Metal Man

Chapter 13: Stupid world

She was blind. 

Jade flailed around in the dark, screaming, "Help! I can't see! I must have missed something! Rosemarie is gone! The Boss blinded me! I'm blind! Help!" 

Then calm washed over her. I'm in a dream, she realized.

When Jade opened her eyes, she was in Rome, and still shuddering from her dream. The train was slowing to a stop. The blind man, Hugo, was wide-awake beside her.

"Well, here's Rome," he said. How did he know she was awake? Jade thought. But she banished it. She had more important things to think about.

"Yes." said Jade. Maybe she could use Rosemarie's hotel room to stay for a night. If she could find it. A man came up and tapped Hugo on the shoulder twice.

"Well, I'll be seeing ya, kid." he said.

"Bye." said Jade. She pressed her face against the cool window to see Rome. The station looked just like the one in Venice, but Jade smiled. Rome. It seemed so nice. She pulled herself up from the seat and entered the station. She glanced around nervously and spotted no lieutenants, just lost tourists.

She ran out of the station and towards the ground. She couldn't stand being underground any longer than she had to. Once she was breathing fresh air, she began to look for any hotel Rosemarie might have stayed in. Jade didn't fancy sleeping on the ground again.

She passed several of them, and asked everybody there, but got only in exchange sour looks and syrupy words. After one of them shooed her away with an astonishing array of makeup and perfumes, Jade decided to check more later.

Though she tried to enjoy herself with sightseeing, Jade couldn't seem to go a minute without missing her family, feeling a stab of guilt of leaving Rosemarie to fend for herself, and most of all, seeing the Boss or one of his lieutenants everywhere and starting.

After she saw a large, bald man with a nose piercing, thoroughly convinced herself he was a lieutenant, and had run several blocks until turning around and realizing there was nobody behind her, Jade decided she was officially going paranoid, just as Rosemarie had mentioned.

She put her head in her hands, and wanted nothing more to go back and free her family, but forced herself to stay for at least a few days to throw the lieutenants off her course.

But by then the Boss could have forced Rosemarie to do anything he wanted her to, and killed my family, Jade reminded herself. But she knew that she had to stay, whatever the risk. She winced. She felt so helpless. Jade almost wished the lieutenants would come back to give her something to do.

She hadn't realized she had said that all out loud until she felt the knife against her throat.

"Well, you got your wish." said a voice.

Jade knew she was supposed to feel scared, but all she was aware of was exasperation. Naturally. Be careful what you wish for Jade. She was so irritated and tired and stressed she pushed the knife away. It came right back onto her neck, this time cutting into her skin.

"Oh, no," Jade said, ducking under the knife and spinning around. A plan started to form in her head, and she stared at the people who she at first thought were lieutenants with a blank stare. "I didn't think-" She looked again at the people whom she thought were lieutenants and did a double-take. They were people. Ordinary, regular, fourteen-year olds, who probably belonged to some street gang.