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"I know," she whispered, her arms tight around my neck again. "I knew you and Knight and my mommy were looking for me. I was just so scared."
"It's okay to be scared," I murmured. "When you're still strong, even though you're scared, that makes you the bravest of all."
"Really?" she pulled away from me, still looking uncertain.
"Really." She thought about that but I could see the fatigue in her eyes. "Here," I held out the covers. "Climb in."
She slowly burrowed into the blankets and I wrapped them around her like a cocoon. Then I settled in next to her. "It's okay. I'm here now."
She nodded, not responding, and after a while, I could feel the tension slowly melting away from her body. Eventually, her breathing evened out.
"That man said a lot of bad words," she said softly, after a long while.
"He did." I smiled in spite of the situation, and pressed a kiss on the top of her head.
She yawned. "Can I go to sleep now?"
"Of course," I whispered.
She shifted a couple of times before growing still and, while I waited for her to fall asleep, I studied the room, determined that I was going to get her out of here safe and sound.
There was a little light coming from a small window, but I could see the dark shadows of steel bars, sealing us inside. With that small sliver of light, I could barely make out the outline of our four poster bed and a simple dresser. There was no closet, no nightstand, nothing else.
Not a permanent home then, despite Antonio's words.
A cool breeze washed over me and my eyes widened, searching for the source. It wasn't the window. It took me a few minutes, my gaze searching every break and shadow in the wall.
Finally, barely visible, I saw the wide opening of an industrial sized ventilation system--possibly just large enough to hold Honey.
Just as I was about to slip out from under the covers to inspect it more carefully, Honey's voice, sweet but hesitant, filled the air. "Tatiana?"
"Yes?" I was surprised she wasn't asleep yet.
"Do you think..." her small voice petered out and I gave her a moment to gather her courage. After a while, she spoke again, her voice stronger. "Do you think that if I killed that bad man, I would go to hell?"
My mind reeled with the question. "No." My voice was firm. "No. You won't go to hell."
"Do you think that he'll go to hell for being a bad man?"
"Yes." I nodded, even though she wasn't looking at me. "Yes, I know he will."
"Good," she said in a satisfied tone. "He shouldn't be so bad. Then maybe people would love him."
I rubbed a thumb across her skin. "You're right. If he wasn't so bad, maybe people would love him more."
The room was silent again, then. "Tatiana?"
"Yes, Honey?"
"Do you," again, she paused, but this time, her voice was even more hesitant, a trickle of fear infusing it, "do you think your parents are in hell for what they did to you?"
I was shocked into silence. I blinked, not knowing what to say. When I didn't answer her, she squeezed my hand. "It's okay. You don't have to answer. Will you lay down next to me while I sleep?"
Giving up on searching the room with her request, I snuggled down under the blanket, pulling her to me. "Yes." I kissed the top of her head. "I'll keep you safe from the bad guy, I promise."
"I know you will," she yawned, then mumbled as sleep finally began to take her. "I always knew you would."
Her words echoed through my mind, long after she fell asleep, rumbling over and over as I stared blankly into the darkness.
