My back is killing me and I feel absolutely exhausted; this tree was a lot more comfortable when I first sat down. The courtyard is still empty, but for a pair of guards in the distance. I watch as one of them walks over to me. He’s older than me, certainly, but with his sandy brown hair and a soft face that lacks the hard edge the other soldiers have, he comes across as young, barely an adult. But in a place like this? It’s an illusion, a deception. “That buzzer is the warning to tell you that you need to return to your cell. If the other guards see you out here, well…” he shakes his head. “Just head back quickly now. I’ll bring your meal to you shortly.” He holds his arm out in a gesture to help me up. I help myself up. He shrugs. The sound of the lock on the massive door to my cell echoes throughout the room as it clicks shut. The place feels empty. More than just physically. I sit, exhausted on the bed, my mind unfocused.
