Chapter 26: Singing

In the Dimly lit meeting room of the Skylight Café, Lisa and Ian were just starting what she thought was their official first date. Although it was not as elegant as she had imagined, Lisa was still completely satisfied. That was the power Ian held over her, if he were there, it was perfect. They could have been alone in the desert right now, and she would not care.

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Ian did not get home until extremely late that night, and he was exhausted. Today he accompanied Lisa to lunch, then to the mall and then to dinner. He had always heard rumors about women loving to shop, but he had never experienced it himself. Ian could stay up for days if he had to, but he was certain that if Lisa had not gotten hungry, he would have died of exhaustion at the mall. He thought about all the clothes she tried on. He must have given his opinion on dozens of different combinations of clothing. He did not want to tell Lisa this, but after a while they all looked the same. It seemed that Lisa liked simple clothing more than he did!

Ian sat in the chair behind his desk and leaned back. He closed his eyes and wondered what Mina would look like in some of the things Lisa tried on.

Ian had already stopped trying to cast thoughts of Mina out of his mind. He had thoroughly convinced himself that after the drug was no longer detectable in his system, the thoughts would dissipate on their own. So, he would just welcome them for the time being.

One of the dresses that Lisa tried on hung loosely by her chest and at her hips. The saleswoman attending Lisa, used pins to adjust the garment and told Lisa that she could have it professionally altered if she was interested in buying it. Without noticing what he was doing, Ian had been imagining Mina in the same dress. He had seen her body, clothed and naked, so he knew she would not need any alterations to the dress Lisa had on.

At that moment, Ian thought about Mina complaining about the clothing Luna had purchased for her. He remembered that she said it was too tight. He thought back to what she was wearing in the hotel room and if his memory served him well, Mina did not wear anything close fitting. His gaze refocused on Lisa and he realized that although the dress would fit Mina beautifully, she would probably never wear it.

Lisa was staring back at Ian's expression through a mirror, as the attendant pinned the dress for her. He was looking at her, and his lips curved up into a smile. She did not like the dress and in fact, she was not going to buy it, but after seeing Ian's reaction she changed her mind and instructed the saleswoman to have the item altered for her.

The whole time Ian was out with Lisa, he was thinking about Mina. When Lisa tried on a dress, he imagined it was Mina. When an attendant told Lisa that a color suited her well, he imagined what colors would complement Mina. When Lisa ordered her meals, he wondered what Mina would have chosen to eat. Ian looked down at his watch and it had officially been twenty-four hours since she had been locked up. He was sitting across from Lisa, but he was wondering what Mina was doing while all alone.

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Back in his study, Ian flipped open his laptop and opened the security footage of Mina's room. She was walking around and seemed to be moving rhythmically. He turned on the speakers of his laptop and heard Mina singing. He could not believe that this stupid girl was singing. Mina actually had a nice voice; it was sweet and soft. It was the kind of voice that men believed all women had or should have. It was as smooth as honey. For a minute, Ian just listened to her voice, but once he paid attention to the lyrics of her song, he let out a chuckle.

Locked in a shadowy room, with no food or human contact, this girl was singing about what she would do if she somehow made it out. She sang about wanting to poke Ian in the 'eye' for making her 'cry.' The lyrics were childish and simple, but this was how the girl was choosing to spend her confinement. If he ever doubted her ability as a spy, it was right now. While she should be saving her energy and conserving her strength she was casually moving around the room while singing, like she was taking a stroll in the park. It was ridiculous. Besides Ian would never allow her to poke him in the eye.

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Mina's voice went hoarse and she cleared her throat. She went into the restroom to fill up on water yet again. She had finally exhausted her energy and hoped she would sleep through an entire day. If she were lucky, she would slip into a coma from low blood sugar while she was sleeping, and then die peacefully in her sleep.

Mina removed her clothing and wrapped the sheet around her body again. She did not want to sleep in the only set of clothes she had, because she did not want them to stink. She had a shower in the room, but she did not have soap. If she were not careful, her sweat suit would smell, well, it would smell like sweat. Mina did not feel like showering today. She was sick of water. She crawled into the bed and closed her eyes. Her stomach was hurting badly from hunger, but she had to endure it. She had no other choice.

Mina's eyes closed slowly as she thought about her parents. She wondered if they were worried about her. She had not called them for a few days, and she hoped that they would not come looking for her out of fear. If she got to see Luna again. She would ask her about her promise. She could not help but to worry about them, Mina knew her parents were too old to survive being tortured. Tears began to roll down Mina's face as she was overcome with guilt. Where had her brain been when she agreed to this job, and who told her she was a genius? Clearly, she was not.