Vines

Friend or Foe?

Jessica showed up the next day, after the sun was in the middle of the sky. Apparently she got the directions from Eli to find me. I hate her, what took her so long? She came with a big basket of fruits And bread sticking out. The second my eyes saw the food, my body suddenly started to shake, almost like I had too much caffeine.

My saliva poured out of my mouth and my stomach sounded like the jaguar that I saw when I woke up. I lept up off the ground and ignored my ankle. I also ignored the fact that the she-devil, Jessica was bringing me my food. She held out her hand and told me to wait. "Wait?" I growled. "Yes Opal, wait. Patience is a virtue." The Mexican woman said with her thick accent. I wanted to "virtue" her face with my fist. She pulled her backpack off her back and pulled out a whole chicken. I had to force myself not to pass out from joy. I looked at her as if to say, "Now can I?" She nodded and then in the blink of my eye, the chicken was in my mouth and traveling down my stomach. In two blinks the chicken was devoured and I was mowing the insides of the basket down. However, I could feel that I was being watched. I turned a couple times to see Jessica glaring at me. Not even bothering to turn away when I made eye contact. Now with the last morsel of food in my hand I decided it was time to talk. Jessica knew it too and gave an awkward cough into her hand. I look up at her face and I nod for her to talk.

"I know you don't like me. You don't have to trust me either, but there is something that you have to know about Eli." She spoke bluntly. She had my full attention now. "What about Eli?" I asked slowly. Anger was welling up inside of me, but I kept my mouth shut. This is not a middle school sleep over where we gossip about someone as soon as they leave the party. I was gunna let her talk but I am going to tell Eli everything she said.

"You don't remember anything do you?" she asked me. This question jolted my mind awake. I don't want anyone to know that so I had to skirt around the truth.

"No, but I do remember the  general area of where I hid the money. I also know some of the stuff I did...recently." I was insinuating that I knew where the money was, which is a lie. She fixed a hard glare at me as of that would make me tell the truth.

She paused but continued to stare in my eyes as she talked. "Do you remember how you got here? Or even how Eli got here?"

"Ya, I hobbled here with these." I motioned to the crutches and ignoring her question about Eli. She needs to stop talking about him. He probably has done bad things. That's why he is, or was working here. I probably did something to get here too, but I didn't want to dwell on that fact.

"No, I mean how you got in the Guatemalan jungle." She snapped.

I dropped my gaze and answered truthfully. "No".

"First I need to tell you why Eli is here before we get to you. Since you obiously don't know why he's here. Eli brought you here. He was asked to prove his loyalty by bringing the bosses a gift. You and your family were his gift, his initiation," She paused, "his right of passage."

"What do you mean?" I asked. I couldn't yell at Jessica or scream at her to shut up, because I was truly confused and shocked by what she had just blurted out. In the back of my mind, I prayed that whatever she was about to tell me was a lie. I didn't want it to be a lie, I needed it to be a lie.

"Eli had to prove that he was loyal and had to kill your family to do it. Eli, killed your family in cd blood. You were taken and brought here as proof he did what he did. Not only that but you were a slave." She stopped just long enough to savor the shock and horror plastered on my face. "After you escaped with I don't know how many millions of money, he tried to take the rest of the money and sabotage the building. The caught his traitor self and were going to execute him until you set him free." She held her hands up and I closed my opening mouth. "But that is Ok, because he is helping you out. Be careful though, he is a killer. When he gets the money, his personality will change. Money changes people Opal, money changes everyone. He will probably leave you alive, he is probably feeling guilty about how he killed your family. Do not let him get the money. Do not let him know that you know. Tell me immediatly when you find the money."

She stopped but her words kept echoing through my mind. tears threatens to spill from my eyes but I didn't want Jessica to see me cry. A lump formed in my throat. How am I suppose to remember my family's faces if they got slaughtered by a money obsessed monster. I managed to speak after a few minuets of compete silence. Even the jungle seemed completely silent and sad.

"Why don't you just turn him in? I mean we can find the money together and you can 'find' him while I'm out hiding." I asked.

"We both know that we need his help in recovering the money that you stole and hid." She answered.

I could only nod. A slow steady nod. "How am I suppose to act like this conversation never happened?" I asked exasperated.

"You act like your life depends on it, because in a way it does." She finished.

By now the sun was changing the sky's colors. Jessica got up and did the most unexpected thing that even I couldn't have predicted. She hugged me and finally Inlet myself cry. I take it back, this woman is no devil, she's just a good actor who is here to help me. "I'm sorry" I bawled. She shushed me and told me that, it's ok. She played with my hair until I finished with the waterworks.

"I have to go now, or else I'll raise suspicion." She gave me a blanket and wished me good dreams.

I'm no longer confused about who is the friend or foe. Everything is crystal clear. Eli is not going to touch the money at all. I'm going to make him pay. I'm going to make him wish that he never saved me.

So I finally updated! Yes I'm going to finish the story so read up people and lets get this story to at least a 1,000 reads by the end of the story. I gunna do regular updates again so good for me!!! haha thanks everyone!❤️

I'll update when this book reaches 900 reads!!! Also voting would be fantastic and much appreciated!!!