Chapter Twenty-Five

Delaney

I awoke on a cold, hard surface to a throbbing headache and the sound of incessant knocking. "Shut up," I groaned, pressing my hands over my ears to try and block out the sound. It echoed through my head like it was coming from inside me, and I wondered what the hell the neighbors were doing and why on earth I wasn't in my bed.

And then I remembered. My eyes snapped open of their own accord and were met with a steely metal ceiling. I wasn't in my room, I wasn't in my house; hell, I wasn't even in my own city. I was in the Capitol, and I had been "locked away."

The guards had taken us beneath the building, through a series of dank tunnels that wound through the underground. We'd ended up in a cell block; one cramped hallway with tiny dark cells lined one wall. A Superior man who seemed half asleep behind his shades sat in a chair by the only door. They'd locked us in separate cells, with the muttered promise that Nessa would be there to see us soon.

That had been the night before, and evidently, as I saw upon waking, we were still there.

Rubbing my temples groggily, I rolled over, only to realize that the mattress-less cot I was lying on didn't extend that far. I toppled onto the floor, a good three feet away, and landed flat on my face.

After the initial shock of hitting the ground wore off, I picked myself up, muttering angrily. The knocking was still going strong, but I couldn't seem to place the source. Sticking a finger into each of my ears, I turned in a full circle, surveying my surroundings. I was in the same box-shaped space, with its three of the walls were made of metal and the screen of bars facing out to the hall.

Trapped.

A spark of anger shot through me, at the guards, at Miracle, and just at the situation in general. I kicked the wall in frustration, but that didn't do anything except give me a sore toe to match my sore attitude. My head pulsed relentlessly.

And through all of this, the knocking, slow and methodical, hadn't stopped.

"What the hell do you want?" I shouted, turning to face the direction I thought the noise was coming from. It stopped immediately. When there was no response for a full minute, I began banging furiously against the wall, crying, until my hands went numb.

Finally, clutching my bruised knuckles, I stopped pounding the wall and instead leaned against it, breathing heavily and swiping tears from my face. A few seconds later, the knocking started again, more faint this time. I wasn't sure who was on the other side of that wall, but I was about ready for them to shut up. For all I knew, it was Miracle and her Superiors trying to mess with my head.

"Oh, give it up, will y—" I stopped abruptly and whirled around, pressing my ear against the cool metal. Something about the sound was familiar. The knocks weren't just simple knocking—they had a beat, a rhythm.

"Think, Delaney," I murmured to myself. "What is this sound?"

And then it hit me. A memory flitted into my mind, of Lizzy and I, six summers ago, sitting in my backyard and teaching ourselves Morse code out of one of my dad's old books. I strained to remember everything, the series of dots and dashes, and which letters they formed. I realized that the knocker was using different sounds, some high-pitched, some lower.

I closed my eyes and listened, trying to translate the pattern as it repeated. It all came back to me, sitting in the overgrown grass behind my mom's gardening shed and pouring over the letters, trying to replicate the sounds explained in the book. Lizzy and I would sit on opposite sides of a wall and talk to each other using Morse code.

Grinding my teeth together, I pressed my fingers to the sides of my head and willed myself to remember. And slowly, slowly, the letters came together in my mind.

I—A—M—M—Y—R—A.

"I am Myra," I chanted to myself. Frowning, I tiptoed to the bars and glanced out into the hall. The Superior still sat at the end, and although his glasses made it impossible to tell whether he was awake or asleep, I wasn't going to take the chance.

I slunk back to my spot by the wall and knelt down, swiping a smudge on my glasses with my sleeve. Pursing my lips in concentration, I raised my hand to the wall and quietly tapped out a response, straining to remember the correct sound combinations.

I am Delaney Escott.

There was a pause, then the tapping began again, this time with a different rhythm.

Delaney? It's Ms. Shea. What are you doing here?

The sounds were rushed and desperate.

"Ms. Shea," I murmured, my stomach twisting. Guilt washed over me, knowing that I was the reason she was down here, but I couldn't help but be relieved that she was still alive. At least now, I was spared the terror of wondering where she was.

It's a long story, I tapped. Trai, Abby, and Caleb are here too. I think. I paused. And I'm sorry.

It's fine. I'm just glad you kids are okay.

"For now," I muttered bitterly. But before I could respond, the lights came on in my cell. They were so bright and so sudden that I fell onto my side, clutching at my eyes. Ms. Shea was tapping frantically on the wall, but I couldn't see.

A moment later, I heard the painful scraping sound of the bars sliding open. Blinking furiously, I was able to make out the thin figure of Nessa silhouetted against the glare of the corridor lights. She stood still with her chin up and her hands on her hips, frowning.

"Delaney, Delaney, Delaney," she chided. "What have you done?"

I scrambled to my feet, all thoughts of Ms. Shea forgotten.

"What are you doing here?" I spluttered.

"Officially?" She smirked. "I'm taking you in for interrogation. But actually"—she leaned a little closer and lowered her voice—"well, I guess you'll find out. Come on, let's get going. Your friends are waiting."

Briefly, I wondered if it was smart to trust Nessa, considering I'd only met her once, but I shoved the doubt to the back of my mind. Even though I'd only been in the cell overnight, the idea of freedom, however short it might be, was undeniably appealing.

I sped up to follow Nessa, who had already backpedaled into the hallway. My rubber-soled tennis shoes echoed the click of her heels with dull, heavy thuds. Trai, Delaney, and Abby were waiting just outside their own cells, blinking blearily. With a wave of her hand, Nessa signaled for them to join our procession. Trai fell into step behind me and squeezed my shoulders reassuringly.

At the doorway, we paused. The lethargic Superior was now on his feet and looking incredibly cross. "Stop right there," he commanded. "I'm going to need proof that this little...excursion is authorized."

Nessa raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "These prisoners," she said. "Are being taken to an interrogation. I am their escort."

The man frowned deeply. "Is that so? And this is at Miracle's request, I'm assuming?"

"Of course. Though, it was my idea. I thought the prisoners might have some—ah—information regarding the whereabouts of the Pro-Inferiors."

"Oh, so it was your idea," the Superior muttered, wrinkling his nose as if that explained everything. I winced.

Pursing her lips, Nessa straightened. "But I am still under her orders," she said icily. "And I don't think you want to defy that."

At that, the Superior shook his head. "Point taken. Go ahead, Nessa." Was it just me, or did his voice sound almost...affectionate?

"Thanks," she replied, smiling. Then, to us, "Come on, get moving."

Once we were on the staircase and out of earshot, Caleb grabbed Nessa's arm. She shrugged him off with surprising force and turned around with a tight smile.

"Yes, Caleb?"

He was frowning in genuine confusion and curiosity. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"You got that Superior to let you through. Sure, he was a little bit reluctant, but I could tell that you had him before you'd even said a word. And you're not even Miracle! So how?"

Nessa laughed and turned around, proceeding up the stairs. "Because," she called over her shoulder, "that Barbie doll may hold the power, but I've been around here a lot longer than she has. And you know what they say about age before beauty."

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A/N: Eh, uneventful chapter. I was going to make it longer, but I wanted to post a chapter, so... here :).