Page 9 of Orion Ruined

“I’m not a whore, I told you that! Are you deaf or something?” I spit back. I guess this is the only way we’ll communicate.

“Then what are you?”

Tears spike my eyes. “I ran away from a man who… who wanted me to… to…”

“And you came running to me? Why on earth did you think I’d save you?”

“I don’t know. I saw a letter with your name and address on a while back. When that bastard was shooting at me, I ran here. As I got closer I saw Camila coming in. It’s then that I realized I had to get in too.”

“Camila?” His eyes narrow and turn icy, as if I’ve stepped on his grave.

“Yes.”

“Let’s try this one more time. Why did you show up on my doorstep in the middle of the night, with rat’s blood on you?”

“Look, I told you. I saw a letter addressed to you–”

“Okay. Who’s it from?”

“Your mother. It looked important.”

He shifts awkwardly in his seat. I must’ve hit a nerve. “My mother passed away last year.”

“Well, it said it was from ‘Mom.’ It had your home address.”

“When did you see this letter?”

“A few months ago.”

“And you remembered my address?”

“Mm-hmm.” I yawn suddenly, and lie on the bed. I’ve been awake for a few days and running on adrenaline for some time. I’m exhausted, and the cool air in the room is making me sleepy.

“You should stop lying.”

“I’m not lying. There was other stuff in the box. Baby pictures. Other memorabilia.”

“And you’re telling me this out of the goodness of your heart?”

“No. Yes. I mean, I needed to go somewhere safe.” I’m having difficulty keeping my eyes open. “They want me to work for them… but I won’t do it. I’ll never do it.”

“Who’s ‘them?’”

“Them.” I yawn again.

“How do you know me?”

“I don’t. Please, Orion, I’m tired.”

“It’s O-Ryon. You pronounce it like the constellation Orion.”

“The most striking and recognizable constellation in the night sky,”I say, pulling redundant information from my head, and close my eyes.

“What do you want from me, Maisy?”

“Right now, can I sleep, please?”

I turn onto my side, place my closed palms under my face, and instantly start to doze off. The bed just called my name.

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