The Glass Cage

The rain was very loud. It hit the windows of the car with a big, heavy sound.

Iris Thorne held the steering wheel with both of her hands. Her fingers were white because she was squeezing so hard. She was afraid. 

The road was very small. It was a narrow road that went along the edge of the land. Next to the road was the big, blue ocean. The water was very agitated today. The wind was blowing hard. The waves were tall. They made big splashes against the black rocks. Iris felt her car shake when the wind hit it. She felt very small.

Up ahead, she saw a house. But it did not look like a normal house. It was not made of wood. It was not made of bricks. It was made of black glass. The glass was dark and shiny. 

The house looked like a giant box of shadows sitting on the cliff. There were no trees around it. There were no flowers. There was only the black glass and the gray sky. People called this house "The Obsidian." It was a very expensive and a very scary place. 

Iris stopped her car at the big black gate. The gate was made of heavy metal. It was very tall and very strong. No one could climb over it. There was no one there to open it. Iris sat in her car and waited. She could hear the rain hitting her roof. Suddenly, a voice spoke. It did not come from a person. It came from the air.

"Who are you?" the voice asked. It sounded like a robot, but it was very smooth. It did not sound happy, and it did not sound sad. It just sounded cold.

Iris felt her heart jump. "I am Iris Thorne," she said. Her voice shook a little bit. "I am here to see Silas Vane."

"Wait one moment," the robot voice said. This was Onyx. Onyx was the brain of the house. Onyx was an AI.

A purple light came out of the gate. It went over Iris’s car. It went over her face. It looked at her eyes. It looked at her skin. Iris sat very still. She was hiding a big secret. Her real name was not Iris Thorne. Her real name was Iris Blackwood. Her brother, Julian, was lost. He had been gone for a long time. She thought Silas Vane knew where he was. If the computer found out she was a Blackwood, she might get in big trouble.

"You may come in," Onyx said.

The gates opened. Iris drove up to the house. The house was very quiet inside. It was very clean. The floors were shiny like a mirror. You could see your face in the floor. The walls were made of glass. You could see the rain and the ocean outside. It felt like being in a glass cage.

Iris walked down a long hallway. Her shoes made a clicking sound. She felt like the house was watching her. She saw small cameras in the corners of the ceiling. They moved when she moved. They were like little eyes that never blinked.

She went into a big room. A man was standing by the window. He was tall. He wore a very nice black suit. 

This was Silas Vane. He was very rich. He was very powerful. Some people called him "The Vulture" because he was mean in business.

Silas did not turn around at first. He looked at the window. "You are late," he said. His voice was deep and cold. It made Iris feel chilly.

"The rain made me slow," Iris said. She tried to sound brave.

Silas turned around. He was very handsome, but his face was like stone. He did not smile. His eyes were gray and sharp. He looked at Iris for a long time. It felt like he was reading her mind.

"Sit down," Silas said. He pointed to a chair. The chair was made of soft black leather.

On his big desk, there was a piece of paper. It looked very important. 

"My company has a problem," Silas said. He walked around the room. "People are worried. They think I am not a good leader. I need to show them that I am a normal man. I need a fake wife. Well, a fake fiancé."

Iris opened her eyes wide. "You want me to pretend to love you?"

"Yes," Silas said. "For six months. You will live here in this house. You will go to parties with me. You will hold my hand. We will tell everyone we are getting married. If you do this, I will give you two million dollars."

Two million dollars was a lot of money. It was more money than Iris had ever seen. But she did not like Silas. She did not like his cold glass house.

"No," Iris said. She stood up. "I am a researcher. I find things. I am not a toy. I will not pretend to love a man like you. Find someone else."

Iris turned to walk away. She wanted to go back to her small car and her small house. But then, she saw something on Silas's desk. 

There was a small silver tray. On the tray, there were two small silver items. They were cufflinks. These cufflinks were shaped like little wolves. They had blue jewels for eyes.

Iris felt like the world stopped. She knew those wolves. She had bought them for her brother, Julian. She gave them to him for his birthday. They were the only ones in the whole world.

"Where did you get those?" Iris asked. Her voice was very quiet now.

Silas looked at the silver wolves. He did not say anything for a minute. Then he looked at Iris. "They belong to someone who used to work for me."

"My brother," Iris thought. "He has my brother's things."

Iris knew she could not leave now. If she left, she would never find Julian. She had to stay. She had to pretend to be Silas’s fiancé so she could look for her brother inside this big house.

She sat back down. Her hands were shaking. "I will do it," she said. "I will sign your paper."

Silas smiled, but it was not a happy smile. It was a scary smile. He gave her a silver pen. The pen was heavy. Iris took the pen and wrote her name on the paper. Iris Thorne.

As soon as she finished writing, Silas leaned over the desk. He was very close to her now. She could smell his perfume.

"Welcome to my home, Iris," he whispered in her ear. "But you must be careful. This house has ears. The walls can hear you. The floors can hear you. Do not tell any lies. If you lie, the house will catch you."

Iris looked up at him. She was scared, but she was also angry. She looked at the corner of the room. There was a camera there. 

Usually, the camera had a small blue light. Blue meant it was okay. But as Iris looked at it, the light changed. It turned bright red. It looked like a red eye. It was staring right at her.

The house knew she was lying. The house knew she was not just a researcher. The house knew she was a Blackwood.

"I am in the belly of the beast," Iris thought. 

She looked at Silas. He was watching her. He looked like he knew a secret. He looked like he was the boss of the beast. Iris was now trapped in the glass cage, and the door was locked.

Outside, the thunder made loud sounds. The lights in the house flickered. For a second, everything was dark. When the lights came back on, Silas was gone. He had moved very fast. 

Iris was all alone in the big room with the red eye of the camera. She looked at the silver wolves on the desk. 

"I will find you, Julian," she promised. "I will find the truth, even if this house tries to stop me."

She stood up and walked to the window. The ocean was black. The rain was still falling. She was a prisoner now, but she was a prisoner with a plan. She would play the game. She would be the fake fiancé. But she would also be a spy. 

The first day was over. The game was just starting. It was a dangerous game, and the prize was her brother's life. Iris took a deep breath. She had to be strong. She could not let Silas see her cry. She could not let the house see her fear.

She walked out of the room and into the dark hallway. The red light of the camera followed her every step of the way.