Chapter Seven

Xenia let out a long heavy sigh as she stared vacantly out the only window in the small prison cell she shared with five other women. Moments earlier she had chalked off yet another day on the wall making it ten in all that she had been held captive in the tiny space. She knew she was slowly going out of her mind, but there was nothing she could do to stop it. She was a prisoner and for once in her life she could do absolutely nothing about it.

She flipped her long heavy golden blonde hair over her shoulder, silently yearning for a tie of some sort to hold it back. The chopsticks she used to usually hold it back and off her neck had been confiscated days ago by the prison guards along with her own clothes and just about anything else that was hers personally. In place of her dark leathers she was given an ugly loose fitting gray shift paired with a pair of darker gray trousers that had seen better days. All the prisoners were dressed the same, just another thing that added to Xenia’s insanity.

“Morning already?” Aya had crept up silently beside Xenia, her dark brown eyes staring out the window all light of hope faded long ago. “How much longer do you think they’ll keep us locked up in here, Xenia?”

“Who knows.” Xenia shrugged the question off, not willing to admit the other girl that she had been wondering the same question herself not ten seconds earlier. “As long as they feel like it, I suppose.”

“You think they’ll make Danni and Jenis join us today?” Came Aya’s next question, causing the taller blonde to wonder why the petite brunette suddenly thought she had all the answers.

“I really don’t know.” Xenia admitted, casting an almost sympathetic glance over towards Danni’s bunk where the injured young woman still lay asleep. Though most of her external wounds had healed, Danni was still obviously very troubled by something and kept mostly to herself, only speaking to Jenis.

Xenia felt sorry for Danni. She didn’t understand what the girl had done that had upset the Guardian so much that he would see to it that she was scarred and disfigured for life. Xenia had a hunch that it was more than just being a Mall Rat, though she knew there was no love lost between the Mall Rats and The Chosen.

‘There has to be something else.’ She silently mused to herself. Then, turning her attention back to Aya she forced a smile on her lips, wondering if that would intimidate the darker haired young woman more than her usual stoic expression.

“Well,” She stated, “We should probably wake the others. That way they have a few minutes to get ready before that dolt Simon comes around trying to wake everyone up.”

Aya nodded, walking over to the bed where Silver slept. Silver, known as one of the lightest sleepers of the group, was awakened easily whereas Grieco, the deepest sleeper, took Xenia several more attempts to awaken.

“Come on.” Xenia glared down at the mysterious brunette, resisting the urge to kick the mattress beneath the girl’s slim form. “Get up. I don’t have all day.”

Grieco’s large brown eyes fluttered open and for a brief moment there was a confused expression on her face. “Oh yeah.” She muttered softly, pushing aside her threadbare blanket she had been issued. “I’m still here.”

“Where else would you be?” Xenia growled, moving on to the next bed. She could hear the Chosen guards already making their way down the corridor, shouting at the girls to wake up. Normally it was Simon, the lieutenant’s favorite, who came to their cell, seeming to take great delight in tormenting them awake with vicious threats of lashings or other punishments if they didn’t get up immediately.

After the first couple days Xenia had set her internal alarm clock to wake her up at least an hour before the guards began their rounds. That way she had a little time to herself before she felt the annoying obligation to awaken the rest of her cellmates.

Out of the corner of her eye, Xenia saw Silver and Aya talking to the still sleep fogged Jenis while Grieco prepared for her day in her usual way of sitting in the cold cement ground in the corner humming a song to herself that no one knew the words to.

Moving to the furthest bed from hers, Xenia approached the bunk where Danni was still sound asleep. The girl had been awake half the night, thrashing about tormented by night terrors once again, and Xenia felt an unusual wave of pity wash over her. Xenia would normally allow Danni to sleep through the day, but yesterday she had overheard Alana tell Simon that both Danni and Jenis would be joining the others on the work force the next day.

“Danni,” Xenia stood on her tip toes and gently shook the dark haired young woman by the shoulder, hoping that she was not touching any tender areas on the girl’s still battered body. “It’s time to wake up.”

“Hum?” Danni rolled over, her thick eyelashes parting revealing her dark mysterious brown eyes that seemed to pierce straight to Xenia’s soul. “Oh, hey Xenia.”

“Look,” Xenia began her tone apologetic, “I know you had a rough night, but that witch of a lieutenant was saying that she was going to make both you and Jenis join the rest of us on the work force today, so I thought it best to wake you up.”

“Thank you, Xenia.” Danni mumbled, slowly rising herself into a sitting position, her choppy dark hair falling over into her eyes and no matter how much she tried to push it away it could not be kept back.

“No prob.” Xenia shrugged, turning away from the girl, trying to block out the image of the angry red wound that had just begun to scab over the past day or so that ran along Danni’s face. “I, uh, never mind.”

Xenia hurriedly walked away, determining that she would not let herself grow soft, not even for the younger and obviously hurting girl. Xenia squeezed her eyes shut, steeling herself, preparing herself for the day. If she was going to make it out of this place she had to be strong – no matter what.

~*~*~

The morning sun had risen hot and humid, promising yet another uncomfortable day for not only the Chosen guards, but the prisoners who were being forced to perform meaningless tasks in the mines, sorting through the rocks that had been dug up years ago by miners long before their times.

Alana didn’t know what The Guardian wanted them to be looking for. She figured it was just one of his sick and twisted ways of punishing them for being them. She shook her head sadly, having to force down the pity that had began to overwhelm her heart for the past several days. She would be no good to the Guardian if she could not be strong enough o fulfill his wishes, no matter how twisted and evil them seemed.

“Lieutenant?” Kandy knocked on Alana’s office door, a respectful expression on her far too pretty in Alana’s opinion face.

“Yes, what is it, Kandy?” Alana turned her attention away from the window where she had been watching the prisoners moving single file away from their cellblocks and towards the mines nearly two miles away.

“The two injured girls in cellblock 248, Jenis and Danni, they are going with the other prisoners today. Both of them were awake when Simon got to their cell this morning.” Kandy informed her, her expression detached.

“Very good.” Alana nodded, feeling a twinge of guilt. Neither Jenis or Danni was in condition to be working in the mines, but she had overheard some of the guards talking about her behind her back, saying she was getting soft with the prisoners. Normally it wouldn’t have bothered Alana, but lately… Well, lately everything had been getting to her.

Kandy nodded back to Alana then backed out of her private office, leaving the lieutenant to her own thoughts. Hard as it was for her to believe, she had been with the Chosen for nearly a year now. For a year she had listened to all those around her mutter praises to a teenager she knew was dead and gone and yet they still clung to the hope that he would return for them.

A small shiver raced down Alana’s spine as she crossed the room, taking a seat in the slightly worn leather chair. She closed her eyes, attempting to sift through her ragged memories of the early days of her time with the Chosen.

She staggered slowly down the rocky path, stumbling and falling several times, the sharp rocks tearing through the thin material of her already torn clothing and biting into her flesh. She was so weak and she knew that if she did not find food and shelter soon she would die. Normally the thought would have frightened her and she would have fought with everything that was inside her to keep herself alive, but now she had nothing to live for. Nothing at all.

She tripped, stumbling over yet another rock that stood in her path. She fell to her knees, this time not having the energy or the will power to force herself up. Instead, she remained in the dirt, feeling the warm saltiness of her tears to track down her dirty and grimy face.

“How could you just leave me for dead?” She whispered hoarsely to herself, the sound of her own voice sounding strange and foreign to her ears. It was the question that had been haunting her since she regained consciousness. It made no sense to her, the grave, the observatory…

And just when she was about to give up completely, let her last breath of life expel from her body, he found her. She felt for sure that she was done for. The long white robe, the strange glint in his eyes. And those men around him, all wearing long blue robes and carrying vicious looking blades.

But instead of ending her life, he had given her a second chance. A chance to get back at those who had left her behind, left her for dead. A chance to regain her the destiny that was rightfully hers.

Alana’s eyes snapped open as she pulled herself out of her revelry. She had been unaware that she was crying, but her cheeks were warm and moist and she knew that once again she had lost control of her emotions.

Back then all she had wanted was revenge. She had been drugged by Jaffa’s words and his promise of power. The thought of revenge driving her own even when she felt like she was just an empty shell.

But now that all their plans were coming to fruition she was having second thoughts. Well, more likely third and fourth thoughts. No matter what she told herself, she knew she was on the wrong side of the line. She should be in the cells with the rest of the leaders. Either in the cells or being forced to do menial slave tasks for the Chosen in the city.

Alana let out a heavy sigh as she wiped away the last remaining tears from her cheeks. She looked down and studied the slender silver band she still wore on her ring finger. She could never take it off. Never.

“Oh Lex.” She murmured softly. “Why did you leave me?”