The gentle voice tears me from my thoughts as I snap my attention to the left. The woman wears a soft, tired smile as she runs her thumb over the back of the man’s hand beside her. He seems to sleep soundly, but she’s been staring up at the ceiling for hours, trapped in her thoughts like me, I guess.
“I don’t think sleep is coming for me,” I murmur, mirroring her smile as I hold back the fact that sleep rarely comes when I’m so torn up inside.
“I don’t sleep well when my mind is racing either,” she breathes, and I nod in acknowledgment before turning my attention to my lap. Admitting such a thing feels like revealing a layer of vulnerability that I refuse to surrender. “Will someone come looking for you?” she suddenly asks, catching me by surprise.
Pain tightens in my gut as I shake my head. “I don’t think they’d know where to look even if they did,” I admit, and her smile falls flatter. “Have you been here long?” I ask, curiosity getting the better of me like always. It’s on the tip of my tongue to apologize when she shakes her head, and to my surprise, the curl to her lips returns a little stronger.
“No one is coming for us,” she states, squeezing the man’s hand tighter. “But we chose that for our family. A lot of us did,”she explains, making my eyebrows gather. Sensing the confusion that nestles in my stomach, she proceeds. “That’s how The Obsidian Circle works, especially Jude.” Her gaze darts to the door, a flicker of panic washing over her features as she pauses for a moment, but after a few seconds, she turns back to me, her voice lower now. “We’re all technically here of our own free will, but the alternative came with consequences none of us were willing to face.”
“So you’re being blackmailed,” I murmur, and her eyes crinkle at the corners as her smile tightens, but doesn’t stretch with joy.
“Do you have any family?” she asks, and I shake my head.
“None worth mentioning,” I admit.
“Well, I hope that you get out of here and one day have such a luxury,” she breathes, looking up at the ceiling. Her features soften as though she’s remembering something, but whatever it is, she doesn’t share. “I would place myself here time and time again in hopes of knowing that my family never walks this path or suffers the consequences bestowed upon us.”
“Why doesn’t your family come for you?” I ask, and she hums, the sound lilted with something I can’t quite place.
“They probably don’t know we exist. But that’s the point of it, isn’t it? Sacrifice comes with so much pain on my end,but I hope for them; they’re experiencing joy, love, and happiness.”
I choke on my next breath as memories of Odie come to mind.
“Why don’t people just use their magic to get out of here?” I blurt, and he sighs, glancing around the small space for a moment before his gaze returns to mine.
“We’re here by choice, remember?” he clarifies, acknowledging that he wasn’t actually asleep when I was speaking with the woman earlier. “Besides, the room is a dead spot,” he adds, and it’s my turn to raise my eyebrows in confusion. He understands immediately, waving his hand to indicate the entire space. “The room is spelled, rendering us all useless in here.”
I nod, but something still gnaws at me. “If you guys are all here by choice, why doesn’t he give you better accommodations? If none of you are going to run, it doesn’t make sense to keep you all cooped up like this,” I state, and he nods as if he’s asked himself the same question before.
“He can contain us better this way. Plus, it gives him more control over us. He can monitor when we leave, when we eat, when we shower, change, and everything in between.”
“That sounds tough to accept,” I murmur, and a smile ghosts his face as he looks up at the ceiling.
“It’s worth it when you know the consequences of the alternative.”
My heart sinks at the admission. “I can’t imagine,” I mumble, lifting my knees to my chest as I wrap my arms around my legs. “Have you been here a long time?”
“Long enough to hope it wasn’t all for nothing.”
The woman who is my mother cared for me when I was in the unknown, unaware of who I am to her. My father, just as kind and caring, showed a level of love for Ellie beyond what I could ever imagine. The complete opposite of the life I have lived. But more than that, what aches the most, is recalling exactly why they are there. So their family doesn't have to be.
Does that mean so I don't have to be there? Were they unknowingly referring to the girl sitting right beside them?
Regardless, that's no longer true, since I'm caught up in this web right alongside them. What drives them to remain there, to stay under his control, is all a lie. They’re there to protect me.
Me.
Yet I found myself right beside them anyway.
Gasping, I pry my eyelids open and blink at the vials, still in a state of disbelief as my mind swirls.
I feel lightheaded. The desire to lean over the bar is overwhelming. Seeing the ground belowgrows more desirable, but I force myself to lean back, taking a few deep breaths.
Glancing around my surroundings, my attention falls to the sloped roof beside me on either side. Before I can think better of it, I climb up, shuffling along and taking a seat. Tucking my knees under my chin, I wrap my arms around my legs, vials still clutched firmly in my grasp as the truth settles over me in my precariously perched position.
My entire life has been a lie.
The swirl of possibilities within the what ifs and maybes render me useless.
