"Wash," she said and extended her hand.
Shaking, I reached out for her. Her fingers laced through mine. Her grip was strong and reassuring. Not feeling like I was in my body, I got up and went to the shower. Phoebe held up a towel to allow me to undress in privacy. I stepped into the icy water, physically waking up my body. Emotion balled in my stomach, and I doubled over, sobbing. It had happened. All the pain, all the fear had really happened. Something had been ripped out of me, leaving a burning dead hole in my heart. And I would never get it back. What happened could never be undone.
I wasn't sure how long I cried. I was shivering so hard my body hurt. Phoebe reached into the shower and turned off the water. Without looking at me, she stuck a towel in. I wrapped it around myself and straightened up, my hysterical crying turning into hiccups.
Still shivering, I made my way to the cots. My knees buckled and I fell onto the thin mattress. I clutched onto the towel and rocked back and forth. Water dripped from my soaking hair, splashing onto goosebump-covered skin.
“You cold.” Phoebe gently lowered herself onto the cot and held up a robe.
I lifted heavy arms and stuck them through the sleeves. She pulled the robe up around my shoulders and brought the front together before tying it tightly at the waist. Phoebe moved around the bed and picked up my discarded towel. Then she gently gathered my hair in her hand and rubbed it with the towel.
"I'm sorry, Addie.” She blinked away tears. "I'm so, so sorry."
My head moved up and down. I tried to look at Phoebe and let her know it was going to be all right. But I couldn’t. The edges of the hollow pit inside of me were frozen, so cold it hurt. I didn’t want to feel anything. Not the searing pain from my delicate flesh being ripped off, not the terror that grasped me. And I didn’t want to think about what my life had become. I brought my knees to my chest and fell onto my side.
Phoebe gingerly put her hand on my shoulder. Sobbing, I reached up and took her hand. She gently ran her hand over my hair.
"It be okay someday. Not now, not soon, but someday. We leave. Both of us. We have to," she promised, her voice low so only I could hear. "Somehow, we find way."
I sniffled and nodded, swallowing a sob. I took a ragged breath and wiped my nose with my hand. The skin under my eyes hurt from crying so hard. I sat up.
“We will.”
The basement door floor open so suddenly, I jumped. Two sets of feet clomped down the stairs. Remembering that Jackson said he would be back with food, the sight of Zane and Nate took me by surprise.
Lily and Rochelle quickly stood from the table, looking shocked to see Nate. Lily's eyes latched onto him, following him across the basement. Rochelle ran a hand over her hair and smoothed out her skirt. She pushed her shoulders back and lifted her head, smiling at him.
"Adeline, Adeline, Adeline," Nate said, exhaling heavily and shaking his head. "What are we to do with you?" He gave me a warm smile as he continued over. I tried to read him: his posture was relaxed and his face soft. To anyone else, Nate would appear calm. But I knew better. He wouldn't come down for nothing. He made a tiny nodding motion to Zane, who stepped next to the cot. He reached down and grabbed my arm, yanking me to my feet.
"Stop!" Phoebe yelled.
Still disoriented, I didn’t pull against Zane’s grip. He was right in front of me, his eyes sparkling as he yanked me off the cot with ease. My feet refused to work right, and I stumbled. Zane stuck his arms under mine and dragged me over to Nate. Lily whimpered and moved behind Rochelle. Zane turned me around so my back was to his front. He hooked his arms through my elbows and held me tightly against him.#p#分页标题#e#
Nate rubbed his temples, sighing dramatically. “I have a reputation to uphold. I always have the best girls.” His eyes narrowed. “You're making me look bad, and I don't like to look bad.” He smiled again, and something sadistic flashed across his face. He frowned, giving me a look of disappointment. He pushed his hand into a pocket of his designer pants and pulled out a shiny metal lighter and a lone cigarette. The house never smelled like smoke. I was sure Nate either wasn't a smoker or didn't smoke indoors.
He lit the cigarette, took a long drag, then, without warning, pressed the butt into the skin inside my arm, right above my elbow. I cried out in pain, arching my back and trying to break free from Zane's hold. Nate moved his hand back, but my skin still burned. He put the cigarette to his lips once more before dropping it to the ground and stepping on it.
He wiped his hands on pristinely pressed herringbone cotton pants and slapped me across the face. I whimpered and closed my eyes, fighting back tears. He put his face just inches from mine.