Four Walls

Three

A sound by the door startles me. Mateo tells me not to worry since it's our food. I watch in awe as a tray appears through the slot, just like he told me. What I didn't expect was an actual person on the other side pushing it through like that, and then all the contents spilling out onto the floor.

Out of pure instinct, I get up and run toward the door. "Help!" I yell, banging on the door and hoping they can hear me. "Please, let me out! I'll do anything!"

"Stop, Lili. It's no use," I hear Mateo say behind me.

Ignoring him, I lean down toward the slot, hoping I'll be able to get a look at whoever the person is on the other side. But just like last time, there is nothing but darkness and cold air. "Wait! Please, come back. I'll give you whatever you want!"

"Don't say that. You don't know who you're dealing with," Mateo says with a gruff voice.

I turn around to look at him. He's sitting down on the bed, watching me impatiently. "And you do? How can you be so calm and sit there without doing anything? The least we can do is try to negotiate our release."

Mateo lets out a dry laugh. "Yeah, good luck with that. They never answer. The only thing you'll get is punished for acting out." He stands up, slowly walking in my direction. He crouches down on the floor next to me, placing what appears to be takeout containers back on the food tray. "Are you hungry?" he asks, as if we'd just been making small talk.

Part of me wants to lash out at him for being so complacent. But the other part knows there's a reason for it and that scares me. The thought of being punished for my behavior has me backing down. I shiver with one last look out the door slot, deciding to let it go for now. Whoever was there is long gone and I need to be careful. Besides, I'm starving. I hate to admit it, but I feel weak. "Yes," I reply. My voice comes out smaller than I intended.

He nods, giving me a look of sympathy. He takes the tray with him to the far wall and motions for me to join him. "I usually eat over here to not get food on the bed."

I stand up and go sit down next to him. I suppose eating on the floor is the better option in this case, given there is nowhere else to eat. I don't want to get the bed full of crumbs or the sheets dirty either. It's the only sanctuary in the room.

"Welcome to the fine dining area," he says, making a show out of it with his hands. I would find it funny if I weren't so hungry.

He opens one of the containers. It looks like Chinese food. "So I normally ration it. I'll eat half now and the other half later. It fights off the hunger that way. We just have to remember to place the tray back before going to sleep. Otherwise it'll be a day of no food."

"Okay," I say, listening carefully to his instructions.

He hands me one of the containers and a plastic fork. "Eat a fourth of this one and then we can switch. Also, try to eat slowly. The worst thing you can do is wolf it down. Take your time."

I nod, digging into what I confirm is beef and broccoli. Mateo's container looks like chicken lo mein. "Is it always Chinese food?" I ask.

"Yes. It's always the same few dishes. Hopefully they'll give us more variety now with two containers instead of one."

I perk up at a sudden thought. "Are we in Chinatown then? In New York?"

"Well, we could be in Chinatown or anywhere near a Chinese restaurant, really. It doesn't exactly narrow it down," Mateo says.

"Right," I say, feeling dumb.

"So you're from New York?" he asks.

"Yeah. I grew up in Long Island. I go to college in the city. You?"