Chapter 21 - by Sugar Faerie
Aretha
Mash's shadow darkens my
face. Hamster stiffens, which is strange, because I thought she'd be
happy at seeing her mother.
I look up, scared at what I'm going to see. Will she be bleeding? Bruised? Worse?
I see her and breathe a sigh of relief. Thin, a bit bruised, but otherwise fine. She looks a lot better than most of the girls.
Something's different about her, though, something about her eyes. My mother always said that eyes are the windows to the soul, and Mash's were... hard. Cruel, almost.
I'm not sure what to think... it could be nothing, or it could be something horrible. Going through what we've been through can change a person. After all, Charlotte's eyes are grim, whereas Madonna's... are empty. Like there's nothing there.
Mash's face is as hard as her eyes, she was always a bit moody, but nothing like this.
"Cheeky's dead," I say flatly, reasoning that the facts have to be reported.
I expected at least a small reaction, but receive none except a brisk nod. Mash is still standing, hands in fists, fists on hips. I run through the list of names in my mind, wondering if she'll know if some are living.
See, the problem about not being able to see each other anymore is that we don't know what goes on.
I'm about to ask her, when Hamster looks up. "No!" she wails, "Nooo..." She clings to me, and look from Mash to Hamster, then back again.
What on earth happened?
Mash is as pale as my sheet back at the Heartbreak, and I figure it's best not to ask. I'm about to ask her if Seal's still alive, but she beats me to it.
"Is Bob alive?" she asks.
I shake my head. "I don't know. He's in solitary."
She nods in understanding. "Madonna?"
"Yeah, she's alive."
"Oz?"
"Last I saw her. Is Seal alive?"
She nods again. "She is."
I try another name. "The King?"
Mash shifts uncomfortably. "I... I'm not sure."
And then suddenly it dawns on me. Why Hamster is suddenly so afraid. Why Mash seems so different. And why I heard screams not too long ago.
"Oh Mash, what have you done?"