Left Behind
C H A I N S
I etch my fingers into the sliver of wood where door meets frame letting the white crescents bite into the mouth searching for weakness. I was no fool, I knew I’d need something stronger to force it open. But since being here I’ve tried to devise a plot to pry it loose. But no matter the amount of time I put into finding something to use for defense or a tool I am yielded due to the careful fortitude and planning of being shut in this room. I was thwarted when I saw the shower in my side room had no rod for the curtain, instead I was greeted to a glass sliding door. I tried the windows but even then all the frames were sturdy and none splintered. The closet lay bare, not a trace of a hanging rod or hangers. No removable shelves to pull from the teeth of their nails, and even then, not even those are supplied. Everything was tight, shipshape, no mistakes. I gathered these men were professionals. They’d have to be when going against the head of the Hyuga family and resources.
I had seven articles of clothing, one set to wear for each day of the week, then it was washed, and redistributed where I ritualistically place them neatly folded into it and close it silently. I find myself in meditative thought or prayer sending my thoughts to the universe like ships in a bottle floating on the tide against all odds hoping that one message of hope will reach my father. I must hope, for if I do I fear my soul will turn back into a timid child and I will hide away into myself. I have grown from the adolescent I once was and vowed to never cower again. However, seeing Sakura disappear into the thick of the woods, being swallowed up by the blinding haze of midday I couldn’t help but revert into terrible ways. I paced, I chewed on my nails, I performed every ritual I knew as a child to see her safely away. I wished on stars that would not be visible until another four hours, I made those wishes to the planes that floated in the bloated belly of the blue sky breaching after the wake of the clouds. The longer she stayed far away from here the more confident I was that she could make it.
I was thrown into the room with no time to catch my breath before he securely locked it. I listened to the resounding heavy footfall of his boots as he fled to catch Sakura and I hoped upon hope that I had given her enough time to at least find a suitable path to tread. I had been ill in the two hours I was alone to myself. The bile roiled and struck to flame when I heard the gravel crunch beneath tires. I knew the elder male was back. Since the absence of his partner would be apparent I would be left to answer questions, I would bear the brunt of his wrath. It was a small measure of sacrifice I could do for Sakura on my part.
As expected I could hear the heavy trodden footsteps of the elder drawing nearer. I would not allow the situation to escalate out of control. I would rely on my pedigree and upbringing to keep the conversation steady and flowing. I fold my hands over my lap taking a seat upon the wicker chair to face the elder when he would come in. He seemed the more sensible of the odd duo and therefore I hoped I could rationalize with him. I feel a terrible flutter in my chest as apprehension threatens to choke me and constrict my chest but I remain calm and poised. I hear the lock chime coming undone and the door lulls open with a protesting yawn. I cannot see the forecast upon the elders features, he always seems to wear a mask that shows only the face of placidity. But I can see the tension in the vein upon the back of his hand tighten and the skin strain a pale white. He’s nervous just as I that something has gone awry.
“What happened?” Shall I reveal my part in the plot? Or shall I address him like all the other lords and ladies I was introduced to growing up? Smacked into submission if I talked out of turn or seemed rude. Whenever I was to speak with superiors like them at my fathers brunches or celebrations, I was never to reveal my hand to them. A lady especially of noble birth must always hold the deck filled with trick cards close to her and therefore whenever a question was directly inquired, I was to dance around the subject and veer away from the topic. Yet navigating those waters with this individual seemed more of a challenge. Never-the-less, I prepare my answer carefully and categorically. Perhaps I should feign innocence. But the impartial truth seems more appropriate in this instance.
“We went for a stroll, it seems Sakura had other ideas.” His body language goes rigid. The tension in his shoulders look painfully solidified and the hard set of his jaw tells me his anger is palpable.
“How long ago?”
“At least two and a half hours ago.” Before I could finish my statement he slipped away, the door locking behind him and I felt the irritability travel to my feet and I was at the window once again searching for her through the ribs of the trees. I watched my friend be swallowed whole and I prayed that same forest would spit her back out unharmed. But no, I needed to concentrate my thoughts on her seeking safety in the hands of the law. I imagined it like the movies. An army, tanks, swat teams, and red flashing against blue lights pouring over the dirt road to the thick of the wood to save us. I imagined reuniting with my sister taking her into my arms and holding her for hours happy to forget all our disagreements in the past and seek to make new memories. To bury this ugly chapter in my life as far back as possible behind the rising count of days which would eventually scar over the fresh wound in the period of years.
The hum of the belly of an engine starts, the machine is smaller, more aggressive, I watch as the elder eats away at the ground as he too disappears into the forest navigating over uneven terrain. I watch the pale moon rise swollen against the smattering of diamonds and I search for a shooting star. This will help keep my focus on staving off boredom as well as crippling my anxiety crashing like waves through my body. I will look for a star and hope that my wish comes true. I will hope it doesn’t dissolve into stardust and I will hope that Sakura has found someone to get us out of this blackened charred pit.