Yanking at the
restraints, I learn what Tom’s trophies did long ago. There is no escape.
Odessa stands in the shadows,
swaying and humming. I don’t need to see her face to know she’s losing her
humanity.
“Unlock me,” I say, keeping my
voice calm.
“This is the only way you’ll
let me.”
As Odessa inches out of the
shadows, her fair eyes dart around the room before focusing on me. She seems
smaller now.
I don’t know the proper
response to this situation. She’s clearly dangerous. I know I can kill her if
she gets closer. If she dies, though, no one will unlatch the chains. Spending
years or an eternity in this basement does not interest me.
“What do you want?” I ask as
she steps closer.
“You push me away. I need
comfort.”
Odessa straddles my legs and
lowers herself onto my lap. Her movements lack the jarring nature of the
unhinged Death Dealers. She’s still in control enough to move smoothly. Her
gaze on mine also shows a hint of sanity lingering around the edges.
“Does it hurt when I touch
you?” she asks, cupping my face. “Were you hurt as a child, and affection
bothers you?”
Answering her with the truth
isn’t the correct response. I realize my need to be correct does make me seem
like a robot. Human contact is natural, and Odessa wants to feel safe. I can
give her enough comfort to get free. After that, I’m not sure what happens.
“I’ve never known affection,” I
tell her.
Odessa nods and lowers her
cheek to my shoulder. Resting against me, she shudders and relaxes.
“I miss hugs,” she whispers. “I
never realized how good they felt before.”
“If you unchain me, I’ll hug
you, but it’s not safe to have me locked up.”
“You’re lying,” she says,
lifting her head and staring at me with her glassy eyes, “about the hug. I’ll
let you go when I’m done. You can kill me and go back to your old life.
Everything will be fine then. For now, no lying.”
Odessa presses her cheek
against my chest, and I attempt to be patient. As much as I want to break these
chains, my freedom will come from soothing Odessa before she goes mad and uses
one of the nearby tools to end me.
“My mother never hugged me
after Athena died,” Odessa says, wrapping her arms around my waist. “She never
told me that I was to blame. She never said she hated me. I still received
gifts for my birthdays. They still helped me with my homework. They still told
me they loved me, but my parents never hugged me after that day. I think
pretending they didn’t blame me was too difficult if I was in their arms the
way Athena never would be again.”
“Adolescents are naturally
impulsive and easily distracted. You made a mistake, but you didn’t make it out
of malice. You made it because you were at the age when making mistakes is
common.”
“Did you make mistakes as a
teenager?”
“Yes,” I say, thinking back to
my training. “Everyone makes mistakes.”
“Like the way you brought me
here,” she whispers in my ear, taunting me.
“I needed a distraction, and
you provided one. I didn’t make a mistake.”
When Odessa sighs, her warm
breath on my neck sends a shock of heat through me. The feeling both
invigorates and enrages me. I want to push her away, but my hands can’t reach
her.
“My little sister wanted to
raise ponies,” Odessa says, caressing my cheek with hers.
I feel her tears against my
skin. Her fingers play with my shirt, and I fear she will undress me next. How
far will I need to go to gain freedom from the chains?
“Did she have your eyes?” I
ask.
Odessa stares at me, and I see
more of her returning. She thinks for a moment, struggling to remember.
Nodding, she smiles slightly.
“The voices down here will only
show you the negative moments of your life,” I explain, gaining her attention.
“They won’t let you recall how your parents loved you. Or how your sister
enjoyed her life. Or how you suffered for your sin. They will only want you to
die, so
restraints, I learn what Tom’s trophies did long ago. There is no escape.
Odessa stands in the shadows,
swaying and humming. I don’t need to see her face to know she’s losing her
humanity.
“Unlock me,” I say, keeping my
voice calm.
“This is the only way you’ll
let me.”
As Odessa inches out of the
shadows, her fair eyes dart around the room before focusing on me. She seems
smaller now.
I don’t know the proper
response to this situation. She’s clearly dangerous. I know I can kill her if
she gets closer. If she dies, though, no one will unlatch the chains. Spending
years or an eternity in this basement does not interest me.
“What do you want?” I ask as
she steps closer.
“You push me away. I need
comfort.”
Odessa straddles my legs and
lowers herself onto my lap. Her movements lack the jarring nature of the
unhinged Death Dealers. She’s still in control enough to move smoothly. Her
gaze on mine also shows a hint of sanity lingering around the edges.
“Does it hurt when I touch
you?” she asks, cupping my face. “Were you hurt as a child, and affection
bothers you?”
Answering her with the truth
isn’t the correct response. I realize my need to be correct does make me seem
like a robot. Human contact is natural, and Odessa wants to feel safe. I can
give her enough comfort to get free. After that, I’m not sure what happens.
“I’ve never known affection,” I
tell her.
Odessa nods and lowers her
cheek to my shoulder. Resting against me, she shudders and relaxes.
“I miss hugs,” she whispers. “I
never realized how good they felt before.”
“If you unchain me, I’ll hug
you, but it’s not safe to have me locked up.”
“You’re lying,” she says,
lifting her head and staring at me with her glassy eyes, “about the hug. I’ll
let you go when I’m done. You can kill me and go back to your old life.
Everything will be fine then. For now, no lying.”
Odessa presses her cheek
against my chest, and I attempt to be patient. As much as I want to break these
chains, my freedom will come from soothing Odessa before she goes mad and uses
one of the nearby tools to end me.
“My mother never hugged me
after Athena died,” Odessa says, wrapping her arms around my waist. “She never
told me that I was to blame. She never said she hated me. I still received
gifts for my birthdays. They still helped me with my homework. They still told
me they loved me, but my parents never hugged me after that day. I think
pretending they didn’t blame me was too difficult if I was in their arms the
way Athena never would be again.”
“Adolescents are naturally
impulsive and easily distracted. You made a mistake, but you didn’t make it out
of malice. You made it because you were at the age when making mistakes is
common.”
“Did you make mistakes as a
teenager?”
“Yes,” I say, thinking back to
my training. “Everyone makes mistakes.”
“Like the way you brought me
here,” she whispers in my ear, taunting me.
“I needed a distraction, and
you provided one. I didn’t make a mistake.”
When Odessa sighs, her warm
breath on my neck sends a shock of heat through me. The feeling both
invigorates and enrages me. I want to push her away, but my hands can’t reach
her.
“My little sister wanted to
raise ponies,” Odessa says, caressing my cheek with hers.
I feel her tears against my
skin. Her fingers play with my shirt, and I fear she will undress me next. How
far will I need to go to gain freedom from the chains?
“Did she have your eyes?” I
ask.
Odessa stares at me, and I see
more of her returning. She thinks for a moment, struggling to remember.
Nodding, she smiles slightly.
“The voices down here will only
show you the negative moments of your life,” I explain, gaining her attention.
“They won’t let you recall how your parents loved you. Or how your sister
enjoyed her life. Or how you suffered for your sin. They will only want you to
die, so
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