No escape from the past (book 1)

Chapter six

Thomas walks past the factory and people are still working. He quickly goes up to his house and goes upstairs. He goes up to Mila's room and sees that there is a light on. He knocks on the door and Mila slowly opens it.

'Thomas, what can I do for you?' she asks him, while she opens the door a little more and shows her wearing her hair loose and a nightdress. Thomas slowly walks into her room and smells the opium pipe and sees it lying on the floor.

In the corner of the room lies her suitcase, open and a notebook on top of her clothing. She probably hadn't enough time to really put them away. She has a bunch of candles standing next to her bed, that you can see that she has been slept in.

'You couldn't sleep?' he asks and she shakes her head. 'Why?'

'The noises in the house are new,' she says slowly and sits down on her bed. 'My past, everything. I never really slept, I used to go outside and then watch the stars with Managhon Boy. And then I would be so tired that I would go back inside and sleep for a few hours, until my nightmares woke me up.'

Thomas slowly nods and sits down next to her. They stay silent and Mila is playing with her hands. She doesn't really know what to say to him. She knows that it's kind of her father now, but they have known each other for like three days, maybe even less.

'What do you enjoy?' Thomas asks and Mila looks up confused. 'What did you used to do that gave you a lot of joy?'

Mila shrugs and shakes her head. All the memories that she has are almost every part traumatizing. It starts in France and then ends in the orphanage. Everything that happened was scarry, nothing really happened that gave her joy. Maybe training Managhon Boy, but that was only one thing.

'I don't really remember things that I liked to do,' she says slowly and Thomas looks at her. 'My whole life has only been filled up with fear and pain. Not really joyfull, is it?'

'Nothing?' Thomas asks and Mila shakes her head.

'What about you?' she asks and Thomas looks down at her. 'I don't think you always want to do your little business thing. What makes you enjoy life? Or laugh, which is something you don't really do very often.'

'I could say the same thing about you, eh,' Thomas says with a small smile, only one corner of his mouth slowly goes up.

'I laugh when something is funny and right now I don't hear anything funny, do you?' she says and Thomas slowly nods. He understands what she was saying and could find himself in that reference.

'Horses,' he says slowly and takes a cigarette out of his jacket pocket. He gives one to Mila who puts it in her mouth. 'I always loved working with horses, it made me forget everything.'

Thomas takes out his lighter and lights up his cigarette and that from Mila. Mila slowly nods and takes a puff of her cigarette and then takes it out of her mouth.

'I know what you mean, I have had the same thing with Managhon boy,' she says and Thomas slowly nods. He stands up and Mila stays on the bed.

'It's late and we have or at least I have a lot to do, tomorrow,' Thomas says and she slowly nods. Although she really didn't want to sleep, it was probably the only thing that would keep her going. 'Go to sleep, rest, you're gonna need it.'

She slowly nods and slaps her pillow a few times. Thomas nods and quenches his cigarette in the opium pipe. Mila just looks at what he is doing. Thomas wants to leave, but she stops him.

'Thank you,' she says slowly and Thomas turns around. He leans against the door and looks at the girl in front of him.

He just nods and stays quiet. Mila gives him a small smile and then goes up to the corner filled with candles. She blows them out and slowly stands up again.