No Escape

Chapter 13

After a couple of moments, Nanette pushed Mo away.
"I'm sorry!" Mo yelled.
"No! It was my fault," she said with an apologetic voice, "I thought I was the only one."

"Well, I guess you're not. Are you out?"
"No, you?"
"Sort of, I am, but I don't exactly tell people. It's my business, right?"
"Yeah, of course, and even now, I just didn't want to get into any more trouble."
"I hesitated for a while, to tell ya the truth, but I stopped myself from telling that nun that I'm gay."
"That's good I mean, I never saw those poor women again, who knows where they're keeping them. Who knows where they are? Heck, they don't even know you are gay"
Even before the kiss, she had developed a sort of attachment to

her. She felt close to her. She felt like she could talk to her about anything. She made her laugh and she felt safe with her. She wasn't sure if Mo felt the same way with her, but she sure thought so. She wasn't sure how she felt about Mo, perhaps she truly had feelings for her, and had finally worked up the courage to express it, or maybe this was a mistake. She didn't feel like thinking about it at the moment.
"You wanna talk about something else?"
"Why not?" Nanette said.
As they laughed and smiled, Ariana entered the room, and they both leaped from their seats. They observed as she pushed her cell open and lied on her bed. Ariana's physique had changed since they'd

arrived at this place. She looked thinner, she seemed weaker, her newly long blonde hair changed her appearance completely, and she always maintained the same silent and quiet demeanor that everyone detested. She seemed defeated by the world, by Keres, by the authority. She was such a strong, commanding woman. She was the president of the United States of America. She had inspired so much change, she was part of a long chain of women in politics who had worked side by side in helping bring equality into the world. Now, she spent her days sulking and staring at the ground. She had reason to. Many women felt that Ariana hadn't lost any more than they had and for that reason, they believed she was exaggerating the circumstances. Still, they

didn't take into account that Ariana's appearance was changed, her morals and ideas were questioned by Keres and his administration, but the most painful thing was the fact that her son had betrayed her. She was a single mother, she had raised Adrian by herself, she had given him all the love and care in the world, and yet he became a part of something so rotten, she couldn't even look at him without frowning. She felt like she had failed as a mother and no longer felt comfortable and happy with who she was.
Mo and Nanette stared at each other with awkwardness. Had Ariana seen them kiss? Probably not, or otherwise she would've said something. She would've been

surprised. Then again, Ariana barely said anything.
"Don't worry, I won't tell a soul," Ariana said, "The world needs a little more love right now."
Mo and Nanette turned to her and smiled. Those were the first words Ariana had uttered in months. Ariana smiled back at them, something she hadn't done in a while. Maybe Ariana was going to be okay. It would be a matter of time before she was the vibrant, happy person she used to be. It would take a while to fix their conjoined mental health, which had very much been shattered by Keres, Adrian, Sister Davide, and that damned priest who said the craziest things a person could ever say. Nevertheless, they had to stay optimistic. They couldn't allow

themselves to fall into a bottomless pit, an inescapable prison of depression. They had to cling on to the delusional and unrealistic hope that someday they would all be saved because otherwise, they'd have nothing. Humor was their medicine. The drug could help them, as long as they used it when necessary. These were moments when they'd forget who they were and where they were and life became a bit more bearable. This was one of those moments.
"You know, I've always wondered," Nanette grinned widely, "What is Mo short for?"
"Oh, you're not finding out!" Mo laughed.
"Why not?" Nanette asked.