BROKEN TRUST

Samantha's POV The chamber seemed to be closing in on me. Though they repeated in my thoughts, Lila's words didn't make sense. I have been Marcus's assistant. How could she turn on us in such a manner? How could she have misled us over the whole period? "You have been lying to us," Alex muttered, his voice a hoarse snarl. His comments sounded to me as hardly restrained wrath, the treachery burrowing into his bones exactly as it had done mine. Every muscle in his body was stiff, ready to shatter, his fists were closed at his sides. Lila retreated, her eyes begging, but it had no effect on the fire I could see Alex staring at. Her voice shaking with desperation, she replied, "I had no choice." Marcus controlled me in some measure. I get free. You could have told us, I murmured, my voice quivering. "You could have told us the truth." Lila shook her head, regretful eyes glistening. And then, what? Marcus would have killed me then come for you. I could not afford to gamble. Alex spat, stepped forward, his rage at last coming through the surface, and you made us trust you. "You gave us hope that you were on our side and that you were supporting us. But all you were doing throughout was playing us. "I wasn't," Lila answered, her voice breaking. I was attempting to guard you. Like all of us, I was looking for a way out. The words weighty and agonizing hovered in the air. I wanted to take her at face value. I wanted to think she had been as imprisoned as we were, acting out of terror. But the deception was too personal and the betrayal too profound. I was unsure if she was speaking the truth now or if this was merely another layer of the dishonesty she had spun around us. Marcus silently observed the conversation, his arrogant attitude suggesting he was delighted to see us fall apart. His presence in the room was stifling; his control seemed like a lead blanket weight down on me. Though I felt helpless, every bit of me wanted to scream, lash out at him, fight. And he was looking for that. Controlling. Alex turned to me and stated, "We cannot trust her," his voice firm. Not afterward. My heart thumping in my chest, I looked at him. He was right. After everything, how could we believe her? But Lila was staring at something raw and shattered. She was terrified—that is, really terrified—something I could understand. Many times previously, I had seen it reflected back in the mirror. Lila muttered, "I'm sorry," with a hardly discernible voice. I didn't want to turn on you. Before it reached here, I felt I could make a way out. Marcus, though, is knowledgeable about everything. He is constantly watching. My rage at last bubbling to the surface turned to Marcus. "Is this what you wanted??" My voice was shrill and accusing, I asked. To cause us to turn on one another? to break us? Marcus's smile grew wider and his eyes sparkled with delight. You assume I should break you? You are doing that entirely on your own. My chest got tighter with anger. He was fiddling with us, savoring every moment of our disintegration. I would not let him, though, have such authority over me. "This doesn't finish the way you think it will," I responded, my voice quivering but firm. " We are not your pawns." Marcus laughed softly, nodding his head as if delighted by my disobedience. Samantha, you have been my pawns from the time you entered this game. You simply lacked awareness of it. Alex's hand brush felt like it grounded me momentarily. Though fleeting, his contact was comforting—a tacit reminder that, no matter how bleak it felt, we were in this together. Still, the doubt bit me even with him at my side. Marcus was constantly ten steps ahead, so how were we meant to prevail? "I didn't bring you here to lecture you," Marcus replied, his voice suddenly icy and commanding. "I sent you here because you needed to grasp something. You believe you have been outwitting me, that you have been playing against me, that you have been cunning enough. But you have been moving precisely where I wanted you to. I stopped, his comments striking me like a punch to the gut. He meant what? How had we let ourselves be caught in his trap? "What are you speaking of?" Alex insisted, his voice turning suspiciously harsh. Marcus moved forward, satisfied eyes shining. "You have guided me to the one I have been searching for all along. I scowled, perplexed, but Alex's face grew steely with insight. Lila, you mean? "No," Marcus answered, staring directly at me. As his words sank in, the globe seemed to turn under me. Me? He had been searching for me? Panic swelling in my chest, I looked at Alex. Why do I? With any of this, what was my role? "You have been a thorn in my side from the start, Samantha," Marcus said, his voice calm but threatening. "But to me, you are more valuable than you might know. And running has no use now that you are here. I stepped back, terror flooding through me. "Why am I?" What are your wants? Marcus's smile darkened, and got more evil. Samantha, it is not what I desire. That is you. You see, you have long participated in this game even before you recognized it. And today I at last have the secret to completing what I started. I could hardly breathe; the horror was like a vice around my chest. What did he intend? He had what was in mind for me? Alex said, stepping in front of me and his body tight with will: "I won't let you use her." You will have to go via me if you wish. Marcus slanted his head slightly, as if thinking of the difficulty. "Oh, Alex," he replied, nearly with sympathy. You still do not grasp, do you? Here you are not in charge. You never were. The room became tense, and I could sense danger closing in all around us. Though I had felt terrified before, this was unlike that. This was depressing. Still, something snapped inside of me. I was sick of letting Marcus control every action and of fearing. I was not going to let him take me without protest. "Maybe you're right," I answered, going forward and my voice firm despite the terror running through me. "Perhaps all this whole time we have been playing into your hands. That does not mean, however, that we cannot influence the game. Marcus's smile slipped, just a smidgen, for the first time, but it was sufficient to inspire optimism. I did not have any control. Not anymore. Once more, Alex's palm brushed mine, and I sensed the quiet power between us. As yet, we were not defeated. "I don't need to change the game, Samantha," Marcus responded, his voice getting harsh. "I already have winning under me. The door behind us exploded open before I could reply, and Julian rushed into the room with a pale, frightened face. His eyes flew from Marcus, Lila, Alex, and myself, and I could feel panic in them. "We have to leave," Julian replied, his voice sharp. "Now," says. Marcus's eyes narrowed at Julian's unexpected arrival, although his countenance showed no trepidation. He seemed, if anything, entertained. "Oh, Julian," Marcus muttered, his voice full of contempt. "Always late to the party, are you not?" Ignoring him, Julian turned to face us with desperation in his eyes. "Time is of the essence". We must depart. He is arriving. My heart thumping in my chest, the terror seizing once more. Whose are arriving? I looked at Alex and could see the same perplexity reflected in his face. "What are you chatting about?" Alex asked, his voice tight with mistrust. Julian's face went even more white, and his next words shivered down my spine. "There are others tugging the cords besides Marcus. Someone else, someone worse exists here. As Julian's words rooted themselves, the room seemed to tilt under me. Another participant? Someone more perilous than Marcus even? Julian replied, his voice desperate: "We have to move." "Right now." My head whirling, I stared at Alex. The walls seemed to be closing in quicker than I could process, and everything was whirling out of control. Clearly, though, we were not ready for whatever was ahead. Marcus grinned once more, his eyes shining with delight. "You believe you can outrun him? You already missed it. Alex, though, was not paying attention. With a strong grasp, he drew me toward the entrance. "We're not staying to discover." My heart thumping in my chest, I followed him without thought. I could hear Marcus's laughter ringing behind us as we hurried for the exit—a sound both final and cold. Though we had fled temporarily, I felt deep down that this was far from done. The game was still under progress, hence the actual risk was only starting to show. I turned one last time as we broke through the doors and into the night, the cold air stinging at my skin. Though the warehouse loomed behind us, dark and menacing, something about the shadows felt different. And then I noticed it; another statistic.