The Hollow (Rose of the Dawn Series Book 2) by Ily Maguire Read Free Book Online

most premium gauze in all the land. One
size fits all - badly,” he picks up and examines the plastic wrapping. “A
large?”
    He looks again
at the underpants and tosses them to me. I catch them with one hand.
    Inspecting them,
they’re very light and thin. The white mesh pants are riddled with small holes
that get larger as I stretch them. There is elastic around the legs and waist.
They look like boy-shorts.
    “They’ll have to
do, right?” I say and lean over. I look up at Leland.
    “I’ll turn
around,” he says and does. I pull them on under my gown.
    “How do they
fit?” Leland turns back. He’s amused and laughs. I laugh, too.
    “Actually, they
fit perfect. And they’re pretty comfortable.” I spin around and my gown
billows. We both laugh. It feels good.
    “Here, put the
rest of it on.” He tosses the other two items, the shirt and the pants, at me
and turns. Pulling the gown over my head, I toss it to the floor. I put on the
shirt first, then the pants. I dress quickly, looking up to make sure he hasn’t
turned back around. I’ve never gotten changed in front of anyone, not even my
sisters, before.
    “Not bad,” I
say. I feel much better with a renewed sense of purpose. I run over to the sink
and wash my hands and face. I can’t wait to scrub my feet with the washcloth
that has been added to my room. Now I have two towels.
    “Once a week
someone will come in to launder your clothes. They just came today so they’ll
be here another seven days from now. You’ll put your clothes back by the door.
    “How will I know
when that will be? How will I keep track?”
    “You’ll figure
out a way, we all do.”
    I think about my
accounting in Aegis. Marks on a wall. I don’t know that will work in here.
    “And you’ll want
to put the gown back on when they come for your clothes. Otherwise, you’re
stuck here naked.”
    “Completely
naked?”
    “Uh-huh. And
depending on how agitated it makes you, you could be more or less sedated, so
don’t get anxious when the nurse comes in.”
    “Sedated?”
    “Tranquilizers
or antidepressants. It’s your choice, really. Anxious, sweaty, complain of
pain and you get the SYRUP. Or your run-of-the-mill antidepressants. Panicky,
excitable, irritable and you get the Hypno’s or tranquilizers. They keep you
calm.”
    “Wow. You know
your drugs.”
    “I’ve been here
a while. You don’t want them.”
    “I don’t need them.”
    “Since you’re so
new, they won’t want to give you much. It could affect your testability, so
it’s best for you not to get upset or ornery. Once they start the tests –”
    “When will that
be?”
    “Probably within
the next few days. I would’ve thought at least a week, but someone left you the
clothes. They know you’re regaining your strength.”
    My palms sweat
and I rub my neck. It’s sweating, too. “I-I-I can’t stay here.”
    “I know, Roz,
you’ve mentioned that. We all want out. We’re working on it.”
    “No! You don’t
understand! I want to go home! I want to be in Aegis! Where’s Pike? Will he
find me? Is he looking for me?” My eyes flash. The walls are bleeding. The
hallucinations again. Blood drips from the ceiling.
    “Roz, relax,”
Leland turns from the door to me, taking my shoulders. “Calm down.”
    I shake my head.
I need to get this out of my head. I need to get this place out of my head. I
press my hands to my eyes and then grip my neck. I’m choking.
    “Listen, Roz,
you can’t act like this. This is what will get you drugged. Shake out of it!”
He slaps my face. The blood-red walls turn brown and then back to yellow. Water,
not blood, drips from a small spot on the ceiling. My face stings.
    “If and when
they offer you a cocktail, do not accept it. Do not accept any food either. Do
you understand me, Roz? Do not accept it. The tests aren’t great, but they
aren’t that bad either. If you take the cocktail –”
    “The cocktail?
What’s that?” I’m trying to breathe. Leland