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I turn to Hope in shock that she answered him. "Wait, howdidyou get here?" I ask her. We might be pushing it with the questions right now, but I know she didn't fly.
"Does it matter?"
"Yes," I answer her.
She shrugs. “Walked, hitchhiked, found a way." She lowers her head letting me know there is a lot more to that answer, but she isn’t going to tell us.
I see Jackson taking a map from the bookshelf and looking at it with a frown.
I'm going to kill the people who had Hope, if I have to go to Florida to do it, then I will. "Hope, I'm taking you to your doctor today just before lunch." I grab a slice of toast from the plate on the table and Jackson walks away to answer his phone.
I move around the table to sit next to her. "Hope, I miss looking at your beautiful eyes." I lift her face to look at me, but her eyes are red from crying so much. "I’m going to kiss you now." I lean forward and place a small kiss on her lips.
"Today is the anniversary of my family being taken from me."
I fix my gaze on her, and I'm lost for words. I don't know what to say to her to make her feel less pain.
"Is there something you would like to do today?" I ask. I’m not sure what I should do.
She shakes her head and her body shivers. Then it hits me, and it hits me hard. Her parents were taken, and so was Hope. She never got to visit her family's grave; she never got to say goodbye.
"Can I go to my room?"
"You don’t have to ask," I tell her softly. She looks at the floor as Jackson walks back over to the table.
"Please, I’ve been good."
How did I just go back five steps with her? Leaning back in my chair, I rub my forehead. "Yes," I answer and watch her walking away from the table.
“Did I miss something?" Jackson asks as I turn in my chair.
"The anniversary of the fire is today," I say staring at the table, feeling like I've lost the battle. "It's like she's programmed to restart. When she remembers her family, a switch turns on, and she has to forget them again." I light a cigarette and finally look up at Jackson.
For a moment he doesn’t say anything to me, he just looks at me.
"Thirteen, fourteen years is a long time for them to teach their ways, it’s going to take longer than two weeks to wash that shit out of her head," Jackson tells me and gets back to his laptop.
Now I sit here wondering should I go talk to her, or leave it.
"Leave her alone for a while." Jackson answers my silent question
CHAPTER19
HOPE
Sittingby the window in my room, I look at the newspaper article about my parents. It’s been so many years that I’ve never had the chance to sit and think about them. This was one of those dates wheretheywould make sure that I was too mentally tired to think back to how my life had changed.
I hear Leo walking into the room, and I put my box to the side. Folding up the newspaper article, I place it underneath the box.
"What’s on your mind?" Leo sits on the floor next to me. "We’ll leave to go to see the doctor soon."
I went to the store yesterday, and I wish I never left the house. I know Leo knows that I've changed and he's wondering why. I keep thinking should I tell him?
"Hope, I only want to help you," Leo’s hand reaches to mine, his touch is soft, stroking back and forth on top of my hand.
"I don’t want to go to stores again," I tell him as I watch his hand moving gently over mine.
“Did something happen?”
