Chapter nine
V I V I A N
I struggle to open my eyes, and notice they’re wet.
I’ve been crying in my sleep. How did I manage to doze off?
Sitting up, I run a finger over my wet eyes and notice where I am.
Still surrounded by glass. And the dust is still out there, strangely motionless.
Slowly, I crawl over to the door. My hand presses against the metal, and I hope it’ll open somehow.
But I don’t feel any vibration.
I sigh. How long will I be here for?
I kick the glass wall with my foot, hoping it’ll give in and let me cross into the outside world. But even that's a stupid idea. Mr. Welds told me there's too much radiation out there. It'll kill me as soon as it makes contact with my skin.
Maybe someone will notice I'm missing. Someone who's not in on Rob’s scheme. Possibly Piers. He's not going to hurt his own sister, right?
Sitting back down, I check the bottoms of my once white socks. Dirt stains them now, but I could care less.
An instantaneous blast pierces my ears, and a wave of fear hits me. It’s the same buzz that sounded a couple of days ago. If this means danger, then I’m in trouble.
I back away into the metal door and crouch low, my eyes moving left and right. Is there something out there?
Mr. Welds had said the buzz signals the level of radiation rising.
It’s silent again and I wait for another deafening buzz. Instead of getting one, the ground under my feet starts trembling.
Is this what the buzz warns us about? Small earthquakes? I don't know what they mean, so I don't know if I should be worried about them or not. When Mr. Welds told me it's something I should not worry myself with, we were underground then. Would his answer change if we were all outside?
The shaking stops as suddenly as it had come, but I don't relax.
Will there be anything else coming?
Crack!
I’m yanked away from my thoughts and my gaze snaps to the source of the sound.
The glass! It’s shattering!
A hard pounding starts in my ears, and I press myself further into the door.
The glass walls are the only thing keeping me from making contact with the outside air. If it shatters, there’s a chance I won’t survive.
Has this happened before? I wonder. It doesn’t seem like it. The glass was completely flawless when I arrived. The shattering couldn’t have possibly happened before.
What a coincidence. It starts breaking when I’m here.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
The cracks extend and widen, making their way around the walls toward me. I curl into a ball, keeping my head between my knees and my back against the metal door.
The explosion can happen at any moment. Glass could fly at me. I’ll be cut and impaled. There's nothing I can do.
I shut my eyes and count.
One...two...three...four...five…
The snapping of glass stops and...nothing happens.
It’s quiet. Completely quiet. I can’t pick up any noise no matter how hard I listen. Taking a risk, I lift my head and take in the view around me.
“Wha—?” I mutter, baffled. This isn’t possible.
My legs wobble as I pull myself up to my feet. Not breaking eye contact with the glass, I run a finger over the surface. How did this happen?
There are no more fractures. No more gaps. The glass has completely healed itself. I’m surrounded by unblemished glass once again. But how? Glass can’t heal itself! That’s illogical.
While I’m trying to decipher the reason behind all that’s happened so far, I disregard the beep that comes from the door. Only when I hear a throat clear do I realize the metal door has opened. Whipping around, I come face to face with Janelle.
I point to the glass. “Uh—I—uh—the glass...what’s—?”
Janelle cuts me off with a shake of her head.
Rob stands behind her looking disgruntled. I shoot him a look.
Janelle snatches my arm in a death grip and drags me through the door. Her heels click on the rocky floor as we enter the building again. Relief floods over me.
I’ll be fine. Janelle’s getting me out.
She shoves Rob out of the way and continues tugging me through the brick hallway. I notice for the first time it inclines downward, leading back down underground.
“W-what is—” I begin.
Janelle holds a hand up and shushes me. I go silent until Rob kicks me in the calf, causing me to stumble a few steps. When I turn my head around, Rob is trailing behind us with a vile look on his face.
“What was that for?” I spit at him, rewarding myself with a hard slap from Janelle. “Why—?”
Janelle stops in front of a wall and presses her palm against it. We wait for a few moments until, to my surprise, the wall slides open to reveal a tiny white room looking a lot like an elevator. Janelle yanks me inside after she steps into it. Rob follows.
The elevator lurches downward and I’m bewildered. An elevator? Didn't Rob say there is no elevator here?
I look at him, but his attention is elsewhere. He’s slouching against the elevator's wall with his arms crossed. He lied, and I don't know what's going on with him. Why did he do this to me?
I try again. “Dr. Janelle, can you please tell me—?”
“Stop,” Janelle orders. She turns to look me in the eye and says firmly, “Shut up for a second.”
When I nod, she looks away from me.
There’s a soft ding and the elevator doors swing open. Janelle marches me out and I’m in the vast white hallway once again. Underground.
I focus on the sound of Janelle’s heels clicking on the floor as she speed-walks. I’m forced to jog to keep up with her. Rob doesn’t seem to be struggling.
Janelle lets my arm go and trusts me to follow her as we near a door. It looks familiar. In fact, I think we’re heading to the room with Janelle’s desk. And beyond it is that interrogation room I was in my first day here. We’re going in there.
When we enter that small interrogation room, a wave of nausea hits me. Irritating memories fill my mind and I find myself grimacing. Rob notices and smirks, muttering something under his breath. I ignore him.
Janelle thrusts me into a chair and does the same thing to Rob. There are three chairs now. Last time I was here, there were only two. I guess someone's been expecting us.
Janelle takes a seat in the third chair and reaches up to tie her black ponytail into a bun. She says, “We’ll have company soon.”
She looks at Rob.
“I am disappointed in you.” Her voice is almost gentle. Almost.
Rob looks down at the table and Janelle leans toward him a little, folding her hands out in front of her. “You said you overcame it.”
I don’t even bother wondering what Janelle means by that. Answers won’t be given to me. Rob had said she would have taken the blame if we were caught going outside. By how Janelle’s acting, I don’t think she's part of what Rob did to me.
For the millionth time, I wonder, What is going on?
Rob’s eyes meet Janelle’s for a split second. He looks like a student being scolded by a principal.
Janelle leans back in her chair and exclaims, “You’re an adult, for Pete’s sake! Act like it. Don’t lose your temper just because…” She pauses and seems to think better of it. “Of what happened.”
Rob’s jaw twitches. He places his hands on the surface of the table and whispers, “She deserved it.”
I’m out of my chair before I know it. It topples over but dismiss it.
“What exactly did I do to you?”
Rob stares up at me, his face showing no signs of fear. I’m not trying to intimidate him.
I raise my voice. “What did I do?”
He doesn’t answer. I decide to leave it at that. Just as I’m about to right my chair, he lunges at me. I recoil.
Unfortunately for him, the table is in his way s
o all he gets is a corner of the table ramming into his stomach. My feet lead me a few steps away from him. I’m afraid to get hit. How would it feel like?
He tries grabbing at me and Janelle’s already on her feet. “Robin! Robin! What is going on with you?” For the first time, fear registers on her face.
He’s running at me now. A few getaway options run through my head. The door. No! It’ll take too long to open.
I sprint around the table, barely dodging Rob’s clawing hands. The determined look on his face is frightening and my heartbeat speeds up. Janelle’s having a hard time trying to catch him. The heels she's wearing aren’t helping her. My socks aren’t helping me either. I’d run better with bare feet.
Rob and I circle the table for a few seconds.
“Robin!” Janelle voice is desperate. “Stop it! Both of you!” She has moved to a corner of the room, not wanting to get hit.
“You do realize—” my voice is trembling now “—I can’t do that?”
“Stop it!” Janelle squeaks out.
Rob doesn’t seem to be giving Janelle’s voice a second thought.
To my horror, Rob jumps on top of the table and leaps at me. I dodge him but he still manages to elbow me in the shoulder. Hard.
A jolt of pain runs through my arm and I skid to my knees, gritting my teeth. Rob kicks me in the side and a pained cough escapes me.
“S-stop it. P-please…” Tears are on the verge of flowing out. I clutch my side and curl into a ball, trying to protect myself as much as possible. Rob gets a few more kicks in before I hear a door bashing open.
The kicks stop. A commanding voice yells something and there’s a thud, sounding like a collision with the table.
My head throbs and my legs turn feeble as I pick myself up. An unfamiliar figure shoves Rob against the table and the table's legs scrape against the ground as it’s forced to move back from the impact. Words finally flow together and I understand what the voices in the room are saying.
“Pull yourself together!” the unfamiliar person says. His voice is low. Hold on, I recognize his voice.
It’s a man, I know that for sure. My eyes blur, preventing me from barely seeing anything. I squint.
Rob has calmed down. He’s sprawled out on the table looking up at a fuming…wait a second…
“Piers?” My voice cracks. Rob is Piers’ friend, isn’t he? How must that feel—your friend attacking your sibling?
Piers turns around and makes his way over to me. I hold a hand to my head.
Piers puts both of his hands on my shoulders and says softly, “Are you all right?”
I nod, looking over Piers’ shoulder. Rob has pushed himself off the table. He would have attacked me again if not for Janelle by his side. She's saying something to him, but I can't hear it.
My eyes focus on Piers. He watches me for a moment before steering me toward the door. “Let’s go” is all he says.
Piers opens the door, his hands still on my shoulders. I glance at Rob to see him yank his wrist from Janelle’s grip. He attempts to take a step toward me, but Janelle’s arm wraps around his neck.
Rob growls. “She murdered my father!” he spits, pointing furiously at me.
I freeze for a split second. Piers hands tighten around my shoulders, restraining me from going back to Rob. “What gave you that notion?” I snarl back.
Rob attempts to punch the air, but Janelle wraps her hand around his wrist again to stop him.
Piers hurries me out of the room and shuts the door behind him before Rob can say anything more to me. I stare at the closed door, not able to recall killing anyone. Ever. I don't even know Rob's father.
Piers hisses sharply and I know something is up. Bracing myself for whatever is coming next, I spin around, only to come face to face with Jack Welds. He's looking down at me and Piers with his hands behind his back.
I’m not able to identify the look on his face.
Chapter ten
V I V I A N