Lucky:
I’m waiting for you…
There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. We had been wandering, indeed, in the leafless shrubbery an hour in the morning…
A flutter of butterflies dances in my stomach, wondering if one day, we’ll take a walk… Lucky, me, and Bubbles.
CHAPTER 27
Ambrose—age nine
The sound of her crying heightens the noise in my head.
Anxiety peaks inside me with a cruel whisper.
If you don’t make Dollie eat, she’ll die tonight, and you’ll be all alone.
“Just one, Dollie, please.”
“I can’t.” She shakes her head, tears flying everywhere with the speed of her movement.
Unable to pull my eyes away from those that land on our shared plate of veggies, I don’t look at her as I say, “Just the one.”
“No!” she shrieks.
My hand slams over her mouth, hitting against her small bottom teeth a little too hard. They pierce her pouty lip and make her bleed.
“Be quiet.” Her tears trail over my hand, and guilt pulls me away.
A second of silence sits between us before the light above flickers, giving the smallest sound.
“They’re green! I can’t eat green food.”
“You can,” I encourage with a nod.
“It’s not safe.”
The light flickers, blacking out the room. The yellow glow doesn’t return, leaving us in the dark.
“It’s too dark!” she yells. “It’s too dark!”
“That’s good.” I take one of her hands in mine. “You can’t see the green now.”
If she doesn’t eat, she’ll die tonight, the voice repeats.
“Eat one.”
“I’m scared of the dark.”
“Wanna know a secret. I love the dark. It hides us from the bad things. Like green vegetables.”
Silence means she’s still refusing.
I take a low approach, “You’re being a bad little sister. A good sister would eat.”
“Why are you being mean to me? I don’t like green. Ask him to give us pink or yellow. Please? I need a safe color,” she sobs, making it hard to understand her.
“Dollie, I’ve asked him to let us go home for months. He doesn’t care about what we want. If we don’t eat, we die. Do you want that?”
