Iris set her mind on the straps on her chair. The throw up from her body and the floor had been mostly cleaned up, but the smell still lingered. She was still confused as to what came over her. She usually doesn't throw up like that. The toxin seemed to be overtaking her body, and that's what Puppetmaster said, so she believed it. The straps were able to break. She knew this. She focused all her anger and sadness on one spot on the strap. She couldn't feel the next couple seconds, but all of a sudden her arm was out of the strap. She stretched it every which way. That's when Puppetmaster came in the room. She looked at him, startled, and brought her arm back to the chair.
"Iris! Why did you do that?" He scolded her, but in a gentle way. "Do you know what James would do if he saw that? He'd smack you cross the mouth!"
"Why are you here? Are you trying to get me to fight my husband again? Sorry to break it to you, I'm not going to do it."
"No… Actually no one knows I'm here right now. I-I uh… Brought you a pillow. And a leftover bread roll. You haven't ate since we um…. Took you. And you might be uncomfortable." He handed the pillow and roll to her, she scarfed the roll almost without chewing. The pillow she put behind her back. "James shouldn't come in here anytime soon so you could rest. You have to put your arm back in the straps though. Sorry about that."
"Why are you being so kind to me?" Her eyes narrowed. "Are you trying to make me more willing to fight Barry?"
"No… I-I used to have a daughter. Jada, was her name. She died the night of the Enlightenment, and that's when I got powers. She was six." His eyes got dark and sorrowful. Iris looked at him with remorse.
"I'm… so sorry. That must have been terrible." She apologized, but she meant it. "Why are you telling me this?"
"You asked earlier about my life story. That's all that matters in my life. Jada was all that mattered in my life. Family's important. Spend as much time with them as you can. Your husband, father, sister, brother, friends." He paused, really contemplating what he was going to say. Puppetmaster looked at her up and down, her defeated body. He closed his eyes. "That's why I'm going to help you escape."