"Wait! No, no! Please!" my cries meant nothing. My mother was thrown into the chasm right before my very eyes. And, the man who had done it looked me dead in the eye. And laughed, slowly making his way towards me, about to grab at me.
I awoke with a start, sweating and panting. I had been crying in my sleep, apparently, for tears stained my face. I glanced about the dark closet; no sign of anyone. I got up, and swung my leg over the side of my bed, for it was more of a space in the wall. I started coming back to the present: I was in The House. I was safe. No one could get me here... yet. I descended the ladder, and silently dressed in the dark. I had a bag directly to the right of the ladder, where I kept all of my possessions. I was required to have everything packed, in case we had to leave in an emergency situation.
Because this closet contained no window, I could not tell whether it was day or night. But, the place I was heading did not require day, nor night. I pulled a black T-shirt with the red kayne symbol on it, and slipped on a pair of black leggings. I didn't need shoes, for I wasn't leaving the building. I pulled a pair of grey socks over my feet, for the floor here was cold. I cracked the door open, to make sure no one was in the hall.
After I saw that the coast was clear, I opened the door fully. I carefully tip toed down the hall, so I wouldn't wake anyone. I guessed that it was still night, for no one was out. I walked past the library, where I could imagine close to fifty kids camping out on cots. I knew exactly where I was heading.
I had to go down two flights of stairs, through another dark hallway, and I went down the last set of stairs. I could tell that I was in the right place, for it smelled damp and Earthy: the basement. I took a few more steps, before I stopped at the door marked Chair Storage. I knocked once, waited a second, knocked another time, waited a second, and rapidly knocked four times, before I put my hand down. Surely he'd be awake. He's part of the council, and they often had late night meetings. I heard a rustling sound, and footsteps. Seconds later, he opened the door.
"What is it, Stacey?" he asked, looking tired and irritable.
"Oh, you can drop the act, I know you've been awake, Peter," I said, annoyed that he'd pretend like that. "And it's Robynn, I am not Stacey," I added. I had always hated Stacey; to make it worse, people often confused the two of us. Though, I cannot see a resemblance, Peter definately could.
His eyes brightened, and his face reddened. "Oh, I know the difference between you two- I was just expecting her to drop by."
As if on cue, loud, hollow footsteps echoed down the stairs.
"Quick, hide somewhere," he whispered, ushering me into his room. It was small, though it was bigger than the closet I was currently staying in. He had a bed and a desk. There weren't any hiding places, except for a duffel lying beside the desk. I sighed, rolling my eyes, and stepped into it.
I'd never known what it was; the fact that i slept in small, dark rooms, or that I often didn't get food, but I was very small. I easily squeezed into the bag, along with Peter's few articles of clothing, a few books, and other random items. I fastened the bag back, as I sank into its folds.
Knock, knock, knock. I almost laughed out loud at how stupid she was; Peter only answered to the special knock, for fear of it being an intruder. But, because he had been expecting her, he opened the door.