Chapter 15: Taking Chances

I lay in bed, suffering from my second bout of insomnia and fever that I'd had this week. I had been thinking about the man who had offered to help me escape, and I hadn't made a decision that night, even though I hadn't turned him down outright. I knew it was probably naive and stupid of me to stay here, but at least here I knew I was safe. The night the looters raided mine and Gerard's house still haunted my memories, and I was scared of what the world had become. Another problem I had was that ever since I was captured, I had been suffering from a recurring illness, and Leo had the medicine to make me feel better. Once again, I was letting fear run my life. It upset me, but I didn't seem to have the motivation to get out from under it. The man had said he would come back in three days and ask me again if I wanted to leave. He had paid me and then left. It had been two days since the man's offer, and Leonardo hadn't suspected a thing.

I shivered, trying to draw the blankets up around my body, but getting disappointed after realizing they were already as high as they would get. They were thin and decrepit, and the sweat beads rolling down my skin were making me cold. My back and legs were sore, probably from the thin mattress that sunk down into the frame of the bed as I laid on it. I was just thinking about calling out for Leo since I was obviously ill again with whatever sickness I had, needing him to give me the medicine so I could sleep again, when I heard footsteps on the stairs. They sounded like men's shoes, so I called out.

"Leo! Is that you? I'm sick again. Can you help?"

"Gypsy. Hang tight. I'll get your medicine."

I felt relieved hearing that it was Leonardo who had been walking past my bedroom. I heard him shuffling around in a cabinet, gathering the supplies he needed. He usually gave me a shot, since you couldn't really just buy cough syrup or aspirin anymore. Finally, I heard him come over to my bed and sit on it, flicking the needle with his finger to get all the air bubbles out of it.

"Come here, Gypsy. Give me your arm."

I stuck my arm out, and Leonardo gave me my shot. He used a cloth to wipe the little bit of blood at the insertion hole when he pulled the needle out, and smiled at me. I felt an instant calm take over my body and I smiled back at Leo. He put all the supplies on a tray and put it at the foot of my bed. Then he scooted closer to me and gently pet my forehead.

"You should be able to sleep now, Gypsy."

"Mmm... okay."

I rolled over and put my hands under my pillow, while Leo pulled the blankets up over me to keep me warm. I heard him take the tray off my bed and walk out of my room before falling into a peaceful slumber.

When I woke up the next morning, I felt so much better. My fever had passed and I was no longer sore. I sat on the side of my bed and stretched. I changed into some casual clothes, deciding to go downstairs and get something to eat perhaps, or just hang out before night time came and the brothel got busy. I didn't really care what I did, I was just so happy that I wasn't sick anymore. I had seen that the sky was light out today, so I thought I'd go outside for a little while.

My thoughts went back to that little boy I saw that day, being carried into the orphanage, and I wondered if he was okay. I went over to the fence, and sat down in the yard, relaxing. A few minutes later, I saw a boy come out of the orphanage. He had dark hair, and I was pretty sure it was the same boy I had seen move in. He looked much healthier than before and I smiled to myself. He had made it. The boy saw me sitting by the fence and came over to me, standing in front of me with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Hi. Who are you?"

"I'm Iliana. We're neighbors. I live in this building."

"I'm Sebastian. What are you doing out here in the yard?"

"I wanted to be outside for a little while. I saw you that day you were brought here."

Sebastian looked away for a split second, and then back to me. I saw a flicker of sadness in his eyes as he did so, and I felt for him. He uncrossed his arms and sat down on the ground in front of me.

"You did? I didn't see much that day, I just remember being in pain and hearing things."

"Are you better now?"

"Oh yeah. I'm as good as I can be."

Sebastian chuckled, not a happy chuckle, but more like he was saying he was good when he was just accepting life because he couldn't do anything to change it. I saw a similarity between him and myself. We were both not in ideal situations, but we were surviving.

"Do you mind if I ask what happened to you, Sebastian?"

"Sure. When the bad explosion happened, a soldier came and beat up my dad, and I sat with him until he died. Then I ran out of food, and I woke up here."

A tear welled up in my eye as I listened to Sebastian tell his story. He looked to be around eight or nine years old, and yet he had already experienced death in the worst way imaginable, having a loved one die right in front of him. As he spoke, his voice carried a sadness as well as a hint of strength beyond his years. I was in awe of this little boy. Although we were both surviving in crappy situations, he didn't seem scared like I was. I definitely felt like I could learn a lot from talking to him.

"What happened to you, Iliana?"

"I was kidnapped from my house."

"Really? Are those bad people you live with?"

"In a sense, yeah, but there's a man there who also takes care of me."

"Oh. That's good. There's a bad girl in my house. She yells at me a lot. I don't like her. I like you, though, you're nice."

"Aww, thank you, Sebastian. I like you too."

Our conversation was interrupted by another little boy who came out of the orphanage and walked towards Sebastian.

"Bash, it's lunchtime. Hey, who are you talking to?"

"Oh, this is Iliana. She's our neighbor."

"Cool, hi, Iliana."

I waved hello to Sebastian's friend and smiled at him. Sebastian and I waved goodbye to each other, and he ran off back inside the orphanage. Despite my overall situation, I felt like today was a good day. I thought about the man's offer of escape again since today was day three, the day he'd said he would come back and ask me again. I felt well enough to do it, considering I felt pumped and in good spirits. Talking with Sebastian had given me a sense of strength, the poor boy had been through so much and he was still here, trying to live his life. Even if Gerard was dead, I could move on. I had to at least try. I had let fear run my life for too long, and this opportunity was one that was too good to pass up, even if it did scare me a lot.