Chapter 4

When I had awoken, I was under a sheet, my teeth clenching a foul tasting cloth. My eyes burnt, my arms ached from the position behind my back it was in, and my face hurt. My nose had dried blood all over it, the dead skin peeling off where I was cut. Where I was cut?!

I was sure we were still in my cell, I just didn't know where. I could be shoved into a corner somewhere, for all I knew. I could be under the ground, in a tunnel like the one Charlie had made. Then it hit me: I was most likely under the woman's bed that punched me.

I heard some of the women complaining about the cold and lining up for their food. I tried yelling as loud as I could, with no sucess. Whoever it was that did this to me hid me well. It was kind of unbelievable that I could get kidnapped in my own cell, where there were so many people. Too unbelievable.

I shifted my arms, reaching for any grips with my fingers but only grabbing dirt.Rolling over, I hit the cement wall with a soft thump. How do people not notice me? I thought, rolling the other way. I opened my eyes, the thin sheet enabling me to see through the sewing. The complaining immediately silenced, and I knew someone had noticed me.

"Oh,my god." A pregnant woman said, pulling the sheet off me. The other women crowded around me and the pregnant girl, staring. I stood shakily, my hands still tied behind my back. She first took off the cloth on my mouth, then untied my hands. I hugged her as tight as I could without harming her or her baby.

"Thank you so much." I said, tearing away from her and looking for Sarah. I spotted her standing on the edge of the bed, her eyes distant.

I ran towards her, stopping a few feet away. "Sarah?" I asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yes." She replied, staring out past me.

"Sarah! You are not alright! What is going on with y-" I stopped talking when I saw the woman who knocked me out sat up from the bed behind her.

"Why are you talking to Sarah?" She asked coldly, acting unaffected that I, the one who she kidnapped, had gotten out of her carelessly planned hostage.

"Because she's my friend. Why are you in my bed?" I matched her tone.

" Do not talk to Elizabeth like that, Rosaline." Sarah snapped. I was shocked that she made friends with the woman who had talked her into hurting herself. I mean, how long was I unconcious?!

"Why not?! She kidnapped me. Why are you suddenly protecting her?" I exclaimed.

" Elizabeth is like my sister! How could you not know that?!"

I was shocked by her stony tone of voice. " Because last time I remember, you were AFRAID of her! How long was I gone?"

" Long enough for Anne to die." Sarah said. Elizabeth stood behind her and hugged her, smiling sweetly at me.

I stood there, speechless. "Anne's dead?" Sarah nodded.

"They took her body last week."

"How long have I been missing?!" I asked, running a hand through my greasy hair.

" A week. She died the day that you went missing. I thought you might have escaped somehow, but apparently not." She said.

My first thought following her words was Elizabeth killed Anne. I knew she had.. Who else would take someone hostageg and kill their sister-like figure but Elizabeth? The whole situation revolved around Sarah, of course. First she loses her best friend, and then the girl she'd taken care of suddenly dies that night. It was all too inconvenient.

"Are you alright?" I asked Sarah quietly.

She nodded. "I was better off without you." I gasped.

"But..We are best friends! We grew up together! How can you say that?" I was on the verge of tears.

" I've found someone better." She smiled up at Elizabeth, who smiled back down at her. I hated her for it, too. I've never hated Sarah before for anything, but now..She's different now.

"Fine! But if your friend is going to share our cot, then I expect you share hers and not ours." I snapped.

"Good-bye, Rosaline." Sarah huffed, marching over to the other end of the cell where Elizabeth's bed was.

I sat down on my bed, leaning the back of my head against the cool cement of the wall, unaware that basically the entire cell was staring at me and Sarah. Looking up at the ceiling, I realized how hungry I was. Having not eaten for almost a week, I was really very dehydrated and my stomach was empty.

As if reading my thoughts, the guard came down the hall, a cart of the same old mash getting pushed in front of him. I ran to the cell door, holding onto the bars longingly.

"Food." He said, opening the door for all of us to get into a line. I was first, eagerly grabbing my bowl and running over to my bed. I ate slowly, savoring the tasteless glop that had become my meal for the past month.

"...Rosaline?" I heard from behind me. I turned around to find Charlie looking through the small hole we first started talking out of, before he built the tunnel.

"Charlie!" I grinned, happy to see someone wasn't mad at me.

"Are you alright?" He asked. "You look horrifying."

"Thanks for the compliments.. And yeah, i'm alright. Just a little dazed."

" I know.. What happened to Sarah?" I saw him look past me to Sarah, who was sharing a bowl with Elizabeth.

" Can we talk about that later? I'm not really in the mood." I sighed, taking a bite of my meal.

" Yeah."

"So what'd I miss?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Besides your friend changing attitudes, nothing much. A man got drowned yesterday from giving the guard a concussion.." His voice trailed off.

"Herman." I nodded.

" You knew him?" He asked.

"He was the banker's son in our town."

"Ah,"He said. " So do you happen to remember anything from your last visit to my cell?" He asked.

"Yeah.. You woke Benji up and he saw me.. I went under our beds and got knocked out by Elizabeth.. And now, here I am." I simplified the long version of the truth.

"Pretty much. I managed to convince Benji it was all a dream, but we are going to have to be a bit more careful of how loud we talk." He said.

"Like it was anything but my fault! You, who yells when you speak."

"Oh, really? Well.." He tried to think of a good comeback, probably failing miserably.

I yawned. " I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up if Elizabeth or anyone comes near my bed, okay?"

"I'm not just going to watch you sleep." He pointed out.

"Charlie, do you have anything better to do?" I asked.

"Nope."