disclaimer: I am still not Stephenie Meyer, these still aren't my characters.


Chapter 7: Numb

"I'm dreadfully sorry to have to bring you in this way, Mary Alice, but, well…" Mr. Greene's calm voice was almost comical in the current situation. We were all riding in the backseat of a cramped car; Mr. Greene, the bodyguard, and myself. The driver up front squirmed and wrinkled his nose like a rabbit, glancing back at us nervously from time to time.

Oh, and I was being restrained by the bodyguard, pinned between him and Mr. Greene. I wriggled forcefully every once in a while, but the bodyguard's grip on my arms was too firm. Screaming and swearing was of no use too – I would just hear mutters about how I might need sedatives. I eventually calmed down enough to think through what had actually happened this disastrous morning.

After the fateful declaration, I had been literally dragged from the front of the house to a shiny black Model T car, kicking, screaming, and trying to create as much scandal as my lungs could allow. I saw our only neighbor, an elderly woman who was half blind and deaf, peek out of her bedroom window before closing the curtains. All of the other houses were too far away to hear anything.

I finally understood why they had come for me so early. Hardly anyone was up and about in town early morning; most children were getting ready to school (like we should have been), housewives were preparing breakfast, husbands getting ready for the day's work. No one saw me getting dragged out, no heard me screaming, and no one bothered to see who was hidden in the shiny black car pulling away from town. Biloxi, Mississippi faded away and I wondered if anyone would even miss me.

I had caught glimpses of my family as we drove away… probably the last I would ever see of them. My father had stood by calmly, arms crossed and a stoic expression on his face. He had hardly given me a second glance as I was pushed into the car, stepping inside the kitchen before I was gone. My mother had stood by the door as I left, and I thought for a moment I saw her cheeks glistening with silent tears. Perhaps it was just the reflection of light from the window next to her.

But it was Cynthia that broke my heart, and it was she that I mourned now. She had started out of our room when I had started screaming, half-dressed and with a wild look in her eyes. When no one answered her demands for explanation she had followed us outside, demanding that the bodyguard put me down. She had hung onto his arms, clawing and screeching and tugging at my dress until Mother pulled her away.

Her loud sobs had followed the car as we pulled out onto the road, and I had barely caught her faint cry as we drove away. "Alice, I'm sorry!"

I would never see my little sister again. We would never walk down to the docks together, or play down by the river. I would never be there when she got her first suitor, or needed advice only a big sister could give. I could never again tell her that I love her, that I forgive her. This thought brought on a fresh wave of tears to my eyes, and I tried desperately to stifle them. It was then that Mr. Greene interrupted my thoughts.

"Are you feeling calmer now?"

I wanted to hurt him. But I was already too weak. I had worn myself out by struggling for the better part of the past hours, and felt my muscles giving in to the exhaustion. I sat limply in the arms of the bodyguard now, my chin resting on my chest. I sniffled, but refused to respond to his question.

He continued anyway. "We will arrive at Milledgeville, Georgia around midnight. They are already waiting for us, so we must proceed with haste. Of course, we can stop for lunch… if you promise to behave. Can you promise me that, Mary?"

Something remotely akin to a snarl came from my throat, and I wasn't even aware of having made the noise. I didn't understand how this man – if he could even be called that – was so calm. I was stripped from my family, my home, my little sister, and here he was talking about lunch. I turned my head as far from him as I could, ending up buried in the musky scent of the tall bodyguard on my other side.

"If you cooperate this will be much easier. I hope you can understand that."

The kindness in his voice caught me off-guard. For the first time this morning I realized that he hadn't been aggressive once. He had kept trying to talk to me with gentle words, even when I didn't answer him. I hated him even more for it. I knew it was all fake, one giant pretense. "Go to hell," I hissed, my voice husky from crying.

That ended the conversation for the morning. I curled up as best I could, and eventually the grip on my arms was released. As the hours passed I tried desperately to keep hold of Cynthia's voice in my mind, but I could feel a numbing sensation overcome my senses. No matter how much I tried to fight it, my mind was as weak as my body.

This was too much, simply too much. My eyes stared out at the road, unfocused, and I saw nothing. I could hear mumblings around me, but nothing clear. The distant memory of Reverend Searcy's murder was fading away, the images replaced with ones of my own torment. I knew what was coming - the chains I had heard about, the miserable conditions... the all-consuming darkness. Fear paralyzed me.

An eternity passed before we stopped at an inn by the road, just on the inside of Georgia according to the driver. Mr. Greene got out of the car first, and I took the extra space to stretch my cramped legs. A sharp pain shot through my lower back as I moved, and I whimpered without meaning to.

I waited for the bodyguard to move, hoping I could clear my mind if I stepped outside. It was all so foggy. Instead we stayed put, all of the doors closed. The afternoon sun filtered in hurt my eyes, which had become accustomed to the dimness of my position. Eventually Mr. Greene shoved his way back into the car, placing something soft and warm into my open hands. A distinct aroma filled the cramped space, but I couldn't recognize it.

I had no strength left. The muscles in my fingers failed to respond and the food fell onto the seat of the car. I heard a muted voice, sounding strangely garbled to my ears. "I think she's in shock, we need to get her to Milledgeville as soon as possible." Something cool pressed against my forehead.

I tried to struggle against him one last time. It was then that I felt as if my mind were detaching itself from my body. My every muscle gave out, but for a split second, my mind had never been clearer. And I knew with dreadful certainty that I would never escape this. I would not survive it.

Then everything faded to black.


author's note: reviews and all that jazz... you know the drill :) I'd just really like to know who is following this story. It gives me more incentive to write.