The City of Ionia

Ice pellets struck like flying thorns. The temperature was well below the negatives. It was the type of weather where multiple layers wouldn't be enough. I felt naked, as though I had very thin or no clothing.

I tried moving my legs. Nothing. I couldn't move them. They were frozen. There was no way of knowing whether they were actually frozen or not. It was a guess since the piercing cold stabbed me all over my body.

Again and again.

I felt everything. Every little hair follicle. Every goosebump. Every blood cell moved along my body. My heart shriveled like a dried-out tomato.

I felt it all.

My only sense was touch.

I couldn't hear, see, taste, or smell. All my other senses vanished, as though this world was void of them.

What was this world? It seemed so dark and lonely.

My hand reached out to the non-existent sky. I grasped thin air, though my fingers connecting with my palm sent pain signals towards that area.

This dark, lonely world, void of light or any other sense.

This abyss that I was in.

It felt like I transcended to another world.

Oh, right.

Transcend.

It made sense.

The pieces slowly clicked together.

Whoever's trapped in this sorry world would know how it feels to rot in a lonely, dark cage.

They would wish for one thing:

To transcend to a beautiful morning sky.

***

A small ray of sunlight pierced through the half-open blinds. My body stirred beneath the tangled sheets. Slowly, my fingers twitched, and with a deep yawn, I used those twitching fingers to cover my mouth.

"Ow…"

My jaw ached when I opened it. Right, the fight by the monitors. It will take a few days for it to heal.

My eyes fluttered multiple times before those heavy lids opened to the morning light.

My muscles were stiff. Probably because I slept in an awkward position. I rubbed my head before letting out a dry groan.

The ceiling looked unfamiliar—plain white with a small crack running across, and a brown ceiling fan that was off. Confused, I sat upright while holding my jaw. I looked down at the blanket that had fallen off my body, and it instantly flared to a deep red.

I felt my face flush hot, and my heart pounded in my ears. I yanked the blanket and covered my exposed body.

Where were my clothes? Why were they off? What happened? Where am I?

I looked around for answers and found one next to me by the nightstand—a pair of light clothing with a note on top of it.

Your clothes for today

Alice

Alice? Did she strip me of my clothing? Why? What's wrong with her? Did she not know what privacy is?!

My face was still red. I quickly changed into those clothes and checked myself out in the rectangular mirror above the dresser.

Way too baggy. Alice was tall for a woman, so the shirt provided felt like a dress, and these shorts covered half my shins. The material was surprisingly comfortable, like fluffy pajamas one would wear during the snowy season.

Speaking of snow, I recalled seeing the weather forecast a few days ago, and we were supposed to have snow soon.

I took a breath and examined the room itself. A queen-sized bed with a large, carved frame with a wavy flow to it. Across the room was a singular, tall bookshelf that was full except for the bottom. Next to the shelf was a desk with dual monitors and a white chair that had a red fluff or some soft material on its armrest.

On the dresser was a mixture of hair products and moisturizers. Alice cared much better for herself than I. I didn't use any products like that, even in the outside world. I never used them, and I'm fine, so why start now? My logic may be flawed, but I wasn't going to be the judge of that.

Next to the ample amount of self–care items were a few small, framed pictures. Of the same people. A man with trimmed dark hair and a mustache, holding what appeared to be Alice or a child who was around 6 years of age. Could it be Alice's younger sister? Regardless, their smiles looked genuine and fulfilling.

Another picture showed Alice and the same child, this time on a beach. Alice wore a wide, straw hat while holding the child in her arms.

I knew nothing about Alice. She didn't seem like the type to tell her story willingly. Neither was I. I wasn't going to ask about these pictures. What I wanted to ask was related to last night.

I exited the room, and the smell of sizzling bacon hit me instantly.

The room was spacious with a TV across from the sofa. The only thing separating it was a small, square glass table with a remote and a few books. Behind the white sofa was a tiny dining table with three seats. Since we were on a higher floor, natural light poured through the windows, as though the sun forced us to be awake.

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Near the dining table was the stove and kitchen area, Alice towered over the counter. She had long, fluffy pants with a red knitted sweater with a flower design on the back. I'd never seen her without some form of red.

"You're up. Breakfast is almost ready," she said without turning her back to me.

I nodded in silence. The sound of sizzling meat made me lick my lips. My stomach growled, mainly because I didn't eat a lot yesterday.

Speaking of yesterday, I was with the boys, then ended up in a raid.

Oh, that's right.

"The boys. Uh, my friends. I have to contact them and tell them I'm safe," I said while hastily snooping around for my phone.

"Already did that for you."

"Huh? Meaning?"

Alice split six pieces of bacon between us. That was it. Bacon. No pastries. No sweets. Not even fruit. Just bacon. She turned around with two plates in her hands.

"Your phone has no passcode. I went in and said you were too tired to get back home, so you got a hotel. They believe it. That's what matters. Don't switch up the story."

"Sure," I said while taking a seat with Alice.

"They blew up your phone last night. Like… 30 texts between 4 people," she said. "You got folks that really care about you."

"Ya. It's unlikely for me not to come home. They must've been really worried."

At least they thought about me. It warmed my heart to know that I was still on their minds.

"Well, I texted Robert, I think. He's the one who typed in all caps."

"Oh, you mean Roger? Ya, he tends to express his emotions through text. It's funny, in a way. Oh, I should probably call so they know I'm okay."

Alice pointed at my phone, which was on the marble kitchen counter. I stood to grab it and took a deep breath before trying to find the'Phone' icon. It took me a minute, but I got there.

Two rings later, Roger answered like a happy puppy.

"Jill, Jill! You're ok!"

"Ya, of course. I'm going to come home soon, but I just wanted to call and let you know that everything is fine. How are the others?"

"Great, great! Tim is still sleeping, and Owen is making pancakes. Camerons' coming over after lunch."

"Cameron? That's interesting."

"That's what I said! Usually, he goes over to her place, but this time, it's the other way around."

That explains a lot. Owen was always out of the house.

"Alright, ya. I'll see y'all soon. Take care."

"Hell ya! See ya!"

I hung up. Was it just me, or was Roger talking weird? Whatever. None of my business. I sat back down at ease, knowing that everything was alright.

Alice bit her bacon before offering me a drink, which I denied. I didn't want to seem like a needy guest. She already did so much for me, even though I thought she disliked me. At least that's the impression I got from our cafe chat not too long ago.

Speaking of doing much for me.

"What exactly happened last night? We swapped places… and then, how did that happen?"

She waved a piece of bacon around while chewing with her mouth open. "Not going to go over the details. You're safe. I'm safe. That's all that matters."

I bit into the bacon. Smoky and greasy with a hint of salt. I wasn't a big fan of bacon for breakfast. I wanted a pastry—like a muffin or something. Complaining would've been an awful thing to do as a guest, so I kept my inner thoughts to myself and switched the topic.

"I see. Did we end up getting McNeil?"

She shook her head. "Nope. Long story short, he wasn't there because he knew we were coming. There was a rat on Fernando's team that reported our plan to Jason McNeil. Either way, I took care of the people in that hallway."

"Even the SCAR agent?"

"Defect. It didn't attack because something was wrong with it. It's there for intimidation. Don't ask how they obtained a SCAR unit. It beats me."

I nodded my head and continued to eat. Defect SCAR agents? So a grand organization like them could mess up on a few?

Alice sipped her mug before clearing her throat. "Jill, I wanted to ask you something."

"Ya…?"

Was she going to ask about my relationship with Ruben? I didn't want to go down that path. It's too long and complicated, and I didn't want to spend time explaining the ends.

"Your arms. Rough childhood?"

For a second, I raised my brow, not knowing what she was talking about. And then it clicked. My face went red, the same redness I felt when I discovered how I had woken up.

I sheltered my chest and adjusted my torso away from her. "Y–You took off my clothes! W–W–W–Why?!"

"I didn't want your bloody clothes on my bed. Speaking of clothes, I should check the washer. What are you covering your face for?"

I peeked through the gaps of my fingers. "N–Nothing! It's nothing!"

"If it's about your chest size, then don't be."

I buried my face even deeper. "It's not that!"

A few moments passed before I collected myself by taking a deep breath. Alice finished her food while I had a piece that I didn't want left.

"Your chest size wasn't what I wanted to ask about—"

"Stop mentioning it!"

"Okay, okay. I wanted to ask about your arms."

"Oh, the scars. Don't worry about them," I said.

She looked concerned, which was strange since it wasn't so long since Alice had a mini–meltdown at a cafe. What's with this sudden shift in tone around me? What's with this extra care?

"Rough childhood?"

"Ya, I guess. It could be worse. My fate was probably the best compared to others in my situation."

She tilted her head. "Others? Do you have siblings?"

I could see how she misunderstood my words.

"N–No. It's complicated. Adults and all… don't worry about it, I'm fine."

Ever since entering Ionia, I had only worn long sleeves to cover my arms, except when I was at home. The less attention, the better.

"I can never understand why adults harm children. They are innocent to the world. Have no wrongdoings. They exist to grow and prosper into something unique. But abuse… that hinders everything."

"True, but it makes everything more special."

"Special? How so?"

I scratched my forehead, not expecting a follow–up. "Forget what I said." I pushed my chair back and stood. " I should probably get going now."

"Right. Don't want to keep the family waiting."

"Family?"

She gave me an apologetic look. "Sorry, was I wrong?"

I smiled. "No, you weren't."

Alice returned the smile and helped gather my belongings. My white shirt was still in the washer, so she lent me a colored, blue shirt that covered my scars and pants that scraped the ground as I walked. Seriously, how could a woman be so tall?

Anyways, I told her that I would come back for that shirt and to return her clothes. She brushed it off, not caring. She said I could keep these clothes. I insisted I didn't, since I would never wear them, since they were three sizes too big.

I grabbed my shoes and headed for the door. I needed to take a left to get to the elevator, and then to the ground floor. From there, I would walk to the metro station that was roughly 6 minutes away. Maybe stop by a bakery for some pastries.

"Jill."

"Ya?"

"Before you go, I wanted to know if you normally move around a lot in your sleep?"

"Huh? Meaning?"

Alice moved her hands as though they were telling the story. "I checked on you a few times in the middle of the night. You were in different positions each time. At one point, your hand was up like it was grasping for something. Is that normal for you?"

"I don't know. Maybe I was restless because of a dream or something? I don't remember, though."

She waved her hand. "No big deal then. Get home safe."

"Ya."

She closed the door behind her.