Jamie was surprised how open they were.
   Ms. Gisela and Gethen simply asked questions, not bothering to ask kindly or gently.
   Though she supposed that someone who was under the hooded man's spell wouldn't question orders from someone he had convinced them to trust.
   "Are you aware of your mother's identity?" was the first question Gethen shot at her.
   Jamie shook her head no. It was the truth.
   "Are you aware of your father's identity?" Ms. Gisela asked slowly.
   Jamie shook her head again. Again, truthful. But she was pretty sure that she wouldn't be able to keep up with telling the truth.
   "Do you know anything of the Black Swan, and have they reached out to you at all?" Ms. Gisela's voice seemed to echo.
   The air froze, as memories clicked into place.
   The garden gnomes in Mr. Forkle's yard.
   How he had arranged them in the shape of a swan.
   That memory that seemed to have been planted into her brain, showing Mr. Forkle amidst a flock of black swans.
   All the other clues and memories.
   All these revolved around Mr. Forkle.
   And the way that Ms. Gisela referred to the 'Black Swan,' it almost seemed like a code word, or a name of a project, or a... group of people.
   A memory resurfaced. But it wasn't one of her strange planted memories. It was of a dream she had had, driving in the car to her uncle's house. She had been in the sparkling city she had drawn, while she was surrounded by people, including Mr. Forkle, Lily, Leia.
   Then another group of people, dropped tiny bombs on top of her and the other people below.
   She recalled how strange Lily and Leia had been, and how when they had talked to her, it had almost felt like they were looking for clues.
   Not to mention Mr. Forkle's mysterious arrival and disappearance, along with the strange figure it his yard.
   She usually didn't believe in mysterious societies of undercover agents, but it was really seeming to end up like that.
   And now it was evident that this team, including Ms. Gisela, Geth—or Gethen—and the hooded man were the 'bad guys.'
   And on top of that, there was a form of magic, in special abilities.
   And somehow, she was tied into this all.
   It had something to do with her parents... especially her mother.
   So from the looks of it, covering for this 'Black Swan,' seemed like the right thing to do.
   "No," she answered, reminding herself to sound dreamy and confused.
   Ms. Gisela and Gethen sighed loudly.
   "Well then," Ms. Gisela murmured. "I'll leave the rest to you Geth."
   Gethen scowled, but nodded. He strolled back and forth behind the captives, firing her with questions.
Was she aware of any importance in her lineage?
   No.
   Had her previous neighbour—"not that lovely lady who just left the room, the one before that,"—told her any suspicious information?
   No.
   Had that neighbour tried to trigger a power, giving her some strange supernatural ability?
   Overly complicated question, but no.
   Half an hour later, Geth was still strolling before her.
   He scratched behind his ear, before asking the final question.
   "Where were you born?"
   Jamie didn't answer.
   He asked again.
   "I don't know," she said, after a long pause.
   Gethen stopped where he was, and turned to face her.
   "Now, Jamie, you are going to stay here, and don't move from that seat until I return."
   Jamie nodded.
   Gethen stalked out the doorway, and slammed the metal door behind him, sealing her into the room with two unconscious bodies strapped to chairs.
   She supposed anyone under the hooded man's control would have sat there contently for hours.
   Her mind raced as she tried to think up a plan.
   Jamie looked back the way she had originally walked in.
   But all that she saw was the other end of the room.
   She stood up, careful not to let the metal chair scrape on the ground, and tip-toed back. Deeper into the shadows, she went.
   She felt the rough rock wall ahead of her, and sighed. She was trapped in this cave. There was no way out.
   Unless she had one of those fancy "Light Leaping," crystals.
   She turned back towards the unconscious bodies of Mr. Forkle and Coco.
   She ran to them, and shook their shoulders, whispered to them, and did everything she could think of to try to wake them up.
   They didn't so much as stir.
   She stepped back, her heart resting in her toes.
   They were probably sedated. Heavily.
   They might not wake up for hours, maybe days.
   She stepped backwards, and leaned against the wall, gazing at her two different neighbours in despair.
   It seemed that the only way out would be through the door that Geth had left through. She would have to carry them.
   But there were two limp bodies.
   And one of them was an overweight old man.
   She wasn't even sure how long she would be able to carry Coco.
   Staring at them, from the wall, she wished that this wasn't happening.
   Because now, Jamie knew that she was only going to be able to rescue one of them.
   She momentarily weighed her different options. She could probably carry Coco, but it would be hard. And she doubted that she would even be able to lift Mr. Forkle.
   She decided that taking Coco with her was probably her best option.
   More doubt.
   What if she opened the door out, and there she was standing in the middle of all these cruel people having a snack break?
   Where did the door out lead to?
   Was there even a way to get out without a leaping crystal?
   Jamie made her way to Coco, and gently began to untie the tight bonds holding her wrists behind her back.
   She would figure out all of that when she got there.
   For now, she planned to take it one step at a time.
   Once Coco's hands were loose, she moved on to her ankles.
   Once Coco was completely free, Jamie slunk towards the door.
   It looked like the door of a vault.
   There was a handle, holding a latch in place, that wedged the door closed. Jamie grabbed the handle, and turned it ever so slightly.
   It squeaked loudly, and she winced.
   Easing the handle as gently as she could slowly the latch came away from the frame of the door.
   Once the door was free, she placed her hands on the cold metal, and pushed on it. She opened it a crack, and peeked through.
   She saw a long hallway out in front of her. It stretched farther than she could see.
   And it was empty.
   Jamie pushed the door open further—wide enough to get through, before turning, and rushing back to the chairs where Coco and Mr. Forkle still were.
   She struggled to pick up Coco.
   First, she took the girl's arms, and placed them over her shoulders, then wrapped her arms around Coco's waist.
   She tried to pick her up, but Coco's hands slipped from Jamie's shoulders and the unconscious girl fell back into her seat.
   Jamie tried again, this time tucking Coco's hands under her arms, and grabbing her around the waist.
   She adjusted Coco, until she was hung over her shoulder.
   Before she left, Jamie took one last look at Mr. Forkle. She vowed in her mind, that she would save him. She would come back once Coco was safe.
   Clutching the unconscious body she was now carrying, Jamie ducked through the circular door, and out into the shadowy hallway.

1264 Words!

First and foremost: I'M REALLY, REALLY SORRY. Seriously. My life has been super chaotic (moving, living in rental places, and of course SCHOOL), meaning I haven't been writing. My spare time has been filled with other things too.
I will make no promises. I feel bad for anyone who has stuck with this story. But I still can't supply a stable schedule.
This book might not be updated for some time, and even then it might be slow to start. But trust me. I am trying to get this moving again, and I promise you will once again get a steady stream of updates.

Thank you,
-Wawawa