Page 27 of Straightjacket

“You’re okay,” Dolly murmurs, a small smile on her face. “Here, let me help you up.” She extends her hand and I shakily place mine in hers, accepting the help. As she pulls my arm over her shoulder, I wince at the stinging pain in my stomach.

“Thank you.”

“It’s no problem, sit down here.” She ushers me over to the wall and guides me down carefully until I’m slumped against it, my arm cradling the radiating pain in my ribs. Riz lies just in front of me, her body lifeless as her blood continues to drain out.

“I... I killed her. I killed a person.” I blurt out, and even as the words leave my mouth, I can’t quite believe what I’ve done, what this place is turning me into.

Dolly chuckles and sits down beside me. “Yep! She’s dead alright. You did well.”

My jaw drops slightly at how blase she is. “Not to be rude or anything but, are you okay? I’ve just murdered a woman right in front of you, and with your help no doubt.”

“Oh, I’m fine!” She chirps, a bright smile on her round face then turns to look at someone who I clearly can’t see. “Right,” she nods. “I thought she was asking if I was okay physically, not mentally. I see.”

Confusion pulls at my brows. “Who are you talking to?”

“Uh, this is Polly. Polly meet...” Her words trail off as she waits for my name.

“Oh, erm... Iris, I’m Iris. Nice to meet you, Polly and... Dolly, I guess.”

Dolly claps her hands then tucks her baby pink bob behind her ears. “Now that we’re all friends, can I braid your hair? You have really nice hair; I used to have hair just like yours.”

“You wanna braid my hair?” I ask, my mind completely scrambled. Dolly nods and pulls two thin elastics from her wrist. “I’ll be gentle, I promise.”

What the fuck have I gotten myself into? I’ve just murdered someone and now I’m playing hairdressers with a woman who is clearly living in fairyland, but then again, who am I to judge? Dolly practically saved my life, the least I can do is let her braid my hair.

“Sure,” I say with a smile and slowly turn to give her my back. “Braid away, Dolly.”

Excitement radiates from her as she begins to run her hands through my hair, carefully untangling the knots with such gentleness that I can’t help but feel emotional about it. I suppose this is what having a sister is like? Another girl to play dress up with, or hairdressers in this case.

Closing my eyes, I relax into Dolly’s touch as she begins to part my hair down the middle, then she gets to work on the left side, weaving her fingers in and out of the strands to create a French braid. Once she’s done, she quickly wraps the elastic around the end and moves onto the other side.

“So, you’re Silas's girlfriend?”

Dolly’s question comes out of left field, and I stumble over my words. “Uh... yeah, I guess I am.”

“That’s good. He needs a girl like you in his life.” Her tone turns soft.

“You talk of him like you know him?”

She sighs heavily, her fingers slowing down slightly. “I came to Salem Pen just a few years after him. My adoptive parents handed me over to Doctor Thorne as soon as I started acting out, speaking to people they couldn’t see and let's just say, they weren’t very happy about it.”

Her words trail off but I keep the silence open for her to continue talking if she wants to.

“Silas is kind of like a big brother to me. Whenever Doctor Thorne took me for treatments, Silas would always be there afterwards. I owe my life to him because without his support, I’d probably be dead. Even though it already feels like I am being stuck in here.”

My heart warms at her words but there's a great sadness there too because she doesn’t deserve this, no one does.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that, Dolly.” I say, even though the words probably aren’t enough to ease the pain.

“That’s okay! Polly kept me company, and I was the first person to urge Silas out of here when he had the chance. He wasn’t happy about it of course, always wanted to play the hero but I know my time here is permanent.”

Once she’s finished the last braid, I turn slightly to face her. “What if the three of us got out together? We’ve clearly got a weapon to use, and all the guards have keycards on them.”

“You’re funny, Iris.” She smiles, but I can see deep down that she isn’t sure about it. “I wouldn’t even know what life is like outside of these walls, and I highly doubt Silas even remembers me.”

There’s a sadness in her eyes when she mentions him and I quickly take her hand in mine. “He never forgets. I can promise you that.”

“Maybe,” she shrugs her shoulders, a coy smile pulling at her lips. “Where is Thorne keeping you both?”