The Fountain

Eon and I walk back to the steps. I put on the rubber gloves and picked up the hammer head. The dried blood on it made me feel nauseous.

"Where did you get the scratch from?" Eon asked me.

"I cut myself," I replied.

"How?"

After pausing for a moment, I took a deep breath and told Eon the story of how I took supplies from the abandoned shack, got knocked unconscious, and escaped just before the man with the knife could do anything bad.

"How do you know he wasn't trying to cut you loose," Eon questioned.

"The knife wasn't small. It was one of those large butcher knifes." Now I was scaring myself.

"Enough. That situation is over with," Eon could tell I was scared.

He paused a moment then added, "You need to be careful around here. Some people aren't very friendly. However, I can assure you something like that will never happen to you as long as you stay here. Have a good rest of your day, I will see you at six o'clock."

Eon walked into the manor. I carried the hammer head and followed, with different intentions than him.

Once I reached my room, I set the hammer head on some paper towels on the sink in the small bathroom.

A walk would be nice right now. Sure, I had just taken one with Eon, but walking lone would make me feel more at home.

I could help but think what Auntie and Uncle were doing. Did they think I ran away? Maybe they reported me missing. Now that I was in this world, I'm as good as dead back on Earth. No traces of my body would be found.

Perhaps Auntie and Uncle didn't care. One less mouth to feed. They could sell my belongings and tell everyone I ran away.

I couldn't figure out Eon either. He's nice to me, but immediately after follows that with threats. It's like there are two sides to him. I'd like to figure out why that is.

A large fountain sat behind Diablo Manor. The water looked clear and sparkly. I stuck a finger into the water. It was cold. My reflection in the water looked back at me.

I looked sad. Empty. Why? I felt a little uncomfortable here, but this place wasn't terrible. I had my own large room, a comfortable bed, good food, nice clothes, and great living conditions. No shoes, though.

That was the problem! I was being pessimistic. Way too pessimistic. If I learned to like here, I'd be happy. There was no point in trying to escape.

Oh my gosh. That was Eon's game!

He was trying to scare me in order to assure I would stay here. But why would he want me to stay so badly? Why does he treat me so well? Eon must want more information.

He was very smart. Information would be pulled from me at one point or another. I was still amazed by the way Eon payed John and Nicholas one fifth of what he was supposed to. The man had way, way too much power.

I stood up and walked away from the fountain. Maybe there was another exit beside the front gate. When nighttime came, I could sneak out the exit and run far away... and get caught again by someone worse than Eon.

I had nowhere to go. Nowhere that was safe. The manor was my only home. With a deep sigh, I walked around to the front steps. Tears welled up in my eyes as I walked up the manor steps. I missed home.

A tiny bird landed near me. I sat down on the top stair. This bird was very friendly. It was unlike any other bird I had seen. The bird was bright green. It's wings had a hint of blue in them.

It nestled in my hands when I cupped them. The tiny creature chirped and fluffed its feathers for a few minutes. Suddenly, the bird jumped out of my hands and flew away.

I reached out to touch the bird before it got too far, but it was no use. My arm hung in the air. I watched as the bird traveled farther away until it disappeared beyond the wall.

My head dropped and fell into my hands. I didn't cry. No tears came. All my sorrow just welled up inside me.

Slowly, I was crumbling. This was exactly what Eon wanted. Little did he know, I still had my fighting spirit. It was tucked away but ready to emerge.

I would play Eon's game, even if I didn't want to. Who knows? Maybe Eon would grant me my freedom if I behave.

Maybe life here wouldn't be terrible. Unless Eon's threats become more serious.