Page 90 of Trapped Truth

“Can I come in to talk?”

She doesn’t respond right away. “Sure.”

The room she’s selected is plain white with new grey carpet. A small window overlooks the garden and beyond. Typical British neighbourhood, nothing noteworthy about it. The kinda place people go to disappear into anonymous normalcy.

Gracie cowers in the farthest corner, her coat discarded and knees pulled up to her chest. I slide down the length of the wall next to her, crossing my legs.

“How’re you doing with all this?”

Chewing her lip, she shrugs. “It was inevitable, I guess.”

“You’re going to be safe here, and your sisters will be fine. You will have trustworthy agents stationed to protect you 24/7, and no one else knows your location.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Ember.”

“I swore I’d protect you.”

“And I know what we’re up against.” Her retort is more drained than angry. “Sometimes I wonder if I made a mistake coming home and endangering my family.”

Hearing her so downtrodden slices an invisible blade across my heart. It calls up images of the bloodied, dirt-streaked girl in the cage next to mine. Our futures felt hopeless then. Yet we survived.

“I’m going to catch him,” I vow, quiet but firm. “You’ll get the future you deserve, even if it’s the last thing I do.”

“Why are you fighting for me?” Tearful blue eyes pierce mine.

“Because I let you down once before, and I have no intention of doing it again. You never should’ve been sold.”

“Ember…”

“No,” I cut her off. “I couldn’t save you then, but I’ll damn well make sure you’re safe to live your life now.”

Tentatively bridging the cavern between us, Gracie captures my hand. Her nails are sore and chewed to the quick. Fingers interlocking, we hold each other’s hand tight, much like we used to between our cage bars.

“I need your help to do that,” I admit.

“How so?”

“I know how hard it is to talk about the past, believe me. But if you have any information, no matter how small… I need to know. Names, dates, locations. Anything.”

“Like the p-parties?” Her lower lip trembles.

“Yes, hun. Things like the parties.”

“H-He told me never to speak about his friends.” The fear in her whisper is palpable.

“That monster can’t hurt you anymore. I’m sure you’re afraid, terrified even. Talking about everything that happened makes it all feel real, right?”

Gracie nods, tongue held.

“I felt the same way,” I confess ruefully. “Honestly, I still do. It’s tough to open up. That’s why I want you to talk only to me. Tell me what you remember. No one else has to be involved.”

“Still scary.”

“Yeah, it is.” Contemplating, I decide to take a risk. “What if we did something while we talked?”

Her downcast gaze brightens with interest. “Like what?”

“I don’t know about you, but I like to hit things. Gets all that anger and fear out, you know? I could show you sometime, teach you a few moves. You could even learn to defend yourself.”