head, each holding a different scenario. Ofcourse, all of them ended in death, injury, and death. I went with the injury one. I bent my legs and pushed off, only to fall backwards. I fell hard onto the ground.
    “What are you doing?”
    I froze when I heard it. Damn, caught. I rolled over and faced the twins. Both had their heads bent looking curiously at me.
    “Uhhhhh….just…. trying to take pictures! The fence was in the way!”
    “Where’s your camera?” asked one, I wasn’t sure which.
    “I…dropped…it?”
    They both shook their heads. “You’re in…”
    “…a lot of trouble.”
    “The boss has been…”
    “…looking everywhere for you.”
    I stood and dusted myself off. “Please don’t tell anyone what you’ve seen. Just turn around and forget you saw me! Please, if you have any sympathy…”
    “We do, which is why…”
    “…we have this.” The twins held up a small silver key.
    My eyes went wide like a wolf seeing a feast. “Is that for the padlock?!”
    “Ofcourse.” They both answered. They held it out to me, “You want it?”
    I reached and tried to snatch it from their hands. They pulled back with quick reflex.
    “You have to…”
    “…do something for us.”
    I waited. “What? Whatever it is I’ll do it!”
    “You have to guess…”
    “…which of us is which?”
    Crap, life just isn’t fair. “But no one can tell you apart. It’s not a fair game.”
    “Ofcourse it is!”
    “You just have…”
    “…to make the right guess.”
    They both laughed. I wanted to punch their faces in, at least they would still be identical.
    “Well…hurry up…”
    “…and guess.”
    I thought for a moment. They both looked exactly alike of course. Yes, I had to guess, and simply pray it was right.