Have you ever seen one of those senseless sitcoms where people prank their friends and families by telling them they got a girl pregnant or got addicted to drugs? And how the people they pranked always had the strangest reactions? One of them would burst out crying, while the other would get angry and shout at the wrongdoers. I always mocked the victims, making fun of their reactions to Ryan, who applauded my uncanny abilities to mimic them. I always thought of them as idiots, for falling for the jokes and not seeing the lies behind their beloved one’s eyes. Not once did I ever try to imagine myself in their position. I always assumed I would know better.
Well I guess the tables have turned, and it was not looking good for me.
My eyes glazed over, and I gripped the door with my spare hand, and placed the other on my chest, as if trying to prevent my heart from skipping out. I met Gwen’s eyes and her words echoed in my mind like a broken record.
What’s wrong is that Aimee’s gone
What’s wrong is that Aimee’s gone
My reaction was not what she was hoping for. I was no telepathic, but I knew at that moment how badly she needed me to be strong. But I couldn’t move from my position.
A million thoughts flash through my mind. Memories of when I first met Aimee, her smile, her beauty, how much she worried about my safety. Some dark cloud taking over. Something that she did that was so horrible it caused Madame to dispose of her. Suddenly Aimee’s last moments flashed before my eyes. I imagined how scared she was, and how alone she felt. How she would scream, and was rewarded with a slap, or punch.
Talk about living vicariously.
Gwen’s eyes glisten with tears as she breaks our eye contact and buries her face in her hands. On any other day, I would’ve rolled my eyes at her outburst, but I was so horrified I wanted to cry beside her. Instead of doing just that, I snapped out of my mini-coma and took a deep breath, wiping all of those horrible thoughts from my mind. I knew I had to be strong for her. And myself as well.
So I cross the distance between us in a few short strides, pull her up gently and embrace her tightly. Her small shoulders shake with grief as she sobs into my shoulder. I wasn’t taller than her, and she had to crouch a little to hug me, but in that moment I felt like the most massive giant in the world.
That moment was like another sharp kick I felt toward my goal to freedom. Before, I was only thinking about myself when I thought of escaping. Now I saw the bigger picture. All of these kids needed to go just as much as I did. This place was frightening and scarring. Madame didn’t kidnap all of us to make sure we got a proper education. She kidnapped us to turn us into her personal lapdogs. For her amusement. I clench my teeth and rub Gwen’s back.
I had to come up with a better plan then running the first chance I got. I needed to be more patient, and less stubborn. Make Madame and those hideous Fishermen believe I had finally settled down, and wasn’t going to be a problem anymore. But in reality, I wasn’t planning on fading away anytime soon. I would get every single person in this school to cause a rally big enough to shut this place down for good. I slowly unclench my teeth and the fists I didn’t realize I was making.
I pat Gwen’s hair soothingly and let her cry herself out. After an hour of relentless wails, I reach for a tissue and dab at her eyes, and let her blow her nose with it.
She manages a slight smile and thanks me quietly, avoiding my stare. I sigh, and put my hand on her shoulder.
“Gwen, I know it’s been tough for you, but you’ve gotta tell me everything you know.”
Her breathing is uneven and I felt her start to cry again. But I no longer had time to play mommy. The jig was up, and it was time to go.
“Gwen. Gwen. Listen to me. You can’t cry anymore. It won’t help us now, and it definitely won’t help Aimee. Do you understand?” I wipe the last tear away with my finger and look her in the eye. Her eyes water, but no more tears come. She nods.
“Do you know what happened to her?” I’m too scared to say her name, for fear that it might trigger the waterworks again. A second nod follows the first one. I look at her expectantly, and I’m fully aware she knows I want every detail.
She looks at the floor the same way Aimee used to, and began her story.
“Aimee was already here for around a year when I showed up. I was really having a hard time dealing with all of this, but she helped me every step of the way. She showed me how to block out all the bad stuff, and think of it as a good situation.”
“I was like you in the beginning. Always causing problems, skipping out on class. But there is a reason we kept warning you to stop, but we never told you the full story. But I can’t think of a better time than now.”
“I used to be even more stubborn than you. You’ve been here, what, a couple of weeks now and you’re already starting to listen to her? I was a pest for six months.”
“Six months.” She repeats. “Do you understand this number?” She breaks away from her trance, the dead look leaving her eyes for just a moment, so they could bore into mine. Speechless, I nodded, processing this new information. I beckoned for her to continue, my interest intensifying by the second.
“At first, Madame’s men would beat me up just like they did you, sometimes even harder. When she realized that wasn’t going to change anything, she began threatening to dispose of me. ‘Go ahead’, I told her. ‘I’d rather die than spend another second in this hell hole’. “
Not realizing how much my jaw had dropped, I looked at Gwen in a new way. The way she pursed her lips whenever she finished a sentence, and thinking how to start the next one. How she batted her lashes to the side whenever she found something funny.
This beautiful girl before me was a hero. The words that were so inspirational came straight from her heart. But just like before, when I saw Madame through Aimee’s eyes, torturing her, I saw Gwen in a similar way. All the light that was surrounding her evaporated. The long lashes I was concentrated on a few short minutes ago, now only amplified the sad, broken blue eyes that used to have so much life in them.
“So Madame decided to make me behave a different way. She told me she would hurt the people I loved. But still, I thought she was bluffing. So one night a few months before you came, I tried to sneak out and run away, even though Aimee warned me not to. Of course, I was caught. But Madame didn’t get mad or beat me up, she just sent me a letter that said I would have to ‘suffer the consequences’. Today, when I came to our room, I found another note from her that said my punishment would be worse if I tried to escape again.”
I gasped, the truth hitting me. “So she got rid of Aimee.” I choked out, unable to believe it. Gwen nodded, and the tears welled up once more as she buried her face in my shoulders. This time, I cried silently with her. Tears of mourning for Aimee and tears of compassion for Gwen.
Neither of them deserved this.
A few hours later, I put Gwen to sleep and tucked her under the covers. Then, leaving her to her well-deserved rest, I slumped out of our room and slinked away to the special bathroom.
After turning the water on, I hid in the farthest stall from the door and sobbed. I didn’t want to imagine all the horrible things Madame did to Aimee, nor did I think my heart would take much more.
Even after I cried myself out, I still sat there, listening to the water run, hiccupping softly.
When I saw the stall doorknob start to turn, I hid my face from the boy I knew was standing in front of me.
“Go away.” I say, my arms covering my face.
“Why? What happened?” Eli’s voice makes me want to kiss him, even after all this pain. I don’t answer.
“Vi? Talk to me, please.” He pleaded with me. “How can I help?”
I give in easily and raise my face, my eyes locking with his. His eyes are full of sorrow as his finger reaches over to my cheek and wipes away a tear. Not being able to take it anymore, I jump off the toilet and into his arms, weeping into his shoulder.
He doesn’t let go of me for five minutes, then lets me break away and tell him everything that happened.
His face remains grave, like someone just invited him to a funeral. When I utter my last sentence, I feel goose bumps on my own skin.
“Eli, I-I just don’t know what to do. I’m s-so scared of her. What if sh-she hurts Gwen, or y-yo-“ I couldn’t even say it. Or think it. Just the thought of anything happening to Eli broke my heart into a million pieces. I never felt this way for Ryan, never.
“I love you.” I blurt out.
His jaw drops for a moment, but then he fixes himself and hesitantly places his hand on my cheek. As he leans in, I can tell he’s in deep thought. It seems like forever until he finally says, “I love you too,” and our lips meet like two old friends.
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A/N: I know I said I would start posting tomorrow, but I honestly couldn't help myself. But I needed so much time because I was bust writing my story so I could post it faster, and hopefully I will. Thank you so much for everyone that has been commenting! Every time I see the "new comment"email on my phone, I get so damn excited! So enjoy and share :)
I dedicated this chapter to Kaidec because she comments on every single chapter and is so supportive to my story. Special thanks to you, girl!