Free Taunt by Claire Farrell Page A

feeling a little more normal again.
    “ I’m
Leah,” the girl said. “What’s your name?”
    “ Ava,”
I replied, feeling more curious about Leah than anything else. “Are
you on trial, too?” She didn’t answer, so I ate a little food and
looked around, wondering where I could put the
leftovers.
    “ They
clear out the cells while we sleep, just leave it on the
floor.”
    I did as she
said. “Leah, why are you here?” I persisted.
    She stared at me
with sad eyes. “They don’t know where else to put me.”
    I hesitated and
searched her eyes for something that might explain the statement,
but then I felt drowsy again and lay down. I hadn’t felt tired a
few seconds before; out of nowhere, I could barely open my eyes. I
struggled against the sudden fatigue but lost myself
eventually.
    I dozed on and
off for an age, although it could have been seconds for all I knew.
The girl was wide awake each time I opened my eyes, but the rest of
the cells seemed still.
    After a time, my
head cleared long enough for me to sit up again. I looked at Leah,
hoping she could answer the question that wouldn’t form clearly in
my mind.
    “ It’s
the food,” she said. “It keeps everyone compliant, but you seem to
be fighting it better than most.”
    That made sense.
At least, the first part did. I wasn’t feeling like I was able to
fight it at all. I decided not to eat the next meal that
arrived.
    The silence was
eerie; the Guardians didn’t check on us, and Leah was the only one
alert. I could barely see the occupants of the other cells; they
all lay barely moving on their cots. I began to get my thoughts
together, but I still didn’t have any idea of what was going on. Or
what would happen next.
    “ Where
are we?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. My words slurred
together a little, but I felt much better than before.
    “ The
holding cells. This is where everyone goes before they see the
Council. They don’t stay long, but I’m not sure where they take
them once they leave here.”
    I noted the
paleness of her skin. “Exactly how long have you been here,
Leah?”
    She shrugged and
turned away. “Dunno.”
    “ What…
what are you?” There was no way of asking the question
politely.
    She looked back
at me, and her eyes widened. “I’m human. What are you?”
    I laughed. “I’ve
no idea.” I couldn’t stop laughing, and I must have scared Leah
because she lay down and pretended to sleep.
    I lay on the bed
awkwardly. Whatever Eddie had given me for pain had worn off, but I
tried to think things through. There were no windows, so we were
either underground, or they needed to house nocturnal beings. I
guessed underground. The Guardians had mentioned me going on trial,
but for what? Fighting with vampires? Working with them? I cursed
Eddie for not telling me more about the Council when he had the
chance.
    I caught Leah
sneaking a look at me. “Aren’t you lonely?” I asked.
    She sat up and
bit her bottom lip. “Nothing lasts forever.”
    I tried asking
her why she was in a holding cell. She refused to answer, and I got
tired of pushing. Maybe I was interested because it distracted me
from my problems. Still, Leah claimed to be human, and she wasn’t
an adult, so what did the Council want with her?
    No food came for
a while, and I almost felt back to normal.
    “ They
must be taking you outside,” Leah said, but her voice had a tremor
to it. She had been biting her nails, and I could sense her
agitation. She paced her cell like a caged animal, looking up and
down the hall over and over again.
    “ I
wonder if they’re taking you to trial today,” she said, her voice
trembling still.
    “ Maybe,” I said. Leah’s frantic nail-chewing ramped up until
even I was on edge. Soon, a group of Guardians came and, out of the
corner of my eye, I saw Leah wring her hands together
anxiously.
    “ Let’s
go,” one said. “You’ve got a visitor.”
    They released me
from the cell, and Leah spoke under her