Chapter 3: Others in the Hallway of Doom

Kennedi's POV 

I had piled up books and games to keep myself sane and to keep myself from being otherworldly bored. Bethany would usually sneak in late at night and we'd play cards and games until she had to go. I'd even became friendly with a few guards and I got them to bring me a bookshelf for my books and magazines.

I'd been counting the days and marking them into the wall with the spoon I received everyday. A total of thirty two days had passed.

Thirty two days of being in this place; thirty two days of being away from home; thirty two days of being away from my pack; thirty two days of being away from my loved ones; thirty two days of being away from Elias; thirty two days of pure torture.

What’s taking so long to find me? It’s not like I disappeared into thin air. I mentally screamed. 

I whispered, “Elias, if you can hear me, I’m angry with you! How could you let me be kidnapped?”

I shook my head. There’s no need in thinking of waiting for Elias to save me; I’d have to save myself. I rose from my bed to begin my day.

I found today, the thirty second day, to be rather unusual. Bethany would usually come see me later, but she came earlier than expected. 

"What's going on? You're supposed to be here later."

She answered, "Nothing. You've been here for over a month; it's procedure to let you meet the other kids."

"There are others?" I asked dumbfounded.

Her voice dripped in sarcasm as she asked, "Did you think all the guards were here just for you?"

"I don't know," I said.

~~

Bethany and I became close while my month passed by. She was more than just my caretaker; we were friends in my book. We often ate lunch together & we shared secrets.

On Mondays, we had soup and bread; on Tuesdays, we had sandwiches and water. On Wednesdays, we were fed noodles, and on Thursdays, we ate cereal. Friday was my favorite day because I got to choose my own meal. 

Saturday & Sunday were bland so we received rice. I really hated rice and as much as I tried to eat it, I'd vomit it up immediately.

Bethany would have to come inside and clean the room. She swapped out my rice for soup and bread once she realized that my body despised rice. I gave her my deepest apologies for the vomit and my deepest gratitude for the soup & bread.

She waved it off as her duty, but I knew she'd probably get in trouble for doing so if someone found out. 

~~

"So you mean that all the rooms on this Hallway of Doom are occupied by other children? What are you people planning?" I was astonished at such a thing.

She said, "That's not for me to tell; maybe you'll figure it out on your own. Let's go; we can't sit here all day."

She gave me my old pair of shoes that I wore when I first got abducted. They didn't fit anymore and I frowned slightly. I looked up at Bethany and she playfully sighed before she laughed. She left and came back with a pair of Toms that fit me perfectly. 

She led me out into the Hallway of Doom and I shouted hello to all of the guards. Some frowned at me while others laughed. Some even decided to return the greeting.

"Morning, Miss Kennedi," they said.

"That's more like it," I said with a smile.

I made the best out of this situation. I couldn't do anything with my powers taken away so I could only wait until the perfect opportunity arrived. 

I followed Bethany in a winding series of motion; we went around so many curves and bends that I couldn't memorize it. I guess that's why there were so many curves and things.

After the sickening twists and turns, she led me to another chamber door, but this time, the door was bigger and sturdier. It was made of steel instead of metal. 

As we stepped through the door, I was blinded by light; I naturally lifted my hand up to shield my eyes. I heard chatter and other things so I retracted my hand.

Sure enough, there were others. They all stopped chattering amongst themselves to look at the newbie walking through the door. Bethany pushed me forward and turned; she left me to fend for myself as I watched the steel door close.

I didn’t move and only looked at the new place I was brought to; it was an outdoor sitting. There were multiple steel tables positioned around the concrete ground; they looked like the interrogation tables in police tv shows. The concrete was vast enough to be considered as a friendly basketball court. Upon further inspection, I concluded it was an actual basketball court. There were basketball nets hanging from black poles. 

The court was surrounded by an electrical fence and hopscotch drawings everywhere. There was also a tether ball pole rooted on the sidelines. There was also a little stand that held bottles of bubbles, coloring books, coloring utensils, and painting utensils.

I guess this was the recreational space. Everyone here were kids, but it seemed as if we were prisoners. This space was provided for freedom which in itself was purely ironic.

We were hostages & we were provided a space of freedom; it was more than ironic! How does a hostage acquire such a thing? It isn’t freedom— it’s repressive. 

I sighed at the kids that were enjoying this, but I guessed that some must’ve been happy to get away from their surroundings. Also, this must’ve been the only good thing about the kidnapping situation.

I concluded that having a piece of freedom is better than no freedom at all. 

I walked to the little wooden stand and grabbed a coloring book and crayons. I walked to an empty table and sat down. The seat was cold and so was the table, but I soon adjusted to the temperature. 

I flipped to a random page in the book & began coloring to my heart’s desire. In the midst of my coloring, a boy walked up to me. He looked to be around thirteen or fourteen. His dark blonde hair slightly covered his brows; his eyes were gray, but they depicted everything but voidness. 

“So you’re the one, huh?” he said.