I ‘rescued’ a girl from the parking lot at the mall. Now I wish I could forget I saw her

I volunteer at local animal shelters and with a few good friends of mine decided to start our own rescue efforts. We’ve saved quite a few animals from terrible houses and situations, and we’re very proud of what we’ve done. I’ve rescued dogs, cats, even a few birds. So when I was out shopping and notice a young girl passed out in the parking lot, there was no debate about whether or not I was going to help her. <br><br>I called out to her, to check if she was okay, but there was no response. I ran inside the mall to find someone to help me, and was directed to the mall’s head of security, a man named Ronald. I explained what was going on, and of course, he didn’t believe me. I had to argue with him for a while to convince him to be kind to this poor girl and see if she needed any help. Finally, he agreed, and we headed out to where I said I’d found her. <br><br>But she wasn’t there. I was confused, and Ronald looked smug. He told me that maybe I’d made a mistake, and maybe there was never a girl out in the parking lot. I was about to give up, but something told me to keep looking for her. So after a long argument with Ronald, he finally agreed to search for her. And she wasn’t hard to find. <br><br>She was sitting on a bench not far from the parking lot, waving a dazed smile at us as we approached. She was young, looked like she couldn’t be older than 15. She was small, dressed in dainty white sundress with a floral print, but it was stained with dirt, blood, and sweat. She seemed to be in a daze, not quite aware that we were there, and she just smiled and waved at us like she was in a parade. I felt sick, something was wrong with her. <br><br>“Hi there, sweetie,” Ronald said, “are you okay?”<br><br>The girl looked at him riotously, still smiling. “Yeah, of course I am.” She looked at me. “Thanks for helping me, I think I had a little too much to drink and someone invited me to a party. I just need to find my sister.” <br><br>I looked at Ronald, who raised an eyebrow, and then back at the girl. “Your sister? Do you mean your family is here with you?”<br><br>She just stared off into space, then suddenly she asked, “Can you help me find my family?” <br><br>Ronald spoke up, “How about we call child services for you honey, okay?” <br><br>She shook her head. “No, I don’t need help. Just help me find my sister. Please.” <br><br>I felt a pang in my chest. It reminded me of when I had been rescuing animals, and I felt that I had to get her out of there, had to help her. “Okay, I’ll help you find your sister.” I looked at Ronald, who raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything as I helped her up and we started to look for her sister. <br><br>As we walked through the mall, she kept asking every person we saw if they had seen her sister. They’d all just shake their heads and then look at me, until I’d have to explain that we were looking for her sister. She started to get more and more agitated, and by the time we were nearing the end of the mall, she was crying. I didn’t know what to do. I’d never seen anything like this, and I didn’t know what was wrong with her. <br><br>“Are you ok?” I asked her. “We can stop if you want to.”<br><br>She shook her head. “Please, I have to find her. My little sister is out there. She’s all I have. Please. Please help me.”<br><br>Of course, I said of course, I’d help her. I couldn’t abandon her like this, and apparently neither could Ronald, because he followed us the whole way. Eventually, we had looked in every store, talked to every person, and were sitting in the back of the mall in some empty corridor that looked like it hadn’t been used in a long time. She was crying, Ronald was hiding behind a curtain, trying to give her some privacy, and I was comforting her, not knowing what was wrong or what to do. <br><br>Eventually, she stopped crying, and she pulled out a small picture from her pocket. It was a Polaroid of her and another girl, they were hugging, smiling at the camera. She held it out to me, her eyes wide and pleading. <br><br>“Please, will you help me find her? I miss her so much. Please.” <br><br>I felt a pang in my chest, and I knew I had to help her. I said of course, I’d help her. I’d do anything to help her. <br><br>She smiled, and hugged me. “Thank you,” she said. “Thank you.” <br><br>I hugged her back, tight, and said “I’ll do anything for you. I promise.” <br><br>I thought I’d never forget those words. <br><br>I took her to a restaurant for dinner, because she said she hadn’t eaten in a long time, and she didn’t stop talking through the whole meal. Eventually, I Figured out that she was the one who had asked me to help her the first time, she was the girl I’d seen passed out in the parking lot. She was acting strange, and she didn’t seem scared, just confused, so I let it go. She talked through the whole meal, and we’ve been together for five years now. <br><br>I remember once, I looked over at her and she was different. She looked darker, more sinister. Her eyes seemed to flash green in the light, and her teeth looked sharp, not human. I blinked, and it was gone. <br><br>I sometimes hear screams coming from the bathroom, where she’s bathing. I’ve never seen it, but I hear her laugh after, amused, and the screams always stop after that. <br><br>Sometimes, she gets up in the middle of the night, and runs outside. I used to follow her, but now I just stay in bed. <br><br>One of the other volunteers called me up after we’d been together for about a year, asking me if I’d seen Sarah, the director of the animal shelter we’d worked out of. <br><br>I was confused, I didn’t know who she meant, and I told her so. <br><br>She was quiet for a while, and then she said, “Y’all weren’t close, but she was good friends with [my name]. She was always nice to me, and I’d like to know if you’ve seen her.” <br><br>I shook my head. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.” <br><br>She just sighed and hung up. <br><br>I sometimes wonder if she’s taking care of Sarah, and I wonder what they did to her. <br><br>I’ve never seen her smile, not really. She’s tried to, but it’s just a facade, and I can see the sadness lingering in her eyes. <br><br>Sometimes, when she’s particularly pleased with me, she unwraps her arms, and lets me see what’s underneath. Two thorns, one on each of her wrists, extend down to her elbows, like a tattoo. They’re sharp, and a deep red, like they bleed into her skin. <br><br>I wish I could forget I saw her.