Contest: The Trials

Host: TheDailyDorkage

"47119!" The voice shouts as a spillage of light dances across the metal floor. I cringe, backing away from the flashlight as the guard points it at my face.

"What?" I snap, staring at the man in irritation. Ignoring my snarky comment, he jerks the flashlight toward the dark tunnel behind him and motions me forward. I clench my jaw and start forward, eyes narrowed suspiciously on the guard. When I'm close enough, he reaches forward and grasps ahold of my bicep in a vice-like grip, carelessly shoving me out into a foul smelling hallway.

"Hey!" I shout, yanking my arm free and taking several steps away until my back presses up against a cold metal wall.

"Shut up." The guard growls, forcing the cell door shut and shining his flashlight down the hall. He raises an eyebrow at me and jerks his chin forward. "Well, get on." He mutters, a malicious glint swirling within his dark eyes. I scoff, crossing my arms over my chest and curling my lip in disgust.

"Like hell." I retort, glaring into the bright light. The guard pulls his lower lip between his teeth, as if the action would prevent him from doing something he shouldn't. Instead, he rests one palm on a the gun strapped to his hip and raises his eyebrows in a silent challenge. I tilt my chin up and lower my arms to my sides in surrender.

"Go." The guard demands, tightening his hold on the weapon. I stumble back a step and turn on my heel, striding into the dark tunnel without a backward glance. I had a feeling I would die soon, but today wasn't going to be it.

The tunnel travels on for several minutes, possibly an hour, but I have no way of telling the time. I keep my hands out, one running along the wall to my left and the other out in front of me. My heart beat grows louder and louder in my ears as if it might burst from my chest. Strange noises erupt from hidden corners of the tunnel as I progress through the maze-like hallway. My feet pound along the metallic floor and I find myself counting the seconds in an attempt to keep myself sane as a suffocating sense of claustrophobia settles over me.

At last, I catch the slightest glimpse of a torchlight in the distance, flickering oddly and casting a yellowish orange glow along the floor. Cautiously, I take a couple steps toward it and peak around the corner into a dark, metallic, and spacious room where an older man sat behind a table.

He looks up, piercing grey eyes glistening with knowledge as they stare into mine, seeming to suck the life from my being. Everything about him looked gray and blurred, like he wasn't quite real or so old that life itself recoiled at the sight of him. Wrinkled skin clings to his skeletal frame and an emaciated face peers out at me, striking fear into my heart.

"Come, take a seat 47119." The man invites, gesturing to the empty seat positioned across from him. I gulp, forcing the fear down, and step into the room hesitantly. My blood boils like a raging fire, warning me to stay on alert for any sudden danger.

"What is this? Where am I?" I urge, keeping my gaze on the old man. He pinches his dry, cracked lips and shakes his head, a layer of dust rising from his thin gray hair.

"All your questions will be answered in due time, but not now." He replies in a muffled whisper, folding long thin fingers on the table before him. I bite my lip in despair, gently lowering myself into the cold chair across from the skeletal man.

"Then what do you want?" The man smiles a yellow grin, his teeth caked in a layer of grime and dirt. I cringe and keep my hands in my lap, as if that simple action can create a chasm between us.

"Tell me 47119, who are you?" He asks, eyes narrowed intently. I frown slightly and run my hand through my hair, a sense of annoyance settling over me.

"Micaiah Vladescu or Ky, so stop calling me 47119." I snap, scowling at the old man and his blase use of my clone code. The old man's face remains blank as he leans back in the chair, placing his intertwined hands on his lap.

"Do you remember the life you led before today?" He questions, his voice cracking with age. I clench my jaw as several memories flutter through my mind.

"Yes." I answer cryptically, neglectful to open up to a stranger about my illegal lifestyle. The old man raises one frail eyebrow and gestures me on, a look of curiosity darkening his eyes. I scowl, twining my hands together on the table.

"I lived with a girl named Vasilisa, her clone Hadley, and my clone Cameron." I mutter, spitting Vasilisa and Cameron's names out as if they were poison.

"Did you enjoy this life?" I scoff, remembering the strict rules, tight living quarters, and poor treatment.

"What was to enjoy? Cameron and Vasilisa were bullies. They forced Hadley and I into submission, threatening to expose our existence to the government if we failed to do as they asked." I grumble, shifting uncomfortably in my chair as several unpleasant memories rise to the surface of my mind.

"What were you asked to do?" The man continues, barely acknowledging my discomfort. I roll my eyes, weariness plaguing my mind.

"Um," I sigh, blowing out a huff of air, "well Cam and Lissa ran a powerful drug cartel that distributed throughout Canada and the United States so it was up to Hadley and I to fill in the gaps in their domestic lifestyle. We played the part of an innocently happy couple while they dabbled in a world of crime, criminals, and cocaine."

"Where did you work?" The old man inquires moments before he erupts in a series of painful sounding coughs. I hold my breath, waiting for the loud gagging to end.

"A law firm." I answer, once the old man has fallen silent. He stares silently at me for several seconds, grey eyes glimpsing into my soul.

"Did you attend college?" I shift, dropping my gaze from his and nod hurriedly, uneasiness twisting my gut.

"Yes, under Cam's name. He wanted a high paying job to pay off his dealers and distributers." The old man grunts and smiles, once again exposing those yellow teeth.

"What about your living situation?" He pushes, amusement flickering through his eyes. I curl my lip and shove the chair backward. Surging my feet, I begin a fervent pace along the edge of the room in an attempt to calm my racing mind.

"The four of us lived in a small apartment together in the middle of the city. Hadley and I slept in a secret room hidden within Cameron and Vasilisa's bedroom closet. The door had a lock on it that they would sometimes use to lock us in." My voice drops to a near whisper as Hadley's flawless face fills my mind.

I prayed to sky high that she was alive, hopefully as far away from this place, Lissa, and Cam as possible. I sigh, jamming my palms into my eyes until I see stars glisten behind my eyelids. A dizzy feeling comes over me and I rest my hand down on the table, blinking rapidly.

"Any romantic relationships?" I jerk, glancing up sharply at the old man. There was a knowing glint in his eyes and the way his lip twisted told me that he knew something I didn't.

"What do you know that I don't? Where's Hadley?" I growl, leaning over the table. The old man cocks on eyebrow amusedly and shrugs one shoulder, causing a cloud of dust to clog the air. I cough and lean away, spitting the musty taste from my mouth.

"Answer the question Micaiah." The old man demands, crossing his arms over his chest. I sigh defeatedly, deciding that if Hadley was in danger then there was nothing I could for her unless I could get out of this damn room.

"Yes, with Hadley." I snap, refusing to elaborate.

"How did you and Hadley become involved Ky?" The old man urges, refusing to accept my short answer. I sigh, allowing the words to flow effortlessly from my lips.

"Cam and Lissa were newlyweds in their domestic life. So Hadley and I took on their persona of a young married couple. The situation forced Hadley and I into a more romantic setting and we eventually started dating." I mumble, plopping down in the chair and thumping my forehead against the table. Exhaustion plagued my every movement, I felt as if a bottle of molasses had been dumped over my brain.

"Do you have any family?" I groan and sit up, allowing my chin to rest against my chest for a long moment.

"No, none besides Cam's family."

"Did you like them?" I glance up, staring at the old man with disgust.

"They created me to be their son's personal minion. I hated them with everything in me. I was nothing more than a plaything to them." I growl, venom dripping from each word. "They treated me like dirt beneath their feet." I pause, calming the emotions swirling throughout my being like a wild fire. "Only Cam's little sister thought anything of me, she liked me more than him." I admit, lowering my voice as I recall Ariella's sweet face.

"What happened to her?" He wonders, seeming to know exactly what I was feeling. I duck my head, resting my elbows on the table and cradling my head in my hands.

"Cam killed her." My voice cracks and a shiver of sadness runs along my spine. She was only seven when he strangled her in her bedroom while their parents were out.

"Did you try to stop it?" He whispers, my chest tightens and a stream of tears dribble down my cheeks. Abruptly, I'm thrown back in time to the day Ariella died. The day I was forced to watch the only person whom I cared for in life die at the hands of my doppleganger.

Bright emerald green eyes flash behind my closed eyelids, staring into mine with desperation. Pale pink lips gasp for breath, parting slightly as they whisper my name with their last dying breath. Her head lolls backward as Cam sets her lifeless body down. Long platinum blonde curls spill along the carpeted floor, framing her angelic face like a sea of gold. She looked beautiful, even in death.

"No," I whimper, remembering the way I cowered in Ariella's closet while Cam suffocated the life from her tiny body.

"Do you blame yourself for her death?" I jerk, lifting my head to glare at the old man menacingly.

"I was ten!" I spit, my voice quivering. "I couldn't stop him, he would've killed me too." I defend, forcing confidence into my tone.

"Why couldn't you stop him?" I sigh heavily, rubbing my palms against my cheeks to wipe away any traces of weakness.

"I was a sick child with a terrible immune system, plagued by constant weakness and extreme migraines." I mutter, relaying to him the same stupid excuse I'd been feeding myself since Ariella's death. "I couldn't have saved her, there was no way. Cam was stronger than me until age fifteen when I grew into my attributes and the continual period of sickness stopped." The old man seems to scowl, his face contorting into a skeletal grimace.

"You offer the same excuse every time Ky, you let her die."

"No!" I yell, lunging to my feet and reaching across the table to wrap my hand around the man's fragile neck. "It wasn't my fault." I growl, threatening to crush his lungs. The old man chokes, those haunting grey eyes scaring me into releasing him. He coughs for a minute and breathes in deeply, leveling a glare at me.

"You were the reason she died Ky. Cam hated that she liked you more than him. How can you claim innocence when we both know you just as surely strangled her yourself because you refused to help her?" I stare at him, mouth agape and eyes wide. The old man tilts his head and runs a gray tongue over dry lips.

"No," I mutter, clasping my hands on either side of my head, "no, I didn't kill her." I mumble, remembering the scene in the bedroom, the way Cam killed her. Not me. Cam.

"Yes."

"No, I loved her." I whisper as tears overwhelm my eyes, sliding down my cheeks rapidly. Violent shivers wrack my body, rattling me to my very core.

"Ky, Ariella is dead because of you." The old man mocks, his voice gaining confidence. I twitch, recoiling from his words. I clench my teeth, pressing my palms against my skull, covering my ears to block out the old man's words.

A face I know well swirls into focus in my mind's eye. Brilliant blue eyes with gray speckles peer out at me, their endless depths full of emotion. Long strawberry blonde ringlets fall against her back, framing her slim face and accentuating her high cheekbones. Her lips curl upward into a soft, gentle smile and a surge of warmth wraps long fingers around my heart.

A quiet gasp slips through my parted lips as Hadley lifts one hand, pressing her palm against my cheek. Electricity jumps between our skin, sending shocks of calm throughout my body. A soft shushing noise echoes close to my ear, reverberating through my skull like a soft lullaby. Her soothing presence chases away the uncertainty and pulls me back from the edge of madness.

"No," I snap, glancing upward with conviction. "I didn't kill her and you can't trick me into thinking I did. I know what happened, Cam killed her. It's not my fault." I bite my lip, not quite sure if I completely believe myself or not. The old man grunts, his face morphing into one of satisfaction.

"Ky, I have one more question for you." I take a deep breath, forcing the unresolved emotions caused by Ariella's death to the recesses of my mind and gesture for him to continue. The old man stands to his feet for the first time, surprisingly agile for someone like him, and comes to stand before me. Intimidating grey eyes stare into mine, their haunted depths full of unsolvable questions I never want to have the displeasure of knowing.

"Are you ready for the Trials?" He asks, voice serious. I tilt my chin up and frown, surprised by the abrupt intensity that suddenly surrounds us. The question lays heavily on my mind, pounding through my skull like a steady drumbeat.

"I don't know." I mutter and the old man scowls.

"Ky." He snaps as if he were a father chiding his child. I sputter, running my fingers through my hair and shrugging helplessly.

"What do you want from me? I don't know!" I shout, dropping my chin on my chest. "I just need to find Hadley."

"You will." The old man says. I look up hopefully, meeting his unyielding gaze evenly.

"She's here?" I whisper, my voice rising with despair. He nods and I feel as if the air is being crushed from my lungs. She was here, alone and probably afraid. I needed to find her. To protect her at all costs.

"Ky, I ask again, are you ready for the Trials?" The old man questions, I blink and shake myself free of the thoughts scampering through my mind. My head moves before the word is able to break free from my lips.

"No." I mutter, thinking of the last time someone I loved was in danger.

What if I failed Hadley too? What if she died because of me just like Ariella?