A Delicate Flower Read online

  “Winnie- did you do that?” I asked shockingly.

  She let out a little giggle as she stared down at the man, covered in blood from a gunshot wound to right shoulder.

  “He wasn’t going to make it anyways.” she said with a wink. With a grab of my hand, she led me out into the hall and she slide down the wall with her butt to the ground.

  “Winnie, what is going on?” I asked again as I pulled her face towards mine.

  She placed her finger over my mouth to keep me quiet and pulled out a tiny gun. I didn’t know anything about them but I definitely knew what they looked like.

  “Where the hell did you get that?” I yelled as my eyes widened.

  “Shush!” she yelled back. “You’re going to get us caught.” she looked around the corner.

  “Winnie, where did you get that?” I pointed to the gun.

  “A guard came into my room and tried to tell me that my name wasn’t Winnie anymore and it was something else and I was so confused. When I tried to fight back he grabbed my hair and pulled me down the hall. I saw the gun in his back pocket and the next thing I knew, I was in control.” she said anxiously and obviously confused.

  “So you shot him?” I said surprisingly.

  “What else was I supposed to do? He was trying to tell me I’m someone who I’m not and told me I needed to be punished.” she giggled through her sentence as if she was in shock. “He was the one who needed to be punished.” she said in an angry voice.

  “What do we do now? I asked her in a snarky tone.

  “I want to find the man who brought me here.” she said. “He needs to be punished too.” she said as she stood up.

  I couldn’t tell her Davis was my father, she would probably kill me too.

  “Do you think that’s such a good idea? I mean, there will be so many other guards, this one could have just been a lucky shot.” I tried to convince her.

  “We’ll just have to see, won’t we.” she tugged on my arm to bring me with her. She looked around every corner probably four times as you could still tell she was significant shook up from shooting the guard. We didn’t come across anyone else as we walked down the hall, surprisingly enough they were probably all with Davis. Unfortunately, I had a feeling we were walking straight into Davis’ trap.

  As we walked over to the Hylander building, Winnie couldn’t make up her mind about the plan. “First, I’ll charge in and you’ll come in behind me like a backup. No wait, you go in first and then I’ll catch them in a surprise attack. Oh wait, maybe.” she went on for about 5 minutes outside the main door.

  “Winnie, just calm down. We don’t have to do this.” I pleased to her.

  “You don’t, but I do.” she said. “I can’t remember the last time I had an actual meal or had a human conversation that wasn’t me being threatened with my life. I haven’t been able to go to the bathroom without an oversized man staring at me, judging every aspect ofthe word young girl.” she began to cry as you could see the emotion bottled up.

  “You’re fine, I understand how hard it is. We can get through this but there doesn’t need to be any violence.” I tried to side with her.

  “No, this means war.” she said as she took a deep breath and walked through the door.

  Her voice was loud and clear. “ I want to speak to the one they call, Davis.”

  “Who are you?” a males voice came from inside.

  “I’m the brat who is being held against her will for four years.” she said angrily.

  “Oh, hello Winnie.” Davis said. “I see you brought a friend. Come in, Rose.”

  I walked in calmly and with a nervous step, I walked up behind Winnie and stood beside her. Her hand that held the gun was shaking behind her as her finger was on the safety release.

  “Why don’t we put that gun down and talk like adults?” Davis asked her calmly.

  “As if, I’m not falling for any of your tricks.” she snapped at him.

  “What is it that you want?” he asked Winnie.

  “I want to be let go.” she said simply.

  “You know I can’t do that.” he said as he inched closer to her.

  “Stay right there!” she yelled as she pulled the gun out and pointed it straight at him.

  “Okay, okay. Let’s not get to out of hand.” he said as he through his hands up in defense.

  “Where is Raven?” she asked.

  “Who?” Davis played dumb.

  “I’m not stupid, my sister, Raven! I know she’s here.” she demanded him to show her.

  “Take a look around, she isn’t here.” he said calmly, again.

  “Then where is she? She yelled.

  “I don’t think I have to tell you anything.” he said smiling. “I know how to use it, go ask your guard outside my room.” she said with a sarcastic tone.

  “What!” he yelled and ran past her down the hall.

  “Come on!” Winnie yelled at me as she ran up the balcony.

  “Wait no!”I ran up behind her.

  She stopped at the edge of where Raven sleeps in her tiny room.

  “This is hers, isn’t it.” she said sadly.

  “I wanted to tell you-” I said as she interrupted me.

  “That’s our family picture.” she pointed to the picture on the wall. She grabbed it off the wall and held it as she sat on her cot. “I can’t believe we’ve been so close this whole time.” she said as tears filled her eyes.

  “I’m sorry.” I said sincerely.

  “Do you know her?” she asked me as she looked up to me with her big eyes.

  “I do, but I didn’t think anything of it. I tried telling you but”

  “You knew but you didn’t tell me.” she snapped at me.

  “The last time I tried, the guard came in. I swear I tried.” I pleased to her.

  Davis ran back into the room and slammed the door against the back wall.

  “You killed my men!” he screamed.

  Winnie got up from the bed and walked towards the edge of the balcony stairs and her face was white as a ghost.

  “You destroyed my life!” she screamed at me as if killing wasn’t a good enough excuse.

  Winnie’s body began to shake as she began angrier. She took out the gun and shot at Davis’ leg. He fell to the ground with a loud thump to the ground as his body began to bleed through the gunshot wound.

  “Winnie!” I screamed and ran to Davis as I pushed by her.

  I kneeled down next to Davis and took off his belt to apply the pressure around his bleeding thigh. Winnie made her way down the stairs slowly as she began to laugh. She stood over his bleeding out body and kicked his leg.

  He grunted in pain as he held his leg and glared up to him.

  “Winnie, stop!” I told her.

  “Why should I?” she growled at me. “He’s destroyed so many lives, now it’s time to ruin his.” She angled the gun at his head. “He doesn’t deserve to live.”

  Just as she pulled the safety off, a noise from behind startled her and she shot the gun at the person behind her.

  “Raven!” I yelled.

  CHAPTER 24

  JOYCE

  We walked into the Hylander building with the captured girls in front of us. We let the guards do the rest as they took them into their cells and cleaned them up from the struggle of dried blood and dirty clothing.

  “What was that?” I asked Raven after hearing a loud gunshot and a scream from the main room.

  “Winnie!” I hear Rose yell.

  “Did she say Winnie?” Raven said out loud.

  She ran into the room at full speed and was caught dead in her tracks as she peered at the young girl who stood with her back towards her, Winnie.

  Winnie turned around abruptly and shot her gun right at Raven in surprise. She shot her in the lower stomach, “Raven!” Rose yelled as she was tending to Davis who was clearly shot before by the same gun.

  As I stood behind Raven’s body drifting away, I stared at Winnie’s surprised face
as she just shot her sister.

  “Winnie?” Raven’s shallow voice said as she drifted away.

  Both Rose and I stood to our feet in astonishment. Two guards ran in and tended to Davis’ leg wound and carried him out of the room.

  Rose ran to Raven as she was crying silently.

  “Raven.” she said as she sat next to her body. She was pulling her hair out from her wound and petting her sweaty forehead as she tried to talk.

  “Joy, what do I do?” Rose said as she sobbed, holding up Raven’s head.

  I didn’t know what to tell her. With the spot where Winnie shot her, there was no time to go to the hospital or even a hospital to go to in her condition. I walked over to Winnie who was standing across from the two girls on the floor and slowly grabbed the gun out of hand. She was in shock.

  I ran up the stairs into Raven’s room and grabbed a blanket from her cot. I ran back to Raven to see Rose crying by her side as Winnie stood silently as tears filled her eyes and rolled her cheeks.

  I covered Raven’s body with a blanket and pulled Rose away from her reach as she fought me to stay by her side.

  “Let’s go girls.” I said as I pulled both of them by their arms from the room, shut the doors and we walked silently down the hall. I walked them to their rooms and the new guard locked Winnie silently in her room. She said nothing and didn’t fight anything, she walked in and sat on her mattress with her head in her hands and sobbed.

  I walked Rose to her room as she was still shaken up and complained that she was nauseous. I sat her down on her mattress and stood against the wall as I watched her fall apart before my eyes.

  Awkwardly enough, I wasn’t upset at all. I felt nothing and I raised Raven from many years when she first came into this life. She was the only one who understood what I was going through while I was here, we fought together and side-by-sideshe was my best friend. Now that she’s gone, I still feel nothing.

  I was running all my life but maybe this is where I was supposed to be.

  CHAPTER 25

  ROSE

  I watched Raven die before my eyes last night. We weren’t extremely close but she was my only friend in this hell hole. The worst part, I watched her die before my eyes. I think Winnie was more shaken up before she hasn’t seen Raven since they were little but she also shot her on accident. An accident that can never be undone.

  As I pushed aside the food plate that flew through the hatch of my door, I waited for a sound through the wall from Winnie. Nothing.

  “Come with me.” said a guard as he opened my door abruptly.

  As I followed closely behind, the guard continued to look back at me every coupleseconds as if Winnie’s attack yesterday left a lasting impression on the guards.

  I entered the Hylander building to see Davis sitting in his usual chair and Joyce across from him, feeding him a piece of toast.

  “You got shot in the leg, your arms still move.” I said sarcastically as I entered the room.

  “Oh, hello Rose.” Davis said with a laugh. “She insisted and I was going to say no to being taken care of.” he said with a wink.

  “After a few stitches and a lot of rest, he should be up and walking again.” Joyce chimed in as she fed him another piece of his breakfast.

  “And Raven?” I asked sadly.

  “She didn’t make it, the guards are having her cremated later this afternoon. I thought it would be nicer.” he said as he looked down at his leg. “Winnie must be beside herself.” he added.

  “That little one is dangerous!” Joyce poked fun at Davis’ leg.

  “She is just as upset as everyone else!” I snapped at their humor.

  “Rose, she shot me in the freaking leg.” Davis said as he pointed to his stitches.

  “You locked her up for years, killed her parents and kept Raven away from her.” I added angrily.

  “How do you know about all that?” he asked.

  “She told me.” I shrugged. “She may have gone crazy but I mean I don’t blame her.”

  “You don’t blame her?” he said angrily as he tried to stand up. “Now listen here, she tried to damn near kill me and you say you don’t blame her?”

  “No I don’t!” I yelled at him back.

  “You need to learn your place little lady.” he said as he clenched his fists.

  I stood with my arms crossed in a defensive stance, waiting for another rebuttal on his part but he said nothing in return.

  “Can I go now?” I asked.

  “No, we’ve got work to do.” he said critically as he handed an envelope to Joyce from behind his chair. “Since we don’t have Raven and I’m down a few guys, I’m going to need you two to go out and get more girls.”

  “As if! I’m not going to be one of you!” I yelled at me as I stomped my foot on the ground.

  “As long as you want to live, you will do as you’re told.” he said carelessly.

  “And if I don’t?” I questioned him.

  “If you don’t or try absolutely anything, you can say goodbye to your friend Winnie.” my face turned a bright red as I could feel my face becoming hotter with every threat.

  “I’ll make you watch her die.” he said in a sinister voice.

  After a quick change of clothes and a jump into the back of a large truck, we were on our way to the city. It was sad to say this was the only “mother-daughter time” I spent with Joyce and honestly, I could do without it.

  “You follow my lead the entire time, don’t try anything stupid.” she said angrily to me.

  “I don’t even know what we’re doing!” I said out loud.

  “Just don’t say anything and help me when I need it, got it?” she said, staring at me with her dagger eyes.

  We hopped out of the van and the guards pulled away as soon as the back door shut.

  “Hold my hand.” she said as she reached for mine.

  “What why?” I pulled away quickly.

  “Just do it!” she grabbed at my right hand. I didn’t know if this was part of the plan or just her sick mind wanting to actually have a connection with her daughter but I mean, the ship already sailed.

  We came across a street filled with seemed to be high school students on their lunch break. Joyce seemed to be looking around as if she lost something while I awkwardly stood by her side, holding her sweaty hand.

  “There.” she pointed at two girls who were eating sandwiches at a nearby table.

  “Now listen, you’re going to run over and pretend you're lost and than going to lead them to that alleyway okay?” she said as she fixed the collar of my shirt.

  “Why am I being used as the bait? I can’t do this, I’m not a monster like you!” I snapped at her.

  “You will do as your told.” she said as she pulled me by my shirt, bringing me closer to her chest. “Now go.”

  Joyce ran in the opposite direction as I took a couple deep breaths. This was for Winnie.

  I ran up to the two targeted girls at the table, they seemed immediately shocked and concerned.

  “Please help me, I lost my mom!” I pretended to fake cry.

  “Oh my god, are y ou okay? Where did you last see her?” said one of the teenagers as she pulled the hair out from in front of my face. I pointed down the street and looked back to them. The other teen didn’t seem to be as concerned as the other as she kept checking her watch and looking back down the street, the opposite way of where I was pointing.

  “Amber, we should really be getting back.” she tugged on her oversized blue sweater.

  “Come on, she’s lost. We have to help her.” she said smiling at me. “Let’s go find your mom.” she took my hand and we started walking.

  “Wait up, I’m coming!” yelled the one left behind as she grabbed their book bags.

  “I think she’s just this way.” I led them to where we were supposed to meet.

  “I don’t see anyone.” one said.

  Just then the van pulled up and Joyce and one guard jumped out and masked their f
aces with a rag and threw them into the back of the truck effortlessly. I looked around the street and saw a girl standing behind the corner as she gasped behind the brick wall. When our eyes met, she ran in the other direction.

  “Rose, let’s go!” Joyce yelled at me as she grabbed my hand and pulled me into the back of the van.

  “You did very well my dear girl.” Joyce said, smiling at me as she rubbed my forehead.

  “I never want to do that again, ever.” I said as the tears filled my eyes as I stared at my feet where the two unconscious girls laid.

  “It had to be done, Rose.” Joyce said.

  “No, no it didn’t.” my voice cracked from the sadness that was building in my throat. These two girls wouldn’t be going home tonight and were in for a world they could never have dreamt of.

  Later that evening, I heard their screams from down the hall as Joyce and Davis let me take over Raven’s old room on the top of the balcony. They said I earned it from a “job well done” today. I was grateful to have an actual cot and a simple blanket but I never wanted these luxuries to be presented to me as an award for stealing girls.

  I took down the photos Raven had up of world maps and a painting that looked like a mixture of black clay and water droplets of the leak in the ceiling. I save both and slid them under the cot, I hoped to give them to Winnie one day.

  I laid in bed and looked up at the ceiling as my mind raced with anxious thoughts of being seen earlier that day while out on the trip. That girl wouldn’t be so stupid to tell anyone, would she? I had to keep telling myself that everything was going to be okay and the worst part was over, but it was only just beginning.

  I woke up to the loud screams of Joyce and Davis yelling at each other before sunrise.

  “What do you mean they were seen?” Davis yelled at a guard who brought the message.

  “One of our informants in the city said a young teenager saw the girls and told the authorities.”

  “How is this possible?” Davis yelled as he threw his hands to his temples and grinded his teeth in anger. “Davis, calm down!” Joyce insisted.