17_Held

I woke up to the sun burning my face; I opened my eyes slowly to the glaring light directly on my face.

I opened my eyes and looked around the room, the events of the previous day blur on my mind; I realized that I was alone.

I immediately thought about Ma and the thought had me flying out of bed. As soon as I got out of bed I headed towards the door, that was when I started to hear the heated voices, it seemed people were arguing about something.

I decided to check out what was going on.

I walked to the door, I was about to open it when I heard my name from outside and it sounded like Cathy's voice, she was talking so low but I could hear everything she said. I paused and listened.

"…you cannot go ahead with the testing, just give us the document let's try to make a working antidote. That's not too difficult to ask" she sounded like she was about to cry

"We must test it out, everyone is waiting for us to do that and give a feedback. So we must test it" another voice said, this voice sounded cold.

There was brief pause before someone else spoke with a hard voice.

"You are not going to use my daughter as a lab rat, if you want someone to use, go out there and get someone else"

Ma? My heart resumed it's racing. Ma was just a foot walk away from me separated only by a large wooden door. I was tempted to throw caution to the wind and walk out there to finally meet her and feel her warm embrace, but I didn't do that. I waited.

"…you could have worked harder to make a working antidote instead of trying to fool me. Your daughter must be used as a test subject, we brought her here as a lab rat not as a form of reunion" the other voice said again

"Do you have a heart at all?" Ma's voice was already sounding shaky, I've never seen her cry in front anybody.

"I lost it the day the contract got terminated"

"And whose fault is that?" Ma asked her voice a little rose.

I heard a long intake of breath before the other person said

"You can't hide her forever, you have two hours to make up your mind. You've killed other people's children with your incompetence to make a working antidote, now it's your daughter and you are acting up. You could have worked hard enough to make a good antidote and your daughter could have been the cured one"

"You have just two hours"

I heard the clicking of heels against tiles, I knew then that the third person had gone, so I opened the door and walked out cautiously.

The dark brown hair was the giveaway; I instantly felt the connection even with her back still turned towards me. Cathy was the first to notice me as soon as I stepped out of the room.

"Kay, you should be inside everyone is looking for you" She said immediately pulling me inside. I turned back to look at Ma, it was like an Indian movie, the slow motion and all that drama when Ma finally turned to look at me. I stood frozen subconsciously aware of someone still pulling my arm.

Ma looked almost the same, except for the dark circle around her eyes and the frown lines around her mouth. I let out a cry the same time she did. Cathy finally succeeded in pulling me inside the room; Ma followed us in and shut the door behind her.

"My princess, I never thought I would see you again" She held my face and looked me deep in the eyes, tears streaming down her eyes and a sad smile on her lips.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you" she rested her forehead against mine.

We stood leaning against each other for a good five minutes. I wrapped my arms around her in a tight hug; I missed the warmth of my Ma. A hug from her always reassured me that everything is going to be fine, even at my breaking point.

"Ma, I'm sorry she did this to you" I said as soon as I let go of her and dried my face.

"It's not your fault. Don't apologize for something that you had no hand in" she whispered.

"Seat down and tell me how you have been"

I smiled as another bout of tears gathered. Recalling how I lived after Ma was taken away from me was always a sad moment for me.

I sat down on the bed with Ma; Cathy sat down on the couch and they both turned to face me.

I told Ma everything, how I had to move out of the house because people started going missing every single day and I was afraid I would be next and also because the bills kept piling up and I didn't have money to maintain the house. I told her the excruciating pain I went through the night I discovered I had the poison. The way I always felt alone each night as I lay in the woods with only the sound of animals, how I got afraid that I would die alone in the wood and no one would know where I am or what happened to me. I told her about Racky, the raccoon who I could talk to and who came to mean a lot to me. I told her about Stacey, John and Carlos, how they took me in and became another family to me. I also told her about Ashley, my little sister who I might never meet again.

Ma was already crying again by the time I was done narrating. Surprisingly, my eyes were dried, I guess the longer you live with pain the more bearable it becomes.

I placed my hand on Ma's shoulder and squeezed softly, a reassurance that I'm fine and that I was going nowhere.

When Ma finally quieted down, Cathy came and sat down with us.

"We need to find a way to get her out of here" She said looking between me and Ma.

My mouth was still in the process of forming coherent words when a loud knock was heard on the door, followed by subsequent knocks that sounded as urgent and loud as the first.

In my mind eye I could see the neon danger sign come on flashing a bright red light.

=========

I pulled my white blond hair into a pony tail, kicked off my heels, and threw myself on my queen sized bed, shutting my eyes and allowing my brain to think.

Everything was falling apart. I built K-Tech with my hard earned money; the last thing I wanted was for it to go under.

Everything started with me and I need to fix it.

I opened my eyes as an idea finally swims to the surface.

I got up from the bed got myself ready and with a bright smile on my face; I walked out of the room.

I had a proposition to make.