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Dark Room - Foreign Figures, Jonny T

Age 6

“Riley bear,” Noel’s voice comes from the house. A cockroach skitters past me, but I barely notice. This place isn’t as bad as some of the other ones before.

“Riley! Where are you? Let’s play.” The sounds of his friend’s voices filter into the shed. It’s hot in the shed, but I knew he’d look for me in my room. Mom’s at work. She always is when he has his friends over. They look at me in a way that makes me uncomfortable. When I told her that, she shrugged me off. Said I was being dramatic.

A shiver runs through me despite the heat.

“Looks like she’s already playing.” There are deep chuckles.

I squeeze my eyes shut. I should have run farther. Surely, they’ll leave me alone.

“Ready or not, here we come.”

I shrink further behind the lawn mower, breathing in the hot air and smell of stale grass. I crouch there for what feels like hours. Then, I hear deep voices outside.

“You’re just making this more fun, Riley.”

The shed door opens, and heavy footsteps pound in. There’s silence for a second, and I hold my breath.

“There you are.” A heavy hand lands on my shoulder.

I dart to my feet. It’s one of Noel’s friends. One who watches me heavily. His eyes are dark and full of something mean. I smile, trying to lighten the mood. “Sorry, I fell asleep.”

“Yeah?” His mouth kicks up in a smile.

“Yeah.” I glance out the door.

“In here!”

I see Noel and two more of his friends come up. Despite the heat, they step into the shed. All of them are smiling at me. One rubs his pants where the zipper is.

“You’re pretty good at hide and seek.” Noel smiles at me. “Want to play another game?”

No. I don’t. I try to back away, but there’s nowhere to go. “I’m kinda hot,” I laugh nervously.

The men just grunt, looking at me.

“Come on, it’ll be fun.” Noel pats his knee.

When I don’t move, he waves me over. “C’mon, you can have a popsicle after.”

Despite the tingles moving over my skin, I move to him. I have no other choice. I’m trapped, and closer to him is closer to the way out.

The rest of that afternoon feels like a blur. A blur of pain and fear and confusion. I don’t remember why. All I know after is it hurts to sit, it hurts to pee, and there are marks all over my chest. I’m bleeding, but Noel says I got my period, and that’s what happens when you become a woman.

It’s not the first time it has happened. But I can’t remember. Little snippets come back to me, and I force them way back down.

But I remember that I get my popsicle every time they leave.