Page 14

THIRTEEN

Dante

SIX-YEARS-OLD

I open my eyes and I’m still in the dark room. I hate the dark. It scares me. I don’t know if there are monsters or bad guys waiting for me. My eyes hurt, but I start to cry again. I don’t know how long I’ve been here. Mi papi was teaching me how to tell time. I wanted to make my teacher proud. I haven’t learned it all yet. He said my brain is special, but I don’t know what he means. And if it’s so special, why can’t I get out of here? It stinks down here. I cry more.

“I want to go home!” I yell, but my throat hurts. Everything hurts. “Mami! Papi! Where are you?”

I get so mad that they’re not coming that I bang on the door. It’s really hard, but I try my best. Even though I hit it with all my might, no one comes. I start breathing faster than I’m used to and my head begins to hurt. I just want my mommy. She’d know what to do.

Where is she?

“Help me. Please! I’ll be good. I promise. Mami!”

I can’t yell anymore. It hurts too bad. I run to the spot where I see a little light and curl up next to it. Maybe they’ll find me if I stay close to the light. I’m super cold and my body shakes. It’s wet down here. My mom will not like my clothes being so dirty.

My tears drop onto my hands. I miss them so much. What did I do? I’ll fix it.

I hold my hand to the light. I have ouchies all over. Mom will need to bring bandages. I hope they are the ones with airplanes. I love airplanes. They took me to see planes for my birthday. Well, it was the week after my birthday, but that’s when we got the appointment. It was a tour and the people with us were impressed with all I remembered about the planes. Mom said I have a super memory, but I don’t feel super. Superman would have been home by now. I'm scared and hungry. I want to snuggle my teddy bear and lie in my bed. I want hugs and kisses from my parents. I want my mommy to sing my special song.

I need to pee, but I’m scared to move. There’s no bathroom anyway. It’s just a cold, dark, wet room. The Ninja Turtles live better than this. I can’t hold it. My pee warms me a little, but I’m sad. I’m a big boy. Big boys don’t pee on themselves.

“Mami! I peed!” I try to scream it, but it comes out lower than I want. I can’t scream anymore. My voice left me. I curl up more, hiding my face on my knees. I’ll try to pray like my papa taught me but after a while, The Jesus doesn’t come to help me.

Please help me. Someone. Anyone.

“Hey, kid! Hey, kid?”

I sit up when I hear someone talking. I must’ve fallen asleep again. When I stand up and look around, I don’t see anyone.

“Up here?”

I look up and find a small window with bars. “Where are my parents? Are you here to save me?”

“Not really. I’m in here too. I’m in the cell next door.”

“Are we in jail? I didn’t do anything.” I start crying.

“No. It’s not jail,” he tells me.

“Then I want my mommy and daddy!”

“You’re here because they don’t want you.”

I shake my head. “It’s not true. My mommy said she loves more than the world and beyond the moon!”

“It’s not true. You wouldn’t be here if she did.”

I cover my ears and shake my head because I don’t believe it. I know they love me. He pushes something through the bars, and it lands at my feet. It’s a sandwich in a bag.

“Eat up, kid. Save your strength. I’ll try to break you out.”

“And we can go find my parents.”

“Sure, but they won't be happy.”

I sit down and cover my ears. I don’t want to hear what the mean man says anymore. I know they love me. My stomach growls, and I remove my hands from my ears. I don’t like peanut butter and jelly, but I’m hungry. Mommy would want me to wash my hands, but I can’t. I eat, careful not to touch it with my hands. The man comes back when I’m done.

“I’ll try to sneak you some more. What’s your name, kid?”

“Dante Orejón. Please get me out of here.”

“I’ll try to sweet talk the guards when I see them. They never visit you because you keep crying. Can you try to be a big boy for me, Dante?”

I don’t like how he says my name. It’s creepy. “I am a big boy.”

“Act like it and stop crying. They’re nicer to the good children.”

“Okay. Will they take me out of the dark? I don’t like the dark.”

The man breathes hard and doesn’t answer me. I don’t like him much, but no one else is around.

I still don’t like the guy from the cell - that’s what he calls it - next to me, but at least he feeds me. I’ve tried my best not to cry, but I still haven’t met anyone. I had to make some yucky decisions because I didn’t have a choice. It was either poop myself or in one of the other corners of the room. Now, I sit with my shirt covering my nose and do my best to cry silently. I want to go home. The door opens, and I stand up and wipe my face.

A tall dark-haired man stands just on the other side. He looks dirty but smells much better than I do.

“Dante? Is that you?”

He must be the man from the other side of the wall because the way he says my name still bothers me.

“Yes? Are you the guy from next door?”

He nods. “Please, call me Father.”

“But you’re not my father.”

He shakes his head and laughs. “No. Father is my name.”

“Okay, Mr. Father. Can I go? Did you find my parents?”

He gives me a cold look. His blue eyes make it worse. “I told you, this is where kids go when they’re parents don’t want them.”

“Liar! I don’t believe it!” I run in his direction, ready to fight him, but he closes the door again.

“I thought you matured. They’re not going to let me move a baby.”

I bang against the door again, but he doesn't come back for what feels like days.

“Are you ready to try again?” he asks when he opens the door. I’m lying curled up with my knees to my chest, staring at him without a word.

“Did you hear me, boy? Are you ready to come out?”

“Sure,” I mumble. I still don’t like him.

His smile gives me the creeps. “Good. One test, first.”

He takes a piece of paper from the guard and shows it to me. I look at the sequence. It’s a lot of random letters and numbers, but I don't understand why he’s showing me. The man moved the paper out of my sight by handing it back to the guard.

“Tell me what you remember seeing.”

“A453325632X2221E7582EHY.”

“Wow, that’s the whole thing.”

I sit up. “Yes, you asked what I remembered.”

“The guy who runs this place said if you remembered, I can bring you out and clean you up.”

I want my parents more, but that will do for now. “Cool.”

When he tries to help me up, I don’t accept his help. I need to find a way out of here.

“Isn’t this better?”

The Father guy comes into the room I have now. It still has a door that locks me inside, but there is a window with bars, a bed, and a toilet. I’ve been here for three sunrises. Even though my cleaner state makes me feel better, I have to earn everything I get. He keeps asking me to look at and repeat things to eat. The leader wants me to do this.

No. It’s not home.

“What do I need to do today?”

“Nothing, Dante.” He looks around like he’s about to give me a secret. “I’m breaking you out.” I sit up on the bed and give him my attention. “I found you some shoes so you can run fast. I’ve also decided that once we’re out, I’ll help you look for your parents.”

I spring up and put on my new shoes. “Let’s go.”

He pulls out a gun and poses like a man in an action movie. “Stay behind me, Dante. I’ll get you out of here.”

I scream when he shoots the first guy, but I continue to run behind him. We split when he hangs back to fight another guy, and I keep running. I go outside and smell the fresh air. I don’t look back; I just keep running to be free. I’ll find my parents by myself or get the police to help me. When he punches me in the back, I fall forward with a yelp. I slide across the ground and dirt gets into my mouth. He flips me over and slaps me.

“I told you to stay behind me.”

I start crying because my back and face hurt. He grabs me by the front of my shirt and stands me up. “I’m sorry, Dante. My adrenaline is high. You scared me. I thought I lost you. The world is full of bad guys willing to kill someone so young if they’re by themselves. I’m trying to protect you.”

He leads me to a car and pushes me into the backseat. “Stay low, I don't want those bad guys to find you.”

I sit on the floor, still mad that he hit me. My parents don’t hit me like that even when I’m in trouble.

I’m just as scared with him as I was in that cell. Something isn’t right, but I don’t know what to do. My mommy or daddy would know what to do.

Where are they?

It’s my seventh birthday, but I cannot find the energy to be happy. Father has thrown a party for me, but I’m in the bathroom crying. My parents are nowhere to be found. My foot scraps across the shiny white floor. I don’t want to be at Party Palace with this fake family. I want my real one. He leaves, saying he’ll find them, but always comes up empty. I told him my address. How hard can it be? If he’d let me just call a cab or give me a map, I could find them.

There’s a knock on the door before Father pushes his way inside.

“Why are you in here, Dante?”

“I just wish I knew why they did it.”

He grabs my shirt until my feet are dangling in the air. “Suck it up, you little shit. I’ve taken you in like my own, and you need to appreciate it. Be angry at them. I’ll train you to take that anger and kill them with it. Father’s arm raised to hit me again…

Images of my slain parents play in my head one by one. I know I’m dreaming, but I cannot seem to wake myself up. I’m fighting to pull myself out of this loop, feeling like I’m back underwater with no surface in sight. My body jerks as I scream my frustration while I continue to fight. I’m surrounded by warmth that’s somehow comforting. I hear a lullaby being hummed, and I follow the sound.

Mommy?

I open my eyes and realize I’m back in my bed on the island as the storm continues outside. I still hear the humming. I’m being hugged and the humming is just above my head. Tilting my head back, I look up.

Inaya .