Wildfire

(26)

Mariana Montanari

It had been a week since I'd said yes to dating Kenneth. I didn't tell him about Francisca yet. I know I'll have to tell him in the future but I didn't wanna give up this shred of happiness too soon.

I lifted my shades up as I entered the coffee shop. It was one of my favourites and usually empty. Entering it I ordered my regular.

The shop was cooler than the scorching sun outside. I sat down using the public Wi-Fi to protect the IP and tried to track down where Francisca could be.

I took a break shooting a random text to Kenneth before getting back to work.

Mariana: The French have given us so many incredible things.

He didn't reply immediately meaning he was either asleep or working. I should work too. I needed to practise neurology theory later. For now I focused on Francisca.

My laptop screen opened a chat window without command.
Looking for me, Mary?
My eyes widened at the text. Francisca.
I cringed at the name in the text before I received a video.

It was a woman. She was tied up and tortured. In any other situation this was a normal day for me. Except I knew this woman.

I didn't know this woman but she was Kenneth's mother. I've seen him talk to her. Seen him talk about her. Seen her photos in his office.

Francisca was not watching me. She was watching him. She took what was close to him to get to me.

Mariana: What do you want?

I sent in the chat window. I wasn't a woman of many morals usually but I did know the feeling of losing a mother and in no universe did Kenneth deserve it.

That's the fucking thing. When you're starved and someone feeds you, you would do anything for them. Cross any line. That may be dog-like behaviour but I didn't call myself a bitch for nothing.

When you thought you didn't deserve something but someone gives it to you like it's the easiest thing ever, it's hard to not repay the favour.

I had gotten him in danger and he forgave me. I was not going to make the same mistake twice. If I had to unite hells and heaven to keep him away from the pain of losing the only decent parent he had. So fucking be it.

You. My eyes widened. Why does she want me? Why now?

For him I was ready to sacrifice anything. Even myself.

Mariana: Give me a place.

I typed away in the window.

You'll find out.

With that the window closed. I needed to tell him. I wanted to text him right now but that would have alerted Francisca. I need to go to him.

As if on cue my phone rang with a text.

Ken: French toast?

He replied to my previously sent text.

Mariana: The guillotine.

It wasn't completely a joke.

I walked out of the shop, the scorching sun blinding my eyes. I pulled my sunglasses back on my eyes only to meet a masked face. He jumped on me, pinning me to the ground.

"You pay for every second you spend not alert." My "trainer" or as written in Mariana's file "demon spawn" or Zarin said. I hated how easily he pinned me down. I got panic attacks the first few times he touched me but soon it was made very clear that either here I fight or suffer.

This one second loss of alertness had 3 men grabbing me. My breath shallowed as they didn't take their hands off me. Not again, not again. Not agai- I tried to push them off but my hands were tied.

My panic found its way to my muscles making me incapable of doing anything except shaking. Before I could scream I felt a syringe being stabbed in my arm and a strange medicine being in.

Shit. I was calming down. No, no. Mariana fucking panic. The tranquillisers were working. The last thing I remembered before passing out was my phone being tossed somewhere on the street.

+=={:::::::::::::::::>

"Mary! Let's go, you can't stay at the pool all day." My mother screamed from across the pool. "Why not!?" I screamed before diving back in.

A six year old wouldn't understand why staying at the pool wasn't the best idea. I was one of the children who were convinced they're mermaids.

"Because, piccola ragazza, no." She pulled me to the edge to put sunblock on me for the 20th time. "That's not fair!" I screamed before going back into the water.

"Fai presto, Maria!" She walked around the pool singing her songs. (Hurry up, Mary!)

I didn't hurry up. I loved the feeling of water on me. I swam better than the average 6 year old. "Altri 5 minuti!" (5 more minutes).

+=={:::::::::::::::::>

I woke up feeling hands on me. "Touch me again, I'll make you regret it." The hands on me hesitated from the sheer edge in my tone.

When the hands didn't stop my eyes snapped open. "I won't say it again."

"Shut up-" My legs wrapped around his torso before pushing him away making him land on the wall.

Stupid fucks tied my hands behind a pole but forgot my legs. After all, being a whore with mafia training has to have its perks. "Don't. Fucking. Touch. Me."

"Fucking whore!" He yelled as his back hit hard enough to crack.

Good for him, right now was the perfect time to get into my head. I was tied to a pole being touched and dizzy. My insides turned at hearing the term and maybe the hunger panging in my stomach. The order for the coffee that never came didn't help.

Every time I picked up something to eat I heard Camila.

Don't eat so much that you can't climb the pole, girls. She spoke as all of us stepped on the scale and the ones who didn't weigh a number below her certain "standard" were sent to get "punished" or "fixed." We moved on to prepare for the show.

"Mary, there you go again with perfect measurements. You're made for this I tell you." I hated this place, and this life but it was hard to not feel good when the validation hits in the form of not having to do private shows for old men because 'you were made for the stage.'

I expressionlessly walked off the scale and started dressing- no actually undressing for the show.

+=={:::::::::::::::::>

For now I felt like I was the same 16 year old on a pole except I was 26 and instead of performing to a room full of people I was here with two wanna be kidnappers sent by my mother who kidnapped my boyfriend's mother.

+=={:::::::::::::::::>