Bound by Contingency

The Meeting

CHAPTER 1

Lilith

I’m sitting on the edge of the bed, starring out the door for it to open. I don’t know how long I’ve been waiting but as of the moment I am on my consciousness. I was wondering about the man who comes and goes out in the room. He is not the regular room visitor I always had.  All are blur vision of him, coming on and off was a puzzle on my head. All I know is that it’s been going on for how many days. A broken ribs and sore body explain all, but I can’t remember how I get it, nor the time I arrive in this place.

I am in a room not normal from where I use to be, this place overwhelmed my eyes tough I try to suppress the feeling inside me. I never seen a room as pretty as where I am now; I am sitting on the round bed with silk sheet, I only heard before because it always intrigue me how an insect could produce such things. I never knewthat it was this slippery and fuzzy every time I run my hand to it, a thought that comes to reality; The bed was towered by a white mosquito net that gives a classic touch, like leaving in a dream of fantasy and I am the queen.

Considering the furniture designs, it has a medieval characteristic with the elaborated patterns and decoration. It’s a mixture of modern and archaic. This all makes me wonder, what kind of person who own such superfluous place. I even find the fur on my toes wonderful, it’s sending a ticklish signal on my skin that is unusual but I like the sense it gives. While my night gown is a bit off, I felt naked with the touch of it on my body. I never use a silk cloth before with laces on it. The one that they give us is a cotton pair of pajama; always in white and no others colors.

I wish to stand up and touch the furniture with my amazement but I still feel weak, even sitting here is a lot of effort for me; the weakness in my body is almost unbearable. My will had culminated only in my brain.

I take a deep breath; I know I should not be having my eyes set c**k-a-hoop around. My instinct is fizzling out to me and I need to be alert because I can’t remember a fragment of what happened since the day I attempted to escape.

All I remember is I’m plotting a escape before my 21st birthday. I find an ally through Dr. Berbera, hoping he is well of this days; apart from it since we talk, I can’t remember everything no matter what I do.

Trying to remember everything is giving me a severe headache and pressure in my chest that hurts. I tried to take a long deep breath once again after reminiscing what happed to me.

In a while, I heard a torrent step from the door, I jolt out and it petrified me when I heard someone talking outside knowing that they will enter the room any minute, thought it’s what I’m waiting while sitting here, I felt unprepared in an instance. Once the noise went off, the door opened and I saw him: the man with raven hair and chiseled jaw. He is tall and the well build body was defined in his shirt and jeans. Behind him is a woman wearing a navy blue button-up dress and holding a tray with food and water. Maybe, they’ll know I be up this day.

The man I recognize stand in front of me, silent roaring between us for a few minutes. I glance but can’t look up at him that long. He is someone I never seen before and he scares me in his domineering appearance.

“How’d you felt now?” He asked me in a low condescending tone and my body shook to his question. It felt like a soft embrace to me with thundering bolt in my body and I know I shake for a few seconds.

 I never heard someone ask me that question. Someone care and it’s not an order. It’s a question about my emotional status. I’ve been around with men in my age and younger than I. All of us are comrade where we follow orders without any questions ask. Emotions are baggage. Never be lenient to anything and just follow orders. What we do in the dark was an upbringing of being single-mindedness and obliteration of the soul. I know deep down inside me that life should not be like that, but we have no right to question, and we will never have the answers.

When I past 18years old I move to a facilities where I can’t see neither light from the outside world nor read a book. Men in white suits and gloves are always around, they call me for body test and mental analysis through series of exam in a limited time and then return me again to my room. Since that day I was never sent to any mission, nothing else I can remember after that.

“Ok.” I manage to answer though it felt like my response is wrong. I don’t know how to respond properly to his question. My mouth sour also and my chapped lips is making me uncomfortable.

I watch him get the cup of water on the table before he come close to me again. “It’s a seltzer water and lime.” He says before handling it to me. I just pretended that I understand him though I didn’t. I never knew that water has type or whatever it is. Those kinds don’t touch my contextual knowledge and so my field experience. I was trained to consummate little in food or water that I could control my hunger.

I took the glass of water and sip it. It was delicious, light and refreshing makes me feel better with the hunger residing in me.

When I finish it, I notice that he is starring to me intensely. “What is your name?” He asked as I shook my head. I understand what he is asking, but once again I felt I was lost in the question he had, given the fact that I don’t have one. At the facilities, they all called us in numbers prior to what is in my chest, so I had no answer to it. I know I can’t say that my name is 1792. At the books I read before, all names are letters and us in the facilities are numbers.

Then he starts asking me more questions I am not aware or sure of what to say. I know what he is asking once again in my contextual knowledge. But he is expecting something from me that makes me confused. I just don’t have any answers, to any of his question so I stayed quiet and just look at him as I felt the blood runs out of my vain that’s draining me from time to time he ask. It’s all vexing.

 “Do you remember what happened before being here?” the man asks from the back standing near the door. I guess he is the same age with the man in front of me and I didn’t notice him coming. How does it happen?, I felt being carefree and putting my guard down, but I know both man is the one chatting earlier near the door. I can easily recognize the voice with my sensitive ears.

I shake my head in confusion, because that is the question I want ask to them both. It’s clear to me now that I won’t have my answer even if I ask the two men in front of me, so I shut my mouth.

“Ben.” As the man sitting in front of me purr.

“Yes… Talon… that is what I’m telling you earlier. It will take time for your future wife to recover. The head injury and the blood lost almost killed her, glad to see her regaining strength that fast… see, she can sit now. Normally, a patient like her is bed ridden in a month.”

Future wife… a word that echoes in my mind at the moment, but pretended that I didn’t comprehend anything. I was shocked to find-out I’m about to married, but how? Is my question. I just kept looking at them, one side to another; maybe they give me more clues.

Talon lean forward, cares my chicks that shiver me. “Lilith. Don’t push yourself. Once you recovered fully I will answer your questions.” He says, as if he could read my mind.

“Lilith?” I mimic. He nods, “that is your name kitten.”

“We’re getting married?” I growled in frustration that I can’t hold at the moment. He runs his thumb to my parted lips. I want to grab him and twist his arms but I tried my best not to do it with my flustered face. Violence won’t solve anything and it might make my situation worst, I know it and keep it in mind.

“Give me your hand.” He says as he put his hand on his pocket, like getting something on it. Then I’ve seen a yellow brown round ore with a stone shaded in pink and red. He grabs my hand without saying anything and put the metal on my finger.

“Lilith. That is out engagement ring.” Then he look at me in the eyes. “The ruby gems around represent out love for each other.” He says softly with a smirk in his face and intense eye contact. My eyes widen and I want to run then jump at the window. I knew that he is a dangerous man, trusting my instinct. He is jumbling my mind to what he is saying, it is something that I can comprehend and I don’t. My head hurts and I close my eyes, then he kisses my forehead before I could react.

“Rest now.” Talon say softly.

They leave the room sooner while talking about my medical condition without giving me any regards after Talon help me to lay down the bed.

I felt hallow all over. I don’t know what he meant by love. I never heard that word before. Then I look at my finger. It’s a beautiful ring. I know it is a ring, I’ve seen doctor Berbera wearing one before and I ask him what it is. That time I find out what is marriage also; it’s a formal recognition of two people in a personal relationship as he quoted it for me before.

The conversation makes me feel obtuse. What is my personal relationship with him? How did I have it?... I just want to rest with the entire conundrum running in my head.

           “Maybe it’s a set up prepared to me by the doctor. I should thank him.”