Chapter 6 - A Good Morning?

Margot's POV

For a few blissful seconds after waking up, I forgot where I was.

Forgot about the soldiers.

Forgot about the trucks.

Forgot about the prison.

Forgot about him...

My eyes stayed closed as I shifted beneath the soft sheets, my body heavy with exhaustion, until reality slowly came crashing back down onto me again.

The house.

The town.

The investigation.

Leaving Coban...

My chest tightened painfully at the thought of him as I blinked awake slowly.

Silence greeted me.

Too much silence.

My brows furrowed slightly as I turned my head toward the other side of the bed.

Empty.

The blanket beside me was crumpled and abandoned, Cara nowhere in sight.

Instantly, my stomach tightened.

I pushed myself upright quickly, wincing as soreness shot through my body from yesterday's endless travelling and stress. My legs ached as I swung them over the side of the mattress, bare feet pressing into the thick carpet below.

"Cara?" My voice came out rough from sleep.

No answer.

Panic threatened to rise for a split second before-

The sound of running water reached me from across the landing.

The shower…

Relief loosened something tight in my chest.

Ah...

She was fine.

Still here.

I exhaled shakily, dragging a hand through my tangled hair before slowly standing to my feet.

The room looked even more ridiculous in daylight.

Huge.

Like some luxury hotel suite rather than somewhere we were supposedly being held against our will…

I wandered toward the window slowly, still wrapped in one of the oversized white shirts we'd found in the drawers last night after finally giving up on the emotional breakdowns and exhaustion consuming us both.

Dinner had been... strange.

Plain cheese pizza.

But annoyingly good.

We'd sat downstairs at the dining table eating greasy slices while tears randomly slipped down our faces every few minutes whenever one of us mentioned anything…

The prison…

The men…

Or what the hell was happening to us now…

The food had come with fries, onion rings, soda, garlic dip and even chocolate bars afterward like we were at some damn sleepover instead of trapped inside a military controlled town.

The guilt of enjoying any of it had sat heavy in my stomach all night.

Because none of this should've felt comfortable.

Not after everything.

Not after leaving them behind.

Especially him.

I swallowed hard at the thought as I reached the curtains and yanked them open.

Bright sunlight exploded into the room instantly.

I hissed softly, squinting against it.

"Jesus..."

The sky outside was painfully blue.

Birds chirped somewhere nearby.

It looked...

Peaceful.

Gardeners nearby…

Actual gardeners…

Two older men trimming bushes and shaping hedges like this was some suburban dream neighbourhood.

Flowers watered.

Trees pruned.

Perfect little pastel houses glowing beneath the sunshine.

It was horrifying.

Like watching somebody polish a coffin.

Then I spotted them…

Soldiers!

Pairs of them patrolling casually down the pavements with guns hanging from their hands while they laughed together like this was just another regular morning shift.

Like there weren't dozens of frightened girls trapped inside these houses.

My chest tightened.

We really were stuck here.

Completely trapped inside this picture-perfect nightmare…

"That shower was actually real nice..."

I practically screamed, as my entire body jolted violently as I spun around clutching my chest.

Cara stood behind me holding a towel in one hand, staring at me like I'd lost my mind.

"Oh my god!" I gasped.

Her brows shot upward before she burst out laughing.

Actual laughing.

"Jesus Christ, Margot," she snorted. "Calm down! Didn't you hear me come out?"

"I was distracted!" I defended breathlessly, pressing my palm harder against my racing heart.

But then I really looked at her.

And blinked.

Because she looked...

Different.

Brighter.

Cleaner.

Her damp hair hung loose around her shoulders, and she'd changed into one of the dresses from the wardrobe upstairs.

Pale yellow.

Soft material that hugged her waist perfectly before flowing down around her legs.

It suited her beautifully.

And somehow that made me hate this place even more.

"You seem a lot brighter today..." I admitted cautiously.

Cara shrugged awkwardly, glancing down at herself.

"I just... needed to feel human again," she said quietly. "The shower helped. Clean clothes helped."

Her fingers brushed lightly over the fabric of the dress.

"And honestly?" she sighed. "I was tired of smelling like a criminal."

That one hit me harder than expected.

Because she wasn't wrong.

"Your bruise actually doesn't look too bad today either," she added after studying my face.

I frowned slightly before moving toward the vanity mirror. My reflection stared back at me - messy blonde hair, puffy eyes, and the already fading bruise around my eye.

She was right.

It could've been a lot worse.

Because I'd definitely had worse…

"That soldier hits like a little bitch then," I muttered dryly.

Cara barked out another laugh.

A real one this time.

And for a split second?

It almost felt normal.

Almost…

But then silence settled again.

Heavy.

Reality creeping back in.

I sighed quietly. "Guess I'll go freshen up too."

"You'll feel better after it," Cara promised softly as she wandered toward the dresser, immediately opening drawers like her curiosity had finally kicked in again.

Meanwhile, I forced myself toward the wardrobe.

Rows of dresses greeted me again. Like somebody had carefully planned out our entire existence here already.

Eventually, I reached for a pale pink halter dress.

Long and flowing.

Soft material.

Beautiful, honestly.

I would've loved it anywhere else. Anywhere but here.

"At least they gave us a hairdryer!" Cara suddenly announced excitedly.

I glanced over as she pulled the wired tool from the drawer, letting it clang dramatically against the wood.

I huffed softly through my nose, not quite sharing her enthusiasm.

My chest still hurt too much today.

Still longed too much for the prison cell I once hated.

Because at least there...

I had him.

The bathroom light flicked on as I stepped inside, shutting the door softly behind me.

I stared at myself in the mirror for a long moment before slowly peeling off the oversized shirt.

My old clothes were ruined.

Dirty.

Ripped.

My hair fell loose down my back in tangled knots as I undressed fully, wincing slightly at the bruises littering my skin.

I looked awful.

Tired.

Broken.

And the worst part? I was used to feeling this way.

Every single time life seemed to hand me something good... It always ripped it away again.

Always shoved me right back down to rock bottom.

Always.

I turned the shower on quickly before I could spiral further.

The heat hit my skin immediately, drawing a shaky breath from my lips as water poured over my aching body.

I closed my eyes.

Finally letting myself breathe for the first time since yesterday.

The expensive smelling soaps and shampoos lined neatly along the wall only added to the surrealness of this place.

Everything provided.

Everything controlled.

Everything fake…

I tilted my face up into the water, letting it soak through my tangled hair as my mind drifted again.

To Coban…