Persephone's Search

Chapter Seven

Trey physically and verbally abused Persephone for fifteen minutes and she took it all. She kept repeating her mantras. She had to keep her focus. She used her shirt to wipe the blood off of her face. She suddenly realized that she had not had a bath in days. She shook her head, the bath didn't matter she just needed to get out of there. Trey finally left and she was alone.

She tried to remember where the phone was. She searched and searched until at last she found it. She pressed it against her chest. This little device was her salvation. She waited for approximately fifteen minutes to pass. She quietly walked to the door and pressed her ear to see if she could here if anyone was around.

She heard someone rustling outside the door. She found a spot in the floor where she could hide it. She sat on top of the spot pretending to be air drawing. The door opened and in walked Carmen carrying a sort of sling very carefully. She placed one finger over her lips to motion to Persephone to be quiet.

"I don't know how long everyone will be gone so I don't have long," Carmen said carefully handling the sling; "But I thought you should see your daughter." Out of the sling she produced Phoenix.

Persephone stood up and began to cry silent tears, she didn't want anyone to hear her. Carmen met her half way. Carmen handed her the most precious thing she had ever seen. Her daughter had grown so much in four months. She still had her lovely caramel complexion and Riley's piercing blue eyes were staring back at her. Her hair was still raven black but now it was just a mess of curls on her beautiful head.

Persephone's heart skipped a beat just looking at her daughter. Her heart almost burst out of her chest when her daughter reached for her. She couldn't contain her tears and Carmen handed Phoenix to her. Persephone held her daughter so close to her that she could smell her hair. She just wanted to stay in that moment. She looked into her baby girl's face and smiled. Phoenix smiled and cooed at her mother as if she knew who Persephone was. "Thank you God and thank you Carmen. Oh Phoenix, Mommy has missed you so much and Daddy is going to be so happy once we are back home."

"Have you figured out how we are going to get out of here? I don't know where Mr. Jefferson and the lady goes everyday around this time, but right now there are two guards outside the house and there are around four guards at the front and back entrances."

"That is great to know. Do you have a car or can you get the keys to a car?"

"I'm sorry I live here. When I came here I took a bus. We have to find another way. They don't leave the keys hanging around and Mr. Jefferson locks his office and has a camera outside of it."

"That's ok Carmen I have another plan. I need you to do this for me. Pack a backpack with only your important stuff. Don't worry about anything like clothes, we can get you stuff like that later and don't pack anything for Phoenix other than milk to feed her, trust me her father and uncles have anything she needs already" she said bouncing and kissing her baby girl.

"I can have all that ready tonight if I have to, but just how are we going to pull it off or are you going to leave me behind." Carmen asked worried.

"I'm not going to leave you behind if I do Trey might kill you."

"Kill me, why?"

"Because he might suspect you of helping me." Persephone told her. "I am not going to leave you, I keep my promises and it won't be tonight I have to put somethings in motion."

"Did he do that to your face or was it her? She is mean, she doesn't like Phoenix at all. She tells her stuff like, "your mommy won't be here for long, and your daddy loves me and not your mommy. She is evil."