The Asian girl swallowed hard and hoped it wasn't audible. She was used to being able to drape her long, dark hair over her face and hide, turning basically invisible, but now that ability was missing. So, too, was her desire to be utterly silent and let everyone choose for her. Everyone was trying so hard for her, planning and searching and wracking their brains... for her... she owed them better than this. She owed them her own opinion or thought in some way. Manny had almost been willing to be viewed as a criminal for her and Bob was considering how to make her disappear, like he had.
Talia raised her head at the sound of her own name that jerked her a bit from her reverie. Bob was waiting on her input now and so was Manny and so was she herself, if she was being honest.
"Umm..." her voice sounded small and weak, even to her own ears and she willed it to be strong and clear and to show the confidence she didn't feel at all. "Okay, so..." she faltered again. 'Come on, girl, get it together and speak your damn mind,' came a voice, unbidden, to her thoughts. It gave her reassurance. "Guys, I appreciate all you're trying to do and willing to do for me. I've never had anyone care this much... We can't kidnap my parents and yeah, my dad taught ME many of the moves you have seen me perform. He would be a challenge and I don't know anything about my mom, which makes her almost more frightening... but that's not the only reason I say "no" to that plan. And Bob?"
She smiled gratefully at the young man that had begun to mean so much to her. She couldn't believe that he and Manny had once been strangers. "I know you could help me disappear, and part of me desperately wants to, but I am so sick of trying to run and hide from them. I have people that have my back now and maybe that means I can stand up to them and not crumble." She stopped because she was running out of words as well as the breath to fill them. Her last words were just above a whisper, "I'm so tired of being afraid of them and afraid to be me."
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