Scared New World

Chapter 8

Regaining consciousness was like crawling out of a dark hole. For a heartbeat, my eyes were the only part of my body that worked. Panic started to flood my veins, but it gradually receded as the feeling in my hands, arms, and torso returned.

I still felt a little dizzy, but other than that, I felt fine. My heart pounded as I scanned the room. A dim lantern hanging from the ceiling allowed me to survey my surroundings.

A chair, to which I was tied, sat in the middle of the room. In the back left corner was a bookshelf filled with strategically placed scrolls and books. Whoever put them there obviously wanted to deter anyone from stealing. Volumes of the same book were scattered on the various shelves to confuse any thieves.

Directly beside it was a table with various scrolls placed atop it. No windows graced the walls, but I was guessing this was nothing more than a storage closet. At the very front of the room was the door.

I was furious at myself for getting captured, but another emotion quickly took over: fear. As long as I was tied up, I couldn't use my hands. Which meant I had no way of communicating. Before I had too much time to fret about this, however, the door was suddenly flung open.

In the seconds that followed, I don't think I was breathing. A familiar face came into view, the cruel expression on his face clear as day. Tiger Shark. He didn't recognize me—thank the gods—but I recognized him.

His dark-blue eyes—twin to my own, a fact I noted with no shortage of disgust—sparkled as they locked on mine. He swam further into the room, shutting the door behind him. I held still as he swam up to me, roughly taking my chin in his hands and turning my face this way and that. "Oh, yes. You'll do very nicely." I kept my expression blank, which wasn't very hard because I couldn't hear what he was saying.

All the while, though, my mind was working overtime to figure out a way to escape. I could see his mouth moving, but as I tried to decipher what he was saying, he turned and swam backward. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly as I opened my eyes.

My heartbeat slowed, my other senses sharpening. I immediately detected the bitter tang of metal. Spotted a hook hanging on the wall, supporting a long red cloak. Before I could do anything else, Tiger Shark swam to the bookshelf, skimming through the titles. He grabbed a leather-bound tome and tucked it under his arm, not paying me heed as he exited the room.

As soon as the door closed, I got to work on my hands, quickly untying the knots with expert efficiency. The room swayed as I rose—how long had it been since I'd last eaten or drank?—and swam to the door. Somehow, I ended up back at home.

Mom, Meri, and Naia were frantic as I swam inside. They had such concerned expressions that I couldn't imagine what my own looked like. It took every ounce of control to keep from bursting into hysterics.

My mind was blank as I lay in bed that night, unable to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw David. Sometime during the night, I was vaguely aware of Meri coming into my room and sliding into bed beside me.

She wrapped her arms around me, pulling me close. Just like we used to do when we were younger and one of us had had a nightmare. One thought ran through my head as I lay awake: What will we do?

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