When we returned back to Freedom House, I was a different girl and my youth had been taken by The Darius. I wanted to find Miles and needed his help. I was sitting in Freedom Park in the only place I could clear my mind, the coy pond but the pond looked different too. The rocks around the edge of the water seemed darker as they disappeared down into the depths. The coy seemed more helpless and trapped than I remember. I watched as their orange and white colors, like the splatter of paint, spun around under water, twisting and turning along one another. They were trying to go somewhere but trapped in their own world. “Hey Ivy,” Cyrus walked over with Zoe. She stared into my eyes without ever breaking her concentration. I felt a sense of safety around her but didn’t know why.
“Hi Cyrus. Hello Zoe.” I said.
“How was sleeping under the stars?” Cyrus asked.
I looked away from Zoe and back at the coy swimming in circles.
“It was great.” I said.
“Did The Darius start planning for the Ceremony of the Free? We’ve been working hard over here. Zoe has already been in the Love Room. Everything’s coming along.” Cyrus said.
I made eye contact with Zoe again. Her eyes were different than anyone else’s at Freedom House. There lived a longing and a purpose that showed through her eyes and rooted in her soul. What was it? I continued to look at Zoe, our eyes locked together.
“Yes, we started planning for it as well. Everything is coming along.” I said.
“That’s great. Well, I came over here to see if you could show Zoe how to feed the animals. I have to meet with The Darius,” said Cyrus.
“Of course, no problem.” I said.
“Thanks Ivy. Zoe, you’re in good hands. I’ll see you both in afternoon meditation.”
“Thanks Cyrus,” Zoe said.
Cyrus walked away, through the doorway that led to The Darius, a doorway where all freedom was gone.
“So, how do you like it here so far?” I asked Zoe as we walked away from the coy pond, down the stoned path toward the animals. There was a light wind that started a slow dance with the leaves above our heads and the sun was high in the sky. It almost felt like everything was going to be fine but masked over this beautiful day was a darkness. The Darius was right, there was a darkness upon us but it wasn’t the darkness he spoke of, it was something else.
“It’s been pretty good. Cyrus has been a great mentor so far. What about you?” Zoe asked. Her hair was pulled back into a French braid and her age hinted through the soft wrinkles on her forehead and under her almond brown eyes. She kept trying to catch my eyes as we spoke, the same way you can feel someone’s stare from far away, a soft whisper into your ear to look their way.
“Ivy? You okay?” Zoe asked again.
“Yeah, I’m just a little tired from our camping trip,” I said.
“Oh yes, how was that?”
I tried in that moment to fake joyfulness but there was nothing left inside of me to pretend. My eyes looked down into the dirt path as we approached the fence that confined the chickens, pigs, and peacocks.
“It was good.” That’s all I could muster up.
Sophia Arc looked around Freedom Park with a calmness that came off as natural. She checked to be sure there was nobody nearby to hear them. She lowered her voice and said, “Ivy, what’s your real name?”
I felt my face turn bright red, a heat that rushes so fast you could feel the temperature rise out of your skin, into the air all around you. I tried to force the tears from filling my eyes but for some reason could not control myself. I turned so that my back faced Zoe and wiped the tears that fell down my cheeks. I didn’t know what to say and wasn’t sure why she was asking me what my real name was.
“Is your name Samantha Watson? I am here to help you.” Sophia whispered.
My instinct was to play dumb. The fear forced me to say, “I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I don’t need help.” I said, wiping more tears from my cheeks.
“Samantha, you’re in danger. Very serious danger. I am here to help you, to get you out of this place. The Darius is extremely sick and everyone here at Freedom House is going to get hurt unless something is done about it.”
Now I was catching each breath of mine to keep from making a sound as I cried, my back still to Zoe.
“You can’t help us. It’s too late.” I said.
“It’s never too late Samantha. That’s what he wants you to think. People survive worse things than this.”
“Maybe I don’t want to survive to remember this. Who are you anyways? Why were you sent here and how?” I had so many questions.
“I can explain but we cannot bring attention to ourselves. Let’s feed the animals and I will explain. Is that okay?” Zoe asked.
Was this really happening? Did I have a chance to get out of Freedom House? What if someone found out? What would happen to us?
In that instant, I broke down like the child I was, “I’m scared, I just want to go home.”
“I know you do. You have to follow my instructions. You need to stop crying and we must feed these animals. Sound good?”
I inhaled a deep breath and exhaled. I wiped my cheeks and turned around to face Zoe. “Okay, that sounds good.”
“Great. My name is Detective Sophia Arc and I’m going to get you out of here.”
-Written by Sterp
All Rights Reserved
“Hi Cyrus. Hello Zoe.” I said.
“How was sleeping under the stars?” Cyrus asked.
I looked away from Zoe and back at the coy swimming in circles.
“It was great.” I said.
“Did The Darius start planning for the Ceremony of the Free? We’ve been working hard over here. Zoe has already been in the Love Room. Everything’s coming along.” Cyrus said.
I made eye contact with Zoe again. Her eyes were different than anyone else’s at Freedom House. There lived a longing and a purpose that showed through her eyes and rooted in her soul. What was it? I continued to look at Zoe, our eyes locked together.
“Yes, we started planning for it as well. Everything is coming along.” I said.
“That’s great. Well, I came over here to see if you could show Zoe how to feed the animals. I have to meet with The Darius,” said Cyrus.
“Of course, no problem.” I said.
“Thanks Ivy. Zoe, you’re in good hands. I’ll see you both in afternoon meditation.”
“Thanks Cyrus,” Zoe said.
Cyrus walked away, through the doorway that led to The Darius, a doorway where all freedom was gone.
“So, how do you like it here so far?” I asked Zoe as we walked away from the coy pond, down the stoned path toward the animals. There was a light wind that started a slow dance with the leaves above our heads and the sun was high in the sky. It almost felt like everything was going to be fine but masked over this beautiful day was a darkness. The Darius was right, there was a darkness upon us but it wasn’t the darkness he spoke of, it was something else.
“It’s been pretty good. Cyrus has been a great mentor so far. What about you?” Zoe asked. Her hair was pulled back into a French braid and her age hinted through the soft wrinkles on her forehead and under her almond brown eyes. She kept trying to catch my eyes as we spoke, the same way you can feel someone’s stare from far away, a soft whisper into your ear to look their way.
“Ivy? You okay?” Zoe asked again.
“Yeah, I’m just a little tired from our camping trip,” I said.
“Oh yes, how was that?”
I tried in that moment to fake joyfulness but there was nothing left inside of me to pretend. My eyes looked down into the dirt path as we approached the fence that confined the chickens, pigs, and peacocks.
“It was good.” That’s all I could muster up.
Sophia Arc looked around Freedom Park with a calmness that came off as natural. She checked to be sure there was nobody nearby to hear them. She lowered her voice and said, “Ivy, what’s your real name?”
I felt my face turn bright red, a heat that rushes so fast you could feel the temperature rise out of your skin, into the air all around you. I tried to force the tears from filling my eyes but for some reason could not control myself. I turned so that my back faced Zoe and wiped the tears that fell down my cheeks. I didn’t know what to say and wasn’t sure why she was asking me what my real name was.
“Is your name Samantha Watson? I am here to help you.” Sophia whispered.
My instinct was to play dumb. The fear forced me to say, “I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I don’t need help.” I said, wiping more tears from my cheeks.
“Samantha, you’re in danger. Very serious danger. I am here to help you, to get you out of this place. The Darius is extremely sick and everyone here at Freedom House is going to get hurt unless something is done about it.”
Now I was catching each breath of mine to keep from making a sound as I cried, my back still to Zoe.
“You can’t help us. It’s too late.” I said.
“It’s never too late Samantha. That’s what he wants you to think. People survive worse things than this.”
“Maybe I don’t want to survive to remember this. Who are you anyways? Why were you sent here and how?” I had so many questions.
“I can explain but we cannot bring attention to ourselves. Let’s feed the animals and I will explain. Is that okay?” Zoe asked.
Was this really happening? Did I have a chance to get out of Freedom House? What if someone found out? What would happen to us?
In that instant, I broke down like the child I was, “I’m scared, I just want to go home.”
“I know you do. You have to follow my instructions. You need to stop crying and we must feed these animals. Sound good?”
I inhaled a deep breath and exhaled. I wiped my cheeks and turned around to face Zoe. “Okay, that sounds good.”
“Great. My name is Detective Sophia Arc and I’m going to get you out of here.”
-Written by Sterp
All Rights Reserved
