Free Water by Terra Harmony

the door for me.
    "No handcuffs or guards to accompany us?"  I poked my head out the door expecting to see a group of men ready to escort me.  At this point, I wouldn’t blame them.
    "Just me."  Micah looked down at me, and took my arm in his.  We walked down the cold halls, passing door after door.  I tried to keep my eyes forward, avoiding sideways glances into any opened rooms.  I wasn’t anxious to catch site of Cato or Shawn, who, come to find out, was well justified in wanting to knock me unconscious.  As we stepped outside, I turned my head to give the kitchen a woeful look.
    Micah noticed.  "I have food waiting for us out in the gardens."
    I smiled and quickened my pace.  "So what is it you do here at the Chakra?  I mean, besides abducting beautiful, defenseless women."
    "Oh, please."  The side of his mouth curled up in a half-smile.  "You have proven yourself far beyond defenseless."
    "I am still here, aren’t I?"
    "Leaving in your wake several badly beaten men, two unconscious guards, and a hypothermic Alex."
    "He ok?"  I had forgotten about my running partner.
    "Didn’t recover quite as quickly as you did, but he’ll come around."
    "Just sprinkle some dirt on him and send him back to work."
    Micah laughed.  "He’s not like us; doesn’t possess the same abilities.  He can be useful though – he’s the logistics guy."  Micah stopped short and pulled me toward him.  "Thank you, by the way, for saving him.  I don’t think we could have reached him in time."
    I shrugged as well as I could with him holding me.  "He would’ve never been there if it weren’t for me.  And the lake would never have been frozen if I knew how to control my powers.  I’m sorry.  Tell him that I am truly sorry for that."
    He took my hands into his.  "No need to be sorry.  And we’ll help you with your powers – later.  Now…"  He gestured grandly with his arm to a large blanket ahead of us.  "We feast, kind of."
    I smelled the food before I saw it.  There were different trays of meat garnished with nuts and fruits, a loaf of bread accompanied by a small basket of various flavored butters, and even a cheesecake smothered in strawberries.  I sat down and dived directly into the meats, not bothering with utensils or plates.  Micah laughed and sat down next to me.
    He started cutting slices of bread.  "Cato decided to let us splurge.  Doesn't happen often.  I would tell you to relax and that the food isn’t going anywhere, but..." he looked over his shoulder.  "You'd be surprised at how fast word gets around."
    I glance over his shoulder, keeping an eye out for any would-be food thieves, then shoved another piece of roast beef in my mouth.  "I need to take advantage when I’m presented with mold-free food.  And YOU," I pointed my finger at him, "haven't given a girl many opportunities to eat."
    "You are hungry because of the energy you are absorbing – it is a lot for your body to process.  Don’t worry, your routine here will be a little more predictable; and I’ll be sure three mold-free meals a day get on the schedule."
    "With mold-free snacks?"  I prodded.
    He laughed.  "With mold-free snacks and desserts.  Your tests all came back clean and the lab gave their go ahead to begin training.  Try this.  Almond butter on homemade sprouted grain bread."
    I took his offering, then grabbed another, letting him laugh at me.
    I looked back up, swallowing the second piece, savoring the taste this time.  "What kind of training are we talking about?"
    "Do you want more bread?  There’s also hazelnut, raspberry and apple butter."
    I gave him a look for ignoring my question, but grabbed another piece with the honey butter.
    "Good choice."  He smiled.  "You will be learning how to use and control your powers.  You will also do some weapons training, martial arts, first aid, and if there is time we’ll teach you the basics to a few foreign languages."
    I looked back at the plates.  I had