“Will you talk to me?”
“I’ll talk about whatever you want me to.”
“Are they going to kill me?” she asks.
“I won’t let that happen.”
“You can’t stop them. I think they drugged us,” she says.
“I know they did. It’s to keep us weak so we don’t fight back. I’m sure they’ll do it again,” I tell her as I rest my head against the wall.
“I don’t want to die here,” she whimpers as tears cascade down her perfect cheeks.
“We’re gonna get out of here. I promise.”
“You can’t promise that.” She’s right, I can’t. I can’t promise her shit because I don’t even know what’s going on. I don’t know what’s happening or why. I’m just as lost as she is, but I have to be stronger for her. I have to keep her positive.
“Tell me about you,” I tell her.
“You know all about me,” she says.
“Tell me somethin’ no one else knows,” I say, trying to keep her head in the game. I can’t have her getting lost in her own head. I need her here with me.
“I got the tattoo on my ankle when I was fifteen. My parents didn’t even notice it. They would have been so mad at me.”
“Fifteen, huh? Who did it?” Keep her talking, Patch. Just keep her talking.
“A friend of my brother. Not even my brother knew.”
“You were sneaky,” I tell her, a small smile curling my lips.
“I wanted to be rebellious. I wanted to act out, but that’s as far as I got.”
“That’s pretty rebellious. Your parents didn’t like tattoos?”
“No. My dad hated them. Thought they were the stupidest things ever. He would say if there is nothing wrong with your skin, why color it?”
“But you liked them?”
“I loved them. I saw the ones my brother had, and I always wanted to be like him.”
“What else did you do?”
“When we were little, I wanted my hair cut like his. He had it spiked, and I threw a fit until I got mine cut the same,” she laughs a little.
“No way.”
“Yeah. It was a sight to see. I remember looking at the pictures with my mom once I was older. I looked so stupid, but I wanted to be like him,” she says, a hitch in her voice.
“I think I need to meet this brother of yours one day.” Her smile fades as she nods her head.
“One day.” The silence between us lingers for awhile. I don’t know what else to say to her. I hate that we’re in this situation and there’s nothing I can do to fix it.
“You still with me?”
“I’m still with you.”
“Good girl. You stay with me, okay?” I need her to say yes. I need her to stay with me.
