Road to the unknown

REVEAN

I know I should fight what is happening to me. I should scream and have the police take this monster away and lock him up where he belongs. But when he slammed me into the trailer, I realized I had no say in what was happening. I was going to go with him, whether I liked it or not. Maybe he's right. Maybe he's offering me a better life than what I'm used to. It couldn't be any worse.

"Will you tell my mother where I've gone?" I ask him as he leads us away from the caravan.

"She will be told," he replies looking ahead, focused on the road.

"Will she be taken care of?" I close my eyes, worried about what will become of my mother now. What if she overdoses and they don't find her for a long time?

"Do you want her taken care of?" Eliot still doesn't take his eyes off the road. His words sound cruel and cold.

"She's my mother, no matter what," I reply.

He turns his head for a moment. "Do you want her taken care of or saved?".

"Save her?" I stammer, not understanding what he means.

"I mean put her in a safe place and help her get off drugs. That kind of salvation. Or do you think she's too far gone? Be honest with me, Revean . I'll only do the latter if you think it will work."

I think for a moment. Is there any hope for my mother to be saved? I've tried many times, but it's never worked. But I've never had the money to give her the treatment she needs. My father's death destroyed her, but there have been rare moments when she has been a mother to me. From brushing my hair before bed every night to the occasional hugs and talks we still have even now. To me, it's a sign that she's not completely lost.

"I think she can be saved. It won't be easy. She has mental problems, but sometimes I see glimpses of my mother," I reply.

Eliot nods his head.

He presses a button on the steering wheel of the luxury car we are riding in. It smells new and completely clean. It's a strange smell to me, almost overpowering.

"Hello," the low tone of a male voice answers on the other end of the call.

"Andrew , can you have Miss Smart's mother taken out of the trailer and treated for her problems, please?".

"Of course. Tonight?"

"Yes, please."

"And the man she's with?"

Eliot looks at me. I shudder at the memory of what my mother is doing right now. I feel sick and start rubbing my stomach.

"Take care of him the way he treats women," Eliot replies and hangs up the call.

"What does that mean?" I ask.

"Do you want the truth or do you want an answer that doesn't scare you even more than you are now?". Eliot doesn't turn to look at me as he speaks. He keeps looking straight ahead as he turns on his blinker before turning left toward, what I assume, is a private airfield.

"He hits my mother." I remember the numerous times my mother has been black and blue after being with him. I should be scared because I know Eliot has just asked Andrew , whoever he is, to beat up my mother's client. But I'm not. "I hope he hurts him."

Eliot stops the car in front of a plane. I think it must be a private jet, although I don't know much about planes. I've never flown, but this plane looks much smaller than the passenger jets I've seen.

"It will be," Eliot replies .

He doesn't look at me as he gets out of the car. I sit quietly in the front seat, clutching my books tightly. They were left in a garbage can outside the Pharr library a few years ago. They describe the anatomy and medical details of dogs, cats and rabbits. I know them inside out, but I want to keep them with me. I like to dream that someday I will help animals.

"Out," Eliot orders me as he opens the door, making me jump.

I rush to obey his orders. He beckons a man over. "Take Miss Smart's belongings to the plane."

The man tries to take the books from my hands, but I refuse to let go and we have a brief tug-of-war.

"No, please. I want to keep them." I hold on tightly to the books.

Eliot cracks his neck. His nostrils flutter.

"Give me the books, Revean , or I'll take them from you by force and burn them."

"Please, no." I whimper. Please, I need them."

"Then give them to me."

I reluctantly hand my precious books to Eliot , and he passes them directly to the man I had waved over. I watch intently as the man takes them and walks up the stairs of the plane before disappearing.

"Where is he taking them?"

"He's securing them for the trip. He'll return them to you when we get to Las Vegas." Eliot holds out his hand and I shyly take it.

"Why can't I keep them?" I ask in desperation.

"Because we'll be busy during the flight."

My stomach churns - am I about to go the same way as my mother? Tears start streaming down my face as I follow Eliot down the steps leading to the plane. I stumble on the third and Eliot catches me. He sees my tears.

"Behave yourself and nothing will happen to you. Remember that." He wipes my tears before pulling me forward so he can guide me better.

"Shit!" I exclaim loudly as I enter the plane. I've never seen anything like it before. "This place is like a palace." Forgetting what's happening to me, I run to where two seats are located on either side of a wooden table. "Is this real leather?" Looking at Eliot , I stroke the soft fabric.

He rubs his temples. "What have I told you about swearing? It's not ladylike."

Mockingly, I stop caressing the seat. "Since when did I become a lady?"

In two quick strides, Eliot catches up to me. He grabs my jaw hard; it still hurts a little from when he did it before.