She’s been beaten. I stifle the sob that bubbles up. She’s naked, revealing the bruises all up and down her torso. They limit the damage they do to our faces, but our bodies are free reign.
“I want you to see friend. You two bane of my existence. It’s time you learn place.”
“Let her go,” I say with as much force as my tired body will allow.
He snarls at me and tightens his grip. “I can’t wait to be rid of you both. You cause me trouble and make others think they should too. Enough,” Iosif, the one that ordered I be placed down here says.
He turns to leave, dragging Natasha with him. Someone slams the door shut before I can see where they are taking her. I immediately rush to the door and try to see underneath, through the crack between the floor and the door.
I can’t see much, but I hear when a door is slammed shut. I wait for the sound of their footstep to disappear. Weakly pressing my hands to the door, I close my eyes as Natasha’s sobs grow louder.
“Natasha,” I call out.
“Roni,” she sobs and sniffles. “Oh my god, you’re so skinny. They’re starving you.”
“Don’t worry about me. Why are you here? What happened?”
“They came for Raven again. I overheard what they wanted to do with her, so I fought them,” she says.
I close my eyes and try not to fall apart. At this moment, I vow that one day I’ll get out of here and kill them all with my bare hands. For Raven, for Natasha, and for all the others. I’m going find out who I am and I’m going to make everyone pay.
That dream comes back to me. My father, he was a wealthy man. That much starts to tickle my brain. How did I get here? Were we on vacation? Why do I feel like he’s not looking for me?
He was cold.
Is that it? Is my father too callous to care that I’m missing? So many thoughts are sparked.
“I’m going to kill them.”
Torque. I almost forgot about him. His voice pulls me from my thoughts. The rage that comes from him almost matches my own.
“First, we have to survive, but yeah, one day…” I trail off on that promise.
Nothing more needs to be said. They will all die. I feel that in my bones.
Chapter 9
Tortured
Roni
“Wake up.” The words are snarled as warm liquid is tossed on me.
Right away I know it’s not water. The stench turns my stomach, causing me to back away from the pool it’s making around me. I tremble with anger. I’ve held my shit for this long, but this… this is about to be my breaking point and these two clowns are laughing before me.
“We thought you could use shower,” one says.
I snap. As weak as I am, I get to my feet and charge them. I start to crawl at the eyes of the one closest to me. That’s when the other one hits me in my side so hard, I know the moment my ribs break. I gasp and fall back, dropping to the piss covered floor.
I barely have time to curl into a ball and cover my side before they start to stomp on me. I’m silent as I take the attack. I won’t give them the satisfaction of my whimpers and tears.
I’m not sure how much time passes as they kick and punch at me. My mind begins to travel off away from here. It’s as if I float out of my body, away from the pain and the torture. A distant memory is triggered.
“This world will never love you back, Roni,” my mother said as she sat in the window.
The scent of lemon pine and honey filled the room. She had her hair wrapped up. It was a Saturday, her day to clean. No doubt one of her friends would be coming to visit.
“Your father took what he wanted and left me as if he never had any love for me. I thought he’d come back for you.” She snorted. “Not even you could make him come back. Nope, this world will never show you love. It only knows how to take.”
“Daddy sends me things,” I said. “Maybe one day he will come back. He’s just busy.”
“Girl, you better get over that dream. He will leave you for dead like he did me.”
“He’ll be back.”
She turned from the window and glared at me with her dark eyes. I stood twisting my fingers in my T-shirt. I hated when she got like this.
“The world revolves around money. You don’t have it; it has no use for you. You keep waiting on your father. He will disappoint you every time. Money is the only thing that man is capable of loving. We are just pawns on the chessboard, pieces he can toss away,” she said coldly.
“But—”
“There are no buts, little girl,” she started to cough. That had started to happen a lot. “I’m trying to prepare you. We will never know your father’s world. He keeps us here, hidden, with the bare minimum. I deserve better.
“Remember this. You have to fight with everything you have to get what you want. If you show weakness, they’ll try to take everything, but there are times you will allow them to think you’re weak so you can live another day to fight and win.
“Don’t be like me. Don’t love them more than you love yourself. You’ll forget what you wanted in the first place.”
I didn’t believe her words. My daddy never met me. If he did, he would know I’m a good girl and I’m smart. Then he would want to take me away from here. If she wasn’t so angry all the time, maybe he would come back and stay.
She jumped up and slammed her hand down on the kitchen table. “You listen to me, Roni. I’m teaching you how to survive. He’ll never come to rescue you. You’ll have to rescue yourself. Always rely on yourself. Trust no one.”
“Roni, Roni,” Torque’s voice pulls me back to the present.
I look at the ceiling, but I can’t focus. There’s too much pain. I roll my eyes and try to breathe. It’s not easy. My breaths are coming shallow.
“Roni,” this time it’s Natasha. “Can you hear us?”
I nod as if they can see me. My mouth is so dry when I try to make a sound. Rolling to my side, I whimper.
“I heard something,” Torque exclaims. “Roni, you okay?”
I manage a groan. There’s the taste of copper in my mouth as I roll my tongue around. So much pain radiates through my body.
“I hear her now. Maybe we should leave her to rest,” Natasha says nervously.
“I’m here, Roni,” Torque says softly. “I’m here. Don’t let them break you. We’re going to get out.”
I close my eyes. Has my life always been shitty? The memories all have me so confused. Like puzzle pieces that refuse to fit together.
“Trust me, Roni. I’m here.” Torque’s murmurs are the last thing I hear as I pass out.
Chapter 10
Enough of This
John
“I want to leave,” Missy mutters.
“Okay, see you later,” I say and go to walk back into my parents’ house.
“Really, John,” she shrieks at my back.
I whip around. “Really.”
My body is tight with anger. I’ve had to step out of myself to evaluate this bullshit. I’m being manipulated.