Felicia
The men gagged me and bound my hands. They had horses waiting not far from the village. The man who came to install my bed, a large brute of a man, picked me up and set me on the horse. None too gently, I might add.
Riding made me nervous. I had not been on a horse since I was a girl, and that had only happened once when a fellow guardsman to my stepbrother saw me watching them and offered to give me a ride. In that instance, I only had to hold on while the horse was led around at a very sedate pace.
I thought about protesting to the men but thought better of it. If they realized I couldn't ride, then they might make me ride with one of them, and I think I would have preferred to fall off an
FeliciaBy early morning we had cleared the tree line and were riding through craggy peaks at the top of the mountain range. It was frigid, and I was shivering. The air was filled with the fog of everyone's breath. It floated in the air and sparkled as it froze. The snow glowed with an orange haze as it reflected the morning sunlight.From where we were, I could see for miles. I took a moment to appreciate the view. The forest seemed to go on forever until, way off in the west, I could make out the azure skyline that marked the edge of the sea.My teeth were chattering, though, and I wondered how far it was until we arrived at wherever our destination was. Surely, they didn't intend to let me freeze
FeliciaI looked around the room that had been mine so very long ago. As I looked at the details, I could tell it had been fashioned for a young girl, not a grown woman. Like it had been frozen in time, just waiting for my return. But the whole thing didn't make sense. How and when could I have lived here?I tentatively sat on the edge of the bed. My brain was trying to sift through the details of jumbled memories. They were vague images and feelings mostly. I got the impression that, as pretty as the room was, it had always been a cell.I sighed heavily and walked over to the slit of a window. It faced a sheer cliff that disappeared into a deep ravine, so deep I couldn't see the bottom, just swirling snow and mist. I would not be escaping that way.
FeliciaI woke up with my heart racing. Waking from the dream had left me disturbed. The face I had seen was mine but not at the same time. Her smile had been malevolent even psychotic. It had frightened me.The light from the window had faded and was the eerie bluish-grey of twilight. It made the room look menacing rather than childish.I got up from the bed and took the water glass drinking from it quickly, then looked around for something to take my mind off of the dream. I went over to the vanity and gazed at my face, it looked frightened and...fragile. Nothing like the expression in the dream. I got up and moved around the room.I leaned ag
FeliciaAfter a night of intermittent sleep, I woke to the maid returning with a breakfast tray.“Good morning,” I said pleasantly, though my voice sounded a bit gravelly.Another quick movement of her eyes was all I got in response before she retreated out the door with quick, nervous steps, as though she was afraid any contact with me would communicate some dreaded illness. It was extremely frustrating, and I huffed out an exasperated sigh.But, my stomach soon grumbled with hunger, aggravated by the scent of nearby food, so I ate my breakfast like a good little prisoner and decided not to let the maid's behavior both
FeliciaI sat on the bed and let out a shaky breath. The king had not indicated when he planned to marry me. But, I doubted it was far in the future. So, I needed to act quickly, but I wasn’t sure what action to take. It would probably be hours before the maid returned with my dinner, and there was no way I could shift the massive and heavy door, even if I could pick the lock. But, alas, it was situated on the far side of the door, away from me.I turned to the vanity and decided to look at the journal again. Perhaps I could glean some helpful information from it. I fished it out of its hiding place and began to read. The style and grammar were that of a child.I started at the beginning:Entry one.
FeliciaI spent several hours reading the journal that afternoon. It seemed the most productive way to spend my time. The book read as follows:Entry twoThey made me sleep again. All I remember is lying down on the table and squinting my eyes at the bright lights. Doctor Smythe told me to count backward from ten, as always. Then I woke up. I was tired, and my head hurt. I think I was asleep for longer than usual this time. And whatever they had done had made mama nervous. When Doctor Smythe let me out of the lab, she ran over and hugged me with tears in her eyes. I hugged her back, but I didn't understand why she was so worried about this trip. While she held me, I listened to her talking with the doctor.“Well?” Mama a
FeliciaThe hall was cold and so I gripped my arms. The first thing I noticed was the smell. Damp, mixed with what smelled suspiciously like sick and excrement. The hall was long and dark. I began to think I had gone the wrong way, heading into an endless tunnel to oblivion. Then, I came around a corner and saw light shining from under a door up ahead. I slowed my pace and concentrated on listening. But, all I could hear was my rapid breathing and heart rate. Along with the distant drip of water on stone. I realized that this part of the facility was old, ancient even. Like they had just added on, delving deeper into the mountain as the years passed. How long had my country been experimenting on its fauna and subjects I wondered. I was only a few feet from the door and I could see a shadow moving around inside. Then I felt a ripple inside my mind, a recognition, from whoever occupied the room. Hello Faizah, it's been a long
FeliciaWhen I returned to my room, the maid was pacing frantically. “What were you thinking? Do you have any idea what could have happened to you? Do you have any idea what they will do to you?” she hissed at me. Her eyes were wide, and beads of sweat were visible on her brow. “I need answers. Whatever the risks involved.” I hissed back. “Now you better run along before you're missed.” She gave me one last wide-eyed look then fled my room as fast as she could. I heaved a heavy sigh and shakily sat on the side of the bed. I was having a hard time processing what...she...had told me. I didn't even know how to refer to her. She was not my sister. She was my base code. So what was I? Who was I? No more than another experiment. A pawn. And that realization was the last straw. Whether I was their creation or not I was no one's pawn. I cast my eyes toward the vanity and the secrets it held. I thought of my mother, and my emotions oscillated