Ready to Take on the World

Chapter 31: Sally's siblings

I left soon after my - our - first time, because I had to be home in time. Jake offered to give me a lift, he insisted, but I rejected him every time. He said it was dark out and dangerous, but I protested and claimed I needed some air and a walk would do me good. The truth was I had to think about everything that had happened and clear my head.

At last Jake gave up and let me go home on foot. But he walked me a couple of blocks and then finally turned around and headed home. I was alone, at last, and now I had time to think.

My head was full of questions and I was confused. About Sally, about Jake, about everything that was going on. When I reached our house, Dalton was expecting me and was more than glad I came home on time.

The next day I visited Sally again. She preferred we met each other outside their block of flats because it was dangerous there. But that day I insisted I wanted to see her sister and I won the argument. 

I walked up the stairs in that block of flats one more time. I knocked and Sally opened the door. We talked for a few minutes and she explained her brothers were gonna be out for an hour so we had some time. But not a lot.

When we entered the room of Sally's sister, a repulsive smell hit me in the face. It smelled terrible in that room. 

There was a small body in the bed, the body of Sally's older sister, Jean. She moved just a little bit and opened her eyes. She looked at Sally and then at me. Her eyes were sore and red, her lips dry.

''Who is that, Sally?'' She asked with a hoarse voice. 

Sally answered quietly: ''Just a friend of mine. Don't mind her. How are you? Are you OK?''

Jean nodded, but she was too exhausted to do more than that.

Sally gave her a glass of water, but Jean could only drink it with a straw for she was too tired. After that she closed her sore eyes and went back to sleep.

Sally, without turning her eyes away form Jean, said to me: ''Do you see what I mean now? Do you understand now? They are ruining her and if I don't get her out of here, she will die. It's up to me.'' Then she looked at me and I nodded. I understood. 

I knew now it wasn't the same as with me and my mother. I had no choice, I couldn't save my mum anymore, because it was too late. But Sally had a choice. It wasn't too late for Jean. But her time was running out. And she had to do something soon. If I had had a chance to do something to save my mum, to stop the fire, I would have done it.

When we came back to the living room, Sally said: ''I have a proposition for you. I will help you with what you need. I will tell Brian everything, I will tell him it wasn't Jake's fault, it was my brothers'.''

She stopped and I nodded and smiles. But then she continued: ''But only if you do something in return. Only if you help me.''

''How?'' I asked her.

''Help me Jean and my aunt leave this place. Help us escape.''

What she said was crazy. How could I possibly help her with that? But then she explained how.

''Your brother's a cop. I mean, he could get us out of here, right?'' She said with a glimmer of hope in her eyes, but I feared that hope was misplaced and would soon be crushed.

''I ... I don't know Sally. What you're asking is ... is too much. I don't know if it's even possible. I don't know how and even if ...'' I stuttered, but she cut me off, saying: ''Please. I beg of you, help me. Get us out of here, get us away from here. Please.''

Her eyes were wetting and there was a great sadness in them. They were full of despair. I just couldn't say no to her, plus, she was right. It was only fair that I returned the favour. She would help me and I would help her. But I didn't know how I would convince Dalton to help her.

''OK, I'll see what I can do, but I can't promise you anything. But I'll try. I'll ask Dalton and I'll do what I can OK?'' I told her and tried to reassure her.

''Thank you, thank you so much,'' She wiped her eyes and held my hand.

Soon after that it was time to go. She wanted to walk me to the main door of their building to make sure nothing would happen to me. When we were walking down the stairs, she suddenly turned to me and said: ''Pretend like you don't know me.'' She seemed scared and fanatical.

''What, why?'' I asked quietly and gave her a wondering look.

''Just do it!'' She responded.

Two men passed us by and by their looks I would say they were a few years older then us. Sally said to them: ''Hi, I'm going out, I'll be back in a bit.''

One of them nodded and they continued walking. When they passed me, I locked eyes with both of them of a moment. And one of them, I recognized. It was the guy from Jake's house the other day. The one with the black car who came to visit Jake. The one with the scary eyes. This time they were even more scary.

When they disappeared, I asked Sally who they were and when she answered, I was shocked: ''They're my brothers.''

''W-What?'' I said, shocked and puzzled.

''Yeah, what's wrong?'' She asked.

''I saw one of them at Jake's house yesterday. They came out of the house and shook their hands. Your brother and Jake.'' I couldn't believe what I was saying. I couldn't believe it.

''That's impossible. They wouldn't stay friends with someone who was into their sister once. Actually, they were never friends,'' Sally exclaimed.

''Well, I saw what I saw. I wasn't hallucinating. I know what I saw. It was your brother. When he drove by, we looked straight into each others eyes.''

''Well then, he would've recognized you, right? It must've been someone else.'' Sally shrugged. But I knew it wasn't.

''No, it was him. I know it was. He didn't recognize me, but I recognized him,'' I said.

''OK, well, which one?'' She wanted to know.

''The one with a stubble,'' I answered.

''That's Brad.''

''What was he doing with Jake?'' I asked quietly, unbelievably, and scared that I would soon learn something terrible. Why was Jake keeping things from me? And things like that, no less.

''I don't know.'' Sally replied, also kinda scared.