with that stuff and I hope Bailey never requires me to wear it.
"Good. You're here!" Bailey says through puckered lips. She is now applying lip-gloss on top of her lipstick. "We have a lot to do today. Tonight is my birthday party, so we have got to prepare. I'll need you to run some errands. Everything has to be perfect and…” She is interrupted by a knock at the door.
She opens it to find Alec standing there. She looks pleasantly surprised to see him outside her bedroom door.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Miss Bailey, but I..."
"Don't be sorry, Alec," Bailey interrupts. "You are always welcome in my room." She flashes him a flirtatious smile and a wink. "To what do we owe this pleasure? I was just getting ready to get dressed for the day." She unties her silk robe and lets it fall to the floor. She is wearing a pale pink tank top with matching shorts so short that her rear is almost hanging out. Alec's expression does not change. I can tell all of Bailey's efforts are in vain. Alec is not impressed with her. If anything, he is completely annoyed by her.
"I am here to collect 656," Alec responds with annoyance in his voice.
"Why?" asks Bailey.
"She has to attend the draining today."
"But I need her! There is so much to do before the party. I can't possibly do it all by myself," whines Bailey.
"It's your father's orders," responds Alec, unmoved by her whining.
Bailey crosses her arms and sticks out her lower lip in defeat. As much as I haven’t enjoyed my encounters with Alec, I am thankful to get away from Bailey. I follow Alec outside and board the same MR2 that brought me to the mansion the day before.
We are in the MR2 for about ten minutes before it parks itself in some kind of bubble parking garage. Alec kills the power to the floating bubble and tells me that we have to walk the rest of the way.
We exit the garage and see crowds of people everywhere. The street is full of colors, not just red. Alec and I start walking in the direction of a hoard of people. Much to my dismay, I stay close to Alec so I do not get lost. Vendors are everywhere selling food and merchandise. People are performing tricks. Children run past us laughing and carrying popsicles. A puppet show is entertaining a group of children. They are mesmerized by every movement each puppet makes. It almost looks like a festival. Why would Killian want me to attend something so festive?
A little girl sits on a stoop watching the festivities. She can’t be more than five years old. She is petite and has long strawberry blonde hair. A woman comes out and sits beside her. She looks like an older version of the little girl, probably her mother. The little girl smiles and climbs into her lap. The woman wraps her arms around the little girl's waist and plants a kiss on her cheek. Is that what it's like to be loved? To have a mother? I watch the children around me playing. They all seem so happy. So perfect. I wonder if childhood is like this for everyone. This is something I will never know. Childhood was denied to me. All I can do is imagine what my life had been like as a child. Imagine what it is like to be loved, to feel arms around me keeping me safe. I wonder if it possible to miss something you have never had.
Alec and I must be getting closer to our destination because the crowds are getting thicker. We come to an opening with two huge black iron gates open on either side of the entrance. On the brick wall beside the gates, a plaque rests with the words: Salvation is within. I have heard those words before spoken by Dr. Kendall at Training Day. Seeing them again along with the uncertainty of what I am about to witness spirals a feeling of dread within me.
Chapter Seven
A crowd of people lazily walk towards the big building in front of us. We file into the crowd, our steps matching the surrounding people. As we enter the building, the crowd starts to disperse as people file into the
"Good. You're here!" Bailey says through puckered lips. She is now applying lip-gloss on top of her lipstick. "We have a lot to do today. Tonight is my birthday party, so we have got to prepare. I'll need you to run some errands. Everything has to be perfect and…” She is interrupted by a knock at the door.
She opens it to find Alec standing there. She looks pleasantly surprised to see him outside her bedroom door.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Miss Bailey, but I..."
"Don't be sorry, Alec," Bailey interrupts. "You are always welcome in my room." She flashes him a flirtatious smile and a wink. "To what do we owe this pleasure? I was just getting ready to get dressed for the day." She unties her silk robe and lets it fall to the floor. She is wearing a pale pink tank top with matching shorts so short that her rear is almost hanging out. Alec's expression does not change. I can tell all of Bailey's efforts are in vain. Alec is not impressed with her. If anything, he is completely annoyed by her.
"I am here to collect 656," Alec responds with annoyance in his voice.
"Why?" asks Bailey.
"She has to attend the draining today."
"But I need her! There is so much to do before the party. I can't possibly do it all by myself," whines Bailey.
"It's your father's orders," responds Alec, unmoved by her whining.
Bailey crosses her arms and sticks out her lower lip in defeat. As much as I haven’t enjoyed my encounters with Alec, I am thankful to get away from Bailey. I follow Alec outside and board the same MR2 that brought me to the mansion the day before.
We are in the MR2 for about ten minutes before it parks itself in some kind of bubble parking garage. Alec kills the power to the floating bubble and tells me that we have to walk the rest of the way.
We exit the garage and see crowds of people everywhere. The street is full of colors, not just red. Alec and I start walking in the direction of a hoard of people. Much to my dismay, I stay close to Alec so I do not get lost. Vendors are everywhere selling food and merchandise. People are performing tricks. Children run past us laughing and carrying popsicles. A puppet show is entertaining a group of children. They are mesmerized by every movement each puppet makes. It almost looks like a festival. Why would Killian want me to attend something so festive?
A little girl sits on a stoop watching the festivities. She can’t be more than five years old. She is petite and has long strawberry blonde hair. A woman comes out and sits beside her. She looks like an older version of the little girl, probably her mother. The little girl smiles and climbs into her lap. The woman wraps her arms around the little girl's waist and plants a kiss on her cheek. Is that what it's like to be loved? To have a mother? I watch the children around me playing. They all seem so happy. So perfect. I wonder if childhood is like this for everyone. This is something I will never know. Childhood was denied to me. All I can do is imagine what my life had been like as a child. Imagine what it is like to be loved, to feel arms around me keeping me safe. I wonder if it possible to miss something you have never had.
Alec and I must be getting closer to our destination because the crowds are getting thicker. We come to an opening with two huge black iron gates open on either side of the entrance. On the brick wall beside the gates, a plaque rests with the words: Salvation is within. I have heard those words before spoken by Dr. Kendall at Training Day. Seeing them again along with the uncertainty of what I am about to witness spirals a feeling of dread within me.
Chapter Seven
A crowd of people lazily walk towards the big building in front of us. We file into the crowd, our steps matching the surrounding people. As we enter the building, the crowd starts to disperse as people file into the
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