[b][center]Wednesday: 729 pm
Enrick Valdea[/b][/center]

The polished wood of the bar gleaned under my fingers. Even though I’d been circling the same spot with my rag for the last three minutes, I didn’t notice. My mind was still in my boss’s office even if time and my body had moved on.

[i][b]”I see.”[/b] 

He’d taken a long enough time to form the words and they weren’t the ones I’d expected. Then again maybe you became the Rebel leader by acting cool and collected under pressure even when you felt otherwise. I studied by boss from the wrinkles forming on the sides of the lips, to his chiseled jaw set firm despite what I’d just told him. I thought he and Kassie were close. If anyone was going to help me go after her, I thought he’s be first in line. Maybe I was wrong.

[b]”Where was she when it happened?”[/b] This was Ven. I debated briefly about lying and covering for Kassie. She shouldn’t have gone out, not after the bombing time had been moved up. But there was something about Ven’s body stance, something about the twist of his lips that made me feel like he knew the truth.

[b]”Well?”[/b]

I directed the answer back to my boss. [b]”She was at my bar.”[/b] 

His eyes scanned over my face. I don’t know what he was looking for. From the corner of my eye, I saw Ven’s lips had now turned into a smirk. 

[b]”I see.”[/b][/i]

That’s all he said and then I was asked to leave. Even though my heart was heavy with the loss of Kassie and the fear that nothing would be done about her, I couldn’t think of anything else to do but return to my apartment. When I woke, I had expected to receive a note shoved under my door or left under the houseplant, the only thing small enough to fit on my front porch, but there’d been nothing. I’d go to work selling hotdogs to the lunch crowd. Nothing. I’d come home again with a new bag of seed for Parcheck. Still nothing. Where they planning on doing something without me? Where they planning on doing something at all? I felt so powerless. I wanted to storm back into our headquarters and demand for an answer. It been almost 24 hours since they’d taken her. What if when I finally arrived it was too late? What if it was too late already? 

[b]”I think that spot’s clean.”[/b]

I looked up to see Mikkie grinning at me. She was one of the floor waitresses. Her main job to sell drinks to our patrons who are too busy dancing to want to go to the bar and order from me directly. She has soft golden curls that end at her shoulders, a beautiful smile, and large round breasts enhanced by the tight shirts she wears.

[b]”Yeah, thanks,”[/b] I said, trying to keep my gaze on her eyes. It was difficult when she leaned over the bar top like that, but I managed. [b]”Just making extra sure, you know.”[/b]

[b]”Yep,”[/b] she giggled. I turned around to put the rag back but as I did, I felt Mikkie’s warm hand embrace mine. My heart leapt. It was not the same way it had when Kassie had touched me, this time it ached with a sort of dread and all I wanted to do was snatch my limb back.

[b]”You know Enrik, I’ve always found you to be pretty cut. Lately, my boyfriend’s been working the early morning shift. You must be a little sad with your friend gone and I hate…”[/b]

I could have seen where this was going from a mile away. [b]”Thank you but…”[/b] I tried. She was still holding my hand awkwardly. I tried to gently pull it away.

[b]”… It’s just after seeing you yesterday. I never realized you could be so passionate. And with a girl you hardly…”[/b]

[b]”…but no thank you, Mikkie.”[/b] My last finger finally managed to wiggle free of her grasp. She gave a little pout and shrugged. [b]”Okay. You’ll let me know if you change your mind?”[/b] As she walked away, I stifled a sigh of relief.

----

[b][center]???: ??? am/pm
Louisa Essair[/b][/center]

[b]”Well did you?”[/b]

I was surprised at Kassie’s response to my question. I thought, since she hadn’t said anything earlier that she was ignoring us altogether. Zora took the opportunity to slice into her. I wondered only briefly about the animosity between them.

It was the question on everyone’s mind but this woman, the first person to actually ask. Gabriel assumed I was innocent. The police assumed I was guilty. [b]”No.”[/b] I said. [b]”But that doesn’t really matter, does it?”[/b]

Neither one of them answered right away and the room grew quiet again. We all knew how things went in Restraint. You were guilty until proven innocent and sometimes you were guilty regardless. As long as we kept our noses clean and our questions to ourselves, the government would take care of us. Only that clearly wasn’t true, was it?

Time ticked by slowly. I felt the weight of the day and eventually lied down. The hard cement floor wasn’t comfortable and the lights in the ceiling, which I first though had been too dim were now uncomfortably bright. I curled in on myself, my back pressed against the closest wall. I thought fleetingly how I might have been more comfortable if I turned around but I honestly didn’t trust my fellow inmates enough to give them my back.

[b]”How long do you think they’ll keep us here?”[/b] I asked to no one in particular.

Zora got to my question first. [b]”Hours. Days. Years. As long as the bastards like. Why, you have some place to go, Angel?”[/b] Her crooked smile glittered blue in the light. I didn’t respond except to close my eyes. Then I was out.

----

[b]”Louisa Essiar?”[/b] My name brought me back into the reality of my situation. I didn’t know how long I’d laid there on the floor but I couldn’t remember dreaming. All I knew is that I was less tired than before but more stiff. My sleeping arrangements were a far cry from my foam mattress and feather pillow. 

[b]”Yes?”[/b] The voice was male, and I realized it came from behind the metal door. Around me my companions also stirred. 

[b]”Louisa Essair, please come to the door. You are to be escorted out.”[/b] His words were void of emotion but his voice sounded young.

[b]”Coming,”[/b] I said, standing up, straightening my dress and dusting dirt off my bear arms and legs. Perhaps if I had known, I would have chosen a different outfit, but then if I had known… my mind leapt back to the memory of Gabriel and me in his car even while my feet carried me to the door. My heart ached at the memory. I shouldn’t have stopped him.

[b]”Am I being released?”[/b] I asked, trying to swallow down the hope that radiated through my voice. I could feel my body tremble with expectation.

[b]”Please put your arms through the open flaps on the door.”[/b] I immediately complied. With a jerk, he spun my arms around so my wrists were up towards the ceiling. Cold metal clamped down on my arms. The weight of them was as heavy as the weight in my heart. There would be no freedom from me. After making sure the other two women were against the back wall, he released my shackles and I pulled my arms back through. A large metal bar connected them together, making it impossible for me to rotate them back into a more comfortable position. The cell door swung open, a hand reached through and grabbed that metal bar, and I was pulled through.

[b]”Follow me,”[/b] the same man, tugged on my shackles forcing me to keep up or risk falling on my face. With my hands braced like this, I couldn’t even catch myself if I tripped.

[b]”Where are we going?”[/b] I asked as we walked down a thin cement hallway, every now and then passing doors identical to the one in my cell. [b]”Do I have a visitor?”[/b]

He ignored me. Eventually I gave up and continued to follow him through the maze of passageways. I tried to remember the way we’d gone, just in case, but the hallways were all identical and soon I lost track. Every now and then I could have sworn I heard whispers or a quiet moan, but it was in the distance and muffled by the heavy tread of my escort. My own feet where bare and noiseless. I couldn’t remember losing my shoes. They must have taken my heels off before I got to my cell.

We stopped in front of a metal door, only this one didn’t have a series of latches. The guard opened the door for me and I stepped inside. An older man was sitting at a computer desk. His wrinkled hands peeking out from under a pristine white lab coat. Across from him was a black leather lounge chair. The rest of the room was barren cement cube. I was about to turn around and ask the guard again what was going on but I heavy click told me the effort would be in vain. The noise must have startled the old man at the desk because he finally looked up. 

I felt violated as his pale grey eyes lingered over me, stopping and the hem of my dressed, and just above my outstretched forearms. The man was old enough to be my grandfather. [b]”Please have a seat, Miss Essaire.”[/b] He motioned to the chair.

[b]”I’d rather not,”[/b] I said, backing towards the door.

His laugh was dry and wheezy, like he’d smoked too much in his youth. [b]”I’m not going to hurt you. I only want to ask you a few questions.”[/b]

[b]”I don’t believe you.”[/b] My voice sounded much more assertive than I felt.

He just smiled at my response, [b]”You don’t have much choice. Like I said, I only want to ask you a few questions. Give you a chance to prove your innocence. Now please, take a seat.”[/b]

I remembered what happened the last time I’d fought against my capture. The thought of another bag over my head while I was dragged to who knows where frightened me. I hesitantly walked towards the chair and sat down as he’d instructed.

Then it happened before I knew what was going on. The old man, moving faster than I could have imagined, reached out and grabbed my arm. I screamed as a sharp pain ran through the underside of my elbow and ice rushed through my veins. He let go then, and I saw there was an empty needle in his right hand. I wanted to hit him but instead I slumped back into the chair, my body feeling unnaturally heavy.

[b]”Now Miss Essair,”[/b] he said, his face floating just out of my view, [b]”We’re going to start with some simple questions first and then work our way from there. Alright?”[/b]