9.
~ Daniel was sobbing when the old woman found him. He was curled in the fetal position and hoping that they dogs would lose interest in him and leave him in peace. His ears were bleeding and he knew his face had been bitten as well.
He didn't exactly process the pain right away. More of the fear that the dogs would come back and hurt him. Open his skin up, and more of the hot wet stuff called blood would come out.
Daniel had never seen blood, but he knew it was bad.
When ever the boys would play too hard, Dominic would cry if he started bleeding. Or grow afraid if Daniel started bleeding. Then they would go to mommy and she would be upset that there was blood.
He knew it was a bad thing, and what was happening to him now was a very bad thing.
But then, the old woman came with her unsteady walk and started to yell at the dogs.
The dog that held his arm whimpered and let go when the old lady hit it.
"Get out of here, you bastards!" she shouted in French. Her accent strange to Daniel as he was too scared to move now.
"Boy, get up." she ordered. "Dogs are gone."
Her voice was thick and gravel like. Almost like a man's voice, but he new it was a woman just now.
It took several seconds to make himself uncurl out of the ball he was in.
"Help me." he cried softly to the voice.
"Look at that face. They did you no favors today." the old woman sighed.
She pulled Daniel up and he felt the pain in his ankle throb.
"I can't walk." he said and clutched tightly to the woman who smelled of moth balls and clothing that was too long in a closet.
Her body was lumpy and not what he was used to. Mommy's boy was smooth and soft. Her frame small and almost delicate.
This woman had lumps in places he wasn't used to. She seemed brittle and her body more breakable than most. Her hands were cold as she helped him get his bearings.
"There, there." she sighed. "Now, tell me why you were in this ally?"
"I want to go home!" Daniel sobbed and clung tightly to the old woman as, together, they hobbled down the ally. A strange duo. Leaning on each other for support.
~ "When I was a girl." the old woman said as Daniel sat on the rim of a large bathtub. "This whole area was different. It wasn't very grand; even then. When the Germans invaded, a lot of people lost their homes. I was six that summer and my neighbors just vanished one morning. It was all so strange."
Daniel felt her gnarled hands cleaning his face with a towel that smelled like soap. He felt himself relax slightly as her hands were gentle and kind.
"Those building lay empty for a long time during the occupation. Now, they're being torn up and built into expensive apartments for people with more money than sense." the old woman sighed.
Daniel wasn't sure what she was talking about. He knew he was in her home now. She had told him that's where they were going and he didn't question it. Her home smelled of cooking and freshly watered potted plants. It smelled of old wood furniture and more moth balls. But it was a safe smell. A smell of a person who had been there a long time and the place was comfortable and protected from bad things.
"This might sting." she warned as he felt her dab something on his wounds.
It did sting and he cried despite himself.
"Don't do that!" he sobbed.
"We have to clean the cuts, child." the woman said sternly. "The sting means it's killing the germs!"
"No." Daniel moaned as she gently cleaned the torn flesh and bandaged him up.
She let out a long sigh and sat on the toilet next to the bath tub.
"Tell me why you weren't in school. Why you were in the ally with no shoes on. Were boys picking on you, son?" she asked.
He kept his head down and his unseeing eyes pointed at his bare feet.
She didn't know he was blind yet. He had taken hold of her like a drowning man desperate for life. She must not have noticed that he couldn't see the way he moved beside her. She must have thought he was just scared and nothing more.
He wasn't sure why he did it. The words fell out of his mouth before he could stop them.
"Yes. The boys at school were picking on me." he said woefully.
"I see." the old woman told him. "Well bullying is a part of life, child. Not a good part, but it's a part of it. You think it stops when you're grown, but it never does. Best get used to it and stand up for yourself. Otherwise, you'll be in an ally getting bitten by dogs every time."
He heard her knees popping as she stood up.
"You call your mother when your ready. Telephone is in the kitchen." she said.
Daniel nodded and said nothing. His face was starting to hurt now. He suddenly didn't want to call mommy and papa. He was so embarrassed that he had let this thing happen to him. He had been stupid and they might be mad at him.
Maybe, he could stay with the old woman for a little while. This place was quite and lost to the rest of the world. It was like one of mommy's old shoe boxes. A nice box that had old shoes she had forgotten about. But the shoes were still safe and smelled like leather.
The world had forgotten this old woman. That was what she was trying to tell Daniel before. Maybe, he could stay here and the world would forget about both of them. Mommy and papa wouldn't fight anymore about the cost of his school because he would be here. They would be happier with Dominic and his two sisters. They could see, they were perfect. Mommy never worried about them the way she worried about Daniel.
"Boy?" the old woman called out. "If you're hungry, come and eat something."
He wasn't hungry.
His body had grown painfully tired. The day had been too much for him and all he wanted to do was sleep.
~ "Wow. So that's what five million looks like." Eames breathed. A look of obvious lust sparkled in his eyes at the sight of the duffle bags.
"What..." Arthur fumbled as he felt his brain lock up. "Where did you get the money?" he managed to ask at last.
"Seth." she said simply and looked defiantly back at him.
"Seth." Arthur repeated. "Your boss?"
"Yes."
"You went to Seth, and he just gave you five million in cash?" he asked. A cold suspicion running painfully in his blood now. It felt like ice had rushed over his skin as he looked back at his wife.
"He has a line of credit at his bank. Any time he needs cash, he can get it." she said and looked away from him.
"Why did he give you this money?" Arthur asked. The memory of finding the birth control in her purse came screaming back to him. "What did you have to do for him?"
"Arthur, what are you talking about?" she asked and still didn't look at him.
"I'm talking about Seth. Men don't give women five million in cash for nothing." he snarled.
"It's not for nothing, Arthur. It's to save my son. Since you're not interested in saving our baby, I had to." she snapped.
"What did you do for him? What did you promise him?" Arthur growled. His mind racing like a train out of control now. He saw in his mind Seth with his wife. Seth wanting to take his place. The reason his wife was on birth control was because of Seth.
"I didn't do anything for him." she spat back hatefully. "I told him what was happening to my son. I've made him a multi millionaire and he had no problem getting the money for me to get Daniel back."
"Don't you lie to me." Arthur said.
"Arthur." Cobb said. The Extractor's voice calm and was able to break the tension that was building.
Arthur took a step back and refused to look at her.
"We have the money now. Lets go ahead with the plan. We'll deliver the money and trace the car back to wherever they're keeping Daniel." Cobb said an a soothing voice.
"I'm going with you." Ariadne said.
"No, I'm going." Arthur interrupted. "You're staying here."
"No, I'm not!" she shouted at him.
Never before had Arthur wanted to hit his wife. Not when she had starved herself after Dominic was born or when she had threatened to terminate her pregnancy with Drew.
Just now, his hand itched to slap her. To wound her just as sharply as she had wounded him.
"Why don't you go stay with Seth?" he whispered. His voice shaking. "I'll let you know when I get our son back."