Angie hugged her arms around herself. “Of course.” She shook her head. “I don’t know. I can’t bear the idea of her going through those awful things. You heard what she said. They starve them, make them fight. Oh God.” She started to pace again. “I don’t know if I can take much more of this.”
All those reporters, all those people at the press conference, all the police. The lights, the questions—it was all too much. Flyers about the missing girls had been plastered all over Milledgeville and the surrounding communities. Their faces were all over the news. Still, she and the other girl’s mother had stood in front of those cameras and given their statements. Pointless, the entire exercise had been utterly pointless. She’d torn her heart from her chest and laid it out for all to see and nothing had changed. No one who really knew anything had called the hotlines. The police were no closer to finding Tif and the other girl than they were this time yesterday.
Those people at the press conference—the ones at home watching on their televisions—they didn’t really care; they only wanted to be entertained by someone else’s tragedy. How much longer could she and Steve pretend that everything was going to be okay?
“If we lose her...” Angie couldn’t stay the rest.
Steve stood. “I need to shower.”
He went into the bathroom and closed the door. Angie stared after him. How could he not see that hope was waning? She thought of all the things Joanna had said. Their little girl could very well be going through those things—or worse. She could have been raped already; she could be dying at this very moment.
The agony rose so swiftly and so sharply that Angie swayed. She moaned. Everyone was trying to help, including Tony and Joanna. All she could do was complain. All she could do was make her husband miserable.
If she had been a better mother perhaps Tiffany wouldn’t have been lured by the charm of that bastard. If she had done a better job teaching her to protect herself...
Angie stared at the closed bathroom door. If she were a better wife, she would not allow her pain to be all that mattered.
She rushed to the door and opened it. Steve stood beneath the spray of water, his whole body shuddering with his sobs. Water splashed on the floor where he’d forgotten to close the curtain.
Angie went to him. Clothes and all she climbed into the shower and held him, told him how very much she loved him. Assured him over and over that they would find their daughter.
They cried together. They would get through this. Somehow.
28
Tiffany picked herself up from the floor and swiped the blood from her lips. Her nose was pouring.
She couldn’t see Lexy. They’d turned the lights out today. In the box and in here, the place they had to perform.
It was so damned dark.
She could hear Lexy breathing.
Tiffany worked hard to keep her breathing quiet. She moved around the room, hoping she didn’t hit a wall or something else she hadn’t encountered during this battle. The sound of Lexy’s breathing was louder now. She was close.
Hold your breath.
If she could just get close enough to grab her.
A scream split the darkness.
Lexy’s body slammed into Tiffany.
They hit the floor. Rolled.
Tiffany grabbed her hair and pounded her head against the floor.
Lexy punched her hard in the stomach. Tried to get a jab at her chin. By sheer luck Tiffany dodged.
She pounded Lexy’s head into the floor a couple more times, and then punched her, aiming for her face but hitting her in the throat instead.
Lexy gagged and shoved her hard.
Tiffany landed on her back against the hard floor. She gulped in air, trying to feed her starving lungs.
Lexy coughed, choked and heaved.
Tiffany started to reach for her but stopped herself. Instead she scooted away and prepared to launch into battle again.
Lexy retched and puked.
Please let him call it.
Maybe... Tiffany moved toward the sound of her puking. She kicked her in the stomach, not hard at all but enough to make her grunt.
More puking and gagging.
“Back to your corners,” the voice said.
Thank God. Tiffany moved to her right. She felt along the wall until she found the corner. Lexy was still coughing and gagging.
The door opened. She heard it. Couldn’t see it.
“The loser leaves first.”
Lexy’s heavy breathing grew fainter and fainter until she was gone.
“The winner takes the spoils.”
Tiffany felt her way to the door. She smelled the food before she found it with her hands. It was warm. The plastic plate was full. She picked it up and moved carefully along the short, narrow corridor that was just as dark as the other rooms. She held on to the plate terrified that she would drop it.
Once she was back in the white room that was now as black as pitch with the others, she moved to each of them, giving them part of the food on the plate, then she found her corner and she sat down to eat.
She closed her eyes and prayed she could do this again tomorrow. He’d started making them fight two and three times a day. She was so, so tired.
“You faked that last kick.”
Tiffany jumped. Lexy was suddenly right next to her, whispering in her ear.
“Don’t be stupid, bitch,” Lexy muttered. “I won’t do the same for you.”
Tiffany bit off a piece of bread and didn’t say anything. If she did she might just cry and she damn sure wasn’t going to cry for this mean bitch.
She felt Lexy move away.
Tiffany didn’t even taste the food. She ate. It was essential to survival.
Did anything else matter at this point?
29
Day Four
Eighteen years ago...
Ellen and No-Name are missing.
I woke up and they are gone. He must be using something to put us to sleep. My whole face hurts like a bitch. My nose and eyes are swollen. No-Name beat the shit out of me.
Next time I’ll do better. I wasn’t prepared yesterday.
But I will be ready next time.
I don’t want to hurt anyone but I don’t want to die.
I’m so hungry. And afraid. I’ve never liked the dark. That doctor, Dr. Kato, said it was perfectly normal to have childhood fears spill over into adulthood.
No-Name isn’t afraid of anything.
I sure hope she doesn’t kill Ellen.
I honestly don’t see how we can keep doing this. My body shivers. My body. Strange. It feels almost separate from me. I guess the lack of light is messing with my head. I ache all over. I’m pretty sure nothing is broken but what do I know? I could have internal bleeding for all I know.
How long have they been gone?
For some reason I can no longer judge time. I don’t know if it’s been a minute or an hour or a day. I just want to go home. I don’t understand why the police can’t find us. Are they even looking?
My parents are probably so worried. Ray would be, too. He would be ready to kick the shit out of whoever did this. A smile tugs at my busted lip.
I close my eyes and go someplace else. I let my mind wander to the bedroom I’ve slept in my whole life. The pink walls and the big old bed with its white lacy canopy. The bed was secondhand but I never cared. I loved it then and I love it now. When I went home for Christmas I remember lying there thinking how even though I was a college girl I didn’t really feel any different.
I feel different now.
Please don’t let me die here, God. Please.
I must have drifted off. The smell of food wakes me. My stomach rumbles.
No-Name is eating. She sounds like a fucking pig, grunting and slopping.
Of course she doesn’t offer to share.
Where is Ellen?
I crawl all around the room, rove my hand over every square inch. “Where’s Ellen?”
“Dead maybe.”
Her words ignite something inside me. I feel ready to explode. Like hot lava rushing through my veins. I want to kill No-Name.
I lunge at the sound of her nasty lips smacking.
Her plastic plate clatters to the floor.
I am on top of her, my hands around her throat. “If she’s dead, you’re next.”
For all the times I sat in church and listened to the preacher warn about obeying the ten commandments—do not kill—I want to kill her. I want it so bad. When I finally release her, she gasps for air.
I scrape up her food and start to eat. Just let her try and take it from me.
She doesn’t dare. She doesn’t come anywhere near me.