Brisk concrete
Tears don’t stop
Scared as Hell
Finally see eyes
Covered face
Dressed in black

Hands me a plate
With a thermos
Maybe there’s fluid
Dry throat
Watching my moves
Take a sip

Never have I appreciated
water so much
“Why a thermos?”
No response
Mountain of food
Pork chops, mash potatoes,
Macaroni and cheese,
Broccoli and cauliflower

Watching my moves
Shoveled and devoured
Removed the ski mask
“Do you remember me?”
Frozen in ice
Memory in a fog
“You are prettier than your Mom.”
A statement that made me ill
“Hope you aren’t dumb as your father.”
A statement that made me nausea

Face didn’t ring a bell
But the voice hit the red alarm
I knew it, I knew it
Vivid and clear
Trying to attach a name

“My great grandmother once lived here.”
Every word he spoke
Rattled my spine
Pinched a nerve
He knelt down
Looked into my eyes
Terrified and catatonic

“You will never leave here.”
My skin crawled with fright
“No one knows about
Blackout Hill.”
Tears flooded
“Nothing you receive
will be made of glass.
You can break it and
use it as a weapon.
I will always outsmart you
despite you being a “A” student.”