She sat behind the cold metal bars, one hand cuffed to the metal. The orange glow of the sunset spilled across the floor of her small cell like a waterfall. She traced patterns in the dust with the tip of her finger, letting her thoughts wander through the events of today.
A few hours had passed since the interrogation ended but she was still at the police station. She had her nap, actually took two naps to pass the time, waiting for Effen to come pick her up.
They only allowed him to take her back to her cell, and no one else.
To be fair, she'd be doing the exact same thing even if she was back at that other prison cell so she wasn't really complaining. After a few minutes, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway. She was about to ignore them again until she realized they were headed her way, causing her head to perk up.
It was Effen, alongside two other officers.
"Time to go."
The officer said as he unlocked the door, then moved onto unlocking her hand cuffs.
She stood up slowly, stretching as she stepped out. She decided she was done talking for the day, tired and still quite annoyed that she wasn't able to meet with Xen. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.
The walk to the reception was silent.
At the desk, Effen signed the papers and thanked the officers for whatever, and she followed him out the doors.
The cold wind blew in her face, making her gently shiver. She hated winter the most. She found it to be so miserable due to her sensitivity to the cold.
She stared off onto the ground, kicking rocks off the pavement, and onto the road where the cars ran over them at high speeds. Thankfully, spring was just around the corner so it would start to get warmer soon. New Years had just passed.
She watched as her breath condensed into a thin fog in the crisp air. Some faint anger still lingered at the bottom of her chest and it really ticked her off. The interrogation hadn't helped either.
Effen looked back at her, calm but with the slightest hint of disappointment.
"Why did you do that back there?"
Honestly, she was slightly surprised he started a conversation with her this time.
"I was just practising my acting."
She lightly shrugged, rather proud of her act.
"You shouldn't do that."
He said quietly.
"Things could've ended badly."
"For me?"
"Yeah."
"I made sure there weren't any bullets in that gun. It was just a prank."
"Where did you even find that gun?"
"Nowhere."
She'd almost forgotten that they didn't know anything about her Eye, or that these powers like hers even existed. It was fine for her to use it, as long as they don't actually see it in action in real time, though, she still shouldn't be too reckless with it.
He sighed.
"Why do you keep doing that?"
"Doing what?"
"Avoiding questions."
"Free will."
She was quick to reply.
"Well, okay. If I'm being honest, would it change anything if I did answer your question?"
That made Effen realize she had a point, but he wouldn't admit that.
"I still had the gun. It's not like it could've been prevented."
The conversation died there and the cold crept through the soles of her shoes, clinging to her in a way she didn't like. It felt too familiar.
Marble floors.
Still air.
People watching from behind glass.
She shook her head, as if that would get rid of it. She slowed, then stopped completely. Effen took a few more steps before realizing she wasn't beside him anymore, prompting him to turn around.
"I don't wanna go back."
She suddenly said in the middle of the road where ongoing cars rushed past, staring stubbornly at the white strips of the zebra crossing with her arms crossed. He froze for half a second, speechless.
"Hey- get off the road. You're going to get yourself killed if you keep standing there."
"I said I don't want to."
He looked dumbfounded, but gathered his thoughts and rushed over to her. In response, she backed up away from him, but still remained on the road.
"Come on, get off the road."
"Not unless you take me to Xen."
She turned her face away, lips pressed together. She could tell he was frustrated, but if she was causing him so much trouble, he should've just taken her to Xen in the first place. She couldn't understand why that was so hard of a request.
Effen exhaled slowly.
"That's not something I can decide."
Silence settled between them.
Then, headlights.
Bright, blinding, bearing down on them far too fast. A horn blared, sharp and panicked.
Effen turned just in time.
"Hey-"
He grabbed her arm and yanked her back.
The world lurched. The high-pitched screech of tyres filling the air as they stumbled off the road and hit the pavement hard. The impact knocked the breath from her chest. Her ears rang; her heart pounded too fast.
For a second, everything was noise and light. Then it faded.
After what felt like hours, Effen pushed himself up first, breathing hard. His jaw was tight from the sudden rush of adrenaline.
"This,"
He said with a strained voice, irritation finally breaking through.
"Is why I told you to get off the road."
He looked at her who was on the ground, unmoving. For a second, he thought she'd blacked out or something. Her reply was delayed.
"That was a close one."
A small, soft, breathy giggle slipped out after, gaining her a concerned look from Effen. She brushed off the dirt from her clothes, standing up like all that had just happened was a mere inconvenience to her.
Perhaps it was time to head back to her cell.
---
The dimly lit corridor stretched far ahead. They were back at that building where prisoners were kept at.
She walked behind Effen while dragging her feet slightly. She didn't look at him, in fact, she kept her eyes on the cracked tiles beneath her feet, going as far as counting how many steps it would take from the entrance of the building to her cell.
The faint hum of the lights and the distant clatter from other cells was all that accompanied them, until they reached her cell door. He ushered her in.
It took a moment for her to realize that there was something off about the contents of her cell. Her eyes widened, a smile forcing its way onto her cheeks.
"Is that a treadmill? No way."
Her gaze immediately settled onto Effen, who offered no explanation as usual. This was a surprise. Realistically, she didn't think he was properly listening to her earlier.
"So you actually do remember things sometimes."
Effen said nothing. He locked up the cell door.
"I'll come pick you up tomorrow afternoon."
She frowned in confusion, about to ask why, but he simply turned and walked out, leaving her to figure it out by herself.
Tomorrow? What for? To meet Xen? But he just said he couldn't bring her to meet him whenever, so just where are they going tomorrow?
About a thousand questions crowded her mind at once. Her curiosity was at its peak right now. Turning back around, she hopped onto the treadmill to test it out without a second thought. To be honest, she wasn't actually serious about needing a treadmill, although now that it was here, she might as well use it. It is easy to get out of shape these days.
As her legs moved, so did her thoughts, running alongside her like an invisible shadow.
For now, she had to plan what she needed to do next after she finally gets to meet up with Xen. Obviously, she was wanting to meet Xen to join forces to gain power for herself since the Jyuvets Organization was powerful and influential in its own way.
First, she'd become an executive. This alone will give her quite a lot of power and access to information that's not known to the public. And it'd make it easier to access unauthorized places.
She'd need it for her later missions. She was already quite powerful alone, but it wouldn't hurt to be influential in more than one place.
Then, she'd expand their army, and definitely provide them better training. Currently with defenses this weak, it was impressive they hadn't been fully invaded yet. She could easily kill everyone here.
After her authority was made public, that would naturally attract some enemies. Like, a government messenger working for an illegal organization? She was heavily targetted just by the fact she worked directly under the government.
Once the enemies come, she'd put the army to the test. If they died, then they wouldn't have deserved to live anyway. While the rest are busy fending off the enemies, she'd go and retrieve what she needs.
And what comes after that is the best part. And that's a secret. It'd be no fun in spoiling it.