At first Autumn just sat around the garden, wondering if she should accept it. Everything between Cage and her was always a battle of wills. If she took this garden she knew he'd think he won... again. If she didn't, she was sure he'd let the garden rot just to spite her. He could care less if it all went to shit and every last bird died, but she would care.
Her first full day in the garden, she watched the birds as they went about making their nests and catching worms. Autumn fed them some seeds and figured that if they could accept this place then so could she. At dinner Caged asked if she liked her garden and, begrudgingly, she said yes. It took nearly three days before the smug smile left his face.
After a week hummingbird feeders were added to the garden. Autumn got to see her very first hummingbirds. They were just as magical as she thought they’d be. It seemed to motivate her.
She took all of the pots out of her room and slowly worked them into her garden. There were two patches of dirt for her. One was marked for flowers and the other was marked for vegetables.
She was given some tools and it took her nearly two days to plant all of her flowers. She watered them every day and looked forward to watching them grow. She ended up planting all sorts of new flowers and vegetables. She wondered how they would all turn out. When the greens sprouted through the ground, she got so excited.
Over the next few weeks the garden quickly became her favorite place to go in the tower. The walls were painted like the sky and, with the natural sunlight and fresh air, it really did feel like she was outside. When she was in there she’d shut the doors and pretend she was in her own little world.
Her schedule was adjusted to allow her two hours in the garden every day. She could choose whenever to take those two hours, but could not go over them.
Autumn chose to have an hour in the morning and an hour in the late afternoon. Every so often she’d choose to have her afternoon time at night. When the lights were out the walls had been painted with glow in the dark paint so it look like she was under the stars.
When she wasn’t gardening, Autumn would sit under one of the trees and read a book. One afternoon she fell asleep under a tree and woke up to find squirrels and rabbits had been added to the garden. The rabbits hopped around making their own holes to live in, while the squirrels climbed the trees. Autumn liked watching them and felt bad when they couldn’t find nuts. They had a planter, but it wasn’t the same. Autumn asked for a nut tree and the next day two different trees were planted. The squirrels seemed to like that and she enjoyed watching them run about.
Autumn found she really like the animals. Almost as much as she liked the gardening. Sometimes she would feel bad for them, thinking that if it weren’t for her they wouldn’t be here. They would be free to go where they wanted and do what they wanted. They would have the entire world as their playpen.
She knew she couldn’t get the squirrels and rabbits out, but sometimes she thought about letting the birds go. If she climbed a tree maybe she could cut one of the nets with her tools. If they could just get through the windows when they were open, they’d be free.
Of course, Autumn would miss the sounds they made in the mornings. She would miss their pretty colors and their small movements. After a while she began to realize how the garden and the animals were keeping her sane. During these last few weeks in the tower she'd actually had moments that felt normal. For the most part the animals seemed happy, so what would it hurt to keep them just for a little while?
Autumn wondered for a moment if that was Cage’s reasoning. Perhaps Autumn was the only thing keeping him sane. But she knew people and animals were different. Besides, if the animals let her know they really hated it here, she’d let them go.
Cage was still busy with something. He would have long meetings and sometimes miss meals. Autumn wondered what was going on. She figured he’d been busy with the garden but it turned out other things were going on. Every so often she’d hear a bit here or there. Something about casualties and targets. Whenever a target was hit there would always be a lot of cheers.
When they did see each other, Autumn did her best not to argue. She wanted to make sure Penna got her days off to see her brother. Penna told her when Byron's graduation was and every so often Autumn would ask Cage.
Cage seemed preoccupied most the time. Autumn couldn’t be sure if he was listening to her as he looked over his reports. There were a few times he did respond to her, but it was always no. Penna had her place and knew what was expected of her. This wasn’t a normal job. There was no vacation or time off. This was Penna’s duty to the Zisgani family. She had her tasks to do since Autumn could not do them herself.
Autumn swore she would be good. She promised to take care of herself and do everything that was asked of her while Penna was away. Cage laughed at that. He seemed to think Autumn was incapable of sticking to her routine. Autumn wanted to snap at him but she knew it would just lead to another argument so she held her tongue.
Every so often she thought about what Cage said about being free. She really wondered whether she would be free if she just saw herself that way. She thought about it over and over, but in the end she didn’t think it was true. No matter how she saw herself, if she wasn’t free, she wasn’t free. If she was free she could leave and go wherever she wanted. If she was free she wouldn’t have to be with him
Yet sometimes she would almost forget as she worked in her garden. She would pretend that there was nothing beyond this moment. That nothing existed beyond this garden. She told herself that she was free here and could do whatever she wanted. That this was her place to do with as she wished. That she could feel and dream how she wanted. She would lay in the grass and stare up at the sky. Sometimes she would imagine herself floating up and away from this place. And even if it was for a few minutes here or there, she’d feel free.
Autumn found herself wanting to spend more and more time in the garden. There was a small gazebo in one of the corners of the garden. One afternoon, she asked if she could have her tea there. The staff set up a small table and chairs. She enjoyed having her tea there so much that she later asked if she could have lunch there.
After that, Autumn ate lunch in the garden nearly every day. Any time she didn’t have to eat lunch with Cage, she would choose to have it in the garden. Part of her worried that Cage might want to join her one day, but he didn’t. He seemed to have really given her the garden to do with as she pleased. After that first day he hadn’t once stepped foot inside. At least, not as far as she could tell.
The fact that he let her be when she was in her garden only made her want to be there even more. She considered staying in there all the time. There were a few times she went over her two hours and Penna warned her not to mess with the schedule. In the end Autumn didn’t want to risk Cage coming into the garden or taking it away from her.
She asked for another hour in the garden and Cage said she could have it if, and only if, she stuck to her schedule. Autumn now spent an hour in her garden in the morning, afternoon, and evening. She loved the garden more than ever. She loved to feed the animals, dance, and read, but most of all she loved having a place that was just hers.
A few days later she finally learned a full song on the clarinet. She went to Cage’s office to play for him, but he was busy. Fredric told her to do something else for a while. She decided to keep practicing and went to the garden to do so. She found she loved the atmosphere and the sound of the music within the room. It was like she was playing outside.
Twenty minutes later, Penna came to get her. She told her Cage was ready for her to play for him. Autumn met Cage in his office. While she made a few mistakes here and there, she managed to play a full song. When he said she had passed she asked him if she could quit the clarinet, and he let her.
He asked her what instrument she wanted to learn next. Autumn asked Cage if she could take a break from learning a new instrument and instead focus on the instruments she already knew. She asked if she could practice playing the harp in her garden.
The next day, when she came to the garden, a large harp had been set up on some stones in the grass. She spent some time playing the harp. She enjoyed the sound it made as the birds sang their songs. Autumn felt like she was some sort of mythical creature as her fingers fell across the cords. She enjoyed the feeling of her fingertips as they strummed the strings. She closed her eyes and just listened to the music as she played.
She didn’t know Cage had installed cameras in the garden so he could listen and watch her, whenever he wanted. When he saw her playing the harp he couldn’t take his eyes off her. It took him a lot of self control not to burst into her garden and take her right then and there. Instead, he sent Penna to fetch her.
When Penna stepped into the garden, Autumn wondered if her time was up already. Had she gone over? Penna told her Cage wanted to see her at once. She wondered what he wanted but soon found out when she got to his office. He was already naked and waiting for. He quickly undressed her, and took her for nearly an hour on his desk.
**********
Two days later Autumn woke late to the sound of Penna rushing around the room. Autumn yawned and stretched, wondering what time it was as Penna quickly put some clothes together. Autumn watched her move about. She wondered why she had been allowed to sleep so late.
Penna paused when she noticed Autumn was awake. She made her way over to the bed with a smile and said, “Oh good, you’re up. I was just about to wake you. You need to get up and get dressed. You have a very busy day today.”
“What’s happening?” asked Autumn as she rolled out of bed. Her feet touched the cold marble and she once again stretched before standing up.
“I can’t tell you, but you must hurry. Cage doesn’t want to be kept waiting much longer.”
“What time is it?” asked Autumn, looking around. She didn’t have a clock in her room so she had no idea how late it was. “Is it late?”
“Yes,” said Penna, quickly pulling at Autumn’s nightgown.
Autumn took it off, pulling it over her head. She handed it to Penna and Penna handed her a dress. As Autumn put it on, she wondered if Penna was alright. It wasn't like her to let Autumn slip on her schedule. She asked, "Is everything okay? Why didn't you wake me up sooner?"
“Cage told me not to.” said Penna. "Everything's fine. Cage told me to let you sleep in."
“Well, if he didn’t want you to wake me, then why did you? And why am I late?”
“About ten minutes ago Cage realized that if he let you sleep, you’d sleep the day away. So he told me to wake you up and get you ready to go.”
“Where are we going?” asked Autumn.
“I told you, I can’t tell you.” said Penna. She handed Autumn a hairbrush. As Autumn brushed her hair, Penna rushed to get some shoes. A few minutes later she came back with some and put them on the floor. Autumn stepped into them and took notice of her clothes.
The dress Penna had given her wasn’t sheer or fancy. It was a nice, solid summer dress with bright flowers and colors. The shoes were sensible for spring. Penna gave Autumn a sun hat. She wondered if they were going somewhere outside. She handed Autumn a jean purse. There was candy and odd shaped coins inside. It wasn’t what she usually got. Now Autumn was really curious.
“Can’t you at least give me a hint?” asked Autumn.
“No. I’m sorry.” said Penna as her phone buzzed. She quickly texted on it and grasped Autumn’s hand. “We really must go!”
Autumn nodded and let Penna lead her out of the bedroom. They went straight to the elevators. Autumn was sure they would wait for Cage, but they didn’t. Penna used her card to summon the elevator. When it arrived they both got in without Cage and went downstairs. When they switched elevators in the middle of the tower, Autumn was still surprised not to see Cage. He never let her go lower than the top floor without him.
Penna held her hand tightly. When they got to the parking garage she took Autumn straight to a waiting town car. A bodyguard opened the door and Penna quickly shoved Autumn inside before the door was shut. Inside the car Cage was on his cell phone.
As Autumn buckled herself in, Cage pulled himself away from his cell phone to smile at her and said, “Good morning.”
“Morning.” said Autumn. She was surprised to see him smiling. He actually looked like he was in a good mood.
Fredric was driving and they soon left the parking garage. As they drove, Autumn looked around. She couldn’t help but wonder just where they were going. She knew it was a surprise, but she didn’t even have a clue as to what it might be. When the car pulled up in front of a very large park she wondered if he was taking her there or somewhere else nearby.
Autumn knew she had complained a few times that her garden wasn’t a park, but surely Cage hadn’t bought her a park. Surely he wouldn’t be letting her just go to the park whenever she wanted. She started to get excited that this might be the surprise but quickly squashed the idea, knowing Cage would never let her just go anywhere.
Fredric got out and opened the doors. Cage was first to get out, followed by Autumn. She heard music nearby, and she could smell hot dogs and funnel cakes. Up ahead, she saw an amusement park had been set up in the park. There was a barrier all around the park and this seemed to be the only way in. There was security around the barriers, keeping people from getting in as they passed the park. They seemed just as curious as she was.
Cage hung up his cell phone and put it in his pocket. He took Autumn’s hand and held it tightly. They began to walk down one of the stone pathways of the park. As they drew closer to the amusement park Autumn expected to see more people, but there were only a few here or there. She wondered just what was going on.
She turned to Cage and asked, “What are we doing?”
“We’re going to a party.” said Cage casually.
“A party in the park? What kind of party is in a park?”
“A birthday party.” said Cage, with a little smile on his face.
“Who’s?” asked Autumn, pausing.
Cage paused with her and laughed for a second, as if Autumn should know. When Autumn just kept looking at him Cage finally said, “Yours. Happy birthday, Autumn. Is this outside enough for you?”
Cage’s small smile turned into a grin, as if he’d been hiding it this whole time. Autumn realized she should have recognized how condescending he got when he was trying to be nice. Yet all she could think about right then was the fact that today was her birthday. Today was her birthday and she’d completely forgotten.
As a kid she had loved her birthday. She would think and talk about it months in advance. As an adult she would still think about it weeks in advance. She liked celebrating it. Never in her life had she ever forgotten a birthday. But Autumn didn’t really know what time it was anymore. In Cage’s world, there were no days or weeks, only every single day.
Autumn knew it had been nearly two years now. Over two years, actually. She knew at some point her birthday would come around again, but she hadn’t really been looking forward to it. Last year's birthday had been awful.
It had been her first birthday with Cage and she’d been in a sour mood. She'd only been with him for a few months. She hadn’t wanted to participate in any of his plans. The party had been in the tower with at least a dozen guards. There had been cake and gifts, but Autumn hadn’t wanted any of it.
There had been music and some dancing, but it had all been a cruel joke. Cage had to open her presents as she wouldn’t even touch them. When it came time to do the cake and candles, Autumn had just sat there. In turn Cage and the others had just sat there waiting for her to blow them out. Whenever a candle blew out it was relit, and whenever one got too low it was replaced. Eventually Autumn just lost it. She'd picked up the cake and thrown it at Cage. It had hit him in the face and chest. Autumn had just laughed. It had been the best part of the day.
Cage had been furious with her, but he didn’t hurt or punish her. He'd just stormed off without a word. Autumn was dragged back to her bedroom where she was locked away for the rest of the day. She cried herself to sleep that night and didn’t think she would ever enjoy her birthday again. Not as long as she was with Cage.
Autumn sighed as she thought of it and Cage quickly gabbed her chin. He brought her out of her thoughts as he pulled her to look at him. “Be happy, Autumn. You can throw a fit and fight every other day of the year, but today is your day. I had this amusement park specifically set up for you, so enjoy it and have fun with your friend.”
Autumn looked at him curiously, wondering what he meant about friend. Cage took Autumn’s hand once more and they walked to the amusement park entrance. Autumn saw Penna there waiting for her. She had changed her clothes and looked happy to see Autumn. She reached out a hand to her and Autumn stumbled forward. She wondered if Cage would let her go, and he did.
As she walked over to Penna, she expected Cage to join them. Instead, he lit a cigarette before slowly making his way over to some benches where he could watch. Fredric was already there with Lane and some soda and the three began to chat. Autumn looked at Cage and then to Penna. Then she looked across the park. She really didn’t know what to think.
It had been so long since she’d just been allowed to go somewhere and just do what she wanted. For a second Autumn got excited as she looked at the park. She realized there were a lot of things they could do together and that this was actually going to be fun.
However, a moment later she scolded herself. She reminded herself that she was still a captive. A captive at a park, but a captive nonetheless. If she let herself enjoy the amusement park, she would be telling Cage it was okay to do what he wanted because she would live within his world he created. That she would adjust herself to fit his desires.
Autumn turned away from the park and Cage perked up his head. Fredric straightened himself as if he knew there was going to be trouble. Autumn thought about attempting to escape. She thought about just marching up to Cage and telling him to take her to the tower, that she would not give in to him. Not now, not ever. But Penna stepped up, taking her hand and squeezing it.
"I'm not going to tell you what you should do here, Autumn." Penna said as she looked at her. "I just want you to ask yourself one thing. When's the last time you had funnel cake?"
Autumn looked at Penna and laughed. She knew what Penna was really trying to tell her. That today was her day. But it really wasn’t. Still, Autumn looked at Penna and how happy she looked. She looked at the amusement park and wondered if any of these people would get paid if she called off her party. She supposed she could hang out for an hour or two. It beat sitting in her bed or her classes all the time. And if Cage wasn’t going to be with her, maybe, just maybe, for a few hours she could forget about him and all this. Maybe she could just be with her friend at the amusement park on her birthday.
Autumn squeezed Penna’s hand and nodded. She turned back around and together they walked forward into the amusement park. Cage let out a sigh as Fredric relaxed. He didn’t want to have to chase her down. Not with all the work they’d all put into this.
There was all sorts of music in the amusement park, from rides and various games, to an actual band playing. Autumn didn’t know what she wanted to do first. There must have been hundreds of things Penna and her could do. Each ride and game had a bodyguard and an operator. Autumn was used to there being lines to anything she wanted to do, but there wasn’t a single line. The entire park was hers to do with as she wanted.
Autumn thought she would tour the park to see what it all offered and then pick something, but when she saw the house of mirrors, she couldn’t resist going in. She and Penna both went through and she was able the find her way out before Penna. When she climbed the stairs to the top there were all sorts of fun house mirrors. Penna had a camera and took pictures of them. When they were finished they went down a long twisting slide.
From there, Autumn wanted to do everything. She went through three fun houses twice, enjoying the different layouts of each. There was a large slide that reached high into the air. She went down five times. Penna wasn’t much for heights, so she just watched Autumn go down the slide. There was a Ferris wheel that was shorter than the slide. Penna went with her. From the top of it they could see the entire park.
There was a small roller coaster. Autumn rode twice before going on the bumper cars and bumper boats. When they were done with the bumper boats they were wet and had to dry off, but it was fun. Then they got to play laser tag through the park. Penna ended up winning, but she knew how to use a gun. They played some games after that: darts, balls, and whack-a-mole. Every prize Autumn won was packed away with her presents. If there was anything she wanted she could just ask for it and they’d give it to her.
When she got hungry they had some onion rings and funnel cake. She rode on the carousal after that. She took a turn going around on every animal. Penna gave her some medication to take when she got a little sick, but she had so much fun. It was like she was a kid again and for a few hours she actually felt free. After they rode on a pirate ship that made Autumn feel like she could fly, Cage called for Penna and Autumn to come open presents.
Slowly she was brought back down to earth. Autumn didn’t want the fun to end, but she knew it had to some time. Reluctantly she went with Penna to a large group of tables that had been set up. There were dozens of presents, as well as cake and ice cream. Penna was the first to give her a present.
Autumn opened it and saw Penna had gotten her a charm bracelet with different colored bells. She hugged Penna, telling her how much she liked it. Lane gave her a present then. It was a scarf. Autumn thanked her, but doubted Lane had wanted to give her a gift. It was probably required.
Her assumption was reassured as Fredric stepped up next. Autumn knew Fredric didn’t like her, but he handed her a gift anyway. It was a cup and ball. To be fair she didn’t know what to expect from Fredric, but she found his gift to be oddly interesting. She knew it would take her a while to master such a game.
Cage was nearly jumping up and down as he waited for his turn. He rocked back and forth on his heels, smiling when Penna took the ball and cup from her. He quickly stepped up and took Autumn’s hand. He guided her over to a table that was only a few feet away. It was covered with a sheet. Autumn wondered what it could be and Cage pulled her in. He kissed her, lingering a bit before he moved her hand to the sheet. He quickly asked her to lift it.
Autumn lifted the cloth and was surprised to see hundreds of cheeses stacked on a table. She raised an eyebrow, wondering why there were so many. Cage beamed with satisfaction as he boasted, “This isn’t all of it, but I know you like cheeses. So I got you a sample of every known cheese. The rest are at home in storage rooms and freezers. Each cheese is tagged, so if there is any cheese you like just write it down and I‘ll get more of it.”
“Oh.” said Autumn, looking at the table of cheese. She had to admit there were so many of them. It wasn’t a bad gift, just a little surprising that he’d gotten every cheese known. Autumn wondered how long it would take to sample them all. Surely weeks, at least. Maybe months or even years. She sighed then, thinking of being with Cage for years. It had to be one of the most miserable thoughts she’d ever had.
Cage rested his hands on Autumn’s stomach and her stomach groaned. He kissed the back of her neck before whispering in her ear. “There are more gifts. We can open them later, but for now let's get you some cake and ice cream.”
Cage turned Autumn and guided her over to a large cake that took up a whole table. It could have been a wedding cake with all its layers. It had rainbows, clouds, and assorted flowers all over it. Each layer seemed to be a different frosting and cake altogether. There was at least six different vats of ice cream that surrounded the cake table. Autumn had to admit when Cage went all out, he really went all out.
Several staff dressed in chef’s coats quickly lit candles around the cake. When it was all lit up, Cage took his hands from Autumn’s shoulders. He began to clap and sing. Autumn suddenly took notice that she and the cake were in a center of a large crowd. All of the operators from the amusement park had come over, and the guards were all there along with a bunch of other people Autumn didn’t know. They all began to sing and cheer.
When the song was done, Cage put his hand back on Autumn’s shoulders. He gently rubbed them as she leaned forward. She took a moment to think of her wish and then closed her eyes. She blew several of her candles out. Cage helped blow out a few others and the staff took care of the rest. The crowd clapped and cheered as Cage whirled Autumn around.
He leaned in and gently kissed Autumn’s lips. Thankfully, the kiss was short and sweet. When he pulled away Cage had the biggest smile on his face. For a second it caught Autumn off guard. His eyes almost seemed warm. He said something then, but it was muffled by the sound of gunfire ripping through the air. Autumn wrenched her head around, wondering where it was coming from.
Unopened presents flew through the air, hitting the ground. Something inside one of the boxes shattered as it hit the stone ground. The terrifying sound of automatic gunfire spread across the park. As Autumn registered the noise, she felt a body slam into hers as Cage drove her to the ground. A secondary impact registered a split second later as one of Cage's bodyguards slammed down on top of both of them, followed by another and another.
All around Autumn, party goers and park workers drew firearms. They pulled them from pockets, legs holsters, suit jackets, and waistbands. A fury of gunfire was unleashed upon the attackers. At the same time, tables that had been set up on the grass were knocked over. People crouched behind them for cover as an all out gun battle unfolded.
From the ground it was hard for Autumn to see much, but somehow she tracked the attacking gunfire to a small group of vehicles speeding past the park. It all happened in a matter of seconds. She was on the floor and then up again as someone bodily lifted her and Cage, throwing them both behind one of the overturned tables that seemed to be bulletproof. Autumn looked around sadly, seeing scattered cheeses and cakes already being mashed into the ground by uncaring feet.
Next to her, Cage regained his feet and drew a handgun from under his suit jacket. He was speaking even as he was firing, but she couldn't register his words. Sparks flew like rain from the cars as they sped past. One of them careened wildly and swerved into a parked car. The rest of them sped off into the city streets. Cage was still talking, but everything sounded muted to Autumn, muffled somehow.
In the next moment, people were being carried off, most dripping blood. Others simply seemed to disappear. Some chairs and tables were quickly folded up and carried off. About half the party goers were gone, along with the seating arrangements for them. With a sudden pop, the world resumed normal speed for Autumn. She could hear sirens in the distance, and people shouting to one another. Cage's voice rang out over the rest.
"Double check the chair count! We don't want any questions about the seating! No, put Tom down! He's clean. The ambulance will be here for him, and everyone else with a clean record, in just a minute! Everyone else, get out of here! Carry those who can't walk. I don't want anyone with a record still here in thirty seconds! Go!"
He looked down at Autumn. "You back with us?" She nodded weakly at him.
"Good. The cops are going to be here in just a minute. Don't say a damn thing. Just keep your head down and your mouth shut. We'll be out of here in no time."
Cage left her then, dispensing orders more quietly now. Some men ran over to the crashed car, and started rummaging around in it. As the police sirens drew closer, they finished whatever they were doing and returned to the park.
Police filled the area as at least a dozen cop cars showed up. Nearly everyone put their hands up as the police attempted to figure out what was going on. The next few minutes were confusing for Autumn, as she tried to sort out what had happened. She kept finding herself walking back to the spilled cheeses and pastries. She tried to pick them back up. She realized she was probably in shock, but she didn't know what else to do.
Meanwhile, Cage talked to the police about what had just happened. Autumn noticed the detectives Stills and Carter. For a moment she paused in picking up her cheese. They were having a heated conversation with Cage as ambulances showed up. She couldn't hear what Cage was saying, but in the end both detectives nodded and neither one stopped him when he turned away from them. Cage looked around the area before he started walking back to her.
He stopped a few feet away from her and watched her as she went back to picking up cheeses. She was brushing them off, and setting them back down on the table. After a few minutes he stepped up to her, gently wrapping his arms around her. He stopped her from moving, taking what cheese she had in her arms. He let them drop to the ground and said, "It's ok, Autumn. I'll get you more cheese. You don't need to save these. Everything's going to be fine. They're not going to hold us for questioning right now." He paused as one of the men he'd sent to rummage through the wreck approached him.
"Hey boss, we didn't find a whole lot. Got some names. Took their pictures. Four bodies. They all had these on them." He held up a small cloth patch. Three interlocking triangles were sewn into the fabric. "We'll run the licenses and see what we can find out."
"Don't bother. I recognize the symbol." Cage rolled his shoulders in irritation. The symbol belonged to the mercenary group that had taken Autumn earlier. They were known as the Trigauz. He'd recently killed most of their members when they'd made the mistake of taking what was his. He looked at Autumn as she stared down at the cheeses on the ground. She attempted to pick them up again but he held her.
This time, he'd make sure they were wiped out. He’d send out orders to exterminate the surviving members of the group, along with their families and any known groups that worked with them. If any survivors hadn't learned their lesson the first time they wouldn't get a second chance.
Cage took Autumn's hand and pulled her to move with him. "Come on, it's time to go." He looked over the park once more and then ordered some men to gather up all the presents and bring them to his office. Cage pulled Autumn through the park and Fredric met them with the car. When they got in, Cage squeezed Autumn’s hand tightly before saying, “We’ll finish opening your presents at home.”
Autumn didn’t say anything. She just stared forward, feeling numb. The ride home was quiet and at one point Autumn began to shake. Cage took off his jacket and pulled it around her. Autumn swore she could still hear gunfire as she thought of all the blood. She knew there would always be blood as long as Cage was involved. Everywhere he went there was death. And on what should have been a decent day, considering her situation, he had smeared his darkness once more.
When they got to the tower, Cage lifted Autumn up. He carried her all the way to his office before setting her down on his leather couch. He got her some medication from his desk along with some water. She took it without really thinking and for a few hours she just sat on his couch as he made calls.
At one point Penna came in and Cage ordered her to clean Autumn up. She got a towel and some water, washing Autumn's face and skin. She put bandages on some cuts Autumn had gotten from being slammed into the ground. Penna didn’t look as distraught or as upset as Autumn was, but Autumn supposed she was used to this kind of thing. After seeing her fiancée shot in front of her, Autumn thought she should be used to it too. But she wasn’t. She didn’t think she’d ever be.
Penna sat with Autumn for a few minutes, attempting to talk to her. She ran her hands through her hair and said, “I’m sorry your party was ruined.”
Autumn finally spoke and quietly said, “It’s okay.” She looked to Cage as she added, “It’s not your fault, Penna.”
Several minutes passed as guards came and went, dropping off presents within the room. They covered the tables, chairs, and the floor. There were so many. Many more than she had seen at the park. But she didn’t want any of them.
When Cage got off the phone, he straightened his suit and fixed his hair. He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it. He smoked as he looked at Autumn and Penna. He looked around the room before reaching into his suit jacket. He pulled out a large envelope and called for Penna to come over. Without hesitation she went to him. He handed her the envelope and said, “Take this and leave us.”
“Yes sir.” said Penna as she took the envelope that had her name on it. She looked to Autumn for a second as she left. Alone with Cage, Autumn sat in silence. For several long minutes neither of them spoke. Cage smoked his cigarette until barely any of it was left. Then he looked at Autumn’s presents before asking, “Would you like to finish opening your presents?”
“No.” said Autumn, crossing her arms. She didn’t want to be near him right now, but she knew she couldn’t leave until he told her she could.
Cage sighed before he scratched the back of his neck. He thought for a moment before he said, “Well, at least this year you got to make your wish.”
Autumn didn’t know if that was supposed to be a joke or what. She scoffed at him saying, “It doesn’t matter. I’ll never get it.”
“Really? What is it?”
“You know what it is.”
“Freedom again.” sighed Cage, playing with his ring. “I thought we put this to rest with the garden, Autumn. None of us are free. All of us have our stations in life, and rules we have to abide by. It's how you view things that makes you free or not.”
“I understand that.” said Autumn. “I didn’t wish for my freedom. I just wished I was free of you.”
Cage clenched his jaw and turned his hands into fists. His face twisted in anger, becoming a frightening mask. “After all I’ve done for you, you still make me out to be the villain!”
“That’s because you are! Don’t you get it? I don’t care how you wine and dine me. I’m not a fucking object to be had, or a pet to be cared for. I’m a person, Cage, and you’re hurting me! You’re cruel! You’re sadistic and ruthless. You’re a monster! All you do is hurt and destroy. How many people died today because of you and what you do? How many lives have you destroyed?”
Cage's hands tightened. His fingers turned white as his arms shook. His mouth turned like he was about to speak. But after a moment he exhaled violently and carefully unclenched his hands. Then he sighed and rubbed his forehead. He waved for Autumn to leave. “Enough. You’re boring me. Go now, or I’ll find something constructive for your mouth to do.”
Autumn glared at Cage. She wanted to snap at him again, but in the end she realized there had been enough violence for one day. With a heavy sigh she turned from Cage, clenching her fists. As she left the room she couldn’t help but think he’d ruined two birthdays in a row.
She made her way to her room. She wanted to forget all about today. She wanted to curl up in bed and cry herself to sleep, just as she had last year. But when she got to her room she found Penna sitting on her bed with tears in her eyes. Autumn paused for a moment, wondering what had happened.
She saw the envelope Cage had given Penna. She wondered if he’d done something to upset her. Autumn stumbled forward and went to ask what had happened, but before she could speak Penna shot up from the bed. She quickly rushed over to Autumn, shouting, “OH AUTUMN! OH AUTUMN!”
Before Autumn could react Penna wrapped her arms around her lifting her up. She spun Autumn around the room, cheering. “THANK YOU! Thank you so much! Whatever you said or did, thank you!”
When Penna put Autumn down, she realized Penna’s tears were tears of joy. She had no idea why Penna was thanking her and looked at her, puzzled. “What?”
Penna smiled at Autumn, hugging her again before she pulled back. She held up the envelope Cage had given her and took out what was inside as she said, “Cage gave me the time off to go see Byron at his graduation!”
“Oh…really?” said Autumn, surprised. The last time she’d asked Cage if Penna could have the time off, he’d still adamantly said no.
“Yes! And he gave me a full week off instead of the two days I asked for. He’s also paying for my flight and hotel stay!”
“Really? Wow.” said Autumn.
“That’s not all.” said Penna, getting really excited. Her face turned red and she began to jump up and down. “He got Byron a graduation gift! I thought my gift might be the only one. You know, how you helped me pick out that watch? And I wished I could get him something more. Well Cage… Cage…paid Byron’s tuition!”
“What?” said Autumn, shocked. She knew how much tuition could cost. She had gone to a community college for two years and knew it was going to take her at least a decade or two to pay it back. Autumn could only imagine how much it cost to be a doctor, especially at a prestigious school like the one Byron had gone to.
“Yes, and he didn’t just pay some of it. He paid it all. All eight years. Byron is now debt free and he’s going to have his doctor's degree. Can you believe it!”
Penna handed Autumn the envelope Cage had given her before she began to jump and dance around the room. All of it was still sinking in for her as Penna cheered over and over again. Autumn opened the envelope. She saw the plane tickets in Penna’s name, along with a brochure to an expensive hotel near Byron’s college. There was also a letter showing that Byron’s tuition had been paid. Lastly, Autumn saw a letter in Cage’s personal stationary explaining it all.
Penna,
I am grateful for your hard work and service. Please take the following week of Byron’s graduation off. I have purchased two first class tickets to take you there and back, along with a week's stay at the Brenmore Suites. Please wish Byron well, and let him know that his tuition has been paid in full.
Cage
Autumn read the letter twice before she put everything back in the envelope. Penna continued to dance for several more minutes before she came back over to Autumn. She hugged her once more before saying calmly, “Thank you so much, Autumn. You have no idea how much this means to Byron and me. Thank you.”
Autumn didn’t really know what to say. This was beyond what she had asked for, and beyond what she thought Cage was capable of at this point. Here, Autumn had just chewed him out for being a monster. She didn’t know what to say or think about him, so she didn’t.
Penna put the envelope in her pocket before looking at Autumn. Autumn still had some stuff in her hair, and scuff marks on her skin that had been missed. Penna suggested Autumn have some tea and take a nice bath before laying down. Autumn was too tired to argue with her. She let Penna order her some tea and run a hot bath for her.
She was sore getting in, and quiet as she drank her tea in the tub. Penna scrubbed her back and washed her hair before helping her dry off. Autumn changed into a pink night gown. The sun had gone down already. She had no idea what time it was as she crawled into bed. She only knew that she was exhausted.
Today had been a roller coaster of emotions. So many things had happened in the span of one day, and so many people had lost their lives. Penna turned on some light music before she shut off all the lights. She wished Autumn well and left for her room, which was only a few doors away.
Autumn laid awake in bed for several minutes thinking about all that had happened. When she closed her eyes she couldn’t help but see the people who had died, and she swore she could still hear screams and gunshots ringing in her ears. She tossed and turned, wrestling with her blankets. She couldn’t help but think that today she was another year older when some would never be.
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