I rolled my eyes, even though a chuckle left my mouth.
I swear, her and my sister would’ve been great friends.
“I’ll be right back, Miss Eliz?—”
I turned to face her to let her know that I’d be back, only to see her turn off the Xbox. My gaze flickered from the screen to her before I watched her slide beneath the covers.
“Miss Elizabeth?” I asked.
“I’m tired,” she grumbled from beneath the blanket. “I’m going to take some pain meds and sleep.”
I thumbed over my shoulder at the mounted television. “I could come back and we could?—”
“Don’t worry about it.”
I watched her hand creep out from beneath the blanket long enough to reach for the water bottle I placed on her nightstand. She fumbled with the liquid pain reliever and I watched both of them disappear before my very eyes. I stood there for a moment, listening to her chug and guzzle. She slid her hand back out from beneath the blanket, the liquid medication a bit lower and her water bottle half-chugged.
“DOOOOOC!” Brutus bellowed from somewhere downstairs.
Anna’s giggle filtered down the hallway. “Told you!”
And even though I found myself torn, I couldn’t leave my brother hanging.
“I’ll come check on you after a while,” I said as I inched toward the door. “Sleep well, Miss Elizabeth.”
I tried not to take it personally that she didn’t respond.
5
DOC
I slipped out into the hallway and turned back one last time. Miss Elizabeth was nothing but a bump underneath the covers of the bed, and I couldn’t help but watch for a moment. There was something odd with my interactions with her. At first, I figured it was shock and trauma. Much like how Marla was when she first ran up on us. But she was in great spirits until Anna busted into her personal space.
Did she not like people in her personal space?
I was in her personal space, and she didn’t seem to mind that.
I made a mental note to talk with her about it later. Her being comfortable in a place that was mine was very important to me. I’d been safe here growing up, and even though I didn’t leave here as an adult, I upkept it in the hopes that maybe one day I’d have a reason to fill it again.
Never thought that reason would be keeping women away from a trafficking ring, but I suppose beggars can’t be choosers.
Eventually I was able to pull my way from the view of her beneath those blankets. I closed her door softly behind me, and then took off down the stairs, two at a time.
“Hey! Brutus!” I called out.
“’Bout damn time!” he bellowed. “Kitchen!”
Of course he was in the kitchen.
Brutus was rarely anywhere else.
When I rushed into the kitchen, I realized why he bellowed for me. I found Cap standing at his side, but coincidentally enough, no Ariel.
Which meant something went down.
I walked over to the duo. “What’s happened?”
Cap looked around before he nodded his head. “Back porch. Ariel has prying ears sometimes.”
