Naia's POV
This was it. The moment the doors opened, the plan would go into action. The girls were to pretend that they had no idea what I was going to do which would hopefully keep them out of trouble.
"You can't tell them anything," I said, "You can't tell them what I'm doing or that you even knew I was going to run away."
Jane smiled a shaky smile at me, "You've told us a thousand times Naia."
I let out a sigh and nodded. "You're right but I'll tell you again just to be sure," I said, making Megan groan.
Megan put both hands over her ears and shook her head. "No," She said, and shook her head again, "No more!"
We all laughed but quickly went quiet when we heard footsteps approach.
I got up and went to the side of the door. I looked at the other girls, huddled in a corner and mouthed 'I love you' to them as the door lock clicked. When I saw the door open the tiniest bit, I braced myself and as soon as I saw a space, I ducked down and ran.
My version of how to get out of the house wasn't clear or correct but I kept running. I could hear yells and voices from behind me but I didn't look back. I had never realized how hard it was to run without arms but the adrenaline pumping through me kept me going.
Suddenly, I felt myself falling to the ground as someone tackled me. The adrenaline kept me from being scared but it didn't keep me from feeling the pain of the punched at my head. I wasn't sure if it was the same person but the kicking soon joined the punches. I was rolled over onto my back as punched connected with my face. I felt a warm liquid drip from my nose as it started to bleed.
"You think you can just run away like that?" A voice asked. I knew it was one of the people who came to feed us but I couldn't match it to a face.
Another kick the stomach made me curl up and a pair of arms heaved me onto my feet. I could now see who had beaten me up. I had seen them before since they had come to feed us previously but I didn't know they're names.
"Huh? I didn't catch your answer girly." One of the guys said. He was the one who had asked me the question when I was on the ground.
I sneered at him, "That's because I didn't give you one."
I probably shouldn't have said that but I didn't care. The guy I talked back to slammed me into the wall and I winced as my head smashed against the hard surface.
"You wanna try again?" The guys asked. I needed a nickname for him. Jerkface. That fitted nicely.
"What are you going to do?" I asked, "Kill me?"
None of us spoke or moved for a moment before he let go of me. My legs nearly gave out but I steadied myself as the other guy yanked me back to the room. They were smart and had closed and locked the door before chasing after me. Once they opened the door, they threw me in and I collapsed onto the floor.
"Naia!"
The other girls surrounded me, clearly concerned. I tried to brush it off but I was in pain and it was hard to stop the tears leaking from the corners of my eyes.
"Are you okay?" Lily asked. I tried to smile for their sake but it just turned into a wince as I sat up.
"Yeah," I said, being brave for their sake. "Just a little bruised."
Megan pointed at my nose, "You're bleeding."
I nodded, "Yeah." I was unsure of what else to say. We sat there in silence for a while.
"I'm sorry," I said, finally breaking the silence. "I messed that up so bad. That was our only chance too."
Jane shook her head and scooted closer to me. "No, we'll figure something else out." She whispered.
"Are they going to give us food soon?" Zoe asked, changing the subject.
I pursed my lips, "Sorry bud, but I don't think so."
"I'm hungry," Emma whined.
I sighed and let the girls lean against me.
"I'm sorry."