Ruby

Chapter 7

I stand there for a moment, processing everything David had just told me.

Does he know about the prison? I crawl into the bed. It is wonderfully soft, but I hardly notice. My thoughts trouble me, and I fall into a fitful sleep.

***********************************************************************

I wake up screaming. The dream was terrifying. At first, I was on the table again. They were torturing me. It hurt so bad, but I couldn't wake up. I don't know why, but I just couldn't force myself to wake. Then the dream changed. I watched the men with ruby pupils torture Matt and Cinda. They hurt them, and all I could do was stand and watch. Their screams pierced my ears, but there was nothing I could do to help them. Eventually, they died.

I lie back down, and whimper quietly. "I didn't save them, I didn't save them, I should have saved them, I should have saved them, I should have saved them, I could have saved them, but I didn't, I could have saved them..."

Eventually, I drift back to sleep. This time, thankfully, my sleep is deep, black, and dreamless.

***********************************************************************

The mext morning, I dress myself with some of the clothes I find in the dresser. There is a woman's shirt that I slip on. It is a bit big, but it fits better than the clothes I had been wearing. I slip on a pair of pants. They are big. I roll up the ends of the pant legs until they fit, and I loop a belt around my waist. I slip on my old boots from the prison. I glance at myself in the mirror, and decide to do something with my hair. I weave it into a braid, and I pull it over my shoulder. Satisfied with my appearance, I go out into the kitchen. David is already there, flipping some sort of food onto a plate. The name is on the tip of my toungue, but I can't seem to grasp it.

David sees me concentrating deeply, and asks, "You okay?"

I snap out of my trance. "Yeah," I say, and smile. "I was just trying to remember what that food is called."

"Those are eggs," he replies. "It seems that your memory is coming back."

"Yes, it is," I say. And it's true. Ever since I left the prison, my memory has been coming back faster and faster. I sit down at the table and David passes me an egg and a fork. A fork. My mind goes immediately back to the prison and to my dream. I grip the edge of the table tightly and suck in air.

"What's wrong?" David asks, his brow furrowed with worry.

"I....um.... nothing......" I stammer out.

"Yeah, there is. I can tell. If you don't want to tell me, I understand. But it might help you feel better if you did," he turns back to his egg, leaving me to decide whether to trust him or not.

Before I can decide, the words come tumbling out of my mouth. "I could've saved them, I could've saved them, but I didn't, I didn't....."

David sets his fork down, and turns to me slowly. "You can tell me."

He says it quietly, gently, like he's soothing a spooked animal. I know I should feel offended, but I haven't had anyone speak to me gently in a long, long time.

"Are you sure you want me to tell you?" I ask.

He nods, slowly, but firmly.

I take a deep breath. I start from the beginning. I tell him about the prison, about the evil men with the rubies for eyes. I tell him how they tortured me, and every other prisoner there. I told him about the boy that was beaten until he died. When I told him that part, he seemed to be thinking deeply, shocked.

"Do you remember the boy's name?" He asked.

"No," I answer. "I just know he was beaten to death in front of me."

He frowns. "Go on."

I told him about the fork, and seeing Cinda limp and close to death. I told him how I had used the fork to escape.

"I stabbed the guard and threw his keys to Matt, one of my friends. Now I realize that I should've gone and opened his door, I should've helped him get Cinda out, I should've......" I bury my face in my hands, and to my embarrassment, start to cry.

David sits there, shocked, for a moment. Then, he gets up and wraps his arm around me. "I know how you feel," he says quietly.

I yank myself away from him. "How do you know!? You don't!! You've never been forced to lay on a table while someone stuck needles in you and performed experiments on you!! You've never abandoned your friends to save your own skin!!! You never have!!" I scream at him, sobbing. "YOU DON'T HAVE TO BEAR THE BURDEN OF LEAVING THEM EVERY DAY!!!

David takes my words calmly. Once I am finished, he gets up and says, "I do. I do understand how you feel. Because I was there."