Chapter 207: Bail
Melanie sat in the dark cell, her back resting against the cold wall, wondering how Adam was doing. He should have woken up by now... but even as that thought drifted into her mind, another quickly followed, quieter yet heavier. If he had woken up, he would have named the killer for sure. Or even if he hadn’t seen who stabbed Saira or attacked him, at the very least, he would have told them that she hadn’t done it.
Wouldn’t he? Of course he would.
So, that could only mean one things, he hadnt woken up yet...
She exhaled sharply, and told herself- again- not to panic. Still, the unease clung to her ribs like a vice. By her best guess, it had been three days since she was dragged in and detained here, but it was hard to be certain in this place. Time blurred in the dark. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe it had only been two. Or four. Maybe- just maybe- when the person came by with her food this time, they might actually be willing to speak. Maybe they’d tell her the time. Maybe they’d say something.
Anything.
She rubbed her arms, trying to fight off the persistent chill that seemed to seep straight into her bones. The silence was almost a weight of its own, pressing down on her as she tried to settle her thoughts. The quiet was too loud, the stillness too cruel. But at least this place was clean, she told herself. That was something. The walls might have been bare and the air might have smelled faintly of damp stone, but there was no filth. No rats. Just shadows.
With a bitter smile tugging at the corner of her lips, she tilted her head back and stared up at the ceiling- or what she imagined was the ceiling since she was looking up. ’This is what you wanted to save me from when you took me away from him, isn’t it, Grandma?" she whispered into the stillness. "And yet... here I am."
Here she was, back in a cage. A different kind, perhaps, but a cage all the same.
Funny, in a twisted way, how the punishments she’d received as a child-the hours of silent isolation, the cold meals, the dark rooms meant to teach her obedience- were now what helped her endure this. Who would have thought that the very things meant to break her would end up being what kept her calm now?