𝗜𝘃𝗼𝗿𝘆 - 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀

Part 5: Azure

The girls had lost track of time. They were chained to the wall 24/7 and only had a few minutes of light daily. They got food but in small portions, once a day. The room smelled of dust and sweat, the girls were getting weaker day by day. Bailey was still holding on, she was taller and stronger than Ella but still, she got skinnier and her movement got slower by the day. They would whisper to each other for hours on end, it was the only thing keeping them sane.

"Bailey," Ella whispered from her portion of the small concrete room. Bailey mumbled in response. "He brought another girl in last night." Bailey sat up and glanced at the girl in the usually vacated corner. The girl looked back at her in fear, it was clear she hadn't slept last night like the other girls.

"What's your name?" Bailey rubbed her eyes as she spoke. "I'm Bailey," She pointed over to where Ella was located and said, "That's Ella."

The girl perked up a bit, feeling comforted by the fact that the other girls weren't as scared as she was. "I'm Sadie." Her long blonde hair was arranged in complicated swirls, it was tucked delicately behind her ears. Her eyes were a shade of olive green, complimented by blue streaks. Her lips were pink and small, she was probably younger than Ella and Bailey and they noticed that.

"How old are you?" Ella asked.

"I'm 6," She replied and shuffled around in the dirt, finally settling with her legs in a criss cross position. She was so tiny and fragile, all the girls were, but her more so. Ella and Bailey shared a shocked look, they shared fear and sympathy for the young girl, immediately becoming protective of her. She pulled at the heavy metal chains that anchored her to the wall in confusion. "What are these?"

Both of the girls immediately shushed her. "They're chains," Ella replied. "To keep you here." Sadies face drooped and it was obvious she had just now fully understood the situation that was unfolding around her. Tears started to run down her face as she sat up taller. Her breath came in heavy cries.

"I need my mom," She said. "I want my mom." The girls both scooted to the middle of the room and urged Sadie to do the same. The chains were just long enough for the oldest, Bailey, to wrap Sadie in a loose, yet comforting, hug. She held her as she cried into her shoulder.

"It's ok," Bailey whispered. "You're going to be ok." She paused and looked up at Ella who was now getting teary eyed as well. "We're going to be ok." Ella couldn't tell who she was trying to convince, the other girls or herself.

It was still dark aside as they sat there. After a while, Sadie fell asleep on Baileys lap. She was only 10 but she acted as an older sister for the two girls, comforting and protecting them when they needed it. The window was cracked open, causing a cold, drifting wind to blow through the room, making it more frigid than it was before. Each girl had a towel which they used as blankets. Bailey dragged hers over and laid it on top of a sleeping Sadie, who was shivering.

"How many days has it been?" Bailey asked. She got no response, Ella was staring at the wall, completely disconnected from the world. "Ella?" She snapped out of her trance and focused her eyes on Bailey.

"Since what?" She responded.

"Since you got here." Bailey clarified.

"I'm not sure," She replied. "Days, maybe even a week." She looked up at the ceiling. "I really don't know." Tears started to roll down her cheeks as she settled back down on the disheveled ground. "I just want to go home." She closed her eyes slowly, hoping to fall back asleep.

"Me too." Bailey muttered as she leaned back onto the wall, stroking Sadies light hair.

****

Light slowly crept through the cracked window, casting a ray of sun over each of the girls faces. Their green eyes shone brightly in the light. They started to stir and they all scattered back to their corners, knowing the man would be back with food soon.

Their bodies were on a schedule now. Although they couldn't keep track of the days, they could keep track of the meals and the nights they slept. From their confused cycling of the days, they had decided that Sadie had been here for 4 days. She was the weakest, her small limbs only moved sluggishly. Bailey and Ella had began sharing their food and water with her, they knew she needed it more than they did.

They heard the loud clomping of his boots coming down the hall. Their mouths began to water, preparing for the food they were about to eat and their throats were dry and coarse from the lack of water they had been given. Their voices got scratchier and hoarder each day.

The man walked in and set food and water in front of them without a word. He usually kept the room dark so that they couldn't see his face but today was different. The light shone brightly, giving them a good look of his eyes and hair. His hair was a deep shade of amber brown. It had reddish highlights and was kept in a messy manner, partly covering one of his eyes. Ella studied the man. I've seen him before. I know it. Who is he? She knew she recognized him. From what they could see of his other eye, it was a charming shade of azure.

"Mister," Sadie grabbed his attention, sending the other two girls into a panicked state but they kept silent. "Can I please go home now?" She meant no harm but this was going to cause a problem.

The man smiled menacingly and took a step towards her. Ella shied back but Bailey stood her ground. He grabbed the collar of her pink shirt and picked her up, bring her not but two inches from his face. Their eyes, both shining in the light, glared into one another, causing a strong tension to build in the room. Sadie winced as he cocked his hand back on the left side of her face. The whole world seemed to slow before his fist came pummeling towards her, slamming down right underneath her eye. They two other girls watched in shock, unable to move.

"You ever ask that agin," He smiled, almost as if he was enjoying the whole ordeal. "I'll make sure you never go home again." He dropped her on the ground and walked out of the room. She landed with a thud and sat there holding her face. Warm blood came trickling down the side of her cheek and it ran over her lips. She could taste the coppery liquid reaching the edge of her mouth, she licked the area around it in an attempt to clean it up.

Her cheekbone throbbed and ached. Once the man was gone for sure, Ella and Bailey rushed over to her. When they managed to get close enough to see her face they froze. Her eyes were more wild than a deer caught in a trap.

"Let me see," Bailey pried Sadies hand away from her face, revealing a deep gash. She quickly grabbed one of the towels and pushed down hard on her cheek to stop the bleeding.

"She needs stitches," Ellas breathing quickened. "What do we do?" Bailey didn't respond.

Sadie was still and silent, in shock from the blow she had just taken. The moment played in her mind over and over, his bright blue eye staring her down until his hand pounded into the side of her face.