CHAPTER 008
981 Words
MADISON'S POV
The room had a strong smell of bleach, plastic and a faint scent that reminded me of blood. The steady beeping of the machines reminded me of a countdown, not a comfort. Lily was sitting on the windowsill, with her knees close to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. She seemed exhausted, pale and much younger than the others.
I walked around the room.
I didn’t feel like talking.
But the quiet was eating away at me.
Have you ever felt like you’re just a character in someone else’s life? I blurted.
Lily stared at me, as if I had said something she didn’t understand. “Huh?”
I laughed, but it wasn’t really funny. It was a very unpleasant experience. Cold. “Forget it.”
She moved her head slowly from side to side. “No. Say those words again.”
I let out a sigh and pressed my hands against my thighs. I sat down quickly in the chair by the hospital bed, my fingers trembling.
I told him, “Ethan doesn’t notice me.” He has never done that. Not really. I was only there because it was easy for him. Polished. Beautiful enough to show off. Wise enough to keep things private. Never asking questions because they are so quiet.”
Lily straightened up and watched me.
“You’re Madison,” she told me. “You’re scary. It’s a common thing to hear. When you enter a room, people avoid looking at you.
I snorted. All that fear only leads to one thing. It makes people ignore you. It makes you miss out on opportunities.
Her expression changed. She knew this better than she was willing to admit.
“What is the reason for telling me this?” she asked.
I can tell the floor is breaking apart beneath me. If I don’t open up, I’ll be overwhelmed by it.
She did not say much.
“And if anything happens to me,” I whispered, “you should know why.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
I put my elbows on my knees and leaned closer. Before I knew Ethan, before the fancy clothes and apartments, I wasn’t Madison. I was Lucía in that moment.
Lily didn’t say anything right away. Her eyebrows rose at that point. “Lucía?”
“Yes,” I replied. I was nineteen years old. Broke. Desperate. Living on crackers and lies. Then a man in a clean suit and with dirty eyes told me I could earn ten thousand dollars in a weekend by attending parties. Looking pretty. Passing envelopes. No questions are necessary.”
Lily took a deep breath.
I said, “They were involved in a cartel.” I didn’t realize it at the beginning. Not really. Yet, when you’re starving, you realize it’s best not to search too much.
She asked, “What did they force you to do?”
“Smile. Drink. Dance with men who had a lot of wedding rings on their hands. I would sometimes give things to other girls. Sometimes, it’s the drivers who are affected. I’ve been to a cop once.
“Did you ever get caught?”
I replied, “No.” I saw someone else lose their life because of something I did. That was the final outcome. I ran. Disappeared. I changed my name. Started over and built a new life.
Lily was not looking well. She put her hand over her heart, hoping to slow it down.
“Why is this happening now?” she wondered. “Why are we seeing it again?”
I took my phone out of my coat pocket. I pointed out the screen to her.
The answer is Lucía.
She looked at it with surprise. “Who is responsible for that?”
I shook my head in disagreement. I’m not sure. However, the message was sent to this number. My number. The one that only you know. It shows that someone has been watching me.
Lily’s voice trembled. “What is their goal?”
“To remind me that they are still here. To get me to sweat. To make me pay for leaving.”
I got up and walked back and forth.
The cartel always remembers. They wait. They also keep an eye on what’s happening.
My phone started to vibrate all of a sudden. I jumped.
Unknown number.
I looked at the screen for a while. One ring. Two rings. Three.
At that point, a message popped up.
We notice you. Remember the person you used to be.
The temperature in the room dropped.
Lily was speechless as she stood up. “Answer it.”
I didn’t feel like it.
Yet, my fingers kept moving on their own.
“Hello?” I said.
No answer.
After that, take a breath. Ragged. Close.
“You shouldn’t have tried to escape, Lucía,” a man said quietly.
I froze.
“Who is the person I’m talking to?”
A pause.
“You remember.”
I did what I was told.
Javi.
He would drive a black Escalade. The car with darkened windows and a wobbly floorboard. He had a scent of cigar smoke and motor oil.
“What is your goal?”
He laughed. It gave me the creeps.
“We want to have our ghost back.”
Click.
The call was finished.
I let go of the phone.
Lily screamed.
“What was his response?”
I leaned down and picked up the phone, feeling a bit shaky.
“They know. About me. About everything. We are not protected.
Lily moved away from the door. She was shaking all over now.
“Who’s going to get us?” she asked in a whisper.
I didn’t say anything.
I knew deep inside that they had always been here.
We were trapped with no way to escape.
- Writer
