Once. Then twice. Oates came into the room. “Give me the dose.”
I spit blood out of my mouth as I stared at her. I’d had no warning I was about to crack up, but here it was. “You are a sick, twisted, sadistic bitch.”
“You can call me all the names you want to, Ms. Winder, but no one in the world cares about you. And the only time you will ever see anyone who might is when you are dead.”
With that statement she jabbed a needle in my arm. I would think by now that wouldn’t hurt, but it did. The medicine burned. Oh, this was the bad one. The really bad one.
“You’re not a hero. You’re nothing.”
Time passed. I was pretty sure.
I was alone in the dark. In solitary you had to earn the right to have them open the window shade. It was closed. I had no idea if it was day or night. And that was okay because I could hardly think at all anyway.
I hummed to myself, a nonsense song that wasn’t real. Hadn’t Barrett Lent played the piano a lot in the apartment? I’d loved that. The background noise of our life. He loved music. Jazz clubs. Wanted to support music. Hadn’t he had a test the last day? How had it gone? I never got a final look at him. He had been grumpy that morning, barely spoken to me. I couldn’t blame him. College exams were hard. Or I hadn’t blamed him then. I could now. Did I want to? Maybe a little. But that was so unfair. He had no crystal ball to tell him we would never see each other again. You got to be grumpy with people that you loved. We had been that. Now I couldn’t feel love. I couldn’t feel anything.
Just a vast emptiness filling me and becoming me. I wouldn’t help that twelve-year-old now. Why bother? She would probably just end up in here anyway.
My mind drifted. Each of the Lent brothers moved through my vision like they were saying goodbye. I wouldn’t see them again. Not until I was dead.
Not that my goodbyes with the other three had been wonderful. Phoenix was out of it and horrified. Jeremy and Julian had been shouting at me from behind where the police had put them. I’d told all three of them I loved them. I had. That was why this had happened to me. I’d known not to say it. Breaking that rule had landed me here. I didn’t get to love people or be loved.
I hummed and closed my eyes.
Time passed. I had no idea how much. They didn’t open my window. But I heard noises. Male voices talking sternly. A woman sounding downright hysterical outside of my door. I tried and failed to lift my head. I’d had my bathroom break already. What was happening? There were no men here. Not ever.
“Open it now.” I didn’t know that voice. So I closed my eyes. Whatever was happening was not my concern.
Light burst into the room even getting through my closed lids. I lifted my head. What was happening? I raised my shaking hand to try to block it out.
“This her?” That voice I didn’t know spoke again.
I was surrounded on all sides. Everyone was speaking. I knew the voices, maybe, but I couldn’t see. I pushed my head back down on my knees. It had to stop. It just hurt too much.
“Stop. It’s an assault on her senses.” Someone spoke. Another man. Did I know that voice?
“Alatheia, can you hear me?” There was a pause.
“Eric?” Someone asked. Why was everyone speaking so loudly?
“Barrett, get her out of here. Come on. We’re leaving.”
A woman was screaming. I knew her. That was Oates. I was lifted, and my head flopped forward onto the chest of whoever was carrying me.
“Got her?” A hand touched my arm. “Because I can carry her.”
“Jules, I’ve got her. Move. I want her out of here.”
The shrieking Oates again. “You can’t take her. We are her guardians here, given the right by her family.”
“They don’t have custody of her anymore.” A new voice spoke. “You have the paperwork. Now move, or I’ll make you move.”
There were so many people here. Ten? Eleven? Twelve? Everyone was blurry.
“You see, Commissioner, what they are doing here. Surely you can’t be okay with this happening on your island. What would the press say?” The voices were following us when we moved. “I want this closed. I would think you would too. These children sent home immediately. The abuse here is abhorrent. Close it and you’ll get the money for the casinos from my personal investment fund. Don’t and you won’t see a dime.”
The commissioner must have been the one to have had my door opened. He was big. That was all I could see. “Yes, Stephen. I agree. Yes.”
“Alatheia. ” Sally’s voice. Then Betsy’s. “Where are they taking her?”
