Wait until you see what happens in this one…muahahahaha!

I do not own the Shadow Children series. Boohoo…boo hoo hoo.

Chapter Ten

Layla silently fumed. She hated this. She hated the situation, hated the Population Police, and, most of all, hated herself. She was just full of hate at the moment. And she hated that, too.

"Look, um, Layla? You're doing it again," Emeary said with a disturbed look on her face.

Layla sighed and stopped making angry face expressions and clenching her hands like she was strangling somebody. "Sorry."

"No problem."

"No, I'm sorry I got us in this situation," Layla said meekly. Emeary could tell it took a lot for the pretty girl to swallow her pride. It actually looked like it was killing her. Layla felt like it was, too.

Emeary shook her head. "No, it's my fault. I was the one who flipped out just because you accidentally stepped on my foot. I tend to…get a little hysterical at times."

"A little?" Layla flashed a friendly smirk.

Emeary chuckled. "Okay, more than a little."

"That's better…but I still should have known better. I knew we needed rest and to be alert. I knew it! I was just too proud to point it out." Layla looked disgusted with herself.

Emeary scooted closer to where Layla sat on the hard grimy concrete floor to comfort her. "Hey, I could just have easily said that we needed a break."

Layla, however, refused to be comforted. "Yeah, but I'm an experienced trained soldier. I should have known better! You're just a rookie. You were ignorant."

"Well, thanks."

"Besides," Layla continued as if to herself. "I have a purpose to be here. I have a major mission. How could I have messed this up?"

Emeary opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by the cell door opening.

The two girls had awoken to find themselves in the square concrete room after they were knocked unconscious in the forest. They had assumed it was a Population Police cell. They had assumed correctly.

A cold looking officer peered down at the sitting girls like they were no more significant than the gum stuck to the bottom of his shoe. "You are to meet with our Investigator."

"You are in need of a personality," Layla mocked with her confidence renewed.

Emeary knew it probably wasn't the smartest reaction, but she couldn't help but snicker at the shocked look on the officer's face.

Sure enough, the officer strode across the cell and violently backhanded Layla. She hit the concrete with force. Angry tears were in her eyes when she looked back up to his face as she clutched the red welt on her cheek.

After that, the two girls were handcuffed (with a lot of pain) and slammed (with a lot of pain) into two hard-backed chairs across from a rather comfortable looking recliner. They exchanged worried glances before turning their attention to the important officer sitting it the chair.

"You know, this place could really use some redecorating," Layla quipped, looking around at the drab interview room.

Emeary flinched as a guard slapped her from behind.

The Investigator leaned forward. "I'll make this simple. Answer the questions; tell the truth," he said curtly. "What are your names?"

Emeary decided to jump in before Layla said something stupid again. "My name is Em-ily…Emily Baker. Um, what's your name?" she asked nervously.

The Investigator looked surprised. He had never interviewed two girls like this before. It annoyed him. "That is beside the point. Now why were you two off in the forest all alone? Or were you alone?"

Layla decided she didn't want Emeary to have all the fun. "Alone? We weren't alone! I had my imaginary friend, Trishtobutneor, with me! I'm afraid to go in the forest without him."

The Investigator's eye twitched.

The guard behind the handcuffed girls backhanded Layla so hard that she fell to the floor with a loud thud! Emeary gasped and rose to her feet instinctively until she was shoved roughly by the guard back to the seat.

"I believe these girls will answer best under torture. Take them to their cell until I can work out the paperwork to get permission for torture," the Investigator said stiffly.

And that was how Emeary's first interview went. She found it very interesting.

Layla leaned wearily against her nice homey cell. "Well, that went well," she said finally.

Emeary nodded. "You sure were brave though. I…I admired that."

Layla finally looked up and locked eyes on Emeary. "Thank you. I guess I feel like I need to give this all I got."

"Even dying?"

"If that's what it takes."

"Why? Why do you have that extreme determination?" Emeary wondered.

Layla sighed. "You already know that I'm not a third child. My brother is - was. He died when he was just eight years old."

Emeary put a comforting hand on Layla's shoulder. "I am so sorry."

Layla nodded. "What was so bad - what hurts the most - is that it was my fault. Tate and I had gotten into a fight. It was over something stupid; I don't even remember what started it. Tate got mad and ran off to the woods. We waited and worried, but he never came home. Finally, Dad went off to find him…and brought back his body. A Population Police officer had found him and shot him. And it's all. My. Fault."

Layla's voice broke on the last word, and Emeary felt so sorry for her. "You know, you didn't mean to. It's really not your fault."

Layla shook her head, unable to answer.

Emeary tried again. "I'm here because of guilt, too. My brother has always taken care of me, and it made me think of all the third children who didn't have a protector. I wanted to be that protector."

"That was brave," Layla whispered. "To leave everything behind to help others."

"Thanks."

"We're not making it out of this, are we?"

"Probably not."

Silence fell over Emeary and Layla. They never knew captivity could be so boring.

"So…you know any blond jokes?"

Lol! I am amused. But I think I'll bring the rescuers in the next chapter.