12-13-2014, 04:15 PM
Jacinda watched Ricky walk away. Poor kid. He needed to learn how to concentrate his emotions into a pinpoint and hide it away. It would be there for later. It always was. She'd have to teach him. He wasn't a bad hunter, for all his youth and brag. Just needed seasoning. These kinds of jobs did that.
She dismissed Ricky from her mind and turned to the girl. She wasn't a mothering sort, but she did know how to speak to people. Especially to kids. It was what she'd learned from Regan and had honed over the years. You find what they are most hungry for, deep down in their hearts, and you fill that first. Once that's done, there's trust and you can go from there.
For this little girl who was only 11 and still had enough fight in her not to sell them out to her bosses, it was pretty clear.
She crouched down in front of the girl and arranged the blanket around her so she was fully covered. It wasn't thick and the weather wasn't cold. but it was a barrier none-the-less. Being covered made her feel safe and not on display, not exposed. Then a kind smile. "Where is your mother, nina?"
The girl looked afraid to answer. Jacinda sat cross legged on the floor. "My mother is dead. She was killed a very long time ago."
She didn't really think about her mother much. It had been so long ago. When she did, it was more about her revenge, the way she and Regan had stalked that old roug and made him pay. And afterwards. She never really thought about her life as Jacinda Nolan. That little girl had died that night. But every once in a while, she'd remember snippets of that life, of her time with her mom and dad, when it was peaceful and fun. She let herself think of that now.
"Sometimes I miss them. We used to camp a lot. We'd sit around the campfire and my dad would play his guitar and we'd just look at the stars."
She looked up at the girl. "Do you miss your mother?"
The girl's eyes were glassy with tears and she put her head down and began to cry softly. Jacinda could hear her muffled words through the sniffs and the sobbing. "Yes, I miss my mommy. I miss her."
Jacinda got up and sat on the bed next to her and tentatively touched her shoulder. The girl flinched but that was it. Jacinda hugged her to her and let her cry for a little while. Any emotion she felt was added to her box, compressed down tight. She couldn't help feel a little bit of excitement lance through her as she looked forward to unleashing it.
When the girl quieted she looked up at Jacinda through tear stained eyes. The make-up had run. Jacinda reached for tissue and dabbed gently at the girl's face while holding it gently with her other hand.
"Ricky and I are going to try to get you out of here."
Her eyes lit up and Jacinda put a finger over her lips. "But first we need your help."
The girl nodded vigorously. "Anything anything. Just take me home, please."
Jacinda smiled at her. "We will sweetheart, we will. But first we need you to tell us about this place."
She smiled conspiratorially. "I know you've been paying attention because you hope to escape."
Marta smiled through her tears, now strong and defiant. "Yes! Yes, I watch. What do you need to know?"
Jacinda laughed. "Clever girl."
She called Ricky back into the room. When he came he looked like he had gotten himself under control. She smiled at him. "Our girl Marta is gonna help us."
The girl nodded vigorously and smiled.
"Ok, Marta, first, how many men are there? How many with guns?"
They needed to know everything before they proceeded. They'd get to the quetzal once they had the lay of the land. Jacinda needed her decoy. And to know where the attacks were coming from and when.
She dismissed Ricky from her mind and turned to the girl. She wasn't a mothering sort, but she did know how to speak to people. Especially to kids. It was what she'd learned from Regan and had honed over the years. You find what they are most hungry for, deep down in their hearts, and you fill that first. Once that's done, there's trust and you can go from there.
For this little girl who was only 11 and still had enough fight in her not to sell them out to her bosses, it was pretty clear.
She crouched down in front of the girl and arranged the blanket around her so she was fully covered. It wasn't thick and the weather wasn't cold. but it was a barrier none-the-less. Being covered made her feel safe and not on display, not exposed. Then a kind smile. "Where is your mother, nina?"
The girl looked afraid to answer. Jacinda sat cross legged on the floor. "My mother is dead. She was killed a very long time ago."
She didn't really think about her mother much. It had been so long ago. When she did, it was more about her revenge, the way she and Regan had stalked that old roug and made him pay. And afterwards. She never really thought about her life as Jacinda Nolan. That little girl had died that night. But every once in a while, she'd remember snippets of that life, of her time with her mom and dad, when it was peaceful and fun. She let herself think of that now.
"Sometimes I miss them. We used to camp a lot. We'd sit around the campfire and my dad would play his guitar and we'd just look at the stars."
She looked up at the girl. "Do you miss your mother?"
The girl's eyes were glassy with tears and she put her head down and began to cry softly. Jacinda could hear her muffled words through the sniffs and the sobbing. "Yes, I miss my mommy. I miss her."
Jacinda got up and sat on the bed next to her and tentatively touched her shoulder. The girl flinched but that was it. Jacinda hugged her to her and let her cry for a little while. Any emotion she felt was added to her box, compressed down tight. She couldn't help feel a little bit of excitement lance through her as she looked forward to unleashing it.
When the girl quieted she looked up at Jacinda through tear stained eyes. The make-up had run. Jacinda reached for tissue and dabbed gently at the girl's face while holding it gently with her other hand.
"Ricky and I are going to try to get you out of here."
Her eyes lit up and Jacinda put a finger over her lips. "But first we need your help."
The girl nodded vigorously. "Anything anything. Just take me home, please."
Jacinda smiled at her. "We will sweetheart, we will. But first we need you to tell us about this place."
She smiled conspiratorially. "I know you've been paying attention because you hope to escape."
Marta smiled through her tears, now strong and defiant. "Yes! Yes, I watch. What do you need to know?"
Jacinda laughed. "Clever girl."
She called Ricky back into the room. When he came he looked like he had gotten himself under control. She smiled at him. "Our girl Marta is gonna help us."
The girl nodded vigorously and smiled.
"Ok, Marta, first, how many men are there? How many with guns?"
They needed to know everything before they proceeded. They'd get to the quetzal once they had the lay of the land. Jacinda needed her decoy. And to know where the attacks were coming from and when.