The Trapped

45

45

- V I C T O R I A -

11.16.16 // 12:00 a.m.

AS I WALK DOWN the muddy trail that leads me to that tree, I stare down at my cold, numb fingers that flex on their own, creating an ugly cracking sound that freezes my whole hand. The light rain drops that fall from the dark sky above my head creates a sheen layer of wetness on my pale skin as my boots make footprints in the wet dirt.

When I arrive at that tree, a place that holds only one of my many dark memories, they are already there. Their dark hair shines like the sea at night as it tumbles effortlessly down their back and frames their pale, bony face. I step on a twig and their eyes flicker up to mine, the resounding snap of the twig being the only thing that fills the silence between us.

Their eyes hold a storm, beneath the irises the sea rises and crashes down against the shore as lighting flashes across quickly, as if it wasn't even there.

They don't say anything for a long time, they just look at me as their fingers absently peel the bark off of the tree stump. The moonlight glides over their skin, revealing the prominent shadows under their eyes and the sunken expression etched onto their face. My eyes flicker down to the tree stump and a shiver runs through my body. When I look back up at them, they are smiling -- a sweet, soft, genuine smile.

"Why am I here?" I ask and they shrug as they stare down at the old tree stump. "You said you needed to talk to me, face-to-face. Here I am."

"Is there really a reason to still be living?" They whisper, their voice barely audible against the strong winds that surround us like a halo.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what I just said. Living a lie, is it really worth it?" They raise their eyebrows and cock their head to the side to look at me.

"I don't know what you mean," I say, shuffling my feet back and forth as I look down at the ground to avoid their heavy gaze.

"The news about Yvette Rona was like a wake-up call for me," they laugh and shake their head. "It made me realize, T doesn't love me. Yvette Rona could have well been me, or you."

"No, we never told our secret. You even said it yourself, Yvette wasn't suppose to do that-" they cut me off.

"What do I know?" They say and it's then that I realize they are on the verge of tears, the verge of finally breaking down. "I was brainwashed. Completely brainwashed and so are you. You're just too clueless to admit it."

"No, no. I am not brainwashed, T loves me, he loves you too. Where is this even coming from?" They shake their head incredulously and laugh, again.

"Victoria, wake up," they whisper softly, a single tear drop slipping down their eye and landing on their black shirt. "We are nothing to him, absolutely nothing."

"He moved here just so he could keep an eye on us. He moved here because he loves us!" I shout. They close their eyes, as if absorbing my words and when they open them, they blaze with fear and regret.

"I'm done Victoria. I'm done with everything. I don't want to live this life anymore," they speak softly and my hands twitch at my sides.

"I'll tell T, I'll get him to get you, I'll-" they raise their hand, cutting me off abruptly.

"Go ahead and tell him. I am no longer scared, Victoria," they say, smiling with tears streaming down their face. "I will finally be free." I shake my head as I feel a sob creeping it's way up my body, ready to tear me open at any minute. With nothing more to say, I turn on my heel and walk away, leaving them standing there in the cold.

"It's over," is the last thing I hear them whisper before the wind picks up and the rain starts to pound down, creating an armor around me that blocks everything else out.

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-jayymckenziee