Chapter 11
Have to run. Have to hide. Have to get away.
Terror gripped Celine as she raced down the maze of hallways in the beautiful but deadly palace.
Dodging left and right. Every time she turned the corner she was faced with the girl in the blue burka.
She turned around again, her lungs locked down so tight she couldn't breathe.
Solana appeared again, only this time a face floated in front of the blue mask.
Caroline Cotter's face. Tears ran down Caroline's cheeks the color of blood, her mouth twisted into a wide, silent scream.
“No!” Celine ran only to slam into a solid chest. Mr. Mankel blocked her, only he wasn't speaking.
He just stood there smiling down at her, frozen like the statues lining the hall.
And then Celine's captor appeared. Suddenly, she was on the floor. He ripped her clothes from her, pawing at her naked body and she couldn’t lift her arms to fight him; invisible restraints held her down.
“No!”
Celine woke from the terrifying nightmare to a dark room, her body shaking and drenched in a cold sweat.
She attempted to lift her arms only to have them held in place by soft, yet firm shackles around her wrists.
She tried to get her breathing under control, but the air ratcheted in and out of her lungs like a huge piston.
Cool sheets covered her naked body and a hard mattress lay underneath her.
Where was she? Her mind whirled in a frantic tumble searching for her last memory, but all she could come up with was a blurry name – Dmitri.
They'd sold her – Celine bolted upright and was yanked right back down by a wave of dizziness and her restraints. She bucked and kicked, twisting with panic as she tried to fight free. A sharp pain stung the inside of her elbow, and then something warm ran down her side and arm.
A loud beep sounded behind her and she realized with growing terror she'd been hooked up to some kind of alarm. Dmitri knew she was awake? Was he coming for her now? Her whole body went cold. She had to escape.
The door swung open and light filtered into the room. Celine looked up and saw the outline of a burka. She screamed.