From Maddox's contest: Interview Contest
[Seven Minutes Earlier]
The young girl stirred in her sleep, her eyes twitching rapidly. The pillow was scratchy. There was no blanket. The sheets were worn and stiff.
And she couldn't sleep in silence.
Her eyes opened and squinted at some light. She found her wrists strapped to the bed, and as the girl struggled to break free, she realized how dark the rest of the room was. Unbearably quiet.
Footsteps. When she attempted to escape from the straps once more, a sound of a groaning door echoed in her ears. Silhouettes of two tall people entered. With a click of a button, the space around her flooded with light.
[Now]
"Chris, get the poor girl out of those binds." A young woman, who appeared frightened, stayed several feet behind the man called Chris.
Chris gruffed. "You see this scar?" He pointed at a raw gash on his forehead. "Yeah. Now you see why I had to tie her down."
"Oh my God. She did that?"
The young girl gaped at them. Chris and the woman gaped at the young girl.
"Who are you?" Chris demanded, unfastening the straps. To their surprise, she stayed put. But she didn't answer. "Look, we want to help. We want to know why a little girl ended up in our cabin, and why this little girl nearly tore out my eye when I tried to call the cops."
She opened her mouth. "Is anyone coming for me?" she whispered.
"Not yet."
The woman stepped closer, but still kept a safe distance. "What's your name, honey?" When she didn't respond, the woman added, "My name's Malinda. We want to help you, dear."
They kept repeating the word "help." But she didn't exactly know how they could help her.
"My name's Odette," she murmured.
"Okay, Odette. Where are your parents?"
Odette stared into her hands.
"We just want to make sure you're safe with your family, especially after the incident that happened yesterday." Odette knew the incident she was talking about. A parked car had randomly exploded into flames last night. When Odette replied with silence, Malinda's expression turned from chary to concern.
"My parents are...out of town," she lied. "My brother is at home."
Malinda nodded slowly. "Okay. Do you want me to call him?"
"I'm hungry."
Malinda glanced at Chris. Their faces told Odette that they knew something was going on. None of this made sense, not even to Odette.
She should've never stopped by the cabin. She had thought it was empty.
"I will make you something to eat. Oatmeal?"
Odette nodded.
While Malinda made her oatmeal in the kitchen, Chris asked multiple questions. "How old are you?"
"Thirteen."
"Do you have any medical problems?"
"No."
"How long were you alone outside?"
"Not long," I answered.
Eventually, he said something she had dreaded to hear. "We're going to get the police to sort this out," he said gravelly.
"You can't."
He narrowed his eyes. "You can't stay here."
"I'm not going to." She stared into his coat.
"Where are you gonna run off next?"
"Home."
"Where is home, exactly?"
"You want the full address?" Odette replied tartly.
"No. It's just the fact I've lived here for fifteen years and I've never seen you around before. I know there's something you're not telling me, and it's surely not something you're going to tell the cops. So, either tell me what you're hiding, or give me one good reason why I shouldn't—"
"Oatmeal is ready!" Malinda announced, bringing in a tray. "We'll give you some time to eat. Right, Chris?"
Relieved, Odette eagerly accepted the tray. The oatmeal was cold. A few spoonfuls later, she realized something.
She cupped the bowl with her hands, shutting her eyes. A warm shiver vibrated on the back of her neck. The bowl began to warm. When Odette opened her eyes, she was dumbstruck. Her brother would have said she had superpowers. But she couldn't control it. Even when she let go of the bowl, the oatmeal still grew hotter, and the bowl was starting to melt.
"No," she breathed, aghast. "No."
Odette placed the tray onto the desk next to her. She was terrified to burn or melt anything else she touched. She stared intimately at the tray with her trembling hands, begging it to stop melting, and to her shock, it did. The bowl had even restored itself to its original shape.
"Odette? Are you done?" Malinda came inside with a tentative smile. "Now, about your parents—"
Odette hugged her. She didn't know how to say that she didn't have a family anymore. They had died in a boating accident a few months ago. She didn't know how to say that she had been hiding for those couple months, even if everyone likely thought she was dead.
She didn't know how to say that she was the one who had caused the car to explode. But it was an accident. She didn't know these powers existed then.
Odette couldn't tell them anything. They'd turn her in instantly.
Tonight, she would sneak out. They would call the police straightaway. So, Odette would do what she had done quite a bit before — run far, far away from the scene.
ns 15.158.61.8da2
