how to find us. Always meet up here, okay?”
Sir Alex looked skeptical, but nodded. Princess Danielle beamed in satisfied agreement and put a hand out to seal their pact. Both knights put a hand on top of hers and they shook on it. “Fort Ferndale,” she said.
“Fort Ferndale,” the knights repeated. “Ours forevermore to hold and defend from Baron Striker,” Sir Tyler said.
The knights and the princess made plans under the starry sky up in their fort. Plans to sneak out of the castle on warm, balmy nights and swim in the pond. Plans to steal coins from Baron striker and hide them in a jar they’d keep in the safety of the fort to aid them in their escape someday. Plans for the future, when the princess would be a queen.
“But, I don’t want to be queen,” Princess Danielle said. “I want to be a knight, too. Sir Danny.”
“Girls can’t be knights,” Alex said, patting her on the back. “And anyway, if there’s no princess, who would Sir Tyler and I be sworn to protect?”
“Protect yourselves! I’m going to learn to fight. The two of you are older than me and Baron Striker will banish you from the castle before I’m of age. Who will defend me once you’re gone?”
“I’ll return and take you away with me,” Sir Tyler said. “I promise.”
She hugged him tight, knowing in her heart that once he was free she had no intention of letting him return. She’d fight and free herself, or die trying.
FIVE
Danny finally stopped shaking. She lay on the bed on her side, knees bent, making a half circle around the balled-up snoozing puppy. She stroked its fur, her own eyes heavy and blinking slowly.
I didn’t know where to begin with her. She hadn’t spoken. I didn’t know if it was the drugs, or if she was always this quiet, or if maybe it was me. Maybe she didn’t want to be saved.
I couldn’t help wondering if I’d made a mistake. I didn’t know her anymore. This Danny wasn’t the one I left behind. This Danny was drawn in to herself, lost, nerveless. Her screams still echoed in my head—ricocheted off the walls—and I couldn’t tell the distinction between what I was remembering from the past hour and what unearthed itself from four years ago.
In the ring with Rollo I lost myself again. That hadn’t happened for a long, long time until Jose. It had to be her—Danny—she triggered something I buried deep. Triggered a defense mechanism or something. Something that made me go out of my head and the white noise come rushing in.
Jesus, I belonged in a psyche ward somewhere. White noise. What the fuck was wrong with me? And I was going to save her? Who was going to save her from me?
An adult cartoon danced across the T.V. screen with the volume down low. I closed my eyes for a minute and let the flicker of light and colors stutter across my eyelids. This would work out. It had to.
“I’m going to jump in the shower,” I said. “Then you can get in if you want.”
“I don’t have any other clothes,” she said, without looking from the dog.
Her filthy jeans and tank top needed washed, or burned. “You can borrow some of mine.” She had to have brought clothes with her or have some wherever she was staying. Chances were, it wasn’t somewhere I wanted to go to fetch her clothes. “We’ll figure everything out tomorrow.”
I waited for a couple minutes, watching her, wanting her to say something. Talk to me, Danny. But she laid there, tranquillized, ignoring me.
In the bathroom, I ran the shower as hot as I could stand it. Blood ran brown in the water pooling around my feet. The cuts and tape burns stung in the soapy water. Without Mike to wrap my ribs, I’d have to do it myself the best I could manage. I didn’t think Danny was up to helping me yet.
I wanted inside her head. What the hell was she thinking? Was she angry that I took her away from the drugs and dealers, all the low life thugs that didn’t give a shit about her? Did she even give a shit about herself?
She
Sir Alex looked skeptical, but nodded. Princess Danielle beamed in satisfied agreement and put a hand out to seal their pact. Both knights put a hand on top of hers and they shook on it. “Fort Ferndale,” she said.
“Fort Ferndale,” the knights repeated. “Ours forevermore to hold and defend from Baron Striker,” Sir Tyler said.
The knights and the princess made plans under the starry sky up in their fort. Plans to sneak out of the castle on warm, balmy nights and swim in the pond. Plans to steal coins from Baron striker and hide them in a jar they’d keep in the safety of the fort to aid them in their escape someday. Plans for the future, when the princess would be a queen.
“But, I don’t want to be queen,” Princess Danielle said. “I want to be a knight, too. Sir Danny.”
“Girls can’t be knights,” Alex said, patting her on the back. “And anyway, if there’s no princess, who would Sir Tyler and I be sworn to protect?”
“Protect yourselves! I’m going to learn to fight. The two of you are older than me and Baron Striker will banish you from the castle before I’m of age. Who will defend me once you’re gone?”
“I’ll return and take you away with me,” Sir Tyler said. “I promise.”
She hugged him tight, knowing in her heart that once he was free she had no intention of letting him return. She’d fight and free herself, or die trying.
FIVE
Danny finally stopped shaking. She lay on the bed on her side, knees bent, making a half circle around the balled-up snoozing puppy. She stroked its fur, her own eyes heavy and blinking slowly.
I didn’t know where to begin with her. She hadn’t spoken. I didn’t know if it was the drugs, or if she was always this quiet, or if maybe it was me. Maybe she didn’t want to be saved.
I couldn’t help wondering if I’d made a mistake. I didn’t know her anymore. This Danny wasn’t the one I left behind. This Danny was drawn in to herself, lost, nerveless. Her screams still echoed in my head—ricocheted off the walls—and I couldn’t tell the distinction between what I was remembering from the past hour and what unearthed itself from four years ago.
In the ring with Rollo I lost myself again. That hadn’t happened for a long, long time until Jose. It had to be her—Danny—she triggered something I buried deep. Triggered a defense mechanism or something. Something that made me go out of my head and the white noise come rushing in.
Jesus, I belonged in a psyche ward somewhere. White noise. What the fuck was wrong with me? And I was going to save her? Who was going to save her from me?
An adult cartoon danced across the T.V. screen with the volume down low. I closed my eyes for a minute and let the flicker of light and colors stutter across my eyelids. This would work out. It had to.
“I’m going to jump in the shower,” I said. “Then you can get in if you want.”
“I don’t have any other clothes,” she said, without looking from the dog.
Her filthy jeans and tank top needed washed, or burned. “You can borrow some of mine.” She had to have brought clothes with her or have some wherever she was staying. Chances were, it wasn’t somewhere I wanted to go to fetch her clothes. “We’ll figure everything out tomorrow.”
I waited for a couple minutes, watching her, wanting her to say something. Talk to me, Danny. But she laid there, tranquillized, ignoring me.
In the bathroom, I ran the shower as hot as I could stand it. Blood ran brown in the water pooling around my feet. The cuts and tape burns stung in the soapy water. Without Mike to wrap my ribs, I’d have to do it myself the best I could manage. I didn’t think Danny was up to helping me yet.
I wanted inside her head. What the hell was she thinking? Was she angry that I took her away from the drugs and dealers, all the low life thugs that didn’t give a shit about her? Did she even give a shit about herself?
She
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