The Bare Truth part 2

Chapter 19

Sierra didn't sleep much that night, or the next one. By day, she paced her room. Occasionally, the phone would ring. She'd ignore it. Someone knocked on the door once. She ignored that too. She took baths, and she ate the gourmet food that was sent up to her on silver trays, and she paced, while she tried to think of a way out of this mess.

It was early evening. Sierra calmly picked up the phone in her room. She was automatically connected with the same over pleasant voice that told her she was having dinner with Dorrian two days before.

"How may I help you Miss Christie?" the voice asked cheerfully.

"I'd like another massage. Could you send Gina up?" she said.

"Ah. Well...I'm not certain Mr. Taylor would..." the man stammered.

"Then call Mr. Taylor, ask him, and send her up," Sierra said.

She hung up the phone with a resounding clunk and waited. As expected, fifteen minutes later there was a knock on the door. Gina let herself in.

"Hi Miss Christie. You wanted another massage?" she said.

"Yes, please," Sierra replied. "And call me Sierra."

Gina got started on her massage. She eased the tension out of Sierra's back as gentle music played in the background.

"So tell me about your home," Sierra said.

"I don't really remember it much. I was just a little kid," Gina said, brushing off the question.

"Well what do you remember?"

Gina was clearly uncomfortable with the question. Still, Sierra suspected she had been told to do whatever she asked. So if she wanted Gina to talk about home, Gina was going to talk about home.

"We lived in Arkansas. In a boathouse."

"You lived in a boathouse?"

"Yeah. There was this bright yellow slide on the back. My big brother used to wait at the bottom to catch me. He'd do this thing where he'd slide down and then shift right at the bottom, so he landed in the water as a swan. I was jealous. I wasn't old enough to shift yet."

"Is your brother locked up here too?"

"No. He used to live here, but he went home."

Sierra felt her heart ache for this poor lost little girl.

"Tell me what it was like growing up with your parents," she said.

"Why? They were..." she faltered. "I don't really remember that."

"Try," Sierra instructed her. "Did your dad ever pick you up and spin you around? Did your mom ever sing to you?"

Gina stopped massaging.

"Why are you asking me these things?"

Sierra sat up and faced her.

"I'd just like to know how your mother felt when they ripped you out of her arms and locked you away here."

"You don't understand," Gina said. "I'm okay. I'm happy here."

Gina's voice shook. She didn't sound entirely convinced.

"Is your mom happy?"

Gina backed away. There were tears in her eyes now.

"Why are you asking me these things?" she said again.

"What about your brother? Is he happy?" Sierra demanded

"I told you. My brother went home."

Sierra stood up and moved towards her. Gina backed into the wall.

"Do you really believe that?" Sierra asked.

Gina was crying now.

"These kids," Sierra said, "The ones that 'go home', have you ever seen them leave? Has anyone ever seen them leave? Or heard from them again? Has your big brother ever Skyped with you?"

Gina sobbed, shaking her head.

"I don't know what you're saying!" Gina cried. "They went home. My brother went home!"

"Come on, Gina! You're a smart girl! You know better than that. You know your brother didn't go home."

"No..." Gina insisted piteously. "No, he went home."

Sierra took her by the shoulders.

"Gina, your brother is dead. Dorrian murdered him, because your parents wouldn't follow his dictatorship. This isn't your home, this is your prison. And you know it. I know you know it, Gina."

Gina collapsed on to the floor.

"I know," she said, and then proceeded to cry so hard she couldn't form words anymore. Sierra knelt and wrapped her arms around the shaking girl. She held her until the crying went from sobs, to quiet cries, and, finally, to silence.

"Listen to me, Gina. I need you to be very brave. You don't have to stay here with the man that stole you from your parents and murdered your brother. You can get out. Maybe I can't, but you can. I can help you. You can go back to your family."

Gina raised her tear stained face to look up at her.

"How?" she asked.

Sierra stood up.

"You're a bird, Gina," Sierra said.

Sierra picked up the sofa and threw it as hard as she could into the window. The window shattered spectacularly as the couch fell to the pavement below with a crash.

"Fly."