Thanx for everyone's reviews so far!! I have edited a bit but probably will more later
All there was left to do was wait; wait for her body to be under her own control; wait for Zahra to return and wait for the ceremony tomorrow night that she would be ’all ready for’.
*
End of part 5
It started with a subtle tingling sensation at the tips of her fingers. Holly knew what it meant- the pill was losing its effect.
She had little idea of how long she had been sat awake in the same place, unmoving. There was no clock that she could see and no window to indicated whether it was light or dark. It felt like she had been frozen for days, the only sight available to her the strange boy opposite. She knew it couldn’t have been that long for Zahra had said she would return after only two hours- and Zahra didn’t seem like the sort of person to be late.
The boy had mostly sat, inspecting her thoroughly with deep brown eyes and only now and again taking a moment to pace up and down the room. He hadn’t spoken again, the enthusiasm that she had glimpsed before was gone. He no longer seemed in the mood to explain things to her- disappointingly.
As she started to regain feeling, Holly was unsure what to do. It was such a delicious buzz that slowly spread throughout her body- it was hard not to delight in it; to wriggle her toes and twitch her nose.
He’ll see me, he’ll know that I can move and call someone. If I regain control over my body then perhaps I can surprise him and that witch- maybe even escape.
She knew her plan held little hope, but what else did she have?
Time moved even slower now that Holly had to concentrate on not shifting or twitching. She could feel the seconds creep past, ever closer to when the door on the other side of the room would open. Her body was gradually coming alive, as if waking from hibernation.
She heard a click as the lock turned.
Now or never…
As the heavy wood swung inwards, Holly launched herself from her seat. She shoved all her weight forwards in an attempt to dive at the person entering and throw them to the ground.
Ow!
In seconds Holly was lying on the floor, face down on the stone. Her chin throbbed with pain and the breath was knocked from her lungs.
I've missed? But how could I- she was right there…
“Looks like our guest is all better then.” Zahra’s sweet voice showed no signs of shock, only amusement.
“How peculiar- she didn’t budge once while I was on watch.” The boy also sounded unruffled by her actions.
Groaning, Holly rolled over onto her back.
Zahra gazed down at Holly, her thin lips stretched tightly back into a smile. “There’s no use in attempting to escape, even if you were fully recovered. Me and Filo here are far stronger and faster than you.” She reached out a bony hand. “Need some help?”
Holly ignored the arm offered to her and struggled to her feet on her own. She tried hard not to wince; she hadn’t landed well and she knew bruises would soon start to develop.
She must be a lot quicker than me to have moved so swiftly out of the way… is it even possible to move that fast?
Her two observers watched her shaky movements and Holly looked up to stare at them fiercely.
“This is not legal.” At first her voice came out dry and scratchy- it had been quite a while since she had last spoken. She cleared her throat and tried again. “You’ve kidnapped me, that’s against the law. I’m telling you now to let me go.” She managed to keep her voice steady even though the rest of her body shook with fright. Holly crossed her arms in an attempt to look serious and keep her trembling hands under control.
“That’s not what we intend to do. Sorry.” Filo smirked at her. “We’ve got much bigger plans for you.”
“I-I don’t care, this is against my consent. So just let me go.” Holly hoped her voice was staying firm; she didn’t want to show any signs of weakness.
“Like Filo said, sorry.” This time Zahra spoke. She gripped Holly’s arm and steered her back towards the chair. Holly couldn’t struggle, the fingertips were like marble digging into her flesh and no amount of shoving or twisting yielded results.
“You can’t do this.” She kept her voice low, even though she longed to scream.
Neither of them paid attention to her words.
Filo put his hands on both her shoulders to keep her firmly seated. His touch sent tremours running through her body- he didn't feel like a normal person should, it was as if he had been carved out of rock. She bit her lip so as not to whimper as his weight pressed down on her. Zahra sat in the chair opposite, pulling a small bundle of material from the ground beside her onto her lap.
“I’ve brought you some clothes that might be a bit more appropriate for tonight than what your currently wearing.” Her eyes ran over Holly’s rigid form critically. If it had been a less threatening situation Holly would have blushed, but now she only glared.
Zahra ignored her. She shook out a folded gold dress so that its hem brushed the floor. Pinching the thin shoulder straps between pointed nails, she presented the gown to Holly, eyes glittering.
Holly could not help but find the dress beautiful- it was stunning, and she knew it would look even more elegant on. It floated to the ground like liquid sunshine with a plunging neckline that Holly would not normally have dared to wear. It was narrower at the waist and flared out slightly at the bottom to create the illusion of curves on even the most boyish of girls. Holly managed to keep her face carefully composed, hiding her wonder.
“You’re to wear this, and…” Zahra reached down again to retrieve a small wooden box with a copper latch. Carefully puling back the lid she dipped her hand in to bring out a pair of sparkling earrings; two diamond studs with gold strips dangling from each to look like tiny shooting stars.
This time Holly did forget herself a moment; caught off guard by the shimmering set she gazed in awe before sharply coming to her senses- not quite quick enough to avoid Zahra’s notice.
Zahra smiled gloatingly, “…these. You might still be slightly weak so I’ll stay to make sure you are OK in dressing while Filo gives you some privacy.”
How very kind.
“Filo,” Zahra turned her steely gaze to her accomplice. “Set everything up outside- I want nothing but the best for when she arrives.”
Filo gave a slight nod and released Holly from his iron hold to walk swiftly from the room- what appeared to Holly to be only a blur of movement. She felt her shoulders ache from the pressure of his hands, along with the throbbing pain that ran the full length of her body from her dive moments before. She fought the urge to rub her neck and relieve her discomfort.
Zahra stood up from her chair, draping the dress over its back and placing the earrings neatly on top. Once standing she looked even more intimidating and Holly had to tilt her head to maintain eye contact. Holly shuddered at seeing Zahra's expression- there was no kindness there.
“I’d suggest you get ready quickly- I’m not very patient.”
Thanks for taking the time to read this! Next part will be out some point next week
