The Runaway Sister

twenty-six | a boy's plea

I have spent an entire day in this cell, alone. At least, I think it's been a day. I have no way to tell time inside this dank little room. There are no windows. 

All I do know is that my bones ache, and my stomach rumbles, demanding food. I don't think I've eaten anything since the Ball, and I'm growing desperate. 

A while ago, a tin of water was shoved into my cell through a small slot in the door. I had to spring to my feet to catch it and avoid spilling the water all over. 

I take another sip of the water, rationing it out until the next time I am given more to drink. I hope I am given food soon. 

This is what I expected would happen to me. I knew, deep down, I was never truly safe with my brothers. I knew that sooner or later, I would get stolen once more. 

My uncle loved me. I know this to be true. No matter what my brothers say, what my father thought, he saved me from their clutches. 

I remember the day I found out he died. 

"Robert Rhodes, dead at age 38. Only a few months after the passing of the billionaire Edward Rhodes, his younger brother was found with a bullet in his head at a motel..." 

The rest of the words from the reporter flow past me. I gaze out the window at the cloudy, sunless sky. One of the group home workers changes the TV channel. 

My legs curl up under me on the creaky wooden chair. I rest my head on my palm, and let out a small, sad sigh. Another girl looks at me strangely. 

Uncle is gone. Why? Did he want to be gone, or did someone force him to become gone? Knowing Uncle, he probably made himself gone. 

Every time I saw Uncle, he'd sit me on his lap and say, "Evelyn, never let someone rule over you. Do you want to be a pawn, or a player? Everything is your choice." 

Uncle loved chess. We always played it together. Uncle said I am a queen, the most prized possession. He said countries would crumble at my feet if I said the word. 

I giggled and laughed, but he said, "Not everything is a game in this life, Evelyn." 

But Uncle is dead. I have no one else in the world. Uncle visited me twice after leaving me at the hospital, but then he disappeared. I now know where he went. Heaven. 

Poor Uncle. Poor me. 

He must be rolling in his grave now, knowing that I have been kidnapped and am being held captive by a psychotic man who trains children to become killers. 

At least he can rest easy, knowing I have not been forced into the Center again, knowing that whatever happens, I refuse to tip and fall into the dark side. 

I lean my back against the concrete wall, keeping my legs close to my chest. I hum some calming songs Mum used to sing to me. I try to conjure up peaceful memories. 

Mum and me; playing at the park, watching fairytale movies, going for a road trip across England to visit her parents. 

I inhale, and exhale. I repeat this a few more times before I open my eyes once again. I slightly falter in my breathing when I see Ginger standing in front of me. 

"Miss Rhodes," He chirps, "trying to save yourself from insanity, I see?" I don't look at him. My gaze remains fixed on the stained floor. Stained with what? 

His rough fingers yank my chin up to look at him. He smiles sickly, his eyes twinkling with something delirious. He hoists me up from the ground. 

"You are not being very productive in that room, are you, Miss Rhodes? And you haven't been fed for nearly three days. Why don't we change that?" 

My heart is suddenly filled with hope. Ginger drags me down the hallway, but this time I see more killer children and stoic guards moving around the building. 

"You do know you can't get food without earning it, don't you? Of course, you don't. You're an innocent little girl expecting a world filled of rainbows." He turns bitter. 

I keep my mouth shut, not sure what to expect from Ginger. Either way, he doesn't seem to mind my quiet. I'm not even sure if he wants me to speak at all. 

He pushes open a door and begins to drag me farther down into this building. I hold my breath when the air turns metallic and putrid. 

Ginger leads me through the many hallways in this basement of sorts. He finally stops at a closed door. He lets go of my hand. 

"Do you want to know what lays behind this door, Miss Rhodes? Do you want to know the thing that is about to ruin you forever?" 

I keep quiet and stare in front of me at the intimidating, foreboding door. It's just a door, but the anticipation of what is beyond it fills my body with dread. 

He doesn't wait for my response, and he pushes it open. I press my nails into my hands, tensing my body as the door slowly swings open, revealing a twisted sight. 

A little boy is chained to the wall. He can't be more than six or seven, and his hair is almost jet black. His eyes are closed and he's barely breathing. He wears a ripped suit. 

 This boy must be from the Ball. My stomach twists into a horrible knot. Who is looking for their child right now? Their child who is being tied up in a dank dungeon? 

Ginger shoves me further into the room, then he slams the door shut behind him. I spin around on my heel and try to open it, but the door has been tightly sealed closed. 

A voice plays throughout the cell—Ginger's voice. "Miss Rhodes," he says, "look at the gun on the table. Pick it up, shoot the boy, and you will receive a meal." 

I can barely register the command. I glance over at the table in the corner of the room, and then up at the security cameras zoomed in on me. 

With a slight shake of my head, I move towards the boy. His eyes snap up to me. I can feel the fear rolling off of him in powerful waves. 

I kneel down next to him, and stroke his hair. "Sh," I whisper softly into his ear, "don't be afraid. I will get you to your mother and your father in no time." 

The boy hiccups. He gazes at me with his big brown eyes. Tears well up in them. "My daddy says no one ever comes back when they're stolen." 

Horror fills me. What kind of a father fills their child's head with such ideas? I shake my head, meeting his eyes again. "That's a lie. You'll leave. I promise." 

Ginger's voice fills the room again. "Miss Rhodes, if you do not shoot the boy, there will be serious repercussions. Do you want to make innocents suffer?" 

I keep quiet. The boy whispers, "Please, don't shoot me. My mommy only has me left. My brothers have all died. She will die herself if you shoot me." 

With a firm inhale, I say, "I will never harm you." 

The moment the words leave my mouth, three muscular guards storm into the room. Two go up to me. One punches me in the face. The other kicks me in the ribs. 

I fall over in a pathetic slump. The guards continue to beat me. They kick me in the face and the ribs. I instinctively cover my head with my hands and curl up. 

A sharp cry echoes through the cell. The guards stop beating me. I open my eyes and see another one kicking the small boy. He kicks punches the vulnerable child. 

"No!" I sob. "You sick monsters!" 

A guard grabs a fist of my hair, and slams me back down against the concrete floor. My mind goes blank and fuzzy. I can only hear bawling before I black out. 

———

Hello, loves! 

The Rhodes brothers better save our heroine soon. 

Do you think she'll break before she's found? 

Vote and comment! Your comments make my day! 

Au revoir, 

Eva