Free Taken (Breaking the Darkness) by Felicia Starr

sleeping.” She tossed the apple at me. “Things don’t have to be this way. Don’t you want to get out of here? I can help, you know.”
    I scrambled to fetch the apple. My attempt to not seem desperate was foiled by my uncontrollable hunger. I thrust the half-eaten apple into my mouth and I might have just groaned a little as my teeth sank into it. Ziona expected an answer, but I was sure she was quite aware how long it had been since I last ate anything.
    I got a piece of improperly chewed apple stuck in my throat. I knew I shouldn’t try to speak while I was scarfing down that tiny bit of food. After choking and coughing, I wished I had a drink to soothe my throat.
    “Why shouldn’t I sleep? What else am I supposed to do?” I slammed what was left of the apple core onto the ground. “I don’t know what you want from me.”
    Without moving a muscle, I could feel Ziona’s gaze shift from the apple back up to me. It actually felt like it was burrowing into me. Her eyes were like black daggers that she wasn’t quite ready to throw.
    “You keep saying you don’t know what I’m talking about. Let us be clear that I do not believe you, and my patience will run out fast. I will tell you that you really do not want me to send any of my counterparts in here to deal with you. You should recognize that I’m trying to protect you from a much worse fate.” She continued to impose her intimidation on me.
    “I don’t think you are without knowledge or use of some of your abilities. You might not be showing me your cards, but I know you have something up your sleeve. I can assure you that my associates will force their way with you. They will work you over in a way that you will offer anything for a chance to escape their inflictions.”
    My breathing was enough to give away the fear rising inside me. I trusted nothing that this woman said to me about her being on my side at all. I did, however, believe in the possibility of this becoming much less pleasant. I shifted back and forth, staring down toward my feet. I tried to focus on my necklace without touching it. I didn’t want to give her any indication that she could gain an upper hand by removing it. I searched for a way to rope in the fears that were starting to fill me with doubt.
    I couldn’t look at her. “Ziona, I really want to go home. I want to be able to give you the answers you’re searching for. I wish I had powers, and then maybe I could blast my way out of here or something. Throwing a fireball at you would be an exciting way of exiting this wretched darkness.”
    I doubt she found humor in my little rant. Even if I could throw a fireball at her, I wasn’t so sure there would be a way to exit that room. I didn’t see her come through the doorway yet. I decided not to make mention of her vanishing act. I was sleeping or half asleep when she’d come and go. She must not be quite so human herself.
    “Maybe you can tell me what kind of powers I should have. Or you could tell me how to activate the ones you assume I possess.”
    Ziona lowered her leg and took a step forward. I kept my head down, but my eyes were focused in her direction. One thing that had been enhanced in the dark was my hearing. My ears were much more sensitive with the deprivation of light and sight. It was becoming easier to track her motion by sound.
    She hovered over me with dominance. Her voice deepened and her skin took on a much more intense red glow. Her red lips were as pursed as they could be as she reprimanded me.
    “Girl! I am not amused by you or your jokes. This is no joke! The sooner you learn that, the better off you will be. Laugh not in the face of danger that you fail to understand. You will find in yourself the truth of who you are or we will find it for you.”
    Her less-than-feminine hand gripped my shirt and she pulled me in close to her. Surprised by the stench of her breath, I held my own.
    “I will be back in a few hours. I suggest you find a way to