The little girl shook her head and let out a fresh spurt of sobs.
Evelyn bit her lip. How much suffering has Ashley been through to travel back into her childhood? Regardless of age, the girl was her daughter.
"It is okay, sweetie," Evelyn said, "I do not think you have much time left here with me, so let me tell you this quickly. Be patient and strong no matter how painful it gets. It is all for a purpose. Remember that."
"What purpose? I cannot do this anymore, mom! Please help me! It is too much!"
Evelyn regarded her dewy-eyed daughter. 'She is going to fall apart this way.'
"Hey, sweetie, do you remember Toby?"
Ashley looked up, trying to remember.
"Toby?" the little voice squeaked.
"Let me remind you. Toby was this nuisance from 3rd grade in school. He was a real you-know-what. One day the boy picked on you and pulled on your pigtails while singing a funny song. Everyone in the class laughed at you."
Ashley opened her mouth, trying to recall the incident. She had a vague recollection of her childhood.
"You did not cry that day, nor did you tell the teacher."
"What did I do, then?"
"Instead, after a week, you met Toby after class and told him you liked him. You asked whether he would like to be your boyfriend."
"Why did I do such a thing?"
"Let me finish, sweetie. Toby, being Toby, agreed. It turns out he picked on you because he was fond of you. You told him to write your name on his arm with a marker and that both of you would be girlfriend and boyfriend the next day."
"Toby was ecstatic. He did as he was told. The following day, when the boy showed his marked arm to the entire class and professed his love, you acted as if the proposal had never happened. The same classmates laughed at Toby and called him a simp. He was so humiliated over the next week that he took a transfer to another school the following term."
Ashley giggled. "I did that?"
"Yes, sweetie, my Ashley is clever and inventive. She does not let anybody step on her. My girl does not let people get away with their antics. She takes her revenge eventually, even if it is served cold." Evelyn ended her monologue with a proud smile.
Ashley smirked back at her and wiped her wet cheeks.
"But mom," she whimpered. "Can't you come back to me? I am so alone."
"I will never leave you, sweetie." Evelyn placed a hand against her daughter's heart.
Lup dubb! Lup dubb!
"Do you feel that?"
Ashley nodded her little head.
"Even when I am not with you, I will be right here, protecting you. Will you remember that?"
Ashley nodded again.
"It is time to say goodbye, sweetie," Evelyn said, her voice breaking. She leaned closer and whispered a few words into her daughter's ears.
The reflection of the hearth fire crackled in Evelyn's pupils. Ashley was gradually drawn into her eyes as the world around her dimmed and darkened. It went black for a few seconds, and then the lights switched on abruptly.
Ashley found herself at the Blaznavac cafe, seated on a divan chair. There was a Turkish cup in her right hand. A gold-lined copy of The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky lay on her lap.
Ashley's mind immediately went into hyper-drive. She quickly replaced the coffee cup on the table. It was half empty, which meant the sedative was already in her system. It was only a matter of time before it took over.
Her head was clear enough to think things through.
The natural inclination she had was to stand up and make a run for it.
'But how far can I go? The Serbs are not likely to let me leave tonight.'
Ashley unlocked her phone and quickly sent her live location to a contact. In the text, she typed only one word- 'HELP'. She hit SEND.
Next, Ashley opened her purse and rooted around the bottom.
She retrieved a strip of pharma capsules.
'Testosterone capsules!'
Ashley remembered the last time they used the pills. She kept them in case Jake wanted to go a third time in bed during their sexual adventures.
Those were wild, wild nights.
She took three of the capsules presently. 'This will soften the blow of the sedative.'
Finally, Ashley put her phone on silent mode and inserted it in an inseam pocket of her trousers. Tessa had told her about the secret pocket in her custom-made clothes. The teen snuck her smartphone into the classroom that way.
'All set.'
The dizziness had already set in. Ashley voluntarily closed her eyes.
Her sudden movements had alerted Milan and the other Serbs, who slowly approached her. She could hear one of them drawing the entry chain of the luksuzni closed.
'Ah, like clockwork.'.
'Milan,' Ashley grumbled to herself. 'Why do all the hotties turn out evil?' She heard the same voices again.
"Da li je svesna? Koliko si joj dao?" (Is she conscious? How much did you give her?)
Ashley's mind gave way to the sedative and slipped away into the blackness.
'Take two!' she told herself. 'Action!'