Tortured Trust

4

Jack's pov
Mark visited me every day for the rest of the week. He would just quietly sit on the other side of the room and do a puzzle on the floor. I would watch him from the corner of my eye, wanting to see what he was doing but not wanting him to know I was watching him.

"Hey Jacky. How are you today?" Mark asked after he'd quietly entered. I shrugged my shoulders, not really wanting him to know I felt terrible. I would speak to him but nothing came out. I was silent and I hated it. I wanted to be able to speak to people but I was stuck on mute.

I wasn't bothered using the text to speak anymore since it took too long to text and it was a waste of time really. Cry was teaching me some of the basics of sign language that I could use every day, but I only ever used it when he was around since I wasn't comfortable talking to the nurses and Mark didn't know any sign language yet.

"Well, I hope you end up feeling a little better soon," Mark said with concern in his voice. I guess he knew I wasn't feeling all too good.

He sat down in his usual spot and pulled out a large puzzle with 1000 pieces. Well, it wasn't too big really but there was a lot of pieces. (I can do 5000 pieced puzzles. Ha!) He spread all the pieces out and started sorting out the straight edged ones, putting them together to the side.

I watched from the edge of my vision for a while before deciding to just watch him properly, facing his direction. He glanced up as I did but was quick to return to his task, not saying a word. I continued to watch him with an urge to join in but my body didn't move. I just watched.

"You can join in if you want," Mark's calm, quiet voice reached my ears. I felt a wave of anxiety wash over me and couldn't bring myself to move. Finally, after he looked up, I was able to shake my head no. As much as I wanted to join in I just couldn't yet.

"It's okay. It's a pretty hard puzzle anyway," he said, a sly smirk on his face. It only took me a moment to realise what he meant and shot a glare at him. He giggled, making shivers run down my body. Not bad shivers though; comfortable ones.

A smile tugged at my saddened lips and I felt a warm feeling in my chest. It had been ages since I'd felt this way and had forgotten what it meant but... I liked feeling this way. The feeling faded slightly as silence filled the room once again. I didn't want the feeling to leave. I wanted it to stay.

I made a brave decision and, forcing my anxiety away, slowly crawled out of bed and sat with my back against the edge. I was closer to Mark and could see each piece better as he placed them all together. He began to hum a tune as more of the picture was revealed.

I watched with a blank expression. I wasn't smiling but I wasn't quiet frowning either. However, the warm feeling remained. It wasn't as hot as before but it was still noticeable. I wanted it to be stronger but I was too scared to move any closer to Mark, my anxiety trying to overpower the warm feeling.

"Have you ever been to a beach before?" Mark asked, not looking up from his work. I shook my head sadly and he nodded in understanding. "Well, they don't look this good but, when you get out of here I'll take you to one if you want. I promise."

I thought for a second before reaching over and grabbing my phone, pulling up the text to talk app. I typed in as quickly as possible while also making sure I spelt it all right. When I was satisfied I let the speaker say my thoughts.

"What's the beach like?" It asked. Mark looked up with a soft smile.

"It's lovely. The waves give off a nice peaceful sound as the roll over each other and crash against the rocks and shore. People go there to swim, surf, snorkel and all sorts of other things. If you don't want to swim you can lay on the soft sand in the sun and just relax. There's also all sorts of different games you can play on land," Mark said, his smile widening as he continued his description.

I imagined the golden, yellow sand shifting under my feet as the wind blew salty fresh air into my face. I pictured the waves crashing in front of me. I'd seen beaches in movies before I had been kidnapped and blurred memories began to arise.

I was sitting on my parents bed, my mum holding me her in her arms. A movie played on the tv that sat across the room from us. Sound bounced around the room as two people sat on a small blanket together, their hands linked together.

I remember watching them as they leant closer to each other, their lips touching as they hugged the other. I remember asking my mother what they were doing; to which she replied with.

"When two people love each other they have the desire to show it. One day, when you find someone you care about, you will understand the true feeling of love."

I smiled at the memory. I didn't have very many of my mother since she died after I turned six but the ones I had were all full of joy and love. I was able to understand what she meant as I grew up but I never truly felt love as I had with my mother. Hopefully one day I will be able to find love as she described. Maybe I'll find it somewhere else and not at the beach.

Just saying. I hate beaches. Well, I hate the sand and salty water.