Kaye
One of the Cask guys comes back sometime after the dean’s gone to untie my wrists. It’s not the redhead, thankfully, but this one also gives me a lecherous grin as he does it. “You know, I’ve brought a few girls back here. Some of them like it.”
“I’m not one of them, asshole.”
He shrugs, gives me a water bottle, and leaves, slamming the door.
Time passes. The TV turns to static. I figure out how to restart theRugratsand I watch the three episodes about six times in a row as the light outside darkens and the sun sets. Cask is quiet—I barely hear anyone moving around in the house above. I keep thinking someone will come for me, someone will give me something to eat, but there’s nothing. The water bottle keeps me hydrated for the most part, but I’m going to be thirsty again soon.
I’m going out of my mind. I’ve never been trapped in a room like this before. It’s too much and I can’t distract myself from the swirling thought assaulting my brain.
Emilio and my sister. Lucy trying to strangle him. The dean knocking her over the cliff. Emilio trying to save her.
Emilio lying to me, hiding things from me.
Fucking me and acting like he gave a shit.
What was true and what was fake? Can I trust anything anymore?
I feel like my brain’s going to crumple like an egg.
At least I know the truth now. Lucy’s death was an accident, but it was also caused by her own psychotic rage. If she hadn’t lost her shit on Emilio like that, she’d still be around today. Instead, she couldn’t help herself, and it was her own desire to strangle, to hurt, to kill that finally sent her over the edge.
I cry for my sister. I curl up and sob on the mattress. And when I’m done, I don’t feel any better.
Lucy’s never coming back and I don’t want her to.
The realization is horrifying. It makes me sick—but it’s the truth.
I’m happy she’s gone.
For so long, I thought nobody but Lucy could ever love me. She made it seem like I was broken and wrong somehow, and that she was the only one crazy enough to ever care about a monster like me.
Now I see that she was the monster.
As much as I hate to admit it, Emilio made me understand all of this. Slowly, he woke something up inside of me, and I began to see my sister for what she was.
Manipulative, horrible, abusive.
It’s like I’ve held my breath for my entire life, but I’m breathing now.
There’s a noise in the other room. It’s the sound of quiet footsteps. I sit up on the bed and wipe my eyes. I’m done crying for Lucy and I won’t ever do it again.
The door unlocks and opens. A figure stands there in the darkness before he steps into the gloom of my prison cell, illuminated by the TV screen.
Emilio stares down at me and closes the door behind him.
I slowly rise, not sure if this is some kind of trick.
“Are you hurt?” he asks quietly, whispering.
I shake my head. “I’m fine. They didn’t touch me.”
He stares around the room. If he’s disturbed by what he sees, he doesn’t show it. Typical Emilio—he can process the darkest parts of the world better than anyone I’ve met before, probably because of the way he was raised.
No wonder he handled my sister so easily.
“I’m here to bring you out. Come on, before someone comes down.”