Before long, the doctor was back and gave orders to Zevon to hold my head still and, if needed, my arms above my head. My face paled and my stomach sunk inward.
“Shhh. We won’t hurt you, Scarlett,” Zevon said near my ear as he placed both hands on my head to keep it still. Quieter, where I was sure I was the only one able to hear him, he continued. “Seeing you like this hurts me more than anything else in the world, sad girl.”
“Got her?” Collin asked as plastic shuffled around.
“Yeah,” Zevon answered, his voice thick.
“It’ll be fine. No reason to worry, kid.”
“I’m not a kid,” Zevon said angrily.
“Just hold her still, all right? She hasn’t fought me yet, but I don’t want to test it.” I wouldn’t fight.
I clenched my eyes shut tight, sure that they both knew I was aware of what was going on.
A thin, cold tube was inserted into my nose, one inch at a time. I breathed in deeply and clenched the bedding tightly in my fists to stop from trying to scratch at the intruding thing. I swallowed past the gagging reflex as the tube hit my throat, then went downward.
In a matter of minutes, it was done. A piece of tape was stuck to my cheek. I couldn’t help but turn back over, coughing at the intrusion. The cough triggered my stomach to roll and I heaved. Instantly, a bucket was placed under my head and I coughed up what tiny bit of fluid was in my system. When I was no longer able to catch my breath, something cold slipped into my veins.
“Rest, princess. You’ll feel better when you wake up,” Collin said with a gentle pat on my hand.
Just let it all end. Please.
Once the sun was blinding me through the window the next morning—at least, I thought it was the next morning—I couldn’t pretend to be asleep anymore. My skin crawled with filth. I stank. I needed a shower.
The only problem was that there was no way I’d be able to get up on my own, let alone walk to wherever the bathroom was. The IV was no longer attached to my hand, thankfully. The feeding tube was still there. I was tempted to rip it out and throw it across the room, but that took more energy than I had.
I didn’t care. My eyes were dry, my dose stuffy, and I was in a place between awake and asleep. My stomach felt off and uncomfortable. I was bone-deep fatigued. Finally getting my eyes to corporate, I found a man slouched in a chair near the window. A soft snore came from him every few minutes.
His bald head and gray mustache were a welcome, yet concerning view. The same man who had talked to me at the park so many weeks ago was the one now holding me captive. I shifted, rolling onto my back to stare up at the ceiling.
My mind was calm. The house was too quiet, which meant it had to be pretty early. There was nothing around the room to tell me what time it was, but it wasn’t that big a deal.
It was only a matter of time before someone would either hurt me, or kill me. Maybe both.
I just wanted to know what I was doing here, and how much longer before they’d kill me. Or did my father make good on his promise about selling me to the black market? I wouldn’t put it past him.
A loud commotion out in the hallway caused me to jerk. My eyes popped open. The man in the chair was quick to stand up with a grunt, not even glancing my way. He met whoever it was not far from the room I was being kept in. I rolled over, staring out the door.
“I want to see her,” someone said. “I’m her brother, damn it. Just let me see her.”
“Calm down,” the man said. “She’s not awake.”
“Please, Ace. I have to see her.”
“No,” the man said, his voice hard. “I will not allow you to disturb her.”
“Just let him see her,” Zevon sighed, his voice tired. “Let him just get it over with. He’s seen worse.”
“No.”
“I have to see with my own eyes, please, Ace. I promise, I’ll drop it once I see her. Ihaveto see her to know it’s real. After all these years…” He trailed off.
“Fine. Don’t go past the door, or I’ll kick you out of the house.”
“Thank you,” the man said, like it was the only thing he ever wanted. My eyes were glued to the door when someone stepped into the doorway. I blinked, taking in his form just as he was doing to me. His eyes said it all. The despair, hope and sadness covered him from head to toe. His blond hair was a mess and my name was a whispered breath. “Scarlett.” I shut my eyes, closing out the world.
“Okay, that’s enough,” Ace said, his voice unshakable as he pulled the man away. He went willingly.
