Chapter Text
The best way to keep a prisoner from escaping is to make sure he never knows he's in prison. – Fyodor Dostoevsky
*
*
«Alright.» A young girl was pacing around her bedroom, reading through some papers in her hands. The upper half of her long, light brown hair was tied up in a simple braid, while the rest came down in waves over her shoulders. Her eyes were mismatched, one was brown and one was green, and she had a handful of freckles over her slightly upturned nose. She didn't look older than seventeen.
Her room was a large space, clean but messy, and a big bird cage was placed next to a wide window. Inside, chirping happily, were a couple of lovebirds, one blue and one yellowish-green. On the floor in front of the bed were more sheets of paper, notes and documents scattered in a circle, and there was a pillow on the space they left in the middle.
«Alright. This time it's gonna work.» She stepped closer to the door while reading over one last paper. She then took a breath, hesitating, and turned to the bird cage while placing a hand on the handle. «Wish me luck.» She muttered with a half-smile to the small parrots, then opened the door and stepped into the hallway.
It was a big house. She was currently on the third floor; three more doors faced that same hallway, but she ignored them as she knew exactly where she was going. She walked straight to her objective: the fourth, and last, door right down the hall. She stopped in front of it. Hesitant, she placed a hand on the round handle. She took one last breath, then finally, slowly, opened the door. «Dad?»
The study consisted of a large, bright space, with plenty of sunlight coming through various windows that opened onto a lovely garden. Her father was standing in front of one of them, leafing through a handful of documents in his hands. At the sound, he turned slowly, closed the file, and raised his head.
He was well into his fifties, but looked way younger. His dark, curly hair was greying, and his eyes were a piercing blue. His jaw was square, and his nose had a slight hump, as if it had been broken but never properly fixed. His broad frame and his firm stance had some military feel to them, in stark contrast with the elegant suit he was wearing.
The girl quickly closed the door behind her. «Do you have a moment?»
The man looked at his watch, then forced a smile. «Of course. What is it?»
«It will only take a minute, I promise.» She walked closer, fumbling with the papers in her hands while he placed his own on the desk. She hesitated once again when she saw Hector, her father's rottweiler, curled up under the piece of furniture. He raised his head and looked curiously at her, nose twitching slightly. She stared at the dog for a moment, heartbeat quickening, then she moved her eyes back to the man in front of her, not without some effort. «I-I have a deal that might be interesting for you.»
Her father moved to lean on the desk, his expression never changing. «I'm listening.»
She took a breath. «So, you know how I've been wanting to experience some things. And I know how you feel about it, but I've found something that might be a good compromise for us both.» She took one of the papers and handed it to him, glancing briefly at the dog.
Her father took a moment to read it through. «"Percepta"?»
«It's an electronics company. Sort of. A small one, really. They work on designing some pieces, buying and reselling certain products, things like that. They're looking for an assistant. That's what they say, at least.» Silence followed, and after a moment she spoke again. «Well, I'm turning eighteen next month, I'm graduating this year, and I was thinking I could gain a bit of real-life experience during this summer. You know, before leaving for college.» more silence, that she felt she needed to fill. «I... was thinking I could move to- to mom's old house during the summer.» The man finally perked up at that, lifting his gaze from the paper. She almost jumped. Almost. «Y-you know, it's a ten-minute drive from here, and a fifteen-minute from there to the workplace. I could, you know, stay there. For some time. Experience... living alone and all that.» He kept looking at her, pondering the idea. She dropped her gaze. «And- and you can do your thing. I won't tamper with it.» She finally paused.
The man smiled at that, but left the silence linger for a few more moments. «Well, I don't see why not.» She snapped her head up, wide-eyed. «Of course, I will have to do some more research about this "company" of yours, but it's not a bad proposal.»
Her shoulders slumped just slightly. She knew what he meant by "research", but there was still hope. There was hope to get away from there after all. Even if just for a little while.
She realized that she had yet to answer. «Ye-yes, of course. I, um- yeah. I'm happy you app- that you like it.»
«Well then.» He lifted up from the desk and gave her paper back. His eyes had a glint to them. «It's a deal.»