Valle : Book 2 of the Heku Series Read Free

eyes and then sat bolt upright, looking around the small room.
    “Chev? Kyle?” she called out louder, starting to panic.
    Emily jumped out of bed, but when her feet hit the floor, it moved out from under her and she fell to the floor, the world spinning. She finally managed to get to her knees and pulled herself to standing using the bed as support. A desk lamp was the only light in the room, but she was able to make out the dark blues and grays of the room’s decoration. There weren’t any windows, and she felt trapped.
    Stumbling, Emily made it to the door and swung it open to another unfamiliar room. The room was dark and she felt along the wall until she found a light switch. She looked around, confused, as she tried to figure out where she was.
    This room was larger than the other. There was a TV and couch on one end, and a small kitchen on the other. There were no windows here either, and the same blue and gray décor was also throughout this room. She saw a metal door on the far end by the TV, and she steadied herself as she went to it. When she couldn’t open it, she began to pound on the door.
    After several minutes, she stopped when no one answered and turned back to the room. The TV was turned off and there was no sound in the room, the silence was eerie. She walked past the couch and ran her hand along a tall bookshelf full of books, then looked around for some hint of familiarity.
    Emily’s eye caught sight of something strange in the far corner, something that was moving. She got closer and looked up at it, it was a camera, and it was facing her. She moved to the side and it moved with her.
    Emily had an idea on how to get some attention. She picked up one of the kitchen chairs and swung it at the camera, knocking it loose and leaving only exposed wires in its place. She went into the bathroom and looked around, but didn’t see a camera. Hesitating, she walked back into the cave-liked bedroom and saw a camera face her. She used the chair again to knock it off the wall.
    “Emily?” someone called from the larger room.
    Emily emerged from the bedroom, still carrying the chair, figuring it would work rather well for self-defense. She stopped when she saw three heku at the large metal door. They were all wearing hospital masks. She wrinkled her nose when she got closer because they smelled like strong menthol.
    “Who are you?” she asked, still holding the chair.
    “We’re here to protect you, Child,” the one in front said.
    “Then let me go.”
    “No, you will be staying with us for a while. We are going to replace the cameras, and there will be a punishment if you destroy them again,” he said calmly.
    Emily frowned, “Excuse me?”
    “A punishment, you will follow our rules or face the consequences.”
    “Are you Equites?”
    The three looked at one another nervously, “Leave the cameras alone. This is your only warning.”
    Emily threw the chair she was holding at the head of the front heku, but he blocked it easily.
    “Last warning, Emily,” he said, and then walked out, locking the heavy metal door behind him.
    Emily was starting to understand. She wasn’t sure when, but the Valle must have gotten her. She sat on the couch and curled up into a ball. Her mind was still foggy about when she was taken. She couldn’t remember if there had been a wide-scale attack and if Chevalier was alive. She buried her head in her arms and felt a tug on her arm, then looked over and saw the remains of a small puncture wound, one a needle leaves.
    She wasn’t sure of the time. There were no clocks in the rooms, but a short time after the three left her room, five more of them came back. Two grabbed her and pinned her to the wall, while the three others replaced the cameras. The two held her arms and kept away from her legs, she couldn’t get a decent shot off. As soon as the cameras were replaced, the five left quietly, never saying a word to her.
    When they left, she grabbed another chair and smashed