Captive{ated}

Eight: Olive Branch

I didn't see you again that day or even see you the next. Instead, the next morning I woke with enough food to sustain me for the day and I was left to my own devices. It was left just inside my door on the floor.

It was like that for a week.

You made it very clear you were mad at me, depriving me of any kind of interaction with anyone. It made the days feel like weeks, staring at the ceiling or looking at the window. There wasn't much to do in that room besides think.

Sometimes I would hear the laughs of children waft into the room through the window. Other times I would hear the briefest part of a conversation as a couple walked by. It became a game for me to pick up on what people were saying, but none of it was notable. It was all small talk. It made the village seem so normal. Fortunately, I never heard another scream, but I would still close my window at night in an attempt to block it out if there was one.

When it was clear you weren't going to come in, I would sometimes take a long bath to pass the time. It wasn't much, but it was relaxing. I would also pace around the room for a small amount of exercise, ensuring my muscles wouldn't go into atrophy and weaken me. I had to stay healthy and take care of myself no matter how hard it was. It was so easy to just lay in bed all day, mourning for the life I so wished to have back. But I couldn't do that. Mourning would do nothing for me but cause me to fall into a deeper pit of despair. Eventually I would end up so deep that it would be impossible to crawl out from.

I realized that I only made my situation worse by trying to run from you. Not only was I still trapped in this room, but now I was truly isolated. Without you, I was stuck in here with no chance of escape. Without you, I was so alone.

That's why one night, I managed to stay up the entirety of it no matter how tired I was. I sat by the door in the darkness of the room, the only light being the small amount from the moon high above. It was full and lit up the sky along with the thousands of twinkling stars.

You were right about the nighttime sky being beautiful here. Even I couldn't deny that.

Eventually, the sky began to turn orange, and not long after that, I heard your footsteps outside the door. Instantly I became more alert, my heartbeat picking up.

The door creeped open and I froze. I hadn't really planned what I was going to do. You slid the tray in on the floor, not seeing me since my room was still fairly dark. The door started to close.

"Caleb, wait," I said quietly.

The door stopped. "Evelyn?" You asked unsure if I was actually there. My voice was so small that it was a miracle you heard me at all.

The door opened and you walked in, peering at me in the growing light. You were surprised to see me awake, even more so that I was awaiting you. You studied me closer and lines of concern etched across your face. To my own surprise, you didn't seem to still be angry with me. You worriedly asked, "What are you doing up? Did you sleep at all?"

I couldn't hide the fatigue in my voice, and I definitely couldn't hide the bags beneath my eyes, "Would you believe me if I said I did?"

For a split second, you were amused before it was quickly replaced with worry again. "Not in the slightest."

A calm silence fell between us as I looked up at you. You looked the same as usual but with a new addition: a trio of stitches sutured on the top left side of your forehead. I had mixed feelings about causing that. Guilt and pride normally don't coincide.

You noticed me staring at your stitches, so you turned your head so I could no longer see them. "What are you doing up already? And why are you on the floor? That can't be comfortable."