Tangled

Unshift 206

Unshift 206

206 Lisa: Hearing Voices

It's disgusting to admit that I look forward to Marisol's presence, even though her treatment has only gone downhill. At least she brings food.

The first day I was brought here, there were voices. Whispers. Noises through the walls.

Lately, it's nothing but silence.

Every so often, there's that dripping water sound that lasts for hours, which used to drive me mad but is now a break from the monotony of nothing.

The clinking of the manacles around my wrists and ankles echoes in the dank cell as I gnaw at the hunk of bread in my hands, its crust stale and unappetizing. But hunger gnaws at my stomach, and this is my only way to fill it.

Marisol is crouched mere feet away, her eyes wide and curious as she watches me eat. It's unnerving the way she observes me like I'm some sort of exotic creature in a zoo. I try to ignore her, focusing instead on the meager meal in front of me.

The soup is a sickly shade of green, its scent reminiscent of rotting vegetables. I wrinkle my nose as I bring the bowl to my lips, but I'm surprised to find that it doesn't taste as bad as it looks. It's thin and watery, but there's a hint of something savory that makes it almost palatable.

As I sip, I watch Marisol out of the side of my eye. Sometimes she seems so naive, like a child who doesn't understand the world

206 Lisa: Hearing Voices

around her. But other times, there's a sharpness to her gaze that makes me think she's far more cunning than she lets on. It's like playing a game of Russian roulette every time she comes to my cell -I never know which version of her I'm going to get.

Marisol shifts, her bare feet scraping against the rough floor. She leans in closer, her breath hot against my skin as she whispers, "You eat like an animal."

I flinch at her words, my cheeks burning with shame. I want to

snap back at her, to tell her that I'm not an animal, that I'm a person with thoughts and feelings and a life outside of this cell. But I bite my tongue.

Instead, I focus on the bread, tearing off another piece and shoving

it into my mouth. The crust scratches at my throat as I swallow. I should have soaked it in the soup. Maybe I will.

with a twisted sort

the side like a curious bird. "Do you dream

her voice

freedom? Of course I do. Every moment of every day, I dream of breaking free from these chains and running as far away from this place as I can. But I know better

dream of many things," I say instead, my

shivers down my spine. "I dream too," she says, her eyes glazing over as if lost in thought. "I dream of the day when

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206 Lisa: Hearing Voices

that? How can she desire a life of servitude to a monster who keeps her locked away in

stray drops of green liquid. I set it aside,

soft and almost dreamy. "Just like I did. The master will

"Never," I whisper, my voice trembling with fear and defiance. "I'll never belong to

been around since the first time, and I'm immensely grateful. Still, every day is just another day of anxiety twisting in my gut, wondering when

knowing look in her eyes. "We'll see," she says, rising to her feet with a grace that seems out of place in this dank cell. "We'll

to silence, my belly full and

to lose

have been

Have they given up?

they think

Is Ava dead?

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206 Lisa: Hearing Voices

almost miss the feverishness after the vampire drank

anyway, tucking a threadbare blanket Marisol had brought me around my shoulders. It wasn't out of kindness-she

in this awful

throat as I freeze, straining

my utter shock, a rumpled piece of paper flutters into my cell, landing on the floor just a few

Is this real?

finally succumbed to the

unfold it. My heart pounds in my chest, hope and fear warring within me. Could