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The day had finally arrived.
The cell’s sole occupant slowly drew a strike through the box that marked the last day of the month. Gently she closed her diary - well, her diary - and set it on the cold floor, its task finally accomplished.
Listlessly she watched the cell’s interior gradually brighten as sunlight seeped through the barred window high above her head. Any moment now she’d be escorted out. The ceremony would take place, and that would be the end of it.
She turned and pressed an ear to the wall, straining to catch any sort of sound from the others in the next cell over. Nothing. Perhaps they were still sleeping. Or maybe they too were sitting in silence, spirits all but crushed. Not that she could blame them, guilty of the harsh but necessary deception she was perpetrating even now. With a sigh she turned her head away, flicking her gaze to the far corner of the cell where the –
Someone was standing in the corner.
She froze. She might’ve jumped had her prolonged solitude not dulled her responsiveness. All she could do was stare.
The man in her cell simply stood in place, barely moving. The look in his eyes was neither hostile, nor pitiful. He offered no word of greeting but simply stood, hands in his pockets, quietly observing her.
His clothing looked nothing like that of the Agnian troops. She would have guessed Kevesi due to the black fabric, but the slimmer garments were a far cry from their bulkier combat uniforms. He sported a dark jacket that covered a white collared shirt, with matching dark pants.
Where had he come from?
He looked to be probably somewhere in his late thirties, or perhaps his forties? Age had lost its meaning; she’d long since stopped bothering to track her own.
The man casually made his way over to the wall beside her. He kept a respectable amount of space between himself and her, opting to lower himself down into a sitting position. Crossing his legs, he reached a hand into a pocket on his jacket, retrieving a small rectangular carton. She watched as the man silently offered it to her. She politely shook her head, having no clue what it was and not in the mood to receive anything anyway.
The man instead pulled a small white stick from the carton and brought it up to hold between his lips. He withdrew a small lighter and lit the end. She observed with muted curiosity as he appeared to suck in air through the stick before removing it and expelling a cloud of smoke. Her nose scrunched up as she caught a whiff of its unpleasant odor. She was immediately glad she’d refused his offer, but thankful he’d had the courtesy to blow the smoke toward the corner away from her.
They sat there in an odd silence. She considered saying something, but her throat refused to make a sound. She imagined her voice would be rather hoarse, having had little need of it in recent weeks. He didn’t attempt to engage her in conversation or talk just to fill the void, apparently fine to just exist as a guest inside her own little world for the moment.
Every minute that passed felt like a sharp pin pressing further into the back of her neck. She rubbed at it, the short bob of hair still feeling foreign to her. Half of her wanted to just get it over with already, while the other half wished she could stretch this moment out and delay the ceremony forever. Internally she chided herself, having witnessed firsthand the harm that sort of thinking could cause.
Suddenly she felt the man’s hand softly wrapping around hers. It felt warm, a welcome change from her cell’s coldness. She glanced over at him; still he offered no words, merely providing an assuring nod before turning his gaze back to the bars opposite them.
For a month she’d tried to bury any feelings, to resign herself to her fate so when the day did arrive she could endure it with minimal pain. But the strange man’s last-minute arrival had thrown her for a loop. Amidst the churning of emotions - sorrow, fear, regret - she forced herself to focus on just one: contentment. The most content she’d felt over the last month of ‘her’ life.
She closed her eyes.
She didn’t know how much time had passed before her ears twitched. In the distance she heard him. Ordering the guards to have her brought out. Her heart threatened to break all over again.
She opened her eyes and looked over, but the mysterious man had vanished. Her hand slowly curled open, grasping nothing but empty air. Whoever he had been, she was grateful for the final moment of comfort he’d given her.
Steeling herself, she rose to her feet and moved to the cell’s center as the footsteps echoing down the hallway drew nearer.
It was time to face the music.