Piano Keys

My head pounded as I tried to open my eyes. The light burned my eyes. I shook my head as I tried desperately to regain my full vision. Things started to clear and sharpen slowly. After a quick glance around, I saw that bars surrounded me entirely. I was in a cage.
What was happening to me? I must be dreaming. I shut my eyes tight and re-opened them, but nothing happened. I shot up from my place on the cold hard ground and with heavy breathing, began to try and shake the bars as if they were magically going to disappear.
"I'd calm down if I were you." In the cell next to me, I could barely make out the shape of a woman. "They'll punish you for freaking out. And trust me that will be painful."
"Who-what-" I couldn't even form a sentence. This was all so surreal.
"Kid, look you're trapped in a cell. Try and calm down. I ain't gunna be answering your questions so if you really have to ask them, write them down on this." The stranger in the cell next to me slid a book over. I reached out and took hold of the cheap bindings. Inside was a small pencil and a few of pages with harsh scribbles. I suspected they were drawings gone wrong.
I focused on my thoughts for a moment while I looked for a blank page. 'What do I remember? Okay, I was playing the piano. There had been a bomb threat. Good Cali, you're thinking now. I think the bomb had gone off, someone carried me away and tied me up.'
I placed the pencil between my fingers and began to write.
Dear Journal,
I guess today is day 1. I'm in a cage of sorts; it's kind of like a jail cell, only it's just a blanket and me, no bed or anything. I don't really know why I'm here other than the fact that a bomb went off and this where I woke up. Upon inspecting my body, I only have minor cuts and bruises; I'm thankful of that. At this point, I'm just trying to breathe and stay calm. I can't let my imagination get the best of me; I need to think through the reason why I am here. My best guess is that it has something to do with this nasty war. I have a feeling I'm nowhere near home.
Sincerely,
Cali
Just as I finished writing, a big door was swung open and a simple looking man came in with two platters. One was handed through a small gap in the bars to the gal in the cell neighbouring mine and the next he handed to me in my own. A very stale piece of what looked to be a burger bun sat on the platter, and in a little cup next to the bun was a small glass of water. At first sight of the food, my stomach rumbled as if I had never had food before and I downed the bun. The bread was in fact as stale as it can be, but it was food. Next, I gulped down the water and almost spit it out. I had to force myself to swallow it. The consistency of the water was almost slimy and it tasted repulsive.
My head was still pounding so I thought it was best to just sleep.

* * *
The second day was mostly spent sleeping and nothing big happened. The water the second day wasn't as repulsive, but then again I was expecting sludge. I could tell that something had gone wrong with my body. I was sick, and it was getting bad.

Today was day 3. I still knew nothing as to what was going on. Earlier today, the girl in the cell next to me was taken and she still hasn't come back. My fear had slowly begun to rise and I fear she may never come back. I sat leaning against the bars, trying my best not to swallow because of the screaming pain I felt when I did. I had a fever and I assumed I got sick from the repulsive water.

The door to the room was slowly opened and two men with guns walked in. If I thought my fear was high before, it would be off the charts now. They walked toward my cell and my heart was beating through my chest. They opened the door and I felt as though I couldn't breathe.
"Up," they ordered. And before I could even manage to my feet. they had each took hold of an arm and dragged me from the room. I kicked and screamed, fighting them with every ounce of my being. There was no escaping them. They opened another door where another cell was positioned in the middle of the room. I flopped onto the rough concrete ground and scraped my arms up.
"Assholes," I muttered to myself. I looked around and this cell appeared much bigger than the rest. There were two rough blankets on the floor. I quickly scrambled to wrap them around my weak body. Finally some warmth.
The door to my room opened again and the same simple man who brought me my food walked in; in his hand he held a small book. He stuck it through the bars of my cage and dropped it in front of my feet. It was my journal.
"Thank you."
He simply nodded and exited without one word. I reached for it and I noticed something on the ground next to it. Dried on the ground was a red splatter, but it didn't have the texture of paint and then it hit me, it was blood. I screamed and looked around. Dried areas of blood were everywhere.
My heart was racing so fast. I was worried I was having a heart attack. I closed my eyes in hopes the old kid mentality of 'if I can't see it, it's not there,' would kick in. It didn't.

No more than a few seconds after I had reopened my eyes, two large men came rushing into my cage screaming commands at me. They grabbed both my arms and dragged me, and I kicked and screamed for help, again. Another door was opened and I was dragged into a fairly large room. In the center was a chain that dangled from the ceiling. As we neared it, I could clearly see drops of blood dripping off.

"No. No. No. No please!" I begged. No one would listen. "Please! Someone help me!" I knew what was about to happen and I knew it wouldn't end well for me. I fought as my arms were chained behind my back and then harshly yanked upward till I half hung from them.
"Please miss, quit fighting. Answer our questions and no harm will come to you." The voice came from a man walking into the room. "But if you don't cooperate, well then let's just say you're going to feel it."
"Please sir," I whimpered. "I don't know who you think I am, but I can assure you I will be no help to you."
The man gave a quick nod and at once, a fist came crashing into my gut. I instantly began coughing, trying to gain some of the air that had just been knocked out of me.
"First lesson dear, I do the talking unless you are answering my questions. Now, first question." He sat down in a chair right in front of me. "Where is your father hiding?"
"My father is dead," I croaked. Another fist went straight into my gut. I couldn't breathe.
"Please dear, we know he wasn't killed in the explosion. Where is he?"
"If you're talking to me then I'm telling the truth, he's dead!"
"Alright dear, I don't think you get what we can do to you, but if you want to see then it's my privilege." At the end of his sentence, I felt a pair of spikes jab into my side. You could almost hear the sound of blood splattering the floor. My screams echoed through the room.
"See, I warned you." He clicked his tongue in a mocking motion. I can't breathe. "Let's try a new question. When is Delta planning to attack the south quadrant?"
I looked him straight in the eyes. I would not show fear or pain, but it was so intense I realized I was failing miserably
"Heather, dear. Answer me. I'd hate to spill more of your beautiful crimson blood."
That's when it clicked in my brain. They thought I was Heather. They thought I was the Mayor's Daughter! Heather and I were both wearing red dresses that night, we both have dark hair... before I could finish my thoughts, my ribs were met by a pair of brass knuckles. You could hear the sound of bones cracking and skin tearing. I screamed louder than I knew I could. Blood dripped from my chest.
"I'm not Heather." I gritted my teeth as I tried to hold in my pain but again not succeeding.
"Lift her." The chains around my wrists sent me flying higher and I couldn't touch the ground. My arms were almost ripped out of place. The pain was so intense. My vision became blurry and suddenly the chains dropped me, I hit the ground with incredible force. I was undone from the chains and dragged from the room. I was trying desperately to stay conscious but it was becoming quite tiring. Next thing I knew, I was laying down in another cell. I looked up at the lights above, a blurred face blocked out the light and I lost consciousness.
* * *
I awoke with a jolt and then a searing pain to my chest. I hissed and looked down; a bandage was wrapped around my chest and side. Blood was threatening to soak through. I moved my back against the bars and screamed. The pain was almost unbearable and I wished I could just black out again.
"I'd take it easy if I were you." My head snapped to the side. Sat on the other side of the cell was a boy. His raspy voice was drained with exhaustion, his hair was knotted and curly; it reached to about his shoulders. His shirt was blood stained and part of it was missing. His missing shirt was the bandage around my bloody body. He must have noticed my staring for he broke the silence again. "You took quite the beating. I don't know too many girls who could allow things like that happen to them and still not give answers."
He stood to his feet and strode over to where I was perched against the bars and kneeled in front of me. "You were banged up, but nothing that won't heal."
I stared at him, not trying to stay silent but thinking of all the reasons he'd be in here, imagining what he must have gone through. He chuckled and went back to his previous seat.
I felt bad that I hadn't spoken yet. "Thank you."
"Ah, she isn't mute." He had humour. I'd give him that.
"I'm Cali," I said as he reached out his hand for me to shake.

Notes