Almost Easy

March 9, 2007

Marina was almost out, she could feel it. Every bone in her body vibrated, muscles tingling, her stomach soaring. She only had a little more to go before she could identify herself to the spies set up around the building. Then she would be free. But does she want that?

More footsteps sound down the hallway, alerting her. She stands up tall, not showing fear or any sign of being out of place. Still, she leaves her reflexes leaning towards fight just in case flight wasn't an option. Two men turned down the hallway, chatting to themselves about something unimportant, not even paying her any mind. She sighed silently, visibly relaxing ever so slightly. It wasn't over yet.

She turned down the hallway the men had come from, the front lobby coming into view. People littered the area, the doors right in front of her, and she had never been so happy in her life. Her pace sped slightly, heart racing in her chest. She was free. She did it. Those thoughts left, though, when a man stepped in front of her, stopping her from proceeding.

“Excuse me, Miss Marina, where do you think you're going?” He asks her, smiling sweetly.

Her eyes widen with fear, pain twisting in her stomach. She wasn't going to get out. They caught her. She was dead for sure.

“I'm leaving,” She spoke smoothly, but his eyes never glossed over.

“I don't believe you are,” He stands firm, his smile forming into a smug smirk.

“Oh, but I think I am,” She pushes harder, seeing his smirk falter.

“You won't get passed me,” He warned, tilting his head to the side.

“Move,” She whispers, watching his face.

“Excuse me?” He asks, taking a step closer to her.

“I said, MOVE!” She yelled in his face.

Everyone in the room flew. Some people collided into the walls, into each other, while a few just hit the ground instantly. The man that was blocking her was pushed back violently by some unseen force, sending him flying into the glass doors of the building. He crashed through, glass flying everywhere, before landing in it and groaning in pain.

Fear spiked her again, shocked by what happened. Did she do that? Marina wasn't aware of that power she possessed, and it made her sick. No wonder why they wanted her so bad, she was a monster.

Without a second thought, she ran out of that building. Loading up into one of the cars, she drove off as fast as she could.

“That was about seven months ago. I hadn't been back to my organization since,” She finished, Rachael looking at her in awe.

“Not even to contact them and tell him you got out alive?” She asks, drawing her eyebrows together.

“No. Why would I?” Marina asks, shifting in her seat. “If I did, they'd drag me back. I'd get punished for all the trouble I caused, and would probably be tortured for days on end if my partners had been killed. The thing is, if they didn't know I was alive, then I would have been safe. Obviously they knew all along.”

“And your partners? Have you heard from them?”

“No. And sometimes, I feel like it's for the better. Right now I don't know if they're dead or alive-It's just easier to sit here wondering then it would be to realize they're dead and it's all my fault.”

~\~\~\~\

On day three of sitting in her new room alone, Marina decided she finally wanted to get out. She was sick and tired of watching the leaves fall, because the more she looked the more it hurt her. Sure, they were just leaves and there was no reason to be upset by the course of nature, but she couldn't help it.

She slipped out of her room silently, walking down the hallways at almost a sneak. There was really no reason to, but not being noticed seemed to make her feel better about this. It's not like she was breaking any rules or causing problems, but from all the missions she's done, being sneaky was inevitable. Well, in her mind, at least.

Various pictures and posters covered the hallway walls. Most of them were drawn by children (maybe adults, there was no telling) while the others were actual pictures taken of the staff and “residents”. The posters that were tacked up where obviously placed there for a reason. They all had soothing pictures and some had instructions to staying calm, being happy, or breaking a panic attack. The one that stood out most, though, was the sign of feelings.

There wasn't anything significant about the poster. The background was a simple white, nothing too spectacular or eye gripping. In a neat row down the left side of it, there were multiple yellow smiley faces that weren't all smiling. Each one had a different expression, the word that describes the feeling printed boldly next to it. A black title reads: “How Do You Feel Today?”.

Marina wasn't sure why she was so intrigued by this simple, childish poster, but she was. It was as if there was some invisible force pulling her into it, making her admire the beauty it didn't hold. Shaking her head, she broke her stare. Entirely too confused, she slowly backed away from the wall. What was going on?

~\~\~\~\

When she found the recreational room, Marina was slightly worried. She didn't want to open the door and see what was inside, but at the same time she did. She hated surprises, they put her on edge, but she loved new things. Slowly, she edged her way into the room, taking in everything that lays in front of her.

The room is large and open, giving you a sense of ease and freedom. Every wall is painted white, the hardwood floors a soft, old brown color. In the farthest corner from Marina was a TV with three couches around it, an old floral print rug in the middle of the gathering place. Along the wall parallel to it housed a few book cases and padded chairs, providing the quieter people with a place to relax.

Set up right in the middle of it all is a pool table as well as ping pong. Those are two things Marina never personally took the time to play, but now they seem like the best thing ever. She's bored and, to be honest, she'd love to learn ping pong. Ever since she saw Forest Gump, the girl has put that silly sport on her bucket list.

The last edition to the area is four tables off to the side in the front, four or five chairs arranged around them. From there, you have a perfect view of the garden area due to large windows. Seeing the flowers, she longed to go out into the patches and smell every single kind. At home, she grew a flower garden in her backyard. She had worked on it for two years, and now it will probably be for nothing. No one is going to take care of her house.

Stepping further into the room, her eyes scanned the people. Not too many bodies littered the place. Four people sat at the TV, one person was reading, two people were playing pool, and one table was taken up by four people. Eleven humans in total, twelve if she included herself. She had hoped for less, maybe a space in the room that was completely empty, but this wasn't too bad. Marina could deal with this.

After a few seconds of consideration, Marina walked over to the bookcases with a light step. She wanted to be silent, unnoticed, hidden. Obviously, that wouldn't happen, but at least now she wasn't the only weirdo walking around in a hospital gown. Her regular, harmless jeans and a plain tee-shirt they found in her home give her a sense of belonging in the crowd of people. They are dressed just like her, after all.

Marina walks up to a bookcase, examining all the spines. They're organized by sections: science fiction, drama, fiction, non-fiction, ect. She slides her hand over an interestingly titled sci-fi book, pulling it off the shelf, and picks a comfortable looking chair away from everyone else. The leather chair squishes under her and she takes one more look at the room before opening the novel.

She only gets to page twelve before she starts to feel anxious. Her whole body lurches, becoming aware of something she's not. In an instant, her mind starts to reel, heart pounds, and for some reason adrenaline starts to flood her system with no cause. Fight or flight mode turns on and the paranoia of being found kicks in.

Scared, she slowly lifts her eyes off the page. They start darting across the room, scanning everything but finding nothing off. No one clad in full, slick black stood around with weapons pointed at her. Nothing.

Calming down, she notices that beautiful man. He sits at the table of four, his eyes locked directly on her face. A small, red, rubber bouncy ball moves between his hand and the table at a focused rhythm, his brown eyes never leaving her.