“I heard them talking yesterday when they took me.”

My eyes narrowed.

“I thought you said you didn’t see your captors.”

“I didn’t.”

My head hurt too much to ask any more questions. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the wall. I must have fallen asleep again because I jolted awake as the door to the basement opened. Mari tossed a blanket down and Skye wrapped it around me.

“She needs food.”

“No,” Mari replied with a scowl.

“Please… She’s injured.”

Mari smiled and then chuckled.

“Right. From the crash.”

She chuckled again and the rhythmic chuckled turned into an outright laugh.

“She’s going to be no use to anyone if she’s dead!”

Mari pointed her finger at Skye.

“You, that’s enough talking. I bring food in an hour.”

“That’s too long!”

“Food in an hour or none at all.”

“Okay,” Skye acquiesced, “Fine.”

She closed the door again and the lock turned. Skye came over to my spot and sat next to me.

“Does your head hurt?”

“Yes.”

“You keep fading out.”

Again, she sounded too calm for the situation. When I could ignore the throbbing in my head, I needed to focus on escape.

“We need to get out of here Skye.”

“They’ll kill you," she replied.

“Us.”

“Huh?”

“You mean they’ll kill us if we try.”

“Yeah,” she replied, “Well I’m not going to play with fire.”

“We have to get out of here. They might kill us regardless.”

Skye leaned her head against my shoulder. I could smell the Shea butter in Skye’s hair, the familiar scent that filled her room and bathroom. I remembered Skye coating her long hair in Shea butter as she braided her hair before we’d gone out clubbing a hundred times.