Gabriella was not sure how long she had stayed in the room when she heard footsteps in the hallway. It had been long hours, she could not guess what the time was because there was no trace of light, but it seemed like forever to her, the constant fear of the rats kept the hairs on the back of her neck straight, her whole body ached from the different positions she took while waiting for morning to come. One minute she was standing, another minute she was sitting with her head bowed on her knees and her arms hugging them, she could not lay on the cold ground but then the small room could not even accommodate her height if she laid down horizontally. Her body was white and pale, she did not need any source of light to know that she looked like a mess. If Michael had not brought food for her
