Page 7 of A Silence So Divine

On the way down, I notice the grooves worn into each wooden step. Someone has made this trek frequently over the years. How many of those footsteps were her own? As much as I don’t want to know the answer, my morbid curiosities will have me asking the moment she’s able to answer.

There’s no doubt in my mind that my brother is shouting the whole way down. I can practically feel his anger surrounding me as he trails me. Oddly enough, he doesn’t try to physically stop me, though we both know he easily could. Maybe hedoesfeel guilty.

I’m not dumb enough to think I’ll get away with this for long. As soon as I’m done with my act of defiance, Cecil will take the reins and remind me of my place. I wouldn’t be surprised if he lockedmein the attic for going against him.

Once, when I was a kid, I snuck out of our apartment window. Every summer, I’d peek out the curtains at night and watch other children catch fireflies. I was forbidden to go outside without my brother, and he didn’t think catching bugs in a jar was worth the risk of being seen. So, one night, I defied him and ran across the street. It wasn’t even a full minute later that he came barreling over and scooped me up.

Cecil handcuffed us together for 24 hours just to prove a point.

My punishment will have to wait, because I’m going to find somewhere safe for this little hellion and clean her up. Even if her appearance doesn’t bother her, it bothers me. And as I peer down at the unconscious girl in my arms, I remember what Cecil told me all those years ago, while I cried and pleaded.

“You might think the firefly is safe in that jar, but eventually it will run out of air.They deserve freedom as much as you and I.”

Three

Eden

Ba-boom. Ba-boom. Ba-boom.

The throb behind my eyes thumps in tandem with the beat of my heart. I canhearthe pounding in my head. My thoughts stir, caught somewhere between the blurry edges of a dream and consciousness. I grip fiercely at delirium, not ready to wake and face whatever sickness has caused the ache in my skull.

All at once, I gain consciousness, like my mind’s been dunked in a vat of icy water.

Each of my senses fire up at once. I am not where I should be. The bed is too big, the blankets too soft, the air too… clean. My wrists are bound on either side of my head, tethering me to a headboard. I’m too frightened to open my eyes and find out if I’m still in my home.

Those boys. That... man. The smaller one said he would bring me food and water. I never should have trusted a stranger. He looked nice, and I hoped he was, so I let myself believe him.Stupid girl,Papa would say.

I almost wish Papa hadn’t left me. I have no one, I know nothing, and now I’m tied to a bed.

Maybe I can get the knots loose enough to—

“I know you’re awake.”

My body freezes, trapping air in my lungs. I’m too afraid to breathe. Panicking is a slippery slope, one I’m all too familiar with. I don’t want to harm anyone—not even my captors. I can’t bear it. I’ve fought so hard to snuff the darkness.

“Cut the bullshit, okay? The sooner we have this conversation, the sooner I’ll decide if you’re free to go.”

Go?Go where? This ismyhome. I’ve never left the house in all of my 22 years; I was even born here. I’m only safehere. I know nothing of what lies beyond these grounds.

My efforts to remain still are futile when I hear the floorboards creaking closer and closer to where I lay. I recognize the low voice as the man from earlier. The bigger one. With his hand around my neck, I was sure he was going to kill me. This might be a worse fate. Papa warned me of the nightmares that would ensue if I ever left. At the time I thought he was scaring me into obedience, but the past few hours have proven him right.I’m sorry, Papa. Please come home.

There’s only a small lamp lighting the corner of the room, but it’s bright enough to make me wince. Even my eyes ache. What happened? I don’t remember him hitting me.

My bleary vision focuses, the stranger standing directly above me, knife in hand. Numbness prickles at my hands and feet as anxiety builds in my chest. Instinctively, my lips take refuge between my teeth.

“Who are you?” He asks roughly.

I couldn’t answer if I wanted to.

The knife is lowered to rest beneath my chin, the point biting into thin skin and a sharp jawbone. All I can muster is the shake of my head.

He doesn’t like my answer, if the lines between his brows are any indication. His eyes would be mesmerizing if they weren’t alight with malice.

“I don’t want to hurt you, but I will. Who are you and why are you here?”

Again, I shake my head and grind my molars together.

“Are you working with someone?”