Mercy, Unbound by Kim Antieau

Author:Kim Antieau
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon Pulse

I couldn’t sleep. I listened for Suzy-Q’s sleep breathing but couldn’t hear it. I tried to see in the darkness. Was she in her bed? It didn’t matter. I got up and quietly opened the door and slipped out into the hallway. The lights were dim but still too bright on the shiny floor. I stood for a second, listening. Nothing. My bare feet slapped noisily against the linoleum as I wandered by the living room, then the cafeteria. I glanced into each room. No one. Could it be I was the only one awake? My back itched, and I reached over my shoulder. I still couldn’t feel the nubs. And I was hungry. No, no, I couldn’t be hungry. I had eaten. A little today.

I was standing at the door to the kitchen. Judith had told me it was locked, to prevent bingeing. But it was open a crack.

The crack of doom.

I slipped into the darkness and closed the door behind me. I heard something rustle. Mice? I waited for my eyes to adjust. Then I went around the island toward the tall white cupboards. On the floor someone huddled.

“Get down,” the huddle whispered. “They shine lights in here.”

I crouched next to the girl. She looked up at me, holding on to a bag of something.

“Mia,” I said. “You left the door open.”

“Oops.” She reached her hand into the bag and pulled out several crackers and stuffed them in her mouth. “You want some?” she asked, her mouth so full I could barely understand her.

I nodded, sat on the floor, and leaned my back against the cupboards. Mia pulled out another handful of crackers and gave them to me. I took one and lightly bit the edges of it.

Mia chewed, her cheeks bulging out, making her look like a chipmunk. I wanted to laugh, except it wasn’t funny.

Mia wiped the back of her hand across her mouth. “Man, I needed that.”

“I didn’t know you ate,” I whispered.

“Yeah, well, sometimes I does, sometimes I don’ts.” She giggled. “Better than drink, better than sex. High on large quantities of carbs. I’ve got night eating syndrome, they say. That’s one of my many, many syndromes. Along with anorexia. Or bulimia. It depends on the day of the week.”

I had seen info on that when I looked at the sites on eating disorders.

“Apparently depression, anxiety, boredom, and stress can trigger it.” Mia laughed quietly. “Which do you think it is, Tammy dear? Is it the anxiety from being in this hellhole? Actually, it gives hell a bad name ’cause it looks so nice, doesn’t it? And they’re all so nice. A bunch of fucking Stepford anorexics, if you ask me. Could it be the depression? My boyfriend, Michael, have I told you about him? He’s getting tired of waiting for me and says he’s gonna screw someone else if I don’t get out of here. So he’s been coming here, and he fucks me out there, by the cactus, scorpions, and coyotes. It’s not as bad as when my uncle used to fuck me, but almost.

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