The Taken, page 17
I tensed, immediately thinking of my own sibling, slowly dying back at home. It made every muscle in my body tense. ‘How old is she?’ I asked, the question sticking in my dry throat.
Ava lifted her face to look back at me. ‘She’s ten.’ Her chest began to heave slightly as her breath quickened. ‘Her name is Arabella, my parents chose it because it means hope.’
Before I could reach for her, and pull her into my arms to give her the hug that I desperately wanted to give to her as much as I suspected she desperately needed to receive, Nurse Swain paced to the side of us, shooing us quickly into the canteen. ‘Girls don’t dawdle, you know that we have a routine to keep. You have fifteen minutes to eat your lunch before you need to go into the yard for your daily exercise. Come on, chop, chop.’ She grabbed both of our arms pulling us forwards with the rest of the queue into the room.
‘We’ve been outside three times already since dawn,’ I retorted, shrugging my arm from her grasp, ‘how much more exercise could we possibly need?’
‘Althea Clemonte,’ she sighed tiredly, ‘when will you ever learn to stop questioning everything.’
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ I spat back, ‘perhaps when you’ve given me enough drugs to eventually shut me up.’
She gaped indignantly as I shook my head and stepped past her into the room. I was as hungry as Ava was, and prayed we would be served something substantial enough to actually fill me up.
‘Please tell me that’s not cabbage.’ Ava grimaced. ‘I honestly don’t think that I can face it again.’
When we reached the rows of silver serving dishes, I groaned beneath my breath. There was the usual selection of vegetables, cabbage, broccoli, carrots and peas, and a bowl of mashed sweet potato. The beef that Ava was craving was unsurprisingly not an option. I held out my plate, to allow the dinner lady to dollop a scoop of the mash onto it. I was too hungry to not to eat anything at all, as sick of eating the same food as I was.
When I turned to go and take a seat at one of the long tables, I froze, my heart immediately beginning to race. ‘Deena.’ I whispered, placing my tray down onto the nearest table before I began to walk across to where she sat, at the opposite side of the room. ‘Deena.’ My voice grew louder as I began to shout. It seemed as though every girl in the room turned to look at me apart from her.
‘Althea, go and get your tray and sit down and eat your dinner quietly, as is expected of you.’ Nurse Swain appeared in front of me once again, suddenly blocking my view of my best friend.
‘I don’t want to eat my food, I want to see my friend.’ I had not seen Deena for days. I had tried to find out which dorm they had moved her to, but no one seemed to know or was simply unwilling to tell me. I hadn’t seen her when we were made to run outside, nor had she been in the canteen. I had been worried that they had done something terrible to her, and that there was a more sinister reason why she had simply vanished.
‘You don’t have a friend,’ Nurse Swain lifted an eyebrow as she clicked her tongue against her teeth in irritation, ‘and you need to eat to keep your energy up, so please, turn around, go and get your tray and go and sit down at a table.’ I stared at her silently for a few moments before going to do as she said. When I began to walk past her, tray in hand, she reached for my arm to stop me. ‘Where do you think that you ‘re going?’
‘You told me to go and get my tray and sit at a table.’ I nodded towards the table that Deena was seated at. ‘So, I’m going to go and sit at that table right there, just like you asked.’
She smiled slowly. ‘No, you are not. You will sit here,’ she pointed to the bench to the side of us, ‘where I can keep an eye on you.’
‘But I don’t want to sit here, I want to go and sit over there, where I can speak to my friend and find out what the hell you people have done to her.’
Nurse Swain’s face reddened in suppressed fury. ‘Sit down right now, and don’t you ever speak to me like that ever again. I will be reporting your complete lack of manners and disobedience to Dr Bravick, and I will be advising that at your next treatment, your defiance and insubordination is treated as a matter of urgency.’
Before I could respond Deena stood up from her chair, and after lifting her now empty tray, began to walk across the room towards us. I stilled, the urge to rush towards her overwhelming me. ‘Deena,’ I shouted excitedly, ‘it’s me, it’s Thea,’ she continued walking towards me, her expression blank, her eyes almost glazed, without offering any kind of recognition or response, ‘Deena, stop, it’s me.’ When she reached my side she didn’t look at me, only continued on past as though she hadn’t heard me at all. Nurse Swain laughed sharply.
‘Ah, yes, I can see that your friend,’ she lifted her hands to place physical commas over the word, ‘is simply dying to see you, Althea.’ She shook her head, glancing over her shoulder to watch Deena walk from the room. ‘So, now that you’re no longer distracted, sit down like everyone else and eat the delicious food that we have been kind enough to provide for you.’
My chest heaved as I struggled to understand what was happening. ‘What have you done to her, why does she not know me?’
Nurse Swain leaned forwards to whisper in my ear. ‘Perhaps because you’re not worth remembering.’ I stiffened as she laughed lightly. ‘Now, sit down, shut up, and eat your food.’
I scrapped back the nearest chair and lowered my tray down onto the table, turning my head as I sat down to watch Deena silently walk from the room. I was too hungry to turn the food away, and ate the mashed sweet potato and broccoli without fuss, aware that Nurse Swain was still watching me. I couldn’t afford to say anything that could mean that she would stop me going out into the yard after dinner, as much as I wanted to tell her just how much I detested her.
‘Ok, girls, time for your fifteen minutes recreation break in the yard, go outside until the bell sounds for your lessons.’
I stood along with everyone else, my head down, my mouth shut as I joined the queue and streamed obediently out of the room. The rain had stopped when we stepped onto the stone courtyard, the sky now a dirty shade of slate. The wind had dropped slightly but was still strong enough to make me fold my arms around myself in a fruitless attempt to keep warm.
She had never been in the yard before, and so although I had silently prayed that she would have come outside, still the sight of her shocked me into sudden stillness. I waited for Nurse Swain to close the door behind us and move back into the building before I began to make my way across to where she was.
‘Deena.’ when I was only yards away from her tensed back, I called her name. She turned to look at me at the same time as the girls standing near to her did. ‘Deena….it’s me, it’s Thea.’ I couldn’t keep the excitement from my voice, and began to rush towards her, stopping only when I was now standing directly in front of her, my gaze sweeping her face. ‘Deena, it’s me.’ She did not move and her expression remained emotionless. I paused, my smile slowly fading. ‘Deena?’ When I lifted my hand my reach towards her arm, she suddenly grabbed my wrist. ‘Stop, you’re hurting me.’ She began to twist my hand, her grip so tight that I couldn’t pull away from her. ‘Deena, I said stop it, you’re hurting.’
‘Why don’t you just get away from her.’ The girl standing watching us slowly shook her head, as I tried to yank my hand away. ‘Leave her alone.’
Deena had twisted my wrist so badly that I was now almost bent over as I tried to pull it back. ‘Deena, stop it, please.’ My breath caught in my chest due to the pain now shooting up my arm. Deena had never hurt me, not before. It had always been me that had stuck up for her in the few times the girls in the village had tried to provoke an argument. She hated confrontation, she had never once in her life ever had need to throw a punch, and yet as she suddenly let go of my wrist and pulled her own arm back, I realised a second too late that was exactly what she was about to do.
‘Move away.’ The girl watching shouted once again, as Deena’s fist suddenly connected with my right cheek, making me stagger backwards.
I gasped in shock, lifting my hand to place it against my now hot, swollen cheek. ‘What are you doing?’ I questioned, my eyes welling in frustration as well as pain. ‘Why are you doing this, it’s me, it’s Thea.’
She showed no recognition, only surged forwards to carry on her attack. When she lifted both hands to smack them forcefully against my chest, I lost my footing and fell heavily onto the concrete ground. ‘Deena, stop.’ As I quickly shuffled backwards, she reached down for my hair, twisting it between her fingers and yanking me back to my feet.
The girls in the yard had noticed what was happening and moved across to where we were standing to form a circle around us. No one did anything to try and stop Deena’s attack. No matter how much I begged, Deena made no attempt to let go as she flung me around her by my hair. It felt as though it was being ripped from my head as my scalp began to burn. ‘Deena, let go of me.’ I was the stronger of the two of us, if she didn’t let go of me I was going to have no choice but to hit her back.
‘Miss Motley’s coming.’ I heard the girl standing nearest to us, announce to the rest of the circle, and yet no one moved. When Deena continued to yank on my hair, swinging me around to face her, I kicked out at her as hard as I could. My foot caught her on the thigh, forcing her to finally let go as she took a step backwards.
‘Deena, stop this.’ My breath caught as I pushed myself back to my full height. I could see the girls to the side of me turn their heads to glance behind them, but I couldn’t afford to look away. Deena face reddened as she rushed towards me once again. ‘I said stop.’ I roared just before she punched me once again in the face. When she lunged towards me, I had no option but to hit her back.
‘Thea!’ Lucia suddenly appeared, pushing her way through the crowd. When it seemed as though she was about to run towards me, someone reached for her arm, pulling her back.
‘Miss Motley,’ Lucia gasped as she turned to face her teacher, ‘stop them before someone gets hurt.’
‘From where I am standing,’ Miss Motley’s grasp on Lucia’s arm tightened, ‘the only person who is at risk of harm is Althea.’ She smiled slowly. ‘Who, knowing her as I do, probably very much deserves it.’
Lucia turned back to look at me. From where I was standing I could see the open concern spread across her face. ‘But they are supposed to be friends,’ she stuttered, ‘why is that girl doing that to her, why is she attacking Thea?’
‘They are not friends,’ Miss Motley stood taller, ‘Althea Clemonte does not have a friend in this Academy.’
Miss Motley paced forwards, as the girls surrounding us moved to one side to let her through. I waited to see if she would stop Deena, and realised after only a few seconds that she had no intention of doing anything other than watch.
I could feel a warm trail of blood dripping down my face, and when another punch connected with the side of my head, I began to see stars. ‘Deena, I don’t want to fight you.’ She continued her attack, raising her arm once again to throw another blow. I side stepped, shaking my head, struggling to see properly. ‘I’m begging you, please stop.’
There was a moment, one brief yet obvious moment, when Deena actually paused. My heart lurched as I searched for a flicker of recognition. She frowned as she stared back at me, her gaze flicking across my face as though she was suddenly confused.
‘Deena.’ Miss Motley shouted across to her. When Deena turned her head to look back, Miss Motley folded her arms and nodded, just once.
The recognition was instantly gone, and before I could defend myself Deena began to rain blows down onto my head. The last thing that I saw as I fell to the floor was the glazed face of the girl that I had known all of my life, the girl that I now no longer recognised.
Chapter Eighteen
‘Thea?’ I slowly opened one eye, my head beginning to pound as I felt a hand gently close around mine. ‘Thea, can you hear me?’ I winced into the light suddenly being shone into my eyes, groaning as I tried to swallow. ‘Her pupils are dilated, I think that she’s resuming consciousness.’
I tried to speak, to tell whoever it was to move the light away, but couldn’t find the words or the energy to articulate them.
‘She needs water, fetch her some water, quickly.’
A mug, cold against my lips, was tipped slightly so that my mouth was suddenly flooded with moisture. I swallowed greedily, my body frantically gulping the fluid.
‘Shall I fetch your father?’ Another voice, a female one.
‘No,’ the response was sharp, decisive, ‘no, not yet. I can see to her. She needs fresh air and a cold flannel, her temperature is still too high although its thankfully stopped spiking.’
I heard a tap begin to run, and something held beneath the flow before it was placed against my forehead. I felt as though I was on fire, and slowly opened both of my eyes, squinting as I tried to lift my head to look around me.
‘No, don’t try to move, not yet, Althea.’ The voice ordered. ‘Keep still for now, I can fetch you anything that you need.’
‘Cole?’ I recognised the voice, although I could as yet only make out an outline. My vision was blurred, and I blinked to try and clear it.
‘I’m here, it’s okay, I’m right here with you.’ A second figure stood at the end of the bed, staring down at me. I couldn’t see who it was, only sense a tangible hostility exuding from them. I sensed that whoever it was really didn’t like me. ‘You can leave now, Nurse Swain. I can take over from here.’
‘But, your father, he’d……’
‘My father is not here, and as such I am able to make decisions in his absence. Please leave the room, I will call for you if I require your assistance.’
I felt the nurse tense, as she hesitated for a few seconds before reluctantly doing as he had instructed. When the door clicked behind her, Cole sat down at the edge of the bed and leaned closer in towards me. ‘Do you need some more water?’
I nodded, allowing him to lift the mug back up to my mouth before I took a few more thirsty gulps, the water trickling gratefully down my throat, soothing it. ‘What’s happened, where am I?’ The question emerged hoarse, causing me to cough. Cole waited until it had subsided before answering.
‘You’re in the recovery bay,’ he paused, ‘you’ve been here since yesterday. Do you remember what happened?’
My head throbbed as I tried to wade through the blackness. I gasped, immediately sitting upright as I suddenly saw her face, and remembered the way that she had looked at me. ‘Deena.’
‘You need to lie down, Thea’ Cole reached for my shoulders, shaking his head in obvious concern, ‘please don’t get upset, your heart, it’s taken over twenty four hours for us to regulate it. I need you to stay calm for me.’
‘She hit me,’ I choked, ‘she wouldn’t stop. I couldn’t make her stop.’ My dry eyes suddenly welled, my heart beating wildly, ‘why did she do that, why did she hurt me?’
Cole swallowed tightly. ‘We aren’t sure.’ I didn’t believe him, he suddenly couldn’t look at me. ‘She hit you with significant force, on the side of the head. It is quite a serious injury, you’ve been unconscious since yesterday.’
‘Deena would never hurt me, you’ve done something to her. She attacked me for no reason, I want to know why,… I want to know what you’ve done to her.’ My voice rose as hysteria began to grip me. When I began shouting Cole lifted his hand to place it against my mouth, his eyes widened.
‘Thea, please, you need to keep our voice down, or Nurse Swain will come back in here.’
I breathed against his palm, my eyes flashing. I didn’t speak again until he lowered his hand. ‘What have they done to her?’ I repeated determinedly.
He lowered his head, sighing heavily. ‘I don’t know, I’m trying to find out.’ When I didn’t answer he slowly lifted his face to look back at me. ‘I think that they gave something to her, in her treatment, something that has made her afraid of you……something that has programmed her to attack.’
I shook my head, trying to understand, ‘You’ve given her something to make her want to attack me?’
‘I haven’t given her anything.’ He swallowed once again. ‘They have.’
I lifted my hand, wincing when my fingers made contact with a deep cut on my forehead. ‘But…..why? Why would they do that?’ I closed my eyes, suddenly remembering Miss Motley, standing watching us, doing nothing to make Deena stop. ‘It was her, wasn’t it? She made her do it.’
‘Who?’
‘Leah Motley.’ Cole’s shoulder pulled back at my use of her full name. ‘She shouted to Deena, when it seemed like she recognised me, she made her carry on.’
Cole inhaled, frowning. ‘I wasn’t aware that Miss Motley had been there.’ He replied quietly. ‘The guards carried you inside, they didn’t tell me that she’d witnessed the attack.’
‘She didn’t just witness the attack,’ I balled the bed sheets within my fists, ‘she instigated it. She doesn’t want Deena to remember me, she wants her to hate me and she made her attack me.’ I glanced frantically around the room. ‘I have to get out of here, I have to get me and Deena away.’
Cole tensed, staring away out of the small window at the side of the room. ‘You know that can’t happen.’ He exhaled slowly. ‘There is no way out of here.’
My heart began to beat wildly once again. I refused to believe that was the truth, if there was a way in then there must be a way out. ‘The forest……’ I whispered, frowning. My head hurt, and my mind felt as though it was struggling to remember something that I should be, something important. When Cole turned to look at me, it came to me in a flash of pure panic and pain, slicing from the top of my head down into my spine. ‘Seb!’ I shouted.
Cole glanced nervously at the door, his body stilled as he waited to see if my shout had alerted anyone. ‘Thea, stay calm.’ He looked tired and worried, and I only noticed in that moment that he was visibly pale.
