“What’s wrong?” Heidi said, startling Ann.
“She’s not answering.”
“Are you sure she’s in there?”
“It’s locked.”
Heidi came out, dressed, tried the doorknob, and then knocked herself. “Lila, open up, please. We just want to talk.”
Still there was no response. Ann was at a loss. She tried to remember where Eli had said she was going to be all day, but she couldn’t recall. They didn’t have an extra key.
“Lila, we’re really worried, please open the door.”
They still heard nothing.
Heidi glanced at Ann with raised eyebrows. “Lila, if you don’t open the door, I’m going to do it. This is your fair warning.”
“Heidi…”
“I’ve got it, hold on. Tell me if she says or does anything.” Heidi disappeared downstairs and came back up with a few different items in her hand. Within sixty seconds, she had the door unlocked. It swung open unhindered.
“How the hell did you do that?” Ann asked.
Heidi sent her a sideways glare. They moved slowly together toward the bed, where the lump that was Lila lay under the covers. Heidi sat on the edge of the mattress in front of Lila and told Ann silently to stay on the side with her.
“Lila,” Heidi whispered gently. “Lila, please talk to us.”
Ann worried for a moment that she was asleep until the question filtered up. “How’d you get in here?”
“You didn’t think I was locked in rooms my entire childhood and didn’t learn how to break out, did you?”
Ann tensed. She’d never heard Heidi joke about her experiences in that blatant and, frankly, terrifying manner.
“No,” Lila replied. She wiped her eyes as she turned onto her back and pushed herself up on the bed. “Why are you in here?”
“We’re worried about you,” Ann started. “We gave you some time, but with the way you left, we weren’t willing to give you much more.”
“I…” Lila looked from one to the other, her gaze settling on Heidi. “I had some flashbacks.”
Ann bit her tongue. Heidi’s face softened as she reached out, her palm up, as she waited for Lila to take it.
“What can we do for you?” Heidi asked.
“Just hold me?” Lila said it like it was a question, and Ann didn’t understand why. She would do anything for Lila and for Heidi.
Heidi moved in first, shifting onto the mattress and pulling Lila in to her chest. Ann hesitated. Heidi held up a finger and moved it around so Ann knew to go to the other side of the bed. Since Lila was on her back and not her side, she at least wouldn’t be approached from behind this time, which was probably why Heidi had given her the okay.
As soon as they were all settled, Ann ran her hands soothingly down Lila’s arm and held onto her tightly. It took a minute, but Lila relaxed as she sat between them, settling into the weight and warmth of their bodies.
Heidi kissed Lila’s head. “It wasn’t just pictures of you, was it?”
Lila shook her head. “No, there’s a lot of pictures of me and others. Never my dad or my dad’s friend though. They just took them.”
“Oh Lila, I’m so sorry,” Heidi whispered into her hair.
Ann’s heart broke, shattered into a million little pieces. What these two women had gone through was extraordinary, but the fact they had both survived it so well, even more so. Ann kissed Lila’s head. “I love you.”
Lila sniffled as she tried to control her tears.