Tracy started forward, her mind set on going to make sure Abe was all right. He’d been locked away from her when Ms. Bitch left. It was what Tracy called her behind her back every time she had to deal with her.
“Your brother is fine, I promise. Get your things gathered up. Everything. And I’ll do the same for Abe.” Tracy told her she didn’t have much. “You know what, just leave it all. Whatever you need once we’re at the castle, I’m sure we can get it for you. This man here, he is going to walk away from me and live to see another day.”
“We’ve been told we can’t attend the party.” The woman told her she knew better. “I have to live here, miss. They’ll kick us out, and I don’t know if I can care for my brother on the streets. He’s all I have in the world.”
“Of course you care for him. Trust me when I tell you you’re both going to be fine. I swear it on my unborn child here, you both are going to be fine. Get your brother, and we’ll be set to go.” Mad Max told the woman they weren’t going anywhere without the permission of the headmistress. “You will walk away now and not try and stop us. Go to your room and sit there. Wait. You’ll tell me now why the two children here were not allowed to go to the party.”
“Ms. H., she don’t like them none. She believes them to be a wart on her good works.” She asked him if he thought that too. “I don’t think much—she told me not to. They didn’t do nothing but be in her way, she tells me. But I was to have me some of the girl, if I wanted, in payment for not letting them go to the party.”
The man fell back. It wasn’t until the woman looked at her bloodied knuckles that Tracy understood she’d hit him. When she looked at her, Tracy took a step back. She didn’t want to be hurt or raped by anyone today.
“I swear to you, I would never harm you. My name is Mercy Oliver. I have a daughter about your age who was really looking forward to you and your brother coming today.” Tracy told her again how she needed to live here for her brother. “I didn’t want to tell you this, but the man and his wife who are having this party for you guys are going to take you in as their own. If you don’t trust what I’m saying to you, I’ll call Jude right now, and she will verify it. Jude is my sister.”
“You swear nothing will happen to Abe? I can take it, but it hurts his heart when someone yells at him. He’s very shy.” Tracy looked at her brother’s door and the chain that was over the doorway. “She does this to him when he won’t participate in classroom work or speak when she tells him to. He doesn’t care for her.”
“No one does, I’m thinking. Come on, honey. Let’s get you and your brother fixed up, and we’ll be on our way.” Nodding, she started for the keys on Mad Max’s belt. Tracy watched as not only the chains fell away, but the door disappeared too. Tracy asked if she’d done that. “I did. To chain anyone in a room isn’t right. But what she’s done to this young man is going to get her in deep shit if I have anything to do about it.”
“Will you? Have anything to do with it, I mean?” Abe was in the corner, his head covered with the thin blanket he’d been allowed. “Come on, Abe. We’re going to the party. Do you want to see what kind of food they have? I bet they even have ice cream for us.” He looked at her while she calmly told Mercy what had him so afraid. “They chain him to the bed at night. I have tried to keep them from doing it to him, but they chain me up too. I can’t help him if they do that to both of us.”
“Come along.” She could hear the anger in Mercy’s voice, but never once did she raise her voice while speaking to her or Abe. “I have to make one stop on the way out, but my husband, his name is Joel, is out there waiting for you at the car. He is a genuinely nice man. Get in the car, and I’ll be out shortly.”
“Don’t do anything stupid.” Mercy looked at her, the anger seemingly clearing from her eyes. “Don’t do whatever you’re thinking about. This place might be run like shit, but it’s all a lot of these kids have—other than sleeping on the streets. Promise me you won’t do whatever it is you think needs to be done, and we’ll head to the car without any trouble.”
“Do you have any idea what she’s doing here?” Tracy took a big chance and nodded. No one knew as much as she did about this place, other than the bitch. “All right. I won’t do anything right now. But you have to promise me to speak with Jude when you can. Not today—today is for fun. But soon after the other children leave. Promise me that, Tracy, and I’ll do as you asked.”
“I swear to you on my brother’s life, I will tell her everything she needs to get this place under new management. It will be the truth as I know it.” Mercy stared at her for another few seconds before nodding and following her and Abe out. “Thank you for trusting me.”
Joel was just where Mercy had said he’d be. He didn’t try and shove Abe into the car
