Verbatim [h.s]

Fifty-Two

Zuri's POV 

After Leonardo left, I felt my walls crumble again. There was so much information about Harry, my mum, my life. I had all this time to think about it, to come to terms with everything yet every time I did think about it my head wanted to explode. I felt as if everything had happened at once. Harry. My mum. My step-dad. Max. Leonardo.

I didn't want to but I cried. I cried hard. I curled up into a ball in the corner of the room and cried. My fingers had pulled at my roots, my eyes swelled from the amount of tears and my voice had grown rasp. For the rest of the day, I had no visitors. I had my dinner delivered to me, as always I got a slice of bread for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I guess I should be thankful they wanted to give me any food. The slice that night even had butter on it.

That made me cry more.

Either they're preparing to kill me, the last supper and all let's give her some butter the poor thing. Or they're growing accustomed to me, easing up in order to win me with their affections. Kind of like, hey look I gave you butter on your bread, I'm nice. I feel every piece of me slowly cracking, intrusive thoughts of joining them had plagued my mind that night. When I fell into a darkness that I knew I'd never be saved at this rate. But I rid those thoughts immediately, I told myself what I had said from day 1, I'd rather die than join them.

And that stays.

I woke this morning on my own. No interruptions. I had another slice of buttered bread, which I was wary about, twice in a row? Is there poison in this or something? I had sniffed it, ran my finger through it and rubbed it into my skin, encouraging any reaction. But nothing. Just greasy butter. So I ate it, scoffed it, absolutely starved as I am daily. My favourite leaky pipe offered me some water, still disgusting and made me throw up every time I drank it. That's why there is a pile of sick in the corner, been there the entire time I have been here. I think I must've grown used to the smell or something because I can't smell it anymore.

The days are long. Time seems to drag. Especially on these days when I have no visitors. At least when Frank and Dennis come to do those things to me, it passes the time. It isn't a way I should look at it, I know but I do. At least when they come here, push me to my breaking point, they drain all the energy from me that I pass out. And that kills so much time. Probably how I've survived so far this long locked here, I think I probably should've lost my mind by now.

Who's to say I haven't already?

The light daylight shined through the small window at the top of the wall, it was my favourite thing because it was the only thing that reminded me that I was in fact alive. Being alone in the dark, which offered me a black hole of depression and self-pity, I lost hope and begin dreaming, really dreaming of a future that was unattainable. But when that sunlight shined through, I was reminded that I was really here. These things really happened to me. But I also realised that I was still alive, still fighting for another day.

The bolts on the door called my attention, I didn't bother standing I just pulled my legs closer to my chest. When the door opened I expected to see Frank and Dennis, the 2 punishers, but instead, I saw Max.

My back straightened against the wall, my breathing growing more intense. I could see him easily with both the daylight and the hallway light, and I could see clearly how he smiled at me, a full toothy smile. My eyes then scanned him to see him holding some sort of material in his arms. I frowned cocking my head.

A blanket?

He shut the door and walked over to me, I tried to push myself further into the wall but it was no luck so instead, I put on my brave face and arched my neck to look up at him.