The Rouges

s e v e n

IT HAD BEEN three days since Mouse had been brought to me and she followed me wherever I went within my imprisonment. She never left my side. She even slept in the cell with me, fighting vehemently if they tried to remove her. Eventually they conceded and just left her with me on a permanent basis. During my questionings, she sat under the table listening to me repeat the same answers over and over again. I loathed the man questioning me, but I remained calmer now, as to not frighten Mouse. Every night she slept underneath my bed, her hand constantly creeping around the edge to touch my fingers. I always reached back, ensuring her tiny hand I was still here.

Tonight, as her hand disappeared under the frame again, I realized for the first time in my life I felt responsible for someone other than myself.

The thought shook me.

I was awoken in the middle of the night by the sound of metal scraping on concrete. Arden cursed as I sat up rapidly, startling him.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I dropped my pillow behind my cot and it got stuck."

He jerked the cot again and a white lumpy object fell to the floor. As he leaned over to snag it, my eyes widened. In the dull lights reflecting from the hallway I could see the glint of metal and familiar horizontal lines.

There was an air vent.

My bag was sitting on the floor by my cot, the food and weapons had been removed but I could always steal more. It would be easy to slip into the vent without being seen. Arden was always taken away first, I would have nearly five minutes before they would notice I was gone and-Mouse stirred beneath me and my thoughts instantly stopped, then took another route.

She was small. I could easily guide her through the vents with me, but then what? What would we do once we made it outside? I had barely been able to keep myself alive and fed. How could I possibly provide for her too?

I could leave her here. Tell her I was coming back... lie to her.

I felt sick just thinking about it. But here she would have food and care. With me she would suffer like I had. Even though leaving Mouse here was the better choice for her, the responsible one, the idea of not being able to protect her myself appalled me.

Arden shoved his cot up against the wall again, covering the vent. This time Mouse awoke to the noise. Her fingers crept over the wool blanket searching for me. A lump caught in my throat as I grabbed her fragile fingers and lay back down.

"It's okay, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." But even as I said the words my eyes stared at the spot on the wall where I knew the vent was.

When I woke in the morning Arden was already gone and the kind-faced boy sat on Arden's cot watching me. It should have startled me, made me angry that he had gotten into the room without my knowledge, but it didn't. Mouse sat at his side chewing on something red. A book was cradled in her lap.

I watched her, wide-eyed.

Something flew at my face. I caught it reflexively. The taut shiny surface was smooth against my skin. My heart rose.

An apple.

I had not eaten one since I was a child. Another photo flash from the past.

"No bread today?" I tried to keep the joy from my face.

"I figured you would be tired of bread." He stretched, rising from the cot.

"What do you have there?" I asked Mouse, eyeing her book.

She grinned and held it up for me to see. It had words and pictures of people making hand gestures. I furrowed my brow.

"It's a book on sign language. Since Mouse can't speak I thought it important that she be able to express herself." He smiled down at the little girl.