Chapter 4
For the next four days Rain stayed in the cell. She didn't fight with Dark Ace again and kept to herself. She wanted to fight him but figured it would be best if she didn't. She was lucky that Dark Ace was bringing her food and water and letting her use the bathroom. He could easily stop doing all that.
Rain sat in the corner of her cell staring at the floor when Dark Ace entered his room. He came up to the cell and opened the door. Rain looked up at him while giving him a dirty look and stood.
Dark Ace motioned to the bathroom and stepped aside. Rain left the cell while still giving him dirty looks but quickly moved to the bathroom. Dark Ace felt another strange feeling in his chest when she gave him the dirty looks but again shook his head and ignored it.
Rain closed the door behind her and went over to the sink. She looked in the mirror and sighed seeing her tired eyes. Her body was sore from sleeping on the cold metal floor and though she was eating, the food brought to her wasn't very nutritious.
Rain looked down at her hands and a small tray in the corner of the counter caught her eyes. Little odds and ends were in the tray and she saw two paperclips. Rain looked at the door to the bathroom and around her. She looked back at the paperclips and grabbed them but then realized that she had no pockets. Dark Ace would probably notice if she kept a hand in a fist though.
Rain finished in the bathroom and left it. Dark Ace was leaning against the wall next to the cell and she walked up to him. She looked at the cell and then gave Dark Ace a pleading look with her eyes. Dark Ace sighed and pointed to the cell with his thumb. Rain was about to walk into the cell but then decided not to. Dark Ace kept watching her and then sighed again.
"Are we going to go through this again?" Dark Ace asked in annoyance and walked toward Rain.
Rain backed up and asked, "Please! I have nowhere to go! There's a hundred-foot drop out that door and talons and endless hallways I don't know out that door. Do I really have to stay in the cell?"
Dark Ace kept walking towards Rain and wished she would just obey him. He didn't want to accidentally hurt her again.
"Just get in the cell! You should be thankful you have it! It's a vacation spot compared to the dungeon cells you would normally be kept in," Dark Ace stated in annoyance.
Rain kept backing away from him and stated, "Please! I won't try to run away. I'm just tired of being trapped. I don't want to be a prisoner anymore…"
"Well you are trapped!" Dark Ace stated savagely, "You're a prisoner and that's never going to change!"
Dark Ace grabbed Rain roughly by the arm and tossed her back in the cell. She tripped over her dress and landed on her side against the cold metal. Rain looked back up at Dark Ace angrily and he glared at her.
Dark Ace turned on his heel and walked to his bedroom door. Rain quickly walked back up to the bars to watch him leave.
Dark Ace looked back at Rain as he opened the door and stated, "I'm going for something to eat. I don't know when I'll be back."
"What's for supper?" Rain asked sarcastically.
Dark Ace looked at Rain and replied, "For me, good food. You? Whatever the heck I feel like bringing to you. If I even bring you anything at all."
Dark Ace left the room and shut the door. Rain heard it lock and he walked away. She studied the door for a while but then sat down against the wall.
Rain waited ten minutes and tried her best to not think about what Dark Ace said. She kept telling herself she'd be free and that she'd live her life one way or another.
After Rain knew Dark Ace wasn't coming back she stood and went over to the cell door. She reached up into her hair and untied the knot in her hair that was holding the paperclips. She pulled them out and shaped them to the form of the lock.
After a few minutes of shaping them, Rain put the paperclips in the lock and began picking it. It was much harder when she couldn't see what she was doing but she eventually got it. Rain opened the door and stepped out of the cell.
Rain quickly ran to the bedroom door and began shaping the paperclips when one of them broke.
"No!" Rain stated and tried to find some way to make the broken pieces useful but instead she ended up breaking the other paperclip as well.
Rain kept trying to use them but they became too short. She could bend them but they didn't reach far enough inside the lock. Rain finally gave up on them and went back to the bathroom. She searched the tray she got them from but found nothing else she could use.
Rain searched the entire bathroom but found nothing. She searched the entire bedroom but still found nothing. Lastly, Rain pushed the button for the workout equipment and the panel slid out from the wall. She searched it all and still found nothing she could use.
Rain backed away from the panel and felt her hopes come crashing down. She looked between the two doors and felt her tears come back to her eyes. She fought the tears but then Dark Ace's words came back to her.
"I'll be a prisoner forever," Rain whispered and a tear rolled down her cheek.
Rain wiped the tear away but felt another one. She knew she couldn't hold it back anymore but also knew that it would be horrible if Dark Ace came back and found her crying.
Rain looked at the equipment and saw the weights. She went up to them and pulled the weights off two of them. She took the bars before pushing the button to get rid of the panel again.
Rain walked up to the glass doors and stuck the bar through the door handles so even if the door was unlocked no one could open it. Rain ran over to the bedroom door next and did the same thing.
Rain backed away from the door and felt more tears running down her face. She turned away from it and her knees hit Dark Ace's bed. In an instant, Rain lost control and jumped onto the bed. She lay across it on her side and hid her face in her arms. She let her tears flow and sobbed into the warm black blankets of Dark Ace's bed.
X X X
Dark Ace felt the strange feelings in his chest grow. He wanted to take back what he said. He knew that being free was exactly what Rain wanted and he said the opposite would happen.
Dark Ace sat in the official officers cafeteria that was further away from the cafeteria he got Rain's food from. He sat by himself as a few talons of high rank ate at other tables. His food sat in front of him growing cold as he stared at it but he just didn't want to eat it. He hated admitting it, but he felt guilty and something else though he wasn't able to define it yet.
Dark Ace sighed and stood. He left his food where it was and began walking back towards his room. He didn't know what he planned on doing but something just kept telling him to go back to Rain.
Dark Ace came to his door and unlocked it. He tried to open it but it wouldn't budge. He tried to open it again but it still wouldn't budge. He immediately became worried and didn't know what to think. In a moment though, the worry was replaced with anger and figured she was doing something.
Dark Ace re-locked the door and walked briskly down the hall. He took a right and came to a window. Dark Ace opened the window and stepped out on the ledge without hesitation. It was raining and getting harder but he moved along the ledge and saw his balcony roughly twenty feet away.
Dark Ace moved along the ledge quickly and got his hand on the railing of his balcony. The rain was making his hair stick to his forehead and it was getting harder to see. He jumped over the railing and ducted close to the door.
Dark Ace felt his anger building and looked in through the glass doors. His anger was washed away with the water as he saw Rain, elegantly lying on his bed and hiding her face in her hands. He could see her back moving erratically from sobbing breaths and one of her hands was clutching his blanket.
Dark Ace kept watching Rain as the rain outside came down harder. He stood there in the cold and felt a longing feeling come to his chest. He didn't understand it at first but then realized that he wanted to be next to her.
Dark Ace looked away and leaned against the wall. He felt the chill run into his body and tried to rid himself of the longing but it wouldn't leave. He was very tempted to hit himself in the head but when he thought about it, he'd look like one of the lesser talons acting idiotic.
Dark Ace looked back into his room and saw that Rain wasn't breathing as erratically but she was still obviously crying. He was tempted to tap on the window but then looked down at the door handles on the inside of the door. Dark Ace saw one of the bars from his weights holding the doors shut and another bar was also holding his bedroom door shut in the same way.
Dark Ace decided to leave her and stepped over the balcony railing again. He moved along the ledge back to the window and climbed back inside.
Dark Ace closed the window and began walking away from it. A few talons walked past him and gave him confused, startled looks at him being soaking wet but kept going and didn't say a word.
Dark Ace passed his door and stopped at it. He looked at it for a moment and pressed his ear against it. He listened carefully and sure enough he heard soft, breathy sobs coming from inside. He felt a rolling feeling in his stomach and pushed away from the door. The guilt doubled in his chest and he leaned against the wall.
"How can one girl, cause so much trouble and not even do that much?" Dark Ace asked no one and thought back to the picture Cyclonis had first given him.
Dark Ace thought about Rain's innocent eyes that were obviously hiding trouble. He thought about what it would have been like growing up knowing a girl like that and suddenly he wanted to know. He wanted to know about this princess that claimed she wasn't.
Dark Ace turned back to the door and pressed his ear to it again. He knocked on it softly and heard Rain's sobbing stop. He listened for a few moments and knocked again.
"Rain? I know you're upset, but please let me in," Dark Ace asked and crossed his fingers.
Everything went silent through the door and Dark Ace wondered if Rain was ignoring him. He hoped she wasn't and knocked again.
"Rain? Please?" Dark Ace pleaded slightly and looked around the hall to make sure no one could hear him.
Dark Ace heard nothing again, but then heard a swift clang of metal as the bar was pulled from the door handles. Dark Ace unlocked the door and opened it. He saw Rain backing away from the door and standing in the middle of the room. Dark Ace shut the door behind him and locked it again.
Rain kept watching Dark Ace and giving him dirty looks again. Dark Ace felt the longing return to him again but he didn't show it. He began walking towards Rain and she backed away from him defensively.
"I'm not going to hurt you," Dark Ace stated, "You didn't want me to see you cry, so you blocked the doors. It's understandable."
Rain glared at Dark Ace and turned away from him.
"I wasn't crying," Rain stated and rested one hand against one of the glass doors.
She watched the rain come down outside and wished she could feel it on her skin. Dark Ace walked up behind Rain and stood rather close to her. Rain glanced back at him and then noticed how wet he was.
"What…" Rain was about to ask but then just kept staring out the door in an uncaring way.
Dark Ace glanced at Rain and stated, "When I couldn't get in the door I got worried and came to this door. I saw you crying. On my bed. In fact the blankets are still ruffled from where you were lying."
Rain crossed her arms and rested her forehead against the window. She kept watching the Rain and ignored Dark Ace. She wished she could even feel one drop of the rain, just to feel the outside world she used to love running away in and playing in when her father demanded she stay inside and act like a lady.
Dark Ace noticed Rain staring at the rain and asked, "Do you want to go outside?"
Rain immediately looked up at Dark Ace surprised but then asked angrily, "Oh so now that I'm upset you want to tease me as well? It's bad enough you've taken all of my hope away. Now you need to try and give me false hope so you can disappoint me and amuse yourself!"
Dark Ace huffed and pulled the bar from the door handles. Rain shook her head and began walking away. Dark Ace quickly grabbed Rain and pinned her against the doors. She tried to push him off, but he simply let go of her and rested his hands on either side of her. Rain looked at Dark Ace confused and held her hands close to herself.
Dark Ace reached his hands behind Rain's back and unlocked the door. He pushed both of them wide open and never took his eyes away from Rain.
Rain heard the doors creaking and immediately felt the icy wind make her hair flair and send a shiver through her body. She closed her eyes as the rain hit the back of her neck and felt herself begin to shiver.
Rain looked behind her and her hair flew into Dark Ace's face. He smelt the apple scent again and seemed slightly drawn to it. With out realizing. Dark Ace stepped closer to Rain and rested his hands on her shoulders.
"Seeing you disappointed and upset doesn't amuse me. Though the thought of a princess that loves walking in the rain does," Dark Ace stated.
Rain glanced back at Dark Ace and asked, "So what are you planning to do? Lock me out in the rain?"
Dark Ace shook his head and replied, "No. I'm going to get changed from these soaking wet clothes. You can do whatever you want."
Dark Ace backed away from Rain and walked towards his bed. Rain watched him in surprised confusion as he picked up his pair of black pants and walked into the bathroom. Rain watched him close the door and then looked back at the rain.
Rain watched the water coming down and felt the cold breeze hit her skin. It raised goose bumps on her arms but she loved it. She stepped forward onto the wet balcony and reached her hand out to the rain. She felt it on her hand and it was like Ice.
The cold water woke up Rain's skin and washed away the dry, musty feelings from being kept inside for so long. She stepped out into the rain itself and shivered as the cold water washed over her face and body. Her dress quickly clung to her body and dragged behind her. Her hair became a solid dark mass down her back and any ounce of warmth left her body.
Rain stood in the rain and didn't care that she was freezing. She crossed her arms across herself and felt her sad feelings leave her for a few moments. It felt so good to feel free from her emotions that she didn't care her breathing was becoming ragged and sharp.
Dark Ace sat on his bed and watched Rain stand outside. She intrigued him as she stood freezing in the cold but didn't move. He wondered when she would come back into the room but then noticed how sharply she was breathing. He grabbed the folded up towel sitting next to him and walked towards the balcony.
Dark Ace walked up behind Rain and gently took her arm in his hand. Rain jumped and turned to look at him quickly. Her wet hair whipped around her and for a moment Dark Ace felt the same way he had when he first saw her. Her eyes had an innocent quality that was hiding trouble and it struck him hard for a moment but he didn't show it.
"You're going to get sick," Dark Ace stated and gently tugged Rain's arm.
Rain pulled away from him for a moment and looked back out at the rain. She held her hand out to it for a moment as if to save a few droplets for later but then let herself be pulled back into the room.
Dark Ace unfolded the red towel and draped it gently over Rain's shoulders. Rain flinched at it but then held the towel around herself. Dark Ace stepped around Rain and closed the glass doors. He then turned to Rain and saw her shivering.
"I'll get you some warm clothes," Dark Ace stated and walked towards the bathroom.
"I'm fine," Rain quickly stated but Dark Ace simply glanced back at her as he went into the bathroom.
Rain sighed and wrapped the towel tighter around her. She walked to the bathroom and peaked inside. Dark Ace kneeled in front of a cupboard and ruffled through it. Rain saw clothes being moved around and then Dark Ace pulled out a pair of black pants similar to his own and a red shirt.
Rain looked at the cupboard in confusion as Dark Ace stood and saw her there. He looked down at it but then set the clothes on the counter next to the sink.
"My clothes from before I joined Cyclonia and from when I was a teenager. They'll probably be big on you but it's the smallest stuff I have," Dark Ace stated and left the bathroom.
Rain kept looking at the clothes but then looked up at Dark Ace suspiciously. Dark Ace looked down at Rain but kept walking towards his bedroom door. Rain watched Dark Ace leave and he left both doors unlocked.
Rain looked at the clothes sitting on the counter and wondered what was happening. He suddenly was being nice to her when usually any talon would have beaten her half to death. She was still freezing though and if she didn't change out of her soaking wet dress she would get sick.
Rain walked into the bathroom and closed the door. She knew that there was probably a catch to Dark Ace being so nice but for the moment she didn't care and she wasn't going to complain.
Rain changed into the shirt and pants and left her dress hanging over the curtain rod for the shower. She dried her hair as best she could and hung the towel next to her dress. Rain then left the bathroom and sat on Dark Ace's bed. She wanted to know what he was up to and figured she should test him.
