Gia held her lantern out in front of herself, surprised to see that this hallway was so short that she could see to the end of the hall, even with the limited expanse of light. She made her way to the door and took a deep breath before holding the keys back up and locating the vine key. She had observed Mister Fingers enough to know that this key unlocked all of the doors in the brothel and, sure enough, the key allowed Gia to enter the locked room without any trouble.
As Gia opened the door, she let out a final prayer in her mind. Dear Heavenly Father, she began. I know it has been a while since I have prayed to you, but I have a single request. Please let Simona be safe in here, Lord. Please allow me to find her and bring her home to Luciana and the rest of the Dickens family. Please.
Gia closed her eyes and stepped forward, beginning to feel afraid of what she was going to fine. She had never actually been in this room, just heard horror stories from the girls who had survived living in this room without losing their minds. Gia could only remember one girl in all of her years with Leander that did not leave the room in hysterics, spewing nonsense and claiming to see and hear things around herself that were not really there. There were rumors that the girls down here were raped and beaten repeatedly, denied food, even denied the permission to use a chamber pot to relieve themselves when nature began to screech and moan instead of simply calling. She was told that they were kept in the dark and forbidden to move, lessened to being vermin soiling the boots of Leander’s business.
When Gia finally scrounged up enough courage to open her eyes and hold the lantern out in front of herself, she quickly saw that all of the rumors about this place was true. The room reeked of waste, the stench so thick that Gia had to cover her mouth with her sleeve in order to be able to breathe without vomiting. The room was completely bare, the only furnishing that of the three naked girls that were chained to the wall by their left hand and right foot.
Wait… three?
Gia narrowed her eyes and counted the bodies again. Yes, there were three. One less than Abigayle said that there should be.
Gia raised her lantern higher and approached the first of the girls, holding her dress up and carefully stepping to avoid placing her foot in something unpleasant. The girl was clearly malnourished, her limbs thin and pale. Gia was able to clearly make out the start and end of each bone from her cheeks to her toes, her viridian eyes sunken in and sad beneath drooping lids. She wheezed in a gasp as Gia shined the light against her, her lackluster ginger curls shaking at the effort for air before suddenly, her body went still where it was hanging, her arm going taut as the rest of her body sagged as she fell into unconsciousness.
Gia’s eyes widened as the girl’s soul slowly left her body, the unconscious form falling completely limp as she gave up the fight of living, her broken body too tired to keep on trying.
“I’m so sorry,” Gia whispered to the girl as she blinked back tears, regret filling her belly. If she hadn’t been stabbed, if she had been able to come here earlier, then this poor unfortunate soul may have stood a chance. No, Gia reminded herself, you weren’t responsible for this. There is nothing you could have done.
Gia shook her head and straightened her back, pulling herself back into the task at hand. She took a deep breath and turned the lantern on the next two girls who, fortunately, looked healthier, and looked to be fifteen or sixteen. Gia assumed that they had not been in the room nearly as long as the previous girl. Both were blonde with dark blue eyes, making them look very similar to each other. In fact, after a closer look, Gia realized that the girls were identical to one another in every way except for their bodies. The girl on the right was more lanky with a more pronounced bone structure, while her apparent twin was still holding onto a bit of fat, her stomach slightly round and her breasts full regardless of her lack of nutrition. Both girls flinched away from Gia when she grew nearer to them, clearly afraid. Maybe I can save these two, Gia thought to herself. However, neither of these girls were Simona, and that was still the whole reason why Gia was standing in the room in the first place. She shook her head, trying to force them out of her mind. Maybe, once she got Simona back home, she would come back.
Simona had to still be here. But where?
Gia turned around the room in full circle twice before something in the corner caught her eye. She moved towards the object, her eyes narrowed as she tried to make out its shape. Her eyes widened when she saw what it was. A foot!
She quickly rushed to the foot, gagging when the wear and tear of the boot’s sole finally formed a hole, soaking Gia’s stocking with a mixture of urine and vomit as she stepped. Gia’s discomfort was eased a moment later, however, when the girl’s downward face came into view, her cerulean eyes glancing up into Gia’s as she stood trembling, tears running down her face in humiliation as she released her bladder onto the floor at Gia’s feet.
Gia said nothing for a moment, only moving forward to hug Simona, who froze in fear as Gia whispered, “I found you.”
13
Simona froze as Gia’s arms wrapped around her, a terrified whimper falling from her lips. Her body tensed, likely to prepare itself for the blows that Leander’s men had inflicted upon her. Gia shushed her, pulling back and brushing Simona’s hair back behind her ear. She kissed her lightly on the cheek in comfort before smiling at the terrified girl.
“You are all right, love. I am not going to hurt you,” she whispered, raising her hand slowly. Simona shrank back at the gesture. “Shh, it is all right. I am just checking your temperature.” She placed her still-raised hand on Simona’s forehead. She gasped when she felt the sheer heat that scalded her palm. The girl was burning with fever and, upon closer inspection, her papery white skin was flushed a deep red at her cheeks. Nerves began to fill Gia’s stomach as she began to wonder if Simona would even be able to make it back to the house intact. Would Gia have to present Simona to Lucie with only a shell of what her sister once was?
After giving a dry, breathy cough, Simona looked up, her eyes meeting Gia’s. The cerulean orbs were glazed and unfocused. It was as though she was looking through the brunette as opposed to at her. That could be a good thing or a bad thing, Gia decided. Good, because it meant that Simona would not recognize her as her kidnapper, which would make rescuing the girl a lot easier. Bad, because that would mean Simona was deliriously (and possibly fatally) ill. Gia would not know what to do if Simona needed immediate medical attention during the trip back. The brunette only trusted Solomon to take care of Simona, and there would not be any way that she would be able to make it back to the Matther’s home if the fragile brunette took a turn for the worst.
Simona dropped her head back down as Gia began to speak softly to her. “I am going to take you home safe and sound to your sister, all right? Everything is going to be fine,” Gia whispered, glancing down at the keys in her hand. She stared at them for a moment before flipping them so the smallest of the four was in between her fingers.
This, she did remember. She had been chained up a few times during the years, however rare the event was, and those experiences led her to observing everything that she could about how she was released. Leander had always used a thumb-length key to undo the shackles, and now, with the smallest key in her hand, Gia was sure that her experiences were simply training for her job right here, right now. She picked up her skirt and crouched down to undo the manacle wrapped around Simona’s ankle before straightening and leaning down, her entire body sagging with relief as the key slid into the lock easily, allowing her to unlock the manacles without any struggle. Gia rose slowly, her hands still holding Simona up against the wall in hopes that the girl would not fall.
Gia shifted her weight to stand more comfortably as she tried to position Simona in a way that the girl could be moved safely. However, when Gia was moving, she accidentally removed a hand from Simona’s side. The girl’s exhausted body fell in a heap against Gia’s chest, her severely-atrophied muscles unable to hold her weight any longer. She groaned as she
fell, her head making contact with Gia’s boney shoulder with a loud crack.
Gia shifted her weight again, hinging as best she could in her corset to swoop her arm under Simona’s knees, the other arm wrapped around her lower back as she lifted the girl up. She moved the handle of the lantern so that it rested against her fingers beneath Simona’s legs as Gia began to turn back towards the door.
She had only made a single step when she heard a quiet, “Wait.”’
Gia turned back around, jostling Simona in her arms so that she could lift the lantern towards the sound of the voice. She held the lantern out slowly, the stream of light landing on the thinnest of the blondes, tears streaming down her cheeks as she sniffled pathetically. Her dark blue eyes were wide and fearful. “Please take us with you,” the girl whispered, her lip beginning to quiver. “Please. We did nothing to deserve being here.”
Gia bit her lip, her eyes studying the girl as she evaluated the situation. On the one hand, Gia really did only come here to take Simona back home, and trying to smuggle out more than just the intended would make getting caught a much more real possibility. Besides, what would she do with these two once she had gotten them out of the home? Leander might be angry with the loss of one of his girls, but he would be livid if three were to go missing. And what if Gia was caught? How would she explain away the fact that she was traveling with three sickly, malnourished, and clearly abused girls? She wouldn’t be able to, and then Simona and these other two may never make their way home to their families.
Speaking of families, where would she even take the blondes? Simona would go home to her sister and Solomon, that much was obvious, but what of these two nameless beings? Sure, it was possible that they would remember where their families lived, but how would Gia get them there? She did not have a home of her own, nor did she have any money. She supposed that she could use the reward money, if she was still going to receive it, but what if Lucie’s father refused to give the money to a lowly prostitute? Gia would just be leading these two poor girls to a life of starvation and likely more prostitution wherever they decided to try and settle down.
On the other hand… they were just girls. They still had so much time left in their lives, so much they could do if they were free of Leander’s prison… Gia may have a much harder time getting Simona back to Lucie with two other girls tagging along, but would she ever be able to forgive herself for denying these two the chance at being free? Many a night, she herself had wished desperately that someone would come along and sweep her away, without the promise of a future made up either of a forced marriage or selling her body until she was dead. That’s all that these girls were asking, really. They were not asking Gia to take them with her anywhere that she went, were not asking her to look after them once they were out. They were simply asking for the same chance that Gia had wished for when she was in their situation.
After a moment, Gia spoke, her voice small. “I will come back for you, once I get Simona home.” She turned back to the door, trying to take another step until she realized that her heart was not letting her move. Was she really about to do this to these girls?
The frail girl behind her let out a pained whimper. Gia glanced back to see her face falling as she looked down at the ground. She softly began to cry, clearly aware that Gia would not be able to come back and free her. The brunette felt her stomach drop as guilt filled her being. She couldn’t do this. She would not be responsible for their deaths. She was nothing like the men who had done this to them, and by leaving the girls on their own, she was showing the girls that she cared about them just as little as their captors did.
Gia made a decision, walking out the door and gently laying Simona on the ground, positioning her so that her back was leaning against the wall with her legs splayed in front of her body. She shined the lantern’s glow on the girl for a moment longer before rushing back into the room, the tiny key in between her fingers once again. She placed the lantern on the ground in the center of the room, praying that the light would reach far enough to allow her to see both girls. Luck was on her side, and the flickering flame brushed both of the girls with just enough light to allow Gia to see the opening for the key.
The thin girl looked back up as she heard footsteps, her eyes widening as she saw the lantern in the center of the room. “Oh, thank you, thank you!” she exclaimed, the tears falling harder as Gia lunged forward, catching her hand and twisting it so that the opening on the manacle was facing upwards.
“What is your name?” Gia as the manacle fell loose, releasing the death grip that it had on her bony wrist. The girl fell forward, landing on Gia just as Simona had done as the exhaustion from standing for as long as she had took its toll on her legs. This girl was stronger than Simona, though, and managed to rock back onto her feet and stand solidly just as quickly as she had fallen. Her ribcage heaved as she caught her breath, her lower limbs still trembling harshly.
The thin blonde took another several deep breaths before answering. “Ella,” the girl answered once she was steady, the trembling dropping down to nothing as she leaned against the wall. She gestured with her head towards the healthier blond girl, who was staring sadly at her own manacles. “My sister’s name is Grace.”
Gia nodded before moving to Grace. “Hello, Grace. My name is Gia,” she greeted, unlocking her bindings as well. Grace smiled brightly at the brunette before pulling her into a tight hug once both her arm and leg were free.
Gia hugged the girl back before she picked up the lantern and moved back to the doorway, crouching down to pick up Simona. Once again, she was very grateful that she had made the decision not to wear her crinoline. There would not have been any way that she would have succeeded in moving around enough to care for Simona, nor would she have been able to set the other two girls free with all the crouching that she was having to do.
Gia turned to the Grace and Ella as soon as the sickly girl was back in her arms, the lantern once again nestled against Simona’s spine. “You will both need to stay silently by my side the entire time we are making our way to safety, is that clear?” Both girls nodded. “Good. We will find you three dresses to wear, but unfortunately, I do not believe that I can recall where Father keeps all of our shoes when we are not working.” She bit her lip uncomfortably as she pictured the girls getting even more injured on the walk home with their bare feet, but there was nothing that could be done.
Ella shrugged. “It is fine, miss. I do not mind.”
“Me neither,” Grace added as she approached the brunette. Gia nodded before she turned and slowly made her way back towards the staircase, her steps slow and heavy as she tried her hardest not to further injure the fragile girl in her arms.
This may be harder than I had considered, Gia thought as she began to ascend the slightly-rotted wooden steps, trying her hardest to not fall backwards to crush the tortured blondes. She hoped that they were able to move all right, that their beatings had not destroyed their bodies too horribly. Gia could not see them, but if the heavy breathing and whimpers were any indication to their condition, neither girl was completely free of pain. Gia was proud of both girl, however. She could only imagine what had been done to them. She could recall her own breaking sessions, and although they were likely only a fraction of what Ella, Grace, and Simon had been put through, she had still found herself struggling to move after every session.
Once the girls had reached the top floor, Gia counted the openings to her left until they reached the fourth wood slab that made up the door. “Stay here,” she instructed the blondes, handing them the lantern. She shifted her weight so that she could push open the door with her shoulder, raising her arms higher so that Simona’s back arched more until her knees were close enough to her chest that she was able to fit through the door. Once in the room, she made a grabbing motion with her hand, trying to grab any dresses in the dark. She did not care if the dress fit the girls or not, as its only function was to cover the girls’ more intimate parts as they traveled
back through the town. Any of these dresses would do just fine.
Dresses flew through the air as Gia located them, thrusting her upper body so that the fabric would make its way through the air towards the door. She make quick work of finding three before walking in the direction of the gowns, kicking her feet out from under her dress to push the garments towards the light.
“Take those,” Gia said as she managed to get the dresses to the doorway, her voice echoing in the empty hall. Ella and Grace did as they were told, quickly pulling on the cotton frocks before moving to grab the last dress. Ella held it out to Gia for Simona to wear before she and her sister moved over to help hold the girl up as Gia dressed her gently. Simona made a distressed sound as Gia brushed her lower back to close the dress before falling silent once more, the fever pushing her back into unconsciousness.
When Gia tried to pick Simona back up, however, a hand on her forearm stopped her. Gia looked up to see Grace staring back at her, her eyes soft. “Let me carry Simona,” she said softly. She bent down and swept Simona up much like Gia had done earlier, quickly lifting her up until the fragile girl was cradled against her chest.
Gia shook her head, trying to nudge Simona back into her arms. “No, Grace, I will carry her. You have been through enough. Do not strain your body any more than it has to be.”
Grace shook her head, pulling Simona closer. “I have only been with Lucifer for a little over a week. I may have been in the pits of Hell, but Satan has only his follower’s claws in me for a few days. I still have most of my strength.” She began to walk towards the steps as she spoke. “Simona is light, far lighter than a girl of her age should be. We will switch on and off on carrying her.”
Gia sighed. She could tell that Grace was serious, and would not budge on her stance that she was strong enough to carry the girl. Besides, Gia was beginning to feel tired… what use would she be to any of the girls if she were to fall during the walk home? What use would she be to Simona if she dropped her fragile body against the solid earth? She shook her head. She just had to accept that Grace would be the best option for now.
Saving Simona (Alone In The World Trilogy) Page 14
