Chapter 215
CMWMBB 17
+25 Bonus
CMWMBB 17
IRIS
I wake up because something is shaking.
Not gentle shaking, like when Mommy tries to wake me up for school and says, “Rise and shine, sleepyhead p>
This is rough. Like someone grabbed my shoulder and moved me too fast.
My head hurts. My eyes feel sticky. My mouth tastes like when I forget to brush my teeth after eating candy.
Everything is blurry.
Everything is loud.
The car is moving but I don’t know where it’s taking me. The window beside me shows trees, then light, then shadows and I don’t know any of them. There’s a man in the front seat and another beside me. They’re big. Too big. Their clothes are dark and their voices sound like rocks rolling.
I try to sit up.
The man beside me pushes me back. “Sit still p>
I don’t want to sit still.
I want George.
I want Sabine Jr.
I want Mommy.
I want Daddy.
“Where’s my brother?” My voice comes out tiny. It sounds like someone else. Not me.
They don’t answer.
“Where’s my mom?” I try again. “Where’s George? He-he was holding my hand. He was right there. Let me go! LET ME GO p>
The man closest to me looks back. “Shut up p>
His eyes are cold. Not like Daddy’s cold when he’s angry. Worse. Empty. Like he’s looking at a bug he wants to smash.
I yank my arm away from him but he grabs it harder. My skin burns where his fingers squeeze.
“STOP!” I scream. “Let me go! You’re hurting me! Let me go RIGHT NOW p>
He leans closer. His breath smells like smoke and something rotten. “Keep screaming and I’ll p>
The car stops.
Hard.
1/5
CMWMBB 17
+25 Bonus
The seatbelt cuts across my shoulder and I cry out, partly because it hurts and partly because I’m scared. Scared in a way my seven-year-old brain doesn’t have a name for.
The man in the passenger seat turns. “Get her out. Now p>
My door opens.
Cold wind hits my face.
I try to jump out, to run, to get away, but hands wrap around my arms and waist. I kick. I scream. I try to bite the hand over my mouth.
“STOP MOVING!” someone yells.
But I won’t.
Mommy said run.
Mommy said hide.
Mommy said stay safe.
George said he’d protect me.
So I fight.
But my legs don’t reach the ground because they’re carrying me. My shoes fall off somewhere. My socks scrape against gravel. I kick until my feet hurt. I hit the man holding me, my fists tiny and useless against him.
“Put her inside,” one of them says.
Inside what?
Where are we?
Why can’t I see George?
Why can’t I see Mommy and Sabine?
My eyes blur again, but I push the tears away with my shoulder, refusing to let them fall. Daddy always says crying doesn’t make things better. Mommy says crying is okay but I don’t want to cry. I want to be brave like George.
The door slams behind me and I’m dropped on the floor.
I tumble forward, my palms scraping against carpet.
Then the lock clicks.
I hear footsteps walk away,
I’m alone.
The room is big enough for a bed and a chair and a dresser. The window has bars on it. The walls are white but not the clean hospital kind. These look old. There’s a weird smell-dust and something sour.
2/5
CMWMBB 17
+25 Bonus
My chest feels too tight.
I crawl to the door and pull, then push, then bang on it with both fists. “LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT, PLEASE! I WANT MY MOM! I WANT MY BROTHER p>
Silence answers.
Not even footsteps.
Not even voices.
Just me.
Just my heartbeat. Too loud. Too fast.
I sit on the floor, hugging my knees the way Mommy showed me when I got scared during thunderstorms. But this feels bigger than thunder. Bigger than anything. My throat hurts from holding in the sobs.
I’m not supposed to cry.
But I do.
I tuck my face into my knees so no one will hear. My tears soak through my socks.
I don’t know how long passes. Maybe minutes. Maybe forever.
The door clicks.
I jerk my head up so fast my neck hurts.
A woman walks in.
She’s older than Mommy but younger than Grandma. She wears a black dress and a white apron. Her hair is tied back tight. She carries a tray with a plate, a cup, and a bottle of water.
Her eyes flick over me-my messy hair, my dirty socks, the bruise on my arm from the man who grabbed me. Something softens in her face.
“Here,” she says quietly, kneeling so she’s closer to my height. “I brought you food p>
“I don’t want food.” My voice cracks. “I want my brother. Where is George? Where’s my mom and sister p>
She looks away.
“Please,” I whisper. “Please tell me p>
“I can’t,” she says gently. “I’m sorry p>
I shake my head. “Take me to them. Please p>
She hesitates, like she wants to say yes but is scared to.
“If you eat,” she says softly, “and take a shower, and change your clothes… I can take you to them after p>
I don’t trust her.
3/5
CMWMBB 17
+25 Bonus
I want to. I want to believe her. But something in my stomach feels wrong, like when I ate too much ice cream too fast and Mommy said I needed to rest.
I stand up and step back. “If you’re lying, I’ll scream p>
Her face crumples a little. “I’m not lying, sweetheart p>
I don’t believe her.
But I’m tired. And thirsty. And cold. And I can’t stop shaking. So I nod.
She helps me to the small bathroom inside the room. The tiles are cold under my feet. She turns on the shower and steam fills the tiny space.
“Take your time,” she says. “I’ll be outside p>
I watch her through the crack until she leaves.
Then I shower.
It feels wrong. Like washing away the last pieces of home. But the warm water makes my skin stop hurting so much. My bruises sting when I touch them.
I hear George’s voice in my head.
“I’ll keep you safe. I promise p>
My chest tightens again.
When I get out of the shower, a dress is waiting for me. Pink. Soft. Not mine.
I don’t want it.
But she said she’d take me to Mommy and George after.
So I put it on.
It takes a long time because the zipper is in the back and my hair keeps getting in the way. I keep trying until I start crying again.
When I open the bathroom door, the woman gasps softly and rushes toward me.
“Oh-oh, sweetheart, you could’ve called me. Let me help p>
She zips me up. She brushes my hair with her fingers. It feels almost nice, the way Mommy does it sometimes.
“Are you done?” I ask, voice small.
She nods. “You look very pretty p>
“I don’t want to look pretty. I want my family p>
Her smile fades.
I wait at the edge of the bed while she cleans up the room. She keeps glancing at the door like she’s waiting for
4/5
CMWMBB 17
+25 Bonus
something.
Or someone.
Finally she says, “Just wait a little bit, okay? Someone else needs to come first p>
My heart starts beating too fast again.
“Who?” I whisper.
Before she can answer, the door opens.
Another woman walks in.
This one is tall. Taller than mommy. Her hair is bright red, so bright it looks like fire. She wears black pants and a blue shirt that shine when she moves.
Her heels click on the floor.
The first woman stiffens. She steps in front of me, blocking me with her body. “Please,” she whispers, her voice shaking. “Don’t hurt her. She’s a child. She’s innocent p>
The red-haired woman stops.
Her green eyes flick to me.
Then back to the maid.
Her voice is smooth-too smooth. Like the way Daddy talks to people he doesn’t trust.
“I’m evil Gabby,” she says, ” not a monster p>
I squeeze handfuls of the pink dress.
Her eyes land on me again.
P
+2
Comments
Support
Share
5/5
Ruby Walker
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby’s writing style is bold and irresistible—perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.