chapter 27
Selene awoke from what had been a fitful sleep. Pushing her hair out of her eyes, she sat up in bed, careful not to disturb the girl now sharing it with her. It had been close to two days since her roommate had joined her, but the girl was still out. Selene concluded that she must be in some sort of coma. People just didn’t sleep like that. She was starting to worry a little bit about the girl’s physical needs. The poor thing hadn’t had anything to eat or drink in two days. That couldn’t be good. In an attempt to help, Selene had even tried to drip some of the water she got from the sink into the girl’s mouth, but it had just dribbled back out again.
Selene strained her ears, listening for the noise that had woken her up, but heard nothing. There weren’t any windows in the small room, just an overhead light that her captors controlled, and that was presently turned off. So it wasn’t as if she could really see anything.
Instinctively, she stretched out with her powers. And that’s when she felt it.
Selene gasped. Just a hint of a spark, but it was definitely there. She couldn’t see the color yet, could barely glimpse the shimmer of light. But someone close by was using their power.
She held onto that spark. It wasn’t enough to do anything with—yet. But it was her only hope.
What the heck! It was almost as if the invisible wall that had been blocking her powers – unseen but definitely felt - had started to crumble under her constant attempt to use her abilities, and she now was starting to break through.
To test her theory, she pushed just a little bit harder at that spark. It widened slightly and then shrank back as she felt the wielder amp up their own pressure on her. But she could still see that miniscule flicker.
Now she had a shred of hope, a possible avenue open to her. Selene increased the strength behind her constant push to use her power. Not much, only enough to add pressure, but not so much that the blocker – because there had to be a blocker - might suspect anything amiss. With a small smile, she settled back into bed, cramped as it was with the two of them sharing it, and went back to sleep.
*****
The lights turning on woke Selene from the first relatively peaceful slumber she’d had in several nights. She stretched and then glanced over at her companion, who had yet to show any signs of life. Selene checked her pulse again, still worried about her. She couldn’t go on like this much longer. Right?
Immediately, Selene knew that her increased efforts to put pressure on the blocker were working. The small light of the blocker was definitely getting larger. She could see a tiny bit more. She frowned.
I’ll need to be careful and time this well.The blocker will know that I’m fighting them. They’ll know I’m making headway here.
Breakfast was delivered not long after the lights turned on as usual.
By dinnertime, Selene could tell that her edge over her opponent was growing stronger. Selene felt like a rock climber reaching for a cliff above her head and just barely touching it with her fingertips. The blocker was just out of her reach, but with a little patience, she’d get a grip on them.
“Sel—ne!”
The sound of Oren’s voice cutting in and out had Selene jumping up off the bed with a gasp and spinning in a circle, expecting to see her old friend standing beside her. But other than her unconscious companion, she was still alone.
“Oren?” she called out tentatively. Maybe I’m finally losing it. Selene moved into a corner so she could see the entire room and waited.
“—lene. Can --u he-- m-?”
The ghostly form of Oren faded in and out before her eyes.
“I’m here,” she called, careful to keep her voice quiet so her captors wouldn’t hear. She reached out to the fading image. “Oren. Oren. I’m here.”
Selene fell silent and waited, but Oren didn’t reappear. “I’m here,” she whispered, desperation clawing at her. Suddenly a thought occurred to her.
That blocker must be holding back Oren, too. I have to be opening up holes in his ability to contain me.
With a deep breath, Selene sat down in the middle of the floor and crossed her legs. She sat motionless with her eyes closed and concentrated on battling for supremacy over the person who had held her captive. They were both clearly exhausted after so many days of deliberate and constant effort to undermine each other.
The lights finally turned off again hours later, but Selene didn’t move. She hadn’t wavered for even a second from the silent battle in which she was engaged. Her hair now looked like it was plastered to her head. She was soaked in sweat with the effort of the struggle.
Suddenly, Selene could just faintly make out a sound…
“Selene!”
Ellie’s voice sounded as though it was coming through on a really old telephone. But it was something.
Selene slowly opened her eyes, careful not to break her concentration. But the lights were still off, and she couldn’t see a thing through the pitch black. She didn’t dare to try to talk back to Ellie for fear she’d lose the ground she’d gained, but she could feel her in her mind, as though she stood on the other side of the wall. Selene gave a last desperate push against her jailor.
“Selene!”
Suddenly, Ellie’s and Charlotte’s voices were right beside her just as Selene was about to collapse from her effort. Their presence gave her the much needed strength to hold on just a little while longer.
“I’m here. Help me,” she pleaded, still frozen in place.
“It’s pitch black in here. Where are you?” Charlotte stage-whispered.
“In the middle of the floor,” Selene replied. “And there’s a girl on the bed, too. Make sure you grab her when we go.”
Without hesitation or question, she could hear Charlotte as she started feeling around for the bed. Ellie dropped to the floor beside Selene and took her hands. Nothing happened.
“I can’t feel my powers,” Ellie gasped.
Selene was shaking with the effort she was expending. Inspiration struck. She backed off on her attack and instead pushed a small amount of her power into Ellie, shielding them both.
Power pulsed between them in electric waves. Pins and needles rushed through her.
“Push against the blocker with me, Ellie,” Selene instructed, feeling stronger by the second.
Together they forced back the light surrounding them until it reached the source and dimmed.
“Keep going,” Selene gritted through her teeth. This was about survival.
Ellie gave her hands a squeeze.
The blocker was becoming weaker. She couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman. But Selene could see their growing feebleness by the flickering of the glow inside them, like a light bulb as it blinks though its last moments before finally burning out. Suddenly Selene felt the power extinguish, the pressure giving way completely. By the small grunt she heard, Selene knew that Ellie felt it too.
“Did it work? Are we free?” Ellie asked, gasping for air.
“Not positive. Please, just get us out of here!” Selene begged.
If it hadn’t been so dark in the room, she knew she’d be seeing spots taking over her vision about now. As exhaustion overtook her, she felt her environment shift and knew that Ellie had listened to her.
She was finally free.