“Ahh,yes. I see.” She paused. I was confused and wanted to question what she saw, but my mouth would not allow the words to form. She rephrased her question to one that I did not anticipate.
“Do you loveRiven Reilly?” she asked, a single eyebrow raised. I recall wondering how she would know his name, or why she would assume I’d be seeing him.
“Yes, with everything in me,” I said, annoyed at how the truth was able to find her every time. She smirked, and an evil expression took over her features.
“That will be all,” she stated, before turning her attention to the person behind me. “Take her to the torture room. I have the mostwonderfulidea.”
I remember feeling the tranquility being replaced by terror. Before I could react to it, something was thrown over my head. Then, I was dragged away against my will. Seconds after that, I felt a sharp stick to my right upper arm before everything faded to a dark and silent nothingness.
? ? ?
Now here I sit, squinting my eyes open to the blinding white walls reflecting the blinding white bulbs overhead. I manage to pull my head up enough to peek through the hair that’s fallen in my face. I can see that there’s a large wall-length mirror about twenty feet in front of me. Something tells me that it’s two-way, and fear ignites within me at who might be on the other side of it.
I groan, my mouth dry. My head is pounding from whatever was injected into my arm, and I can feel that the headphones are still covering my ears.Great. The only thing that I truly hope is that Riven received my SOS text. What did I say to Sabel that would land me chained to a chair in atorture room? I recall the words she used for where I currently am, and it sends a shiver down my spine.
I turn my head to see Sabel standing beside me, a devilish expression on her face. The shiver down my spine turns into a crawling sensation that makes me want to jump right out of my skin. Riven, whereareyou?! I tug at the restraints as my strength begins to return. But it does me more harm than good when they dig into my skin without budging even a little.
“Save your energy, girl. I need you ready for what’s to come.” I look up, smiling sweetly at Sabel, mimicking what I musthave looked like when I was under the influence of the binaural frequency in her office. I need to use every advantage I can get.
“Good,” she says smugly. “Now, let us play.” I almost let the facade fall, but I decide to heed her warning of needing my strength. She walks to the door that I assume connects to the two-way mirror viewing room, opening it up just a crack. I hear mumbled voices, and then it closes again. The click clack of her blood-red stiletto heels fills the room as she walks back over to me. She places a hand on my shoulder, gripping it with her pointed, talon-like nails. I tense, but refuse to pull away from her grasp. I might be in distress, but I amno one’sfucking damsel.
A few seconds go by, and then I hear it. The sound. A similar frequency to the one I heard in her office filters in through the headphones, moving through my ear canal and into my brain. As before, I feel myself relax at its melodic rhythm. This time, though, I try to resist it. I run in the opposite direction at full speed, the little angel on my shoulder pulling me away from the sound. The waves are faster, though, moving through the tunnels of my mind with an ease that I don’t possess. They reach me, diving into my body and filling me with their light and vibration. The angel weeps beside me, retreating into the depths of my mind in defeat.
The sound stops, but I know that it’s too late. The feelings of warmth and suggestion overwhelm me. This time, it’s stronger and different. I feel my thoughts dissipate slowly, replaced by the will of the universe and the people who seek to manipulate me. I want them to. Ineedthem to. I hear Sabel’s voice through the haze.
“Tell me, Sloane, do you seek to destroy Sonus and the Eden Frequency?” She grips the back of my hair and tugs roughly, pulling my head back. She peers down over me and into my eyes. I know that I should feel angry or afraid, but instead, all I feel is the desire to please her.
“Yes, Sabel. I want to bring you all down before you have the chance to manipulate the minds of millions.” My voice is robotic and not my own. I can faintly feel the restraint of my mind trying to pull the words back, but it isn’t enough to stifle them.
Instead of lessening her grip on my hair, she pulls back harder. “And how do you plan to do that,exactly?!” She seethes. I find that I don’t want her to be angry, and I yearn to make her feel better. I want to say things that will soften the stinging tone of her voice, but my mind filters my thoughts and picks the truth out in an effortless pursuit.
“I—I don’t know. I didn’t get that far. I intended to make you confess to my father’s murder and then go from there,” I say. Her grip loosens and releases me with a push, throwing my head forward. I wince at the whiplash but recover quickly, wanting so badly to get on my knees and beg for her forgiveness. She circles me, heels clicking against the ground as she parades around me. Then, she stops in front of me. I tilt my head up to look at her, giving her a huge, gratifying smile.
“What is the name of the man that you are in love with, Sloane?” she asks, arms crossed beneath her breasts. My smile fades as I tilt my head, confused as to why she’s asking me this again. In my ever-present need to obey, I say his name again.
“Riven Reilly,” I say, a genuine smile taking shape on my face. As his name moves across my lips, something inside of me shifts. I can feel the need to bend to Sabel’s will slipping away. I feel the peace and tranquility exiting my mind slowly. I keep this to myself, knowing that this may be my only chance of escape.
Escape.
The word fills my mind, reminding me that I’m chained to a chair and that Sabel is not my savior. She’s mycaptor.
“He will come for me. I know that he will come for me,” I say sweetly, maintaining a mindless doe-eyed expression.
Sabel laughs wickedly. “Oh, sweetie.No oneis coming for you.” She looks at me with a pitied expression. I itch to slap it off her face. The coercive state that I was in is wearing off faster now, and I can only hope that Sabel didn’t prepare for it.
“Bring him in,” she yells to no one in particular. The door behind her opens up. Her eyes are still locked onto mine, but mine track to the man being dragged into the room. Two guards hold him up under his arms, the tips of his shoes the only things dragging the ground. Shock and fury register in my brain.
“Van?!” I ask, confused. He’s wearing his stage outfit. The beautiful mask, the black cloak, his bare chest, and a pair of loose-fitting black pants. His head dangles, and I wonder if he’s also been drugged. A pang of guilt hits me that I’m partly to blame for this. If Van hadn’t hidden that I was an outlier, then I can’t imagine we’d be in this predicament right now.
The men holding Van drag him to the center of the room until he’s nearly at my feet, and then drop him. He falls to his knees and leans back, managing to stay upright. His beautifully sculpted chest rises and falls in motion with his rapid breathing. He looks up at me through the mask, shaking his head back and forth.
“I’m sorry, Van. I’msosorry. This is all my fault.” Tears fill my eyes and spill down my cheeks in quick succession. Van doesn’t say a word as he continues shaking his head before letting it fall again. I look up at Sabel, who’s standing to my right. She’s smiling down at me like she’s already won. She reaches into the back pocket of her black leather pants and pulls out my cell. I track it, watching as she uses my face to open it and then taps the screen in search of something. I want to ask her what she thinks she’s doing, but don’t want to let on that I’m no longer under the influence of the frequency. She finds what she’s looking for, turning the phone to show me. It’s Riven’s contact information. I glance from the phone to her, puzzled.
“If you’re so sure that he will come for you, then let’s give him a call,” she says, turning the phone back to her and tapping the screen. Van’s breathing escalates as his head shoots up to Sabel. The ringing echoes and fills the room as she switches it to speakerphone, and then my head snaps in the direction of another sound.
There’s a phone ringing in Van’s pocket.
“Why do you have that?” I ask, panicking. “Why do you have Riven’s phone, Van?” I’m angry, unable to hide the escalating emotions. Next, I feel the betrayal strike like lightning. All this time, Van has beenusingme. Why was I sostupidto not see it before now? I am reeling with fury and panic, ready to take out anything in my path.
