"Wake up, Caroon."
I blink open my eyes and see Milura kneeling over me, a glass of water in his hand. I sit up, but get light headed. "Fuck!"
"Drink," he ordered, grabbing my arm to keep me from falling over. I drink the cool liquid and feel slightly better when I drain the cup. I pull away from him so I can get my bearings, however, almost fall over again if he didn't grab me fast enough.
"What is wrong with me?" I ask, slightly slurring my words.
"I had someone give you a drug to keep you from ripping all your hair out." Milura sounded angry and I furrow my brows. He sees my expression and shakes his head. "I'm frustrated."
"How long have I been out?"
"Most of the day."
"When will it stop?"
"Soon."
I groan. "You keep saying that!"
"In a few minutes." We were silent for a long moment before Milura stood. "I'll be right back. Stay there."
"I don't think I could move if I wanted."
I try to watch him to see what he was doing, but my vision blurred. I slowly laid back down on the floor, and sighed as my head that was spinning slowed down.
"Caroon, sit up."
"I can't. It's too much."
Hands grab me and make me sit up. I immediately get dizzy. "Fuck!"
I blink and focus on him. "You cuss?"
"When I'm pissed off and ready to kill someone, yes!" he hissed and thrusts another cup into my hands. "Open your mouth."
"Why?"
"For fuck's sake, Caroon! Do it!"
I open my mouth. He drops two pills inside and I drink what is now warm broth. Stomach begging for more, I finish it and finally begin to feel like the world wasn't spinning. "Who drugged me and with what?"
"I won't say his name, but I don't know the drug. I trust him enough not to kill anyone."
I furrow my brows again. "You said I was pulling my hair out?"
"You're lucky you have any hair left."
I reach up and touch my head, then wince. "I hurt myself?"
Milura stared at me. "You don't remember?"
I shake my head. "The last thing I remember was you leaving me in the bathroom."
He doesn't move for a moment, but then takes the cup from me. "If you hold that down, I'll give you real food in an hour. For now, rest. I don't want to see you getting up until that hour is up."
"I don't want to get up," I say belligerently.
"Good. Then call me if you need something." He got up and walks out of the cage, shuts it, then disappears into the darkness.
I move so I can lean against the bars, and close my eyes, breathing deeply.
Had Milura found anything earlier? Was there something actually watching me?
I don't voice these questions when Milura comes back an hour later and takes me to the bathroom. I was afraid to ask.
"I want to hear water running and you moving around. If I don't, I will come in and I don't care if you're dressed or not," he hissed as he opened the door. "I mean it."
"You're staying here?"
"I don't need to see you on the ground again. Now hurry up."
I let him close the door behind me and begin to wash up. 'I had been on the ground? Had I fallen?'
Thirty minutes later, I push the blue button. The door automatically opens and Milura looks me over quickly. "Good. You look more like yourself."
"Can I ask a question?"
He nods as we head back to the room. "Yes."
"How long was I in the bathroom before you found me?"
Milura opens the door and lets me go inside. "Ten minutes. You sounded the alarm for needing something."
"I did?"
"And it took me another few minutes to get inside because you were blocking the door."
I stop walking and turn to him. "I'm sorry. I don't remember. I am seriously not trying to break rules, but I don't-"
"Shut up, Caroon." Milura left me standing and went to sit at the table. "I know you aren't really doing anything. It's obvious. But I need to know why you are having these episodes."
I stiffen.
He sighed. "I thought you would do that. Fine, but I will find out one way of another."
"If I speak about it, I don't think I will come out of it again."
"You barely make it out as it is!"
I cross my arms. "Why do you care anyways? I'm your prisoner."
"Because it makes a difference in how I do things!"
"What things?"
"You will find out in a few days. Drop it and walk around. Same rules apply as last night."
I shake my head but don't walk around. Instead, I go into the cage and sit, burying my head in my arms. Milura doesn't say a word until it's time for bed. I shackle myself up and lay down, wrapping the blanket about myself. The trembling starts as soon as he is out of the room.
I get very little sleep, but I am less ready to burst when Milura returns the next morning. I eat, use the bathroom, then go back to the cage. Milura does some writing at the table for a few minutes as I just stare.
When he turns to me, he looks curious. "What do you know about people being suspended in the air?"
"Nothing."
"Would you like to try it?"
"No."
He chuckles. "Come on, Caroon. It'll be fun."
I shake my head. "I don't want to."
He stands and opens my cage, then goes into the darkness for a minute. "I'm sure it's frightening at first, but you'll be completely safe from falling. I wouldn't let that happen."
He comes back with a ladder and another set of chains and shackles. I feel my body tense and my heart jump.
"Shackles, Caroon."
I do as he says, then watch as he comes in and sets up the ladder. Climbing up, he hooks the chains to some bars and climbs back down. Milura sets the ladder outside the cage, comes back in, and shuts the door behind him. "I don't want to."
"I will take away your blanket if you don't cooperate, Caroon," he warns. I swallow my curse and stand. He unlocks them and releases one ankle. "These have soft lining so they don't cut into your skin too much."
I watch as he lifts my foot and try to keep my balance. He clamps the shackle around my ankle and let's go. It dangles as I hop on my other foot to keep from falling.
"Now, when I grab this foot, I want you to let yourself fall. You won't hit the ground. You'll just feel the shackles tighten a bit around you."
He undoes the other foot and looks up at me. "I can't."
"Do it, Caroon."
I shake my head. "I-"
I gasp as my foot is swept out from under me and I feel myself fall backwards. Flailing, I try to catch myself, only to never hit the ground. Milura clamps the foot into the shackle and steps back. I dangle there, looking around, heart pounding wildly.
"No! Let me out of this!"
He chuckles. "Stop thrashing about, Caroon. You're not being hurt."
"I don't like it!"
"Relax."
I shake my head. "Fuck relaxing! Let me feel the ground!"
Milura shrugs. He steps over and begins to undo a wrist.
"No!"
He chuckles again. "You seem to forget that I am in control, Caroon. But, if you want to feel the ground, then you'll feel it."
One arm is free and he quickly releases the other. I fall until I'm hanging upside down, hands and forearms touching the ground. "Damn it!" I scream.
He laughs and walks away. "I gave you what you wanted. Now, you will hang there for ten minutes."
"Fuck this!"
"If you keep cussing at me, I will add another five."
"Son of a bitch!" I hiss.
"That's twenty-five minutes, Caroon."
I groan loudly.
As time passes, I squirm and try to in do my ankles, but I can't reach them and tire easily. I hear Milura chuckling occasionally and want to hit him. I barely restrain from cussing even more. Twenty-five minutes later, he walks back over and kneels in front of me. "Was that so bad, Caroon?"
"I fucking hated it!" I hiss.
He clicks his tongue. "You almost made it!" He stands and shakes his head. "But another five minutes, Caroon."
I freeze. "No! I'll stop! I swear! Just get me down, please!"
He chuckles and leaves the cage. When he comes back some time later, I keep my mouth shut. He finally lowers my feet so I lay flat on my back. Then, he sits beside me. "As I said, I will allow a little bad language, but you shouldn't make it a habit."
I say nothing.
"We will try something else after lunch. For now, get your limbs moving or it will hurt later."
"Why?" I croak.
"Why what, Caroon?"
"Why do that?"
"Because I said so. Because I think I will use it to get what I want." He stood, walked out of the cage, shut rand locked it. I don't know where he went after, but I don't care. I don't move. I just lay there.