C16 Stifling Freedom

Theo stepped tentatively through the door, her heart heavy with anticipation. As soon as she was spotted by her mother, sharp gasps pierced the room and all at once her family was on their feet. "Theo! It's a miracle!" sobs her mother in amazement. Through tear-stained cheeks came a beckoning gesture from her arm, followed by a hug that Theo never wanted to let go of. Caleb suddenly appeared in the doorway and Theo's stomach fluttered with hope. He looked tall and healthy after having been kidnapped by Zandra only a few days prior. His transformation seemed almost miraculous. "Caleb!" she exclaimed with joy, barely believing what she was seeing.

Theo's face drained of color as she took in Caleb's sullen, expressionless figure. His eyes were cast downward, and no words emerged from his lips. He seemed like a hollowed-out vessel, an empty husk filled with nothing but the lingering echoes of his former self, held in captivity by some dark force that had stolen his spirit away. "Caleb," Theo spoke softly, her voice trembling with fear and confusion. "What has happened to you? Please, tell me." She pleaded desperately as she reached out for him, yet something strange occurred. With a sudden jolt he turned away and trudged off without uttering a single word, leaving Theo standing numb and bewildered.

Catherine followed him in silence, her eyes blazing at Theo with unspoken accusations. His father's words pierced the silence, "He hasn’t been himself since he came back." The words sending a chill down Theo's spine. She knew too well what her friend was going through, the internal battle to keep his secrets hidden deep within himself - secrets that threatened to consume him if he dared to let go of them.

Theo felt an unfamiliar sense of determination wash over her as she stepped back out into the warm sunlight of their backyard patio. But before she could savor the feeling, reality came crashing back like a wave over her head. Caleb had vanished - and she had been so consumed by the mysteries at Ravensky that she nearly forgot about him.

Theo shifted uneasily on her feet as her mother scrutinized her with a critical eye. She knew she couldn't possibly explain what had happened to her without risking the wrath of Zandra and the secrets of Ravensky, so she tried to focus on the here and now instead. "I was looking for Caleb," Theo repeated firmly, looking into her mother's eyes with pleading desperation. "I wanted to make sure he was safe."

Her mother sighed heavily, releasing Theo from the tight embrace before turning away to face the horizon. A tear rolled down her cheek as she spoke in a near whisper, "I'm glad you found him, Theo. I never thought I'd see you both again." She gestured towards the house where Caleb still lingered in his silent state before continuing, "We should go inside now and prepare some food for dinner. We can talk more later. I'm so happy to see you."

Theo nodded silently and followed her mother inside while Caleb watched them from behind closed doors. As they made their way through the living room towards the kitchen, she noticed how quiet it had become in her absence - almost as if there was something missing from their home. But before she could ponder any further on this strange phenomenon, a voice broke through the silence: "Where have you been?"

Caleb slowly stepped out into view, his gaze piercing Theo with an intensity that froze her in place. She opened her mouth to answer but no words came out - not when he looked at her like that - so instead she just stared back into his deep green eyes before finally finding her voice again. "Theo?" He asked again in a softer tone than before.

"I... uh... I've been trying to find answers," Theo stammered nervously as she tried to piece together an explanation that would make sense without revealing too much information about Ravensky or Zandra. At this point all she knew was that Caleb had changed since he left.

She couldn't help but feeling as if there was still something left unresolved between her and Caleb; like he had gone off without explaining why or where he was going.

“Where did you go?” She said with a hint of condescension in her voice. "What do you mean?" Caleb retorted sarcastically. "You were supposed to wait for me after school so we can go to Ravensky together but you were nowhere to be found." "Gee, I wonder how it was that you managed to get there on your own," Caleb spat out curtly. "That is beside the point." Theo replied softly. “What happened to you?” She asked slowly. Averting his gaze from hers, Caleb answered softly, “I thought I could do things on my own," he added, stepping away from her and walking up the stairs towards his bedroom, "but I was wrong.” As soon as he was out of sight, a concerned spread across her face as she muttered under her breath, "Yeah, how about a thanks for saving your behind."

Theo chopped peppers, onions, and tomatoes for her mother while the freshly cooked spaghetti noodles bubbled in a pot on the stove. The three gathered around the dinner table, but the two empty chairs made it painfully obvious that Caleb and Catherine weren't joining them. Theo rose from her seat and said goodnight to her family as she announced her plans of settling into bed early. They all nodded in unison, thankful for this small gesture of peace.

Theo groaned inwardly as she stepped foot in the hallway to her bedroom later that evening. After leaving the kitchen table, she had been feeling a strange sense of apprehension about being alone, and these feelings were confirmed when a voice from within shouted at her accusingly: "Where have you been? And what did you do with my brother?!"

Theo turned to see Catherine, Caleb's twin sister, standing at the door of her brother's bedroom with an expression of deep resentment on her face. Theo stammered out an explanation for why she wasn’t able to provide an answer; how she was just as confused and worried about Caleb as everyone else. But Catherine refused to listen or accept any excuses – instead she demanded some sort of answers from Theo or else threatened to tell their parents everything that had happened.

The argument quickly escalated until their voices echoed through the otherwise quiet house and both girls were left panting heavily from their raised tempers. Finally, after much insistence on Catherine’s part, Theo finally relented and agreed to tell her what little information she knew about Ravensky and Zandra’s involvement. She explained how neither one of them could have prevented his disappearance and how he was likely out there trying to find answers on his own.

Catherine was skeptical at first but eventually seemed resigned to accept this explanation; however, the animosity between them remained evident in how they warily watched each other once the conversation came to an end. The two parted ways after a tense silence fell between them before finally breaking it with a reluctant “goodnight” from Catherine just before entering her bedroom across the hall from Theo’s.

Alone in her own room again, Theo felt relieved but also deeply troubled by conversation that had just taken place; although it had been difficult for both of them to hear it, at least now they understood each other a bit better than before - which was all either really needed.

Theo stood alone in her bedroom, feeling an odd sense of being watched. She cautiously took a few steps towards the window, scanning the shadows outside for any sign of movement. Suddenly, she heard a noise and spun around to see a mysterious figure standing in her doorway.

At first Theo was suspicious and ready to fight, but as the figure moved closer she was paralyzed with astonishment. The young woman wore a figure hugging uniform of shimmering silver and gold; her eyes danced with an inner fire and she seemed to move with an unnatural grace.

"Who are you?" Theo asked warily.

The woman smiled and extended her hand. "My name is Danny," she said. "I'm from Elysium, sent here to protect and guide you while you're in the mortal world."

Theo stared at her hand, still unsure if she could trust this stranger. Finally, she took it hesitantly. Danny's grip was strong yet gentle. She smiled reassuringly, and Theo sensed a deep sense of peace emanating from her.

Theo furrowed her brows and eyed Danny warily. "Are you sure?" she asked in a shaky voice. Danny nodded. Theo's eyes were heavy from exhaustion. Alarm still lingered in the air as Theo reluctantly bid her goodnight, before getting into bed.

For the rest of that night, Theo tossed and turned in bed unable to sleep despite feeling exhausted from all that had happened that day. Her mind kept replaying events over and over again like a never ending loop; worries about Caleb’s disappearance coupled with newly discovered responsibilities made staying asleep nearly impossible. At least now she had someone who could keep an eye on things during these dark times. With this thought in mind, eventually exhaustion got the best of her and finally allowed Theo much needed solace from a turbulent few days.