She was in that room for so long though, maybe all she was looking at was freedom.
Was keeping her in here just forcing her into another cage? I had thought about it on more than one occasion, but the last time I had brought it up, it was met with silence. No reaction, just…staring.
So I couldn’t be sure.
I couldn’t be sure about anything.
We all hated head games, guessing games. We all hated puzzles unless we were the ones creating them, and now? Fuck, I didn’t care how long it took to solve this, I would enjoy every step so long as it brought me closer to her.
Evelyn walked with a bag in her hand. “Okay, I got her favorites,” she said. “Get on out of here so I can change her.”
I glanced at the duffle in her hand and then back towards the doorway where Rae and Emily were standing before turning back to her. I tried to touch her once. One time after that day we brought her here.
She had pulled away from me.
But Evelyn, Emily, and Rae? Their hands were safe. Their hands weren’t calloused or large. Lillian had beat the shit out of her, and she still preferred a woman’s touch over the touch of a man. I couldn’t blame her for that. I would never blame her for that.
I pushed myself to a stand, Lucy’s attention shifting towards me as my eyes found Olivia’s face. Smooth, expressionless. Her eyes trained on that window.
I would fix this. Whatever it took, I would fix this.
24
Olivia
October 13th, 2022
“Good morning.”
That voice I recognized. Soft and sultry, beautiful. Rae Bennett, Jack’s Claim. His wife. She had worn the bunny mask, and if I wasn’t mistaken…
“Good morning, Liv.”
Emily was with her. They didn’t always come together, but more often than not, they did. It was predictable, dependable.
I liked listening to them. Sometimes they would take turns reading a book out loud, other times they would just have conversations amongst themselves, asking me questions every now and again only to move on when I didn’t answer.
Talking was more difficult than it should have been. I wanted to answer. I did. Sometimes, I tried so hard, my head pounded,but nothing came out. Not a raspy answer, not a whisper of a letter. My lips just remained shut.
Nothing was important enough. I couldn’t waste my only power on meaningless things, even when I wanted to. Even when I craved to.
But listening to them, I had learned so much. Emily wasn’t even a part of this life like Rae was. She stayed at home, running her successful publishing company while Greyson ran the city. New York, I think. It was a big enough city to keep him busy, and Malachi actually appreciated that Greyson had turned into a homebody, unlike the others who still traveled to do their work.
Emily had even written some poetry books, and published them, but only after she published the ones her mother had written before she and her twin sister died. Her story was tragic and beautiful.
I had learned about Rae’s life too. How her mom and dad were just like Malachi. How she had been raised in this life, only to be tortured herself, brainwashed into forgetting everything. Jack had helped her find her way back to the light, but only because Rae had asked. Jack believed that she was capable of restoring herself without any help, and hearing about her adventures with Jack and Zo made me believe that she would have been fine whatever had happened.
These women were both strong, overcoming these horrible events and coming out the other side fiercer, better than before.
So why thefuckwas I still trapped in my own mind. Why couldn’t I heal like they could? Why couldn’t I get out of this?
Why couldn’t I forget what happened to me like Rae could?
Rae and Emily walked around the bed, Evelyn just behind them, all three of them smiling and happy, but even now, they avoided blocking the window.
Everyone learned really early on that the window couldn’t be obstructed. Not by shades or a person, not by a plant or amachine. I had to see the city. I had to see the world.
“Today is October 13th,” Rae said, her face radiating in life. “Which means it is exactly 4 days until my 29thbirthday,” she informed me. “But we’re going to wait to have the party until everyone is available. It’s going to be so much fun.”
