Picture Perfect

Chapter Nine

Danny looked down at his hands and I immediately felt bad for losing my temper.

"I'm sorry." I whispered. He shook his head.

"No. You're right. I would do the same thing. I understand what you have to do. I just don't want to see you hurt Riley." His eyes became glassy.

"I know. And I promise I won't. I know how to take care of myself." I nodded.

He smiled. But I could tell it was forced. He continued to eat, and I looked at all the other rooms.

Some people sat, huddled, in the back corner of their white room. Others just paced the floor, looking like they're losing their mind.

The fire inside me started burning and I stood up. "I'll be right back." I told Danny when he looked up at me. He nodded.

I waked over to the-now-empty-food-line. I piled a tray up with fruit. Apples, oranges, pears, bananas, and some Star fruit.

I can't just sit and watch as these people out here sit on their asses and eat and laugh together, when those people in there are starving and have to be segregated from us, losing their minds from being alone.

I start at the first room to the right. A man paced the floor, pulling on his hair. He had a white beard, and I could see his bones. He looked older and I wondered how long he has been in here.

I opened the latch and held an orange through the tiny door. "Here, mister." I said to him. He stopped pacing and looked at me, terrified.

"It's okay. Here, take it." I waved my hand so he would noticed the citrus fruit in it.

He walked slowly to the door and took the orange hesitantly. He was about to say something but quickly closed his mouth.

"It's alright. I'm your friend." I cooed. His eyes watered up and I smiled sadly. He nods his head. He smiles and I stare in horror at his mouth.

He has no teeth. I averted my gaze back to his eyes.

"Why can't you speak?" I asked him quietly. He looked at me in understanding. The old man opened his mouth and I felt the need to vomit.

His tongue was missing. It looked mutilated. My eyes watered up and I covered my mouth with my hand.

"I'm so sorry." I murmured. He shook his head. He placed a hand over his heart and then pointed at me. I took that as a thank you, so I smiled. "Your welcome."

I walked by every room and gave them all fruit. There was one more room left. I few rooms back was Danny's room and he smiled at me as I passed.

Every room had people with their own story's. Some were missing body parts, some had burns, like Danny's, and some were just completely terrified to speak.

But they all took the food. Which made me very happy. I walked to the last room on the left side. Unfortunately it was closest to Roberts table. I had to use all my strength to keep myself from marching over there and beating him to a pulp for doing this to these poor people.

A little girl with blonde locks, sat in a corner hugging her knees. She was visibly shaking. I opened the latch and extended my hand that held an Apple. The last bit of fruit on the tray.

She looked up at the sound of the door opening. She scrunched further into the corner.

She was so small. She didn't look healthy. My heart broke just looking at her. She needs to eat something. "It's okay." She wasn't convinced at by the softness of my voice. So I tried something different.