moments. Perhaps he was sorry.
“And as we walked, you babbled
endlessly about your thoughts, your wants, your future. I didn’t
care about what you were saying, but the way you spoke, so excited,
it had been a long time since I had seen that kind of
passion.”
He looked me in the eye.
“You were so full of life,” he said.
“I simply wanted to take it. And you gave it so
willingly.”
I shook my head. “You disgust
me.”
The sky lightened and the air warmed.
I heard gulls and waves. I could smell the sea. Paolo sat against
the wall, his arms resting on his knees and his head down. I paced
the floor and pressed my body against the stone walls. I thought of
my parents. I thought of Ryka. I thought of Uther. Maybe there was
still hope that he could get me out.
“It is hopeless,” Paolo said. “Sit
down.”
“Why don’t you help me? You’re
supposed to be stronger.”
“What is the point? There is no
escape,” he said, sniveling.
“Are you…are you crying?” I asked,
surprised.
He raised his head and crimson tears
leaked out of his eyes. “I cannot die. I am too young. There is so
much that I have not done,” he cried, his face
contorted.
“You’re too young? I’m seventeen.
You’re like, a million years old.”
“What do you know?”
“Stop it. Stop crying. We need to
figure this out. Listen. Paulo, listen to me. If we can somehow get
these chains off, maybe we can climb the walls. The stones stick
out a bit so I think I can get my fingers in…”
Paolo started to wail. “The sun is
coming!”
I looked up. The light blue sky was
cloudless and the sun’s rays came in at an angle on the wall above
Paolo’s head. I could see particles of dust doing their dance in
the sunlight.
“Oh my God,” I whispered.
I grabbed the length of chain behind
my back and ran toward Paolo to try to rip it from the wall. It
didn’t budge. I threw myself forward again and again until I
slipped and fell face down. Worn out, I rolled onto my side and
pushed my feet against the wall, pulling the chain taut.
“Please, I do not want to die!” Paolo
moaned.
“Shut up! I don’t want to die either,”
I shouted. I meant I didn’t want to die again.
The sun’s slow creep downward was
agonizing. Paolo wept, his words becoming unintelligible. The light
caused him to squint. Whimpering, he curled into the fetal position
as the rays hovered over him.
I continued my desperate
work on my chains. Please break. Please
break. The metal plate on the wall was
secured with four bolts. I yanked on my bindings and I thought I
saw the bolts jiggle.
Yes!
All of a sudden, Paolo shrieked. I
turned and screamed.
He was burning in the sun. Smoke
lifted upward from his writhing body. His face, his hands and
chest, were dark red and wet like a skinned animal. Yellow blisters
bubbled up all over him and then burst as the skin tore into open
wounds. The pus, viscous like tomato pulp, hardened into a brown
layer. The sun singed off his thick hair and scabs spread across
his scalp.
Still in the shade, I
pulled at my chains with all of my strength. Come on! The bolts loosened. I saw
them spring up with every jerk.
Paolo was now
unrecognizable, covered in a smoldering, crackling charcoal crust.
He had stopped moving. He was no longer screaming. Through the haze
I could see that the door was already bathed in sunlight. I’m going to burn.
I let out a piercing cry and wrenched
the chain from the wall. The metal plate shot off and hit Paolo in
the head, causing parts of his blackened face to crumble off. His
body was starting to disintegrate, like a collapsing sand
sculpture. I fell backward and wrestled my shackles under my butt
and my legs so that my hands were at least in front of me, though
still bound together by about a foot of heavy chain. I scrambled to
my feet and reached for a handhold.
It’s too late.
I looked up and into the
sunlight.
Chapter
11
My arms flew up to cover my face. I
squeezed my eyes
“And as we walked, you babbled
endlessly about your thoughts, your wants, your future. I didn’t
care about what you were saying, but the way you spoke, so excited,
it had been a long time since I had seen that kind of
passion.”
He looked me in the eye.
“You were so full of life,” he said.
“I simply wanted to take it. And you gave it so
willingly.”
I shook my head. “You disgust
me.”
The sky lightened and the air warmed.
I heard gulls and waves. I could smell the sea. Paolo sat against
the wall, his arms resting on his knees and his head down. I paced
the floor and pressed my body against the stone walls. I thought of
my parents. I thought of Ryka. I thought of Uther. Maybe there was
still hope that he could get me out.
“It is hopeless,” Paolo said. “Sit
down.”
“Why don’t you help me? You’re
supposed to be stronger.”
“What is the point? There is no
escape,” he said, sniveling.
“Are you…are you crying?” I asked,
surprised.
He raised his head and crimson tears
leaked out of his eyes. “I cannot die. I am too young. There is so
much that I have not done,” he cried, his face
contorted.
“You’re too young? I’m seventeen.
You’re like, a million years old.”
“What do you know?”
“Stop it. Stop crying. We need to
figure this out. Listen. Paulo, listen to me. If we can somehow get
these chains off, maybe we can climb the walls. The stones stick
out a bit so I think I can get my fingers in…”
Paolo started to wail. “The sun is
coming!”
I looked up. The light blue sky was
cloudless and the sun’s rays came in at an angle on the wall above
Paolo’s head. I could see particles of dust doing their dance in
the sunlight.
“Oh my God,” I whispered.
I grabbed the length of chain behind
my back and ran toward Paolo to try to rip it from the wall. It
didn’t budge. I threw myself forward again and again until I
slipped and fell face down. Worn out, I rolled onto my side and
pushed my feet against the wall, pulling the chain taut.
“Please, I do not want to die!” Paolo
moaned.
“Shut up! I don’t want to die either,”
I shouted. I meant I didn’t want to die again.
The sun’s slow creep downward was
agonizing. Paolo wept, his words becoming unintelligible. The light
caused him to squint. Whimpering, he curled into the fetal position
as the rays hovered over him.
I continued my desperate
work on my chains. Please break. Please
break. The metal plate on the wall was
secured with four bolts. I yanked on my bindings and I thought I
saw the bolts jiggle.
Yes!
All of a sudden, Paolo shrieked. I
turned and screamed.
He was burning in the sun. Smoke
lifted upward from his writhing body. His face, his hands and
chest, were dark red and wet like a skinned animal. Yellow blisters
bubbled up all over him and then burst as the skin tore into open
wounds. The pus, viscous like tomato pulp, hardened into a brown
layer. The sun singed off his thick hair and scabs spread across
his scalp.
Still in the shade, I
pulled at my chains with all of my strength. Come on! The bolts loosened. I saw
them spring up with every jerk.
Paolo was now
unrecognizable, covered in a smoldering, crackling charcoal crust.
He had stopped moving. He was no longer screaming. Through the haze
I could see that the door was already bathed in sunlight. I’m going to burn.
I let out a piercing cry and wrenched
the chain from the wall. The metal plate shot off and hit Paolo in
the head, causing parts of his blackened face to crumble off. His
body was starting to disintegrate, like a collapsing sand
sculpture. I fell backward and wrestled my shackles under my butt
and my legs so that my hands were at least in front of me, though
still bound together by about a foot of heavy chain. I scrambled to
my feet and reached for a handhold.
It’s too late.
I looked up and into the
sunlight.
Chapter
11
My arms flew up to cover my face. I
squeezed my eyes
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