Tormented: Day 10

Word Count: 60,016

Summary of Events:

Riel received a call from Roberto that Esperanza's case was being closed again, and made excuses for why, which prompted Riel to file another injunction against the Mar del Plata police department. Esperanza was exhausted by the Argonauts not leaving her alone and talked with Selene, one of the other girls; Selene offered to guard Esperanza while she slept on the couch so she could get some rest. Riel and his father had a rather lengthy and intellectual discourse on why Riel had filed the second injunction, with his father warning him that his stubbornness and patriotism could end up causing him trouble if he wouldn't take care. Esperanza and the other girls were all let outside and Esperanza noticed Athena sitting sadly on the edge of the pool in the backyard garden . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

"I wish I would've done it while I had the chance," Athena said quietly.

"Done what?" Esperanza asked.

"Tried to escape," Athena replied.

"Who did?" Esperanza asked eagerly.

"The previous Gaia, and some others," Athena replied. "I hadn't been here too long when they tried."

"Did they succeed?" Esperanza asked.

"No," Athena replied. "They were caught and locked away in one of the bedrooms downstairs until Zeus decided they were all to be sent to Thanatos, starting with Gaia."

"How did they try to escape?" Esperanza asked.

"They tried to climb the gate," Athena replied. "They broke out in the middle of the night and climbed up on each other's shoulders, but they didn't get over the gate before they were found out."

Esperanza looked at the bottom of the pool, tiled with round white and light grey stones. It looked rather elegant, but Esperanza couldn't help but feel down. She wondered if any other girls had tried to escape before then, and how successful they were.

"The former Gaia looked a lot like you," Athena said.

Esperanza startled and looked at Athena, whose gaze remained on the pool's softly rippling waters.

"Maybe you were sisters," Athena said.

"I never had any of my siblings go missing," Esperanza said.

"Maybe a cousin then," Athena said.

"Must be a very distant cousin," Esperanza said.

"She had blue eyes," Athena said.

"Oh," Esperanza said. "But otherwise she looked like me?"

"Very much so," Athena replied. "I think she even told us she was from Argentina."

Esperanza raked her brain, but she couldn't think of anyone she might've known in Argentina with blue eyes who may've gone missing.

"She was very friendly, kind, and beautiful," Athena said. "And I think she was the one who led the escape planning. It seems all of you Argentinians want to get out of here."

"And why don't you?" Esperanza asked.

"It's impossible," Athena replied. "And their failed escape proves it."

"Not necessarily," Esperanza said. "Being as they were a large group wanting to escape all at once, that was really the best way by which they could have gotten out of here, however they probably could've spent a little more time on planning and making sure they had it all figured out a little bit better. Although there would be another option for a group escape."

"There're no other options," Athena said.

"We could all hide in trees," Esperanza said. "Not all going up at once, but one going up, and then other, in the trees closest to the gate, and then ignoring the call when we're called in because a vehicle is coming. As soon as the gate opens we start climbing down and make a break for it, maybe even holding the gate open if we can for those still coming if the Argonauts try to close it, depending on what the Argonauts' reaction is to our break.""