The Numbers on Her Wrist

29

By the time I wake, it is far past ten in the morning. As I swing my legs off my bed, I curse under my breath, knowing that should Samuel and I even hope to rescue the other children from the orphanage without any fatal consequences, we shall need to get our plan finalized and into action as swiftly as possible. I stretch my arms above my head and yawn, tugging on the end of Samuel's flannel shirt that I still wear and ensuring that it covers me well enough before I head into the kitchen. I cannot say that I am not surprised to see Samuel sitting comfortably at the middle bar, swirling a spoon throughout his bowl of cereal and a concentrated look on his features as he studies a book beside his dish.

"Hey," I breathe and move closer to him, a smile immediately jumping to his lips as he catches my gaze and gestures gently for me to join him. I walk to him, but instead of taking a seat on the stool beside him, I simply lean my hip against the counter and allow him to wrap around my waist; he is warm; he offers a sense of security to myself, but to himself also. "Did you sleep alright?" He presses his lips against the skin in front of my ear, kissing me gently, and then lets my head rest on his shoulder. "I know you didn't get much time to rest, and everything coming straight for you right now seems extremely stressful." I chuckle slightly as he drags his fingers over my side and I run my stare over the inked pages, but for the moment none of this catches my attention- my mind can only drift back to one single topic.

I ignore his question and make a statement instead, "We need to figure out how we are going to get those kids out."

Sam closes the book slowly and pushes it to the side, swallowing a bite of food as he had just taken a spoonful of it. "I know, Amy. But I doubt," he smiles and turns me to face him better. "Despite how badass you are, that we could possibly do it on our own..."

He does not even need to ask the question that I can feel formulating within his mind, because I answer it before he can pose it to me verbally; he wants to know who we could request assistance from. "I was thinking that we could confront Mr. Ellis about it- he would be most willing and able to help at such short notice." Samuel shifts in his seat as I continue, "I am hoping he might be the one to be able to gather the resources we would need quickly enough." Samuel scratches the back of his neck uncomfortably, shaking his head a few times as he objects to this immediately. "I know you trust him to an extent, Amelia, but I've never met him and I am afraid that I do not place any of my trust in this man. He seems to have just shown up out of nowhere to confront you - and not two months later the Association finds your apartment. I don't know how viable his story is..."

I frown and pull away from his hand, the cool air taking his warmth almost instantaneously, but I wait a beat before I can think of a reply; I let his thoughts and words sink in. "Samuel, I know you don't trust him, but he is the only person that we can possibly ask for help. There is no one we can turn to other than him. You heard 598, even the FBI has been infiltrated by the Association." He scoffs and stands, dumping the dishes into the sink, turning his back to the counter, and crossing his arm as he looks to me again. "And you don't think there is even the slightest chance that Mr. Ellis could be part of the orphanage? You said you don't remember him, yet he seems to know almost everything about you."

I sigh and shake my head, frustration stirring in my stomach. "Samuel, there is a girl who is scared out of her mind that the Association is going to show up any moment and dozens of children back at the orphanage who are probably frightened that she did abandon them and leave them to be punished for crimes they didn't commit. I don't give a damn if Mr. Ellis knows more than he should or if you think there is some petty risk for my safety. Those children are going through hell- I know, I've been there- and I'm not taking any shortcuts just to ensure I don't get hurt."