The Podium

Chapter Two! Sorry for the wait, I had too much homework to work. . . ;( Okay! Prologue over, starting the book now.

Troy woke up with a start. It was cold. Very cold. Lying on the floor, he tried to figure out where the heck he is, and why he was wearing swim trunks and no shirt. He moved an arm and it scraped against the rough stone floor that he was currently lying down on. He rolled his wrist out and brought it over his body, intending to stretch it out. He pulled his other arm out and realized twine rope was tying his hand to something. He pulled his feet and realized that they were tied together, but not completely. They allowed about a foot and a half between his legs. He rolled over and pushed his body up. He followed the rope to a cot and collapsed onto it, gasping “Where the heck am I?”

******************************************************************************

Ylva woke suddenly and remembered that Troy was missing. Tears welled up in here eyes and she rubbed them away angrily. That won’t save Troy. . . She walked down their spiral steps, barefoot feet slapping the even stone bricks. She entered the great dining hall, where they held the feasts. Four long, parallel wooden benches. A shorter, perpendicular bench at the head of the chamber was where her family sat now. She turned away from her parents and siblings and went to the bathroom. When she returned, she had showered, changed, cleaned her teeth and brushed her hair. The table was silent. She sat and grabbed a plate of toast, buttered it and stared at what everybody else was staring at. The grand clock. Once it hit nine, the entire spy agency would come and they would work together to find Troy. She dreaded seeing anybody at the moment. Her eyes were puffy and red and aching. She ate slowly, then walked away, to the entrance of the castle. She walked out through the huge grand entrance and bundled her layers more tightly against her body. She walked by the flower garden and went to the building that she and Troy spent much of their childhood at. She went inside and started up a fire that thawed her, making her come back to reality. It was cruel.

******************************************************************************

Troy woke up when he heard somebody thumping down the stairs, lamp in hand, keys jingling. His face appeared in the doorway, he was looking at Troy solemnly. That can’t be good. The man walked in and placed the lamp down. He stalked over and took a knife out of its sheath. He hacked at the rope binding his arm to the cot but left the one binding his feet intact. He held his shoulder and led him through the corridor, surprisingly gently. When they reached the room they needed to be in, the man flicked on the lights and fainted in horror.

******************************************************************************

Ylva shivered and warmed her hands. The bell rang and she counted the tolling in her head. Not that it mattered, she already knew what time it was. She got up and poured sand over the fire. Then she sat again. Leaning her head back, she moaned and started sobbing again.  

******************************************************************************

Catelyn stared out of the window. Her eldest children. The most promising of all. The son captured while his twin won’t even show her face to the rest of her family. She stood and welcomed the guests. Once everybody was in and seated at the benches, she began. “As most of you already know, the heir to the Keyes family has been captured.”, murmurs erupted through the room and she began to feel a burning in the back of her throat. She shook her head and raised her hands. “He is currently missing, and we need your help to find him. Who wants to?” Every hand was raised. All 53 people were ready to look. “Perfect.” she rubbed her hands together, and the hall went back to a deadly silence. “Each of you all know your strengths, everybody who has majored in forensics, go to my son Jean.” She swung her arm to the right, and about a third of the people in the hall stood and got into line to sign in. “You will be placed into squads of about eight. Scientists excluded. Go find people you trust and work together with well.”

******************************************************************************

Troy woke to find a gag in his mouth and his body strapped down. He tried to move, but couldn’t. A person walked up with a tray, it was laden with flaying knives. Troy passed out again before he could feel the pain of the knife entering the back of his hand.

******************************************************************************

Catelyn Keyes sat back down and waited for everybody to be seated again. “They sent us a package. Jean, could you pass it down?” She asked when they had all fallen silent in their groups. Jean grabbed the small box from the table and passed it gingerly on. Men and women gasped when they saw the burnt skin in it. Just a little bit. “It came with a little note. You have 12 hours before his little finger comes off. Every 12 hours, another finger from his dominant hand comes off. Then I will move to toes. Give us back our man and 5 million dollars. If he comes with reports of getting tortured, your daughter will be next. Groups A and B will help Ned get the prisoner ready. C-F will be with me figuring out where my son is.” She finished.

******************************************************************************

Ylva stood and walked into the grand hall. Every well-renowned spy family was there, along with the odd spy geniuses with no spy lineage. They were passing around the box when she walked in silently. That box. She sat under the cover of darkness in the corner of the room. Each murmur pierced her as if they were gusts of cold wind.

She shivered and watched them stand and move around.

“Ylva!” She looked around, startled, for the voice. It was her mother, her calm, cool, smart, collected mother.

“What is it,” Ylva replied, voice deadpan.

“You are going to join my group. Jon, Katrina, Ned, Ricardo, Jean, and Owen will be joining us.” Her mother told her. Owen and Jean are her brothers, Ned is her father. Katrina, Jon, and Ricardo are her cousins.

“Fine. What are we doing now?” Ylva asked, keeping the bubbling excitement from exploding inside her. They were finally going to do something.

“Nothing. Right now all of our scientists are making a dash for the lab and sweeping the beach where he was kidnapped for clues. Our field agents are going and gathering weapons. I will meet you at 13:00 in the conference room. Go strait to the center stage, you were the last person to see him. You will tell them everything you know and all of your speculations.” She finished. She turned and her curls flew over one shoulder.

“Godammit.” Ylva murmured under her breath. They weren’t going to save him yet.

“It’s okay. We’ll get him back.” Her mother said sadly with her back facing her.

“But how much of him will be left by the time we get to him?” Ylva spat, turning away from her.

“Don’t take that tone with me. We will do it.” Her mother said calmly.

“I hate you,” Ylva said running from her. Why did I say that? I don’t hate her. Why did I say that? She ran up the stairs, to her room. She opened the door and slammed it behind her. The room was a pale yellow, she collapsed onto her bed. Reaching over her bed, she grabbed her phone from the bedside table and started playing her music.

“Ylva? Ylva? I want to talk to you.” Her father’s voice came floating into her bedroom.

“Sorry pops, I really don’t want to talk to anybody right now.” She replied coldly.

“Oh, Ylva. Jean is coming up with Owen soon. Do you want to talk to your brothers?” He asked. Her brothers, her little brothers. Jean is older and looks like Troy and her mother, Owen is only fifteen, and looks a lot like herself and their father.

“Yeah, actually. Can they come up now?” She said softly, barely loud enough for him to hear her. They wouldn’t hide their feelings under the pretense of “being strong for the kids”. They could cry with her.

“Sure, here they are now.” Her father’s voice floated into the room and she heard trotting footsteps coming up the stairs. Her brothers opened the door and walked in.

“Hey, sis,” Owen said. He smiled weakly and hugged her. Jean smiled at her and sat down next to her. Her father closed the door and walked down the stairwell.

“Hello. How are you two holding up?” Ylva asked them. Like Troy and Ylva, Owen and Jean are inseparable. They would be partners in just three years.

“Pretty badly. I heard you told mom that you hated her. That’s a first.” Jean said with a small, shaky grin. It was true, none of them have ever gotten into yelling fights with each other, never mind having the feeling of hatred towards each other.

“I didn’t mean it. She was just telling me that we would do nothing yet. I couldn’t handle it.” Ylva replied. She shook her head and Owen squeezed her and Jean’s hands. “Look at you! The youngest of us and here you are acting the adult!” she joked, punching his shoulder lightly and grinning.

“I think the pipsqueak has to earn his place with the adults here!” Jean grabbed his wavy black hair and shook him lightly.

“Adults? I only see one adult here! ME! I’m the only eighteen-year-old in the room, and you two still have quite a bit to go before facing off me!” Ylva grinned and ducked Jean’s punch. She leaped back and kicked out, clipping him in the jaw. He fell, face-first, onto the bed.

“Owwwww???” He groaned.

“Wide open, absolutely pathetic. How old are you? Sixteen? You should know better.” Ylva said, jumping Owen’s low kick. “Like that.” She darted forwards again and scooped Owen up and flung him onto her back. “When your opponents are stronger or bigger than you, use their strength to your advantage!” she said as she dropped him onto the floor, turned heel and kicked his belly softly. “Owen! Pathetic! You-” She began, but was interrupted by the bell tolling. One. It was one-o-clock. “I guess it’s time to go.” Her brother’s grins faded, and they stood back up.

She walked down the stairs, then trotted. She ran, her brothers hot on her heels, to the conference room. Bursting through the doors, she stopped. The conference hall was warm, heated by fires, and it was huge. The seats were placed in a crescent, each with a small desk next to them. They have maps, papers, everything. Some had pushed desks together to make more room to write. She gulped, suddenly feeling that the room might be a little too heated. Walking down one of the aisles, heads turned, whispers erupted. That’s his twin. . . Really?. . . . Wasn’t she there?. . . . She looks a little young. . . . She’s the same age as he is, what are you, stupid?. . . . . Oh, right. . .  

She grimaced and glare at the three who were whispering. Do you think she heard us?. . . Shut up! Finally, after what seemed like forever, she reached the center stage, nodded at her parents, and stepped up to the podium.

Reviews

[Joy]

Hi, my name is Joy. I'm pretty new here, and just posted something yesterday.

So I have read both of your chapters that you posted, and I read them through quite fast. So they definitely kept me reading. The characters are quite believable, and I was wondering, is there more readable content of the book?

Also, i have another question. Around what time is this story supposed to take place? Medieval? Modern? Because i see some of both. Or is it in its own unique time era? I noticed some writing mistakes or confusing areas, but the kind of advice I prefer usually is just about the plot itself. So I would really like to know more about the entire story. (I haven't posted more than the prologue of mine yet either, so no pressure.)

I would really like to be of any help( if i can) and i would also appreciate help in my own writing. I have been writing pretty much my entire life, but i feel if i want to get somewhere, i need some all around good advice, a place where i can share my writing with others.