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Generous portions of roasted vegetables, meat, and cornbread fill every plate. The food looks clean and well-cooked too.
Despite the stark difference between what they’re eating now and what they were forced to swallow by the Black Widow, the women show no emotion. There’s neither gratitude nor sadness in their expressions.
I walk toward another table.
They’re dining with the same dead looks in their eyes.
I feel Seth’s presence right behind me. His fingers wrap loosely around my wrist as he draws closer. “Be careful,” he whispers. “They may look quiet and calm but they can fly into a tantrum any moment.”
“I’m looking for Millie,” I say, walking between the tables, studying the drawn faces of the women.
“Who’s Millie?”
“She was one of my cellmates,” I confess.
His fingers tighten around my wrist, halting me in my steps. “Rory, are you sure you’re fine being here?”
Staring up at him, I nod. “They don’t even realize how much better everything is here,” I say with a hint of sadness in my voice. “I wonder if they even realize they’re no longer in the underground cages.”
“The drug they were given was extremely dangerous,” says Seth. “Even the best doctors here don’t know how long they’ll suffer its side effects.”
My eyes suddenly focus on a point in the distance. It’s a moment before I realize I’m staring at Millie, the young woman who shared the same cage as me.
Millie is also clothed in the same pink dress as the other women. Her hair is no longer matted, but clean and shiny. The ample sunlight and proper nourishment seem to be having an effect on her because she doesn’t seem as sickly emaciated as the other women around her.
As I get closer, Millie stirs.
Recognition flits through her eyes. Putting her spoon down, she gets to her feet and moves toward me.
“Rory,” she says, standing before me. “It’s really you.”
A smile tugs the corners of my lips. “Yeah, it’s me.”
Millie grins and rushes in to give me a tight hug. “Where have you been?” she asks. “I looked everywhere for you but couldn’t find you.”
“It’s a long story but I’m so glad to see you,” I tell her. “How have you been doing here?”
“This place doesn’t give us the blue pill,” she says, her mouth twisting into a frown.
“Yeah, but they seem to offer great food. And, there’s so much sunshine here. I bet it’s the reason you’re looking so pretty.”
She shakes her head. “None of those things matter without the blue pills.” Stepping in closer, she grabs my wrists. Her eyes grow unnaturally wide as she stares up at me. “You always let me have your pills. Can you give them to me now?”
“You don’t need them,” I tell her. “Those blue pills were horrible drugs that messed with your mind. You’ve got to stay away from them.”
She shakes her head. “You don’t understand, Rory. I need them. You were strong enough to go through everything without needing to forget but I’m not like that. Ineedto forget. I don’t want to remember anything from those dark, cold days.” Her fingers tighten around my wrists as she pulls me closer to her. “Please, Rory. Let me have yours. I know you never take them. I know you always save them for me.”
I try to wrench my hands free but she hangs on too strongly.
“I know it’s hard to forget,” I say, hoping I can through to her. “I still have nightmares but those pills are not the solution. You’ve got to give yourself time to heal. The people here will help you.”
Crack!
Before I know it, Millie has slapped me hard on my left cheek. “You sound just like them!” she screams, grabbing a handful of my hair.
“Rory!” Seth shouts, darting forward to put himself between me and Millie at once.
“You fucking bitch!” Millie screams, scratching at Seth to get through him. “I thought you were my friend.”
