Aegis: Catalyst Grove by Nathan Roten Page B

her bonds, then she had no chance.   She was small and weak, powerless to do anything for anyone, and being here was all her fault.  
    Kel looked over, taking notice of her despair.   “Ailey, look at me.”  
    Ailey lifted her head, looking at Kel through the strands of hair that covered her face.   Another tear fell from her cheekbone and soaked into her pant leg.
    “We are getting out of here.   I promise.   You can’t lose hope right now.”
    With her lower lip quivering, Ailey shook her head up and down, but her eyes never left Kel’s.   She still wore her expression of guilt and doubt.
    “This is not your fault.   It is theirs.   Chase, Alex, Cavaness.   They are the reason we are here, not you.   Understand?   I do not blame you for this.”
    A wave of relief and sorrow hit Ailey as the corners of her mouth turned down and her eyes narrowed in anticipation of another wave of tears.   Maybe Kel had forgiven her, but evidently she could not forgive herself.  
    Graham felt bad for Ailey.   She looked so sweet and innocent.   It only made his anger more intense towards Chase.  
    You tricked me.   You knew what I was searching for and you used it to kidnap me, to kidnap us.   Graham basted in the raw anger as he thought about how Chase betrayed him.   I knew I should never have trusted you.   Hope blinded me to the truth.   Never again.   I hope you walk through those doors.   I will make you pay for this , he thought.  
    Damien looked around at the rest of the group.   “Well, we are going to be here a while.”   Looking over at Kel, he said, “What is your story? Are you two sisters?”
    Kel didn’t want to chat.   She wanted out.   Without looking at Damien, she kept sweeping the room with her eyes in search of any way out as she spoke.  
    “No, not in the literal since anyway.   Ailey came to our orphanage when she was two years old.   I was six.   As the Director of the Orphanage opened the door to pull a large object inside, I walked over to him, asking what had been left at the door.   Pulling in something heavy, he turned around revealing a little car seat with a toddler slouched over in it, fast asleep.”  
    Kel could not help but stop her pursuit of finding a way out to look over at Ailey, who was still crying.   Kel’s eyes softened.   “She was angelic.   My heart sank as I stood there looking at this innocent little girl who was just left on the front steps like a bag of trash.   I knew I had to take care of her.   She looked so much like my little sister.”
    “You have a sister?   Is she back at your orphanage?” asked Damien.
    Kel’s demeanor changed.   Her her body sank and her jaw tightened.   “No, she is not there.”
    Never able to read social queues or facial expressions, Damien kept on.   “Where is she?   Did you two get separated or something?”
    Pausing for a moment, Kel had to wait until her emotions were under control before she could answer.   “Yea, I guess you could say that.”   Knowing the tears were about to break loose, she deflected the conversation.   “Look, we need to focus.   The longer we stay here, the more time we give Cavaness and Chase to walk through that door.”  
    “Ok, what do you suggest,” asked Graham.
    “I’m not suggesting anything.   I’m just stating the obvious.   We are tied to chairs.   There is nothing sharp in this room, and even if there was a giant hatchet laying on the table over there, we couldn’t get to it because our chairs are bolted to the floor.”   Kel’s impatience grew with each word.   “So, I guess maybe I am suggesting that we think outside the box if we intend to make it out of here.”   Kel jerked her right arm in frustration against the rope that held her down.  
    “Fine.   Maybe thinking happy thoughts is the trick.   If only I could click my heels together a few times, I could transport us back home,” said Graham.
    “Right now, I think I’d rather