*Edited Sept. 17, 2017 (First published June 28, 2015)

I had no idea how long I waited there, slowly trying to reawaken my limbs from the stillness that I had sunken into over the endless days spent within this room. At times, I seemed to sink back into my mind, waking up at times to find the canteen gone and me wondering if it had all been a dream, other times finding it back in front of me and once more filled. I was no longer sure which was the truth, if someone really was bringing me water at times or if my mind had finally fractured and it was all just a delusion brought on by loneliness.

More than once, I had found myself imagining I was in a room filled with paintings, talking to someone I couldn't make out as I stood in front of a canvas, painting a different image each time. Flowers, creatures, once even what must have been the person I spoke to, the image as hidden from me as they were. Sometimes I wondered if it was the young man who I had imagined bringing me water from time to time, other times I wondered if I didn't see the person because they were even more fanciful an illusion that my mind had created.

Even so, from time to time I would almost swear I saw someone peer through the small window of the door, the bars hiding most of their face as shadowed eyes seemed to watch me. However, as soon as I blinked, they were gone, no sign of them having ever been there. The few times I got up to look, the hallway was empty as far as I was able to see in both directions. I had nearly given up on any attempt at stretching, only renewing my efforts when my mind had be seeing the canteen once again. I was still unsure if the footprints I saw in the dust at times were mine or just another hallucination.

I was unsure what to expect when one day I finally heard sounds coming from the hallway, a small light growing brighter as it neared the window. Finally, I could just start make out voices whispering back and forth for several moments before the clink of the lock was heard. I watched intently from my place on the floor as the door creaked open, wondering if this was yet another 'daydream' my mind had created to keep me from sinking into the haze that filled my mind. If so, it was far more realistic than the other ones I'd had.

Within moments, I could make out somewhat familiar grey eyes looking at me with a mix of curiosity and sadness as another figure entered behind them. An old looking lantern was brought in by a third figure and I had to close my eyes from the sudden pain, no longer used to such an abundance of light, even if it was filtered through amber-tinted glass.

When I opened my eyes again, it was to see a brown-eyed man peering at me from the other side of the room, sitting on a wooden chair. I started to shift, wanting to move closer and see if this person would also fade away if I tried to touch him like my other daydreams had done, only to stop when I saw the blue-eyed man to his side aim a gun at me.

All I could do was freeze and stare at him, wondering if I would actually die if he shot me or if I would just be walking around with a hole somewhere on my body. If this whole thing wasn't an illusion, that is. I couldn't help the small laugh that escaped my lips from the thought. Perhaps I had been in this room for a little bit too long if I found such dark thoughts to be humorous. And it seems they agreed with that thought, if the looks I got were anything to go by.

I jumped a bit when I felt a cool hand touch my shoulder, my head turning to my right in shock at having at least one person affirmed to be real. I began to wonder how many of my visions had actually been real, knowing that the majority had to have been false, but still wondering. Which sets of eyes I had seen had really existed? Which hands I had once thought imagined had actually touched my face, brushing hair back then vanishing before my eyes could open?

Whatever the case, what was happening now was more important. My movements were still slow compared to theirs, but they were still faster than they had been before, after remaining still for so long in the beginning. Stretching and moving my muscles once in awhile had helped but I had a long way to go before I was able to move at a normal speed. Finally, my eyes met with those familiar curious gray eyes, surrounded by the now visible face of a young man. Pale lips moved in a gentle smile as he once more held out the same chipped mug I had drunk from so many times, filled with water once again. How many times had I drunk real water and how many times had I held empty air to my lips? Shaking such thoughts from my mind, I couldn't help but smile in return as I carefully took the mug, glancing at the gun still aimed at me before returning my attention to the offered water.

After slowly draining the mug I turned back to the gray-eyed boy and thanked him, my voice still soft but less broken than it was when speaking to the starry-eyed figure from so long ago. I could hear the other men in the room shifting at my words, but I ignored them in favor of the young man beside me. Slowly holding the mug up, I asked if I could have some more water. Just as he was ready to fill it again, I heard one of the other men order him to stop, not to waste so much water on an unknown, and possibly dangerous, creature.

Creature? Creature?! I wasn't some creature, to be warned of like a wild beast! Sure I wasn't exactly human anymore, but I was still as much a person as any of them! I still had thoughts and emotions, worries and fears! How dare he talk about me like I was some wild animal, ready to strike at them at any moment! I didn't care that he had a gun pointed at me, I was going to give that cruel bastard a piece of my mind whether he liked it or not!

The loud laughter suddenly coming from the brown-eyed man sitting beside him brought my thoughts, as well as my growled mumbling, to a halt. I blinked my eyes a few times before tilting my head to the side, my raspy voice questioning what was so funny. More laughter answered me before he turned and told blue-eyes to put his gun away. It seems brown-eyes had deemed me less of a threat than his guard, or so I assumed blue-eyes to be. He muttered angrily about it, but nevertheless did as he was told.

I looked to the side to see what gray-eyes reaction was to all this, only to be met with a quick grin as he poured more water into my mug, only the muttered curses from blue-eyes filling the background with any other sound. A quick sip later and I was once more forcing air into my lungs so I could offer my thanks to the kindest member of the trio.

As I continued drinking the cool water, I turned my gaze to brown-eyes, seeing him gazing back at me with a satisfied smirk on his face.