And now, here he was. Locked away in a room in some decrepit old warehouse.
The Tranludes were very interested in moonstones. Throughout the day, two kept returning to his room with a moonstone or so. They seemed perturbed by the fact that none responded to Evan. A female Tranlude kept saying how some humans might not have the ability to use moonstones, but the male kept insisting that they just hadn't found the right stone yet.
Outside of the reoccurring moonstone tests, Evan was almost bored. The Tranludes gave him food and water and allowed him bathroom breaks, but that was it. The rest of his time consisted of waiting around in a completely sealed off room.
What would they do with him?
Would they eventually let him go?
Evan wasn't sure, but he worried. If he were in their shoes, he would know letting the hostage go would be a bad idea. The Tranludes' plans and illegal activities would come out.
They were probably going to kill him eventually.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the same makeshift prison Samantha, Joby, and Oliver were locked behind bars in a room full of others like themselves. At first, there were few people, but as the day went on, the individual cells filled up more and more, one by one.
The Tranludes were adding to their arsenal.
Word around said how the Tranludes were planning to use the humans as weapons. By matching each person to their respective moonstone, the Tranludes were going to force the humans to act on their behalf.
This was done through a metal brace. Each person had one wrapped around his or her midsection. Whenever someone disobeyed, the Tranludes could administer an electric shock. The moonstones were kept out of reach until their powers were needed.
Samantha still couldn't believe she and the boys had walked right into this. While everyone else was dragged in, kicking and screaming...the three of them had willingly walked right into the building, only to be ambushed and captured.
She felt so foolish.
And even more embarrassing was the fact that the stone she'd been wearing all this time was a wind stone, and the exact stone that she could use. But the wind stone seemed less radiant than what she'd seen here: it was as if her space rock was of a lower quality, or perhaps damaged. The Tranludes hadn't seemed too concerned about it.
"Come on. Let's try again." Joby got up.
Oliver sighed. "I don't think we can do it, man..."
"C'mon!"
Joby and Oliver both approached Samantha. For the third time, the two each grabbed a side of her brace and began pulling, trying to break it free.
But it remained strong.
"They'll just put another one on us, anyway," Oliver said.
"It'd be better if we could get out of here." Samantha's eyes scanned the room. No windows, only bars and locked doors... "We need one of them to let us out, then we can find a way out from there."
Oliver stared at her as if she were crazy. "You think we can get away from them that easily?"
"We'd need to be sneaky about it. Like..." She lowered her voice. "When they let us go to the bathroom. They don't follow us in. Is there a window or another way out there?"
Joby shrugged. "Dunno. We can check next time."
"And check the halls, when we're out walking. Maybe there's somewhere we can slip off to."
Oliver nodded in admiration. "You've given some thought to this, haven't you?"
"I have experience escaping from unofficial prisons." She winked at Joby. "Seriously though, panicking won't help. Instead, we need to be observant and wait for our chance."
"Yeah, yeah!" Oliver nodded her on. "I like the sound of this...!"
Joby chuckled. "Kinda funny that they got us all trapped here, 'cause they need us. If we're so strong with those stones, you'd think we could break free."
"Not without the stones. And not with these." Oliver yanked at his brace. "Stupid thing. I swear that guy put mine on extra tight."
"Think they really even shock us?" Joby smirked.
"You think they made that up?"
"I doubt it," Samantha said. "You know it cost them a lot of money making all these. I wouldn't try it, if I were you."
"Pff!" Joby waved her off. "Gimme a stone and I'll break us outta here!"
"We'll be cheering you on, man." Oliver patted Joby on the back. "As you get fried to a crisp on our behalf. Thanks!"
"No, I'm serious!"
"And so am I! Go ahead! Do it!"
Samantha sighed. "Everything's a joke..."
"Aw, c'mon, babe." Joby ruffled her hair. "We're just locked up in prison. It ain't like the end of the world or anything."
Sighing again, Samantha paced to the bars. "We need to focus on getting out. And finding Evan. We still don't even know where he is."
"He's probably locked up in another room," Oliver said.
Staring ahead, Samantha saw a guard ambling his way down the aisle. He wasn't carrying the usual water jug or sack of bread. Which meant it was time for another round of bathroom breaks, the only time anyone was ever allowed to leave the cells.
Time to be watchful.
The guard let out a small group from their cell. While the guard was closing the door, a guy suddenly made a run for it. He sprinted down the aisle and past the endless sea of bars and staring faces.
Samantha was aware of Joby beside her, also watching.
Would he make it?
Suddenly the man came to a stop. With a piercing scream, he fell to his knees.
"Fool." The Tranlude closed the distance between them. "You must like the smell of your own waste! Gnh!" He kicked the man, sending him toppling over. "No more restroom breaks for you for the day." Grabbing the man by the shirt, he dragged him back to the cell and hurled him in.
The man slunk to the floor, moaning.
"Gosh. That's disgusting." Samantha had to look away.
"How'd he shock 'im?" Joby asked.
"He pressed a button, it looked like," Oliver said from the back.
The guard went by, herding the remaining group along in front of him.
Samantha stared after them. "Doesn't he feel any guilt? Hurting that guy like that?"
"Obviously not." Oliver folded his arms behind his head. "But now we know the braces really do shock."
She tried yanking on the bars, more from restlessness than any real hope of escaping.
Stepping over, Joby tried a swift kick. "Ow!" He hopped up and down, holding his foot. "Frick-a-frick! Ahh!" Losing his balance, he fell into the bars.
"Use your hair, man!" Oliver called out. "Oh, wait. It's missing its spikes."
Samantha chose a random bar and tugged at it. "Stupid...thing! Grr!"
"Tag team!"
She felt arms slip around her waist. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Joby, who offered her a smile. Feeling her cheeks flush, she smiled back. They both began pulling.
She heard Oliver start laughing. "You two look like a pair of mating ― oh shit! Guard alert, guard alert!"
They both separated and promptly turned their backs to the bars, Joby even attempting to whistle a tune Samantha didn't recognize.
A new guard was now making his way down the path. He was heading right towards their cell.
Did he see us? Samantha worried. She waited for the electric shock.
Instead the guard stopped outside their door. He pressed a few buttons and the door popped open.
Could someone catch the pass code? Samantha made a mental note for later.
"Restroom break!" The guard held the door open. "Make it quick! Lord Visero says these are taking too long."
"But my stomach huuurts," Joby whined.
"Keep it up, comedian, and you'll be going in your pants tomorrow."
The trip to the bathroom was disappointingly uneventful. The halls were bare, with nothing standing out as an obvious escape route. Every door they passed was shut. The few windows were covered by dark curtains. The Tranludes acted like the sunlight was fatal to them.
It frustrated Sam
antha. They'd been locked up for a whole day by now. A little fresh air or even a glimpse of the outside world would've been nice. The dully lit, grayscale building was so artificial and cold. She almost felt claustrophobic from it.
The bathroom area consisted of a room full of boxed off stalls. Since it was for the human prisoners, the Tranludes hadn't even bothered to make separate ones for men and women. The bathroom was dirty: water overflowed onto the floors regularly, and the two sinks only had one functional handle each.
While the guard waited outside the bathroom door, the three friends went inside.
"This isn't looking good, guys." Oliver glanced around. "Everything's closed off..."
"Well, maybe we need an opening," Samantha said. "Maybe one of them will mess up, and then we can ―"
"Are we ever gonna go pee?" Joby fidgeted around. "I drank too much."
"Yeah." Oliver shook his head. "Let's go pee, or whatever first."
As they each disappeared into a stall, Samantha heard Joby call out, "Let's talk while we go!"
"No!"
"Uh, no?"
"Party poopers..." Joby gasped. "Whoa, who did this? Yuuuck-y! Looks like half a baby or something!"
There was a pause before Oliver went, "What?"
"A chocolate baby?" Samantha had to ask.
Joby burst out laughing. "Toilet chaaaaange!" A door clanged, followed by the click of a lock.
"Every time we come here," Oliver said, "I lose my appetite. Thanks, Joby!"
"If half the toilets weren't broken, it wouldn't be like this," Samantha said.
"Euh!" Joby went. "This one's got blood in it!"
"Oh, Samaaaaanthaaaaa," Oliver sang.
Samantha growled. "Be a big boy and flush it. It's really not a big deal." How was she supposed to come up with an escape plan with Joby forever clowning around? She couldn't even pee without listening to him go through one "crisis" after another.
Where was Evan to help even out the maturity levels? Sometimes his tendency to just bluntly call Joby a moron had its uses. At least it hushed the guy. She didn't have the heart to put out his optimism.
By the time they got back to the cell, Samantha found herself thinking more about her brother than about escape routes. She had no idea why the Tranludes had wanted him in the first place, and why he wasn't being kept in the same room as they were.
Had they...?
But why?
"Well, this outing was a waste." Oliver leaned against the bars, crossing his arms. "Outside of us, er, expelling our waste, that is."
Joby laughed. "That guard didn't even notice my secret!"
Sure this was going to end in another joke, Samantha sighed and went off to be alone at the back of the cell. Forget a wall, she didn't even have a seat or window. Instead she sat on the ground, bringing her knees to her chest and resting her arms and head here.
The ceramic floor was cold, and the room dimly lit only by cheap ceiling lights. People everywhere, all waiting around for the unknown. Most were young adults, with some being middle-aged instead.
It was hard to believe, outside, it was a beautiful spring day. The warm glow of the setting sun, and the loving caress of a breeze, were just outside the walls.
"Hey." Joby walked over to her. "Why'd ya run off? ...Feeling okay?"
"Yeah..." She looked away, at the gray floor. "Everything's so cold and ugly here."
"Yeah, I know." He glanced around, putting his hands on his skinny hips. "Could really use a paint job."
"What?"
"The walls. An off-white even would look friendlier." He nodded with certainty.
"Heh, you're such an artist."
"Well, I try." He reached in his pocket. "Got something here. It's that secret I was talking about before, when ya walked off."
"Sorry."
"Nah, it's okay. It's the finishing touch to...to the only beautiful thing here." Bending down, he brushed her hair back before pushing a flower behind her ear. "Here ya go! For you!"
From the corner of her eyes, Samantha could make out a touch of periwinkle. "It's beautiful." Remembering his comment, she felt her cheeks warm. "Uh, where did you get it?"
"From outside the bathroom window."
Oliver stomped over. "From outside the what? And you didn't think to mention this window before, when we were trying to scope out exits?"
Joby held his hands up. "It was barred. Anyway, the bars seemed strong. So I just reached out and grabbed a flower."
Oliver let out a massive sigh.
"Well, thanks, Joby." Samantha smiled. "I really like the color."
"Yeah. It's a good color for you." He smiled back. "Isn't she pretty, Oliver?"
Their friend still seemed pained about the window, but he managed to recompose himself enough to glance at Samantha. "Yeah. Yeah, she is. It brings out her blue eyes..." He slumped back to the front of the cell.
"Think I should'a got him one too?" Joby asked.
Chapter 15
Evan was bored of daydreaming.
He was tired of being asked to handle stones.
He was tired of eating bread and stale water.
He was tired of just sitting there, alone in a room. Could this drive a man mad? He was beginning to think so.
Were the Tranludes planning to kill him soon, for being such a failure that even none of the moonstones would respond to him?
Possibly.
He had the feeling that it was night, but since he had no possessions or windows, he wasn't sure. All he knew was he felt tired and agitated. It was hard to believe it was still only the second day.
Did anyone realize he was missing yet? He was fairly sure Samantha and Oliver had figured it out, yet they did have a tendency to get lost in class work and forget the outside world.
Suddenly he heard a knock at his door. The Tranludes never knocked, mainly since it was locked anyway, and they were the only ones who knew how to open it.
He stepped next to the door. "I can't open it."
He heard a female's voice: "Name?"
He scrunched his face. "Uh...Evan?" Why did she sound vaguely familiar...?
"Forgetting your name?" A pause. "It's me. Isis."
Evan finally felt his weary heart stir from its mundane existence. "Great! Can you get me out of here?"
"Not now."
He felt his heart deflate. "Well...why not?"
"I need to do it right the first time," she said, speaking quickly. "There won't be a second chance. I'm still observing their routine, to see what time would be best."
"So...do you have any idea when ―"
"Possibly tomorrow. They tend to leave this wing unmanned a lot. I think they've got something planned for tomorrow, as well. If they're distracted, maybe then."
"Do you know how ―"
"Don't have time for a lot of questions, kid. Can't be caught here. Do you know where your roommates are?"
Evan paused for a second. "Aren't they at the apartment?"
"According to Lemmings, no. That's why he called me. Because nobody was answering his calls."
Suddenly Evan was wide awake. "They're gone too?" It made no sense. He knew Oliver had returned to class. He knew Samantha and Joby weren't even around at the time.
Unless...
Unless Oliver went into panic mode, ran to Samantha and Joby, and then all three worried and...
Somehow found him here? It still made no sense. How would they know he was here? When he was being dragged off, he sure didn't spot any of them. Maybe they'd been abducted later.
"Are they here?" Evan asked Isis.
"That's what I was hoping you could tell me. I know there's a whole section on the other side of the building that I haven't seen much of. That area's always got traffic coming and going."
"They might be there."
"They might. That could be a problem... But I need to get everyone out, anyway. Can't play by the rules of favoritism." A hint of a smile in how she said it. "Well, hopefully see you tomorrow. Good l
uck till then."
Silence.
Evan sighed. Couldn't she have at least left him something to do? A crossword puzzle? At times like this, he really missed his Nintendo 3DS.
Everyone was snoring, except Samantha. Instead she was at the bars, waiting for a guard to do his hourly rounds. She wasn't sure if this was going to work, but she figured it was worth a shot. What was the worst that could happen?
Oh right. The electric shock. But she'd take her chances.
Finally a guard stopped outside her cell. Tilting his head down, he eyed her suspiciously. "Yes?"
"Hey." She offered her sweetest smile. "I was wondering if I could take a quick break."
He lowered his brows yet more. "You've had plenty."
"But sir..." She lowered her voice. "I just got my period. And it's...painful." She hugged her stomach. "Couldn't I just take a quick break? Please? I really need to take care...of that."
As she'd been hoping, he suddenly seemed less interested in details. "Can't you do that here?"
Samantha made a show of hugging herself and looking pitiful. "With the boys here?"
The guard eyed the snoring lumps that were Joby and Oliver.
"If they woke up, and saw me like that..."
Finally the guard sighed. "Very well then. But be fast." He entered the passkey and opened the door. "Can't have blood on the floors."
"Thank you so much."
"Just hurry up!" He practically yanked her out the door. "Lord Visero would be displeased if he knew about this."
Lord Visero can kiss my non-existent, used pad, Samantha thought to herself. She didn't even have her period: if she did, she probably wouldn't be using this as the excuse.
But what man ― human or Tranlude ― wanted to hear about menstruation? It was the perfect way to make him want to just shut her up.
Soon they arrived at the bathroom, and Samantha went inside. This would be her chance to check the window, but she'd have to be quick. She wasn't sure how long the guard would wait, menstrual cramps or not.
Approaching a stall, she swung the door and jiggled the lock, so he'd think she was going inside.
She found the window right near the sinks, just a bit higher. Staring up, she could make out the wild night sky and the creeping branch of a bush of some kind. She could nearly smell the fresh scent of the outdoors.
Wish by Moonstone Page 10
