Odelynne. But only my parents called me that. And Old Man Aart. She smirked. Call me Ody.
Ody. Again with the smile in his voice. It gave her those tingles. Hopefully they would poof to another room soon. This was going to be torture. Sounds..quaint.
My parents were eccentric. She wanted to know his name, but still felt more comfortable waiting for him to freely give it.
Whos Old Man Aart? He was an inquisitive one. Most new inmates were. She could always tell how long someone was locked up by how much talking they did. She didnt mind though. His voice wasnt so bad to listen to.
My cell mate before you. For two years. Hes been stuck in these boxes for twenty years. One of the first ones caught when the Regime started regulating magic. As grumpy as he was, she knew she would miss his stories. He had been one of the first to assemble together a crew of Regime Retaliators. They were Staff conspirators. Gave out names and passcodes. Spells. The Regime had discovered his treason. The only reason they didnt kill him was because he had a brother or a cousin in a high enough position. And the Regime didnt think those who opposed them at that time were anywhere close to intimidating.
Twenty years.. He repeated.
Still think you can get out? She laughed.
Yes. He affirmed with that smile in his voice. Do you remember what it was like before the Regime? She did. She didnt like to. It was a time that didnt exist anymore. Her mother was in the middle of teaching her how to conjure her own mini fireworks. She was practicing alone one day and set fire to her older brother, Eleks pants. He had a burn on his butt for two weeks. He could never sit down. Always had to stand or lie on his stomach. He swore vengeance the best a twelve year old could to his five year old sister. The day after it healed the law passed that all personal powers must be documented and sent into the government. The Regime. Every single ability. Every single spell. After a while, they didnt have to document any more. The Regime tracked them. Monitored everything with a spell. If the Regime did not approve of what you were doing, they would warn you to cease immediately. If you didnt, you would get killed or locked up in the boxes. Thats a yes?
It doesnt matter. That time is over. She shrugged. There was no use thinking about it.
It doesnt have to be. That smiling voice aggravated her this time. She wasnt sure if it was on her behalf or his. He was displaying false hope. She accepted a while ago, that she was stuck here possibly for the rest of her life. Optimism of that kind was draining. His spirit seemed too alive to drain like that.
One day you are going to wake up and realize that you are stuck here. She sat up on the mattress and looked him in the eye when he turned it from the ceiling. On that day your hopes will fall from their high ground and crash hard. You will be drowned with misery, and that arrogance you seem to display so brightly will switch off to self hatred and mockery. You will become Old Man Aart. And I dont know how long Im stuck with you, so Id rather you accept the truth now rather than have it hit you in the face later.
Instead of being taken back by her bluntness, he sat up and smiled. It wouldve annoyed her if that smile wasnt so handsome. I cannot wait to make a believer out of you, Odelynne. Her name on his lips made her blush. It was completely involuntary and embarrassing. Damn those tingles. Ten years youve been here? You mustve been a child.
Fifteen. But I grew up pretty fast. Had no choice. He just continued to watch her speak. She carried on with her story, surprised at herself for opening up so quickly. My parents were taken or killed when I was ten. My brother two years later. I was taken in by a Retaliators group. I found a way to break my tracking spell and started sneaking into Regime Staffs homes or offices. Even the Headquarters. She smirked. I was magically invisible. I stole whatever important information I could find.
Amazing you were never caught. There was a gleam in his eye.
She shrugged again. I had nothing to lose. I knew what I was doing was right. How dare they try to restrict something I was naturally born with. What gives them the right?
I now see the protester in you. He laughed again. Ody rolled her eyes. This was ridiculous. You probably spent the same amount of time screaming and waving about witty signs as you thieved around. Its natural you were going to get caught at one of those.
I may have had to grow up fast, but I still carried my naivety. I probably wouldve made some better choices of how to spend my time if I knew I was going to end up here. But again, that time is over. Theres no use going over it in my head. Ive had enough time to do that. I have no regrets. He was admiring her with his eyes again. It was an awkward feeling. She was tired of waiting on him to introduce himself. She was beginning to think he was withholding his information on purpose. But it wasnt her place to pry. If he wanted to share personal information, then he would. She had nothing to hide.
It was then the buckets manifested. Its about time. He stood up quickly and hurried to them. Was he that desperate to bathe? He seemed clean to her. It was her day to bathe if she was still with Aart. She usually did her morning exercises on her bucket days. She could feel the dry sweat sticking to her skin, but she had no reason to pick a fight. She really didnt care. Laying back down on the mat, she turned to face the wall to give him privacy. Odelynne. He called to her. Why did he insist on using that name? He really was purposely trying to irritate her.
She slowly turned around to find him shirtless. All thoughts left her, and she couldnt peel her glued eyes away from his flesh. His neck. His stomach. Those tingles engulfed her entire body. He was kneeling down in front of the buckets. It was then she noticed him taking the metal handle off the empty one. He had his shirt wrapped around his hand to prevent him from getting cut by a rusty sharp end. What are you doing?
Making a magic wand. He looked up and smiled at her. He was way too sexy. This was going to be torture.
His words finally hit her. Can I ask a question? Just to get this out of the way now incase were stuck together for a few years.
You are free to ask any questions. Any time. Was that a hint to her? Did he want her to ask him who he was?
Did you have any mental.. issues before you were caught? It would make complete sense if he did. This way she could approach his words and actions a little differently.
The man shrugged as he finally tore away one side of the handle. He went in for the next. No more than anyone else I guess. I was never diagnosed with anything if thats the answer you are looking for.
I was hoping you were a mad man. She leaned up against the wall.
Well.. He grunted as he tugged. If I am, I am unaware. Is there any possible way I can ask for your assistance?
What kind of assistance? She asked with hesitation, still admiring his physique as he pulled hard on the handle with one hand as he held the bucket down with the other.
He laughed at her again. Another odd reaction. Maybe she should start convincing herself that he was insane. Will you hold down the bucket as I take this off?
Will you tell me what this magic wand is going to accomplish? She retorted back quickly. She wasnt about to blindly assist him with some crazy antic.
Id rather show you. He smiled. Tiny beads of sweat were appearing on his forehead. And chest. Maybe getting close to him to help wasnt a bad idea. She crawled over to the buckets and held the empty one down. He was now free to use both hands. He covered them with his shirt, grabbed hold, and pulled. She held down the bucket with all the strength she had. She knew those morning push-ups would come in handy one day. She watched as the metal handle slowly unfolded itself around its hinge. Before she had time to react, it came undone. He fell backwards, but not before the sharp end had time to graze the side of her cheek.
Son of a bitch! She yelled forgetting what pain was. She reached up to her face, and felt its bite at her touch. When she looked down at her fingers, they were covered in blood. And there was even more dripping on the floor.
He acted quickly. He took his shirt, dipped it in the cold soapy water, and hurried to dab it on her face. The sting made her jump. Itll be alright. Gone in an instant. Just trust me. He looked deep in her eyes. She became lost in them. Trust was such a powerful word. She wasnt sure how far she could take it with him. He was positively insane. But he had a lot of confidence. Before she knew it, the pain was gone. He was dabbing all the blood from her face, then wiped it off the floor. She reached up to her cheek to feel how deep the cut had gone, but found nothing there. Maybe it wasnt that bad of a cut. Just a scratch that nicked the right spot to cause blood to gush.
She crawled over to the water and peered into her reflection. It was the only mirror shes had in ten years. She looked like a mess. Her long brown hair was oily and stringy. There were bags under her green eyes. There was no way he could ever be as physically attracted to her as she was to him. That thought disappeared when she found no trace of a wound on her cheek. Impossible. She looked up at him with her mouth hanging open. He performed magic. He healed her. Here. In prison. Where magic was stripped away. She took a few moments for her thoughts to settle before sounding like an idiot forming them out loud. He seemed to let her. Watching her with that cocky sexy smile of his. I told you Id convince you. That didnt take long.
After realizing she was still gaping, she closed her lips together and bit the top one. Everything shes come to believe the last ten years changed instantaneously. You need to start talking. He healed her. He performed magic. He had powers. He found a way to use his powers. He really did figure out a way to escape. Escape! He could get her out of there. The box. The dreary enclosed space she came to know as her home until she dies.
Where do you want me to begin? He laughed.
Can you really get us out? She needed to know now. She needed to know if he really believed what he told her.
The man took a deep breath in. Curiosity spiked again of his name. This stranger that just manifested into her life and changed her whole world. It seemed just minutes ago, Old Man Aart was nagging her. Now she was on the verge of escape? It seemed impossible. Yes. He smiled. I cant do it alone though.
How did you do magic? She kept her questions coming. We were stripped.
He shook his head as he took a seat back on his mattress and leaned back against the wall. She decided that it was a good time to do the same. She sat up against the side and hugged her knees. Not stripped. Just bound. No one can take what you are naturally born with. Nartan and I learned that we can tap into our power via their power. For instance, the buckets. Even the water. He pointed to the wet cloth he used to heal her. Theyre lined with all sorts of Regime spells and sucked up the power. The Regime are too dumb to realize that thats how we create tools.
Your magic wand. It was all coming together. It was simple. He was a genius. She mustve been portraying her excitement all over her face, and she didnt care. So whats your plan in escaping?
Thats what weve been working on. He stood up with the bucket handle, and purposely held it vertically in both hands. The magic wand was quick to figure out, but how to create a portal to the outside? Thats tough. But completely doable. We figured out how to get to the other side of the room. Just not through the walls. He closed his eyes for a moment and pointed the metal stick to the opposite end. Instantaneously, he appeared there, and his other self vanished. At that moment, she forgot how to breathe. It was miraculous. Amazing. Refreshing. Like being reacquainted with her old world. It was something she had seen hundreds of times in the past. But not for a decade. Not here.
He turned to face her, and she realized she had nothing to say. It was awe striking. Completely unthinkable. She foresaw herself being locked in the boxes for the rest of her life. Now there was an actual chance. With tangible evidence. Actual magic. Powers. Energy. It didnt dawn on her until just then how empty shes felt. How much she missed her previous life. Reality showed a glimpse of itself. She wasnt free yet. There wasnt a way out yet, but it was there. And she just became determined to find it. Well. Youve convinced me. It was the first time she felt actual excitement in a decade. Her heart began to pound faster.
I tried to warn you that would happen. He gave her that grin of his. So can I get your help in this?
Of course. She smiled back, hoping she didnt reveal that those tingles were traveling up and down her body at his grin. The fact he was a genius and a hero didnt support her attempts at controlling them. Teach me anything you need to, and I will learn. Pretty fast too.
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