A “Dead” End

Chapter 10

Sarah knew that she could not avoid questions for much longer, now that she was awake. Her best bet would be to answer some of their questions but remain as vague as possible….if they were involved with the same group then she needs to keep everything to herself or they had kill her right away and on the off chance these people were genuine, she did not want to drag them in her mess. Hope was so excited that Sarah was finally awake and able to stay conscious….there was so much she wanted to ask her, discuss with her….she was sure Sarah hadn’t given her all the details, when they met in limbo so she needs to get information now and help her friend with her goals…..

Abby knew that she needs to hurry and get downstairs so she can run a buffer between the two girls. Hope had always been  a sensitive and introvert individual, Anna was the only one who had managed to get Hope to lighten up a bit and have some fun but with Sarah….right from the start, Hope had taken a protective stand. She was going out of her way to try and make Sarah feel comfortable with them. Sarah, for her part was very cautious and suspicious of everyone…she may have had a very good reason for her behaviour but Abby was afraid this will hurt Hope, who was already very fragile emotionally. Her baby was spending hours everyday to gain her strength so she can be in a fighting form to help her new friend but Sarah was looking for an escape….she could see it in her eyes….those scared, afraid to hope and distrustful eyes….yes, she was familiar with them for she was very intimately acquainted with them……

Sarah was prepared…..after hours of plotting and planning, during the night, she was ready with her game plan. First on her list was to get a detailed report of her injuries, treatment plan and expected recovery time….she will apologize to Hope and her mother for her abrupt behaviour to stay in their good books…after all she needed their support till she recovers from her wounds…. She needed to search this place, top to bottom so she could find out about the mother and daughter duo and the extent of their involvement, if any, with the organization but in order to do so she needed to be mobile….that means she needed to make them believe that she trusted them and let them believe that she was totally helpless and vulnerable…can not

let them know of my suspicions or they might remove all proofs, if any, that will show her their true colours…..

Garett was almost prepared to execute his plan…boss wanted him to plan an fake “accidental” death for that pet freak of his so that is what he’ll do, otherwise his replacement would be picking up his dismembered body, Garett thought…. That freak had always been trouble, even when she was little she had cost him so many good men…it had been such a hassle, making them disappear and then find their replacement and on top of that she had convinced boss somehow to give her special privileges. If he was brave, he would have told the boss that it was all his fault….had he not given that girl so much freedom then she would not have been able to “create” so many “tools”….gadgets she used in her escape…. The freak had caused him and his men so much trouble by sabotaging their security system….letting all the other freaks think that they could escape….thank god he had the foresight of keeping the “full details” hidden from the boss. If he knew about the computer breach…he would have had his head….He was still trying to find out, discretely, exactly what she had meant or had done with the back door she had created….he just hoped to hell that the boss never finds out about it……

Abby had asked Hope to wait a bit longer before coming to see Sarah, so she can get her examination out of the way….that ways she won’t need to disturb them again till her next check up in the afternoon. As Abby was doing her examination,Sarah was studying her intently…as if trying to gauge her motives… Abby had to give it to her, she was good….at trying to be discreet, it’s just that Abby had her own personal experience to fall back on….otherwise she would not have been able to notice Sarah’s keen observations. Finally, Sarah asked Abby about her clothes….the one she was wearing when they found her….Abby chose her words carefully, she knew Sarah was finding it difficult to trust them…. I saved them for you Sarah…. thought they might hold some clue about your origins or maybe mean something to you……frankly, it was more an instinct…than anything else that I did not throw them away, despite them being filthy with wet mud and blood. 

Sarah wanted to shout at her to get them here, to her….right away but she tried to act as normally as possible, when she asked….would I be able to see them? Sure, said Abby…I will arrange for you to see them after you have had something to eat. Sarah wanted to insist that her priority was to get to the clothes, food can wait but she did not want to rouse any suspicions…….thankfully her stomach chose that very moment to growl, giving her a perfect out……

Sarah, I know it’s not easy to put your faith in strangers, especially when you have been hurt already…. You do not know us and I do not know you….I do not know where you came from, how you got hurt….if you were victimized or if you, yourself are a culprit. It’s was not easy for me to bring a stranger into my home but for some reason my Hope trusts you so I have going against my instincts here and taking a chance on you….I would appreciate if  you would do the same. I do not want to put any pressure on you….it’s just that my Hope is still feeling quite vulnerable, both physically and emotionally…..somehow she has it in her head that she can help you with your goal and that has been a source of motivation and comfort for her. She is making an effort, because of you and your purpose….whatever it may be. I just….just wanted to request you to be mindful of her feelings and let her down gently…… Sarah did not respond.. just nodded her head so Abby continued ….  I do not know much about your circumstances and the demons you are struggling with…. I have not going to ask you to share your secrets with me…..I know it’s too soon for that level of trust, so be assured I won’t ask you for any information that you are not willing to share voluntarily…. 

Sarah was not ready to trust, not yet and Abby could not take any chances with Hope’s security….ideally she would prefer to hand this girl over to appropriate authorities and let them take care of her but the way Hope feels about this girl has her hands tied. There was also something about her….the way she looked cornered….bereft of comfort…..no hope ….no joy, almost like she was expecting to be let down again and again…. This felt so similar to her own past that Abby could not ignore it completely and resolved to give her a fair chance…… Okay Sarah, I will make a deal with you. Stay with us till you recover completely…. We will observe each other during this time. I will be honest with you and will expect complete honesty from you too. If we are still doubtful of each other’s intentions, not able to trust in each other…. then I will give you enough money to ensure you can set yourself anywhere in the world, so you do not have to depend upon anyone for help. What is the catch, Sarah asked before she could monitor her words…. We will you are right, there is a catch… all I ask in return is that you treat my daughter with kindness and compassion. She feels a weird sort of connection with you….it’s like she wants to protect you and take care of you, she will not be able to understand why you’d be wary of her….

Now, let me get a wheelchair so you can come up with me, have breakfast with us upstairs….I think it’s time for you to live up there with us, you’ll only need to come down for imaging….as we still need to keep an eye on the swelling in your brain….we will take all your reports with us so I can go over the results and treatment plan with you…once you settle down in your room, after breakfast. I will arrange for your old clothes to be brought up to your room……remember Sarah, you are in full control here as long as you hold up your end of this deal there won’t be any restrictions on you, other than the ones that are required medically…so you can heal as soon as possible. 

Abby gathered all the reports and handed them over to Sarah, while she left the room to get a wheelchair. Sarah was surprised by the way Abby was behaving….was she for real or was it to trap her….she did not know what to believe. Her instincts were telling her to trust her…them..but how can she trust her instincts when they had let her down so badly in the recent past…No, there is no way she could afford to put her trust in these people. She needed help, there was no way around it so she might as well take advantage of the hospitality Abby wants to show her…it will give her an opportunity to recover and regroup, after all she had a “mission” that required her to be in top form. She was still mulling about the whole situation when Abby came back with, a state of the art wheelchair. Sarah was still marvelling at the expensive mobility vehicle when Abby said….this is fully electronic and self operational, it would allow you to come and go on your own so you won’t feel caged or restricted. Come, let you help you sit and get you downstairs….you can study all the controls and directions after breakfast……