2. Chapter 2
Connecticut, USA
My head felt heavy, like there was an enormous stone inside, and my ears were ringing like the bell at school.
I tried to lift my hands to my face, but they wouldn’t move.
The room was blurry and weird. It reminded me of looking outside on a rainy day, like when drops cover the window.
It made the world outside look distorted and wavy. The room was the same.
There were shapes I couldn’t figure out—a toilet. Why was there a toilet in the corner? My eyes were playing tricks on me. Was I dreaming? I tried to remember the last thing that had happened. The memories of this morning came back to me in a thousand paintbrush strokes.
The colors were vivid as could be, crowding my mind until I couldn’t think straight.
I tried to sit up, but my body felt sluggish.
I touched my head, trying to see if maybe I’d hit it, but it felt normal.
Even though my fingers moved in slow motion, touching my skin felt far away, like it wasn’t really me.
The room spun, and my stomach felt queasy. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to make everything stop moving, but it made the weird feelings worse. I wanted to call out for my papa or mama, even my brother, who I was mad at. He was supposed to walk me to school this morning, and he hadn’t shown up.
I tried to remember what Ivan King always told me about staying calm when I was scared. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. This is a bad dream. I would wake up any minute now and be back in my room with Mr. Whiskers, my tabby cat, beside me. Minutes went by, and I knew something wasn’t right.
The pounding in my head, along with the ringing in my ears, made me feel panicked inside. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something horrible had happened. I opened my eyes and was thankful that my vision had cleared somewhat.
Scanning the room, I realized I was in a small square space with a single door and no windows. It was cold and dark. There was a single bulb, but it did nothing but enhance the shadows in the corners of the room.
I coughed loudly. My throat was so dry. My brain snapped imaginary pictures, creating a visual memory as it normally did. Allowing the process to happen calmed my breathing. I was sitting on a small bed, the mattress worn and dirty.
In the corner was a makeshift bathroom. It held a toilet, a sink, and what looked like a shower.
The walls closed in. I couldn’t breathe.
The pounding in my head increased. My stomach growled, telling me I hadn’t eaten in a while.
Tears formed, and my heart rate spiked as footsteps approached the room outside.
The door unlocked, and a creaking sound echoed throughout the room. My heart started racing. My eyes darted toward the door, and that’s when he appeared. He stepped into the room, and my breath caught in my throat.
He was like a shadow, all big and looming, with a mask covering his face. This was no scary Halloween mask either. It may as well have been swallowed by a monster. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that would make him disappear, but it didn’t. The fear was suffocating.
“Open your eyes.” His voice slithered around me like an awful snake.
The mask was dark and eerie. It resembled face paint, but it wasn’t. It had veins that added to the overall snake-like feel. It twisted unnaturally across the surface. My breath came faster, my chest rising and falling in quick succession.
I wanted to scream—to beg him to go away, but all I could do was watch him move closer and closer. The fear intensified as I realized there was nowhere to hide. This man wasn’t the same one I talked to this morning. He was taller. Bigger.
He spoke again, “Welcome, Autumn.”
“Autumn? My name is Isabella,” I said.
“Isabella is dead,” he stated as if it were truth.
Then he pulled my hair and yanked me from the bed. He tilted my face up toward his and slapped me hard. I cried as I cupped the stinging flesh. It was on fire. I was completely stunned.
“We need to go over the rules,” he began. “You will address me as Sir. Your name is Autumn. Don’t forget it. There will be no talking to the other girls at any time. Manners are a must in my house. If you obey, then you will be rewarded. Disobey and you will be punished.”
“Punished?” I whispered, trying to come to terms with what was happening.
“Punishments will entail a variety of things. Push me and you will suffer. Speak back and you will get hit every time. Anger me and you will regret it. I will not tolerate disobedience in any way. Do you understand?”
I’d never seen such pure evil in my life. Remembering his earlier rule, I nodded and then spoke. “I understand, Sir.”
He raised an eyebrow and smiled.
“You have some time before I present all four of you to the world. Seeing as you are now Autumn, your debut is some time off. Once summer has passed, you will step on stage. Your skills may be commissioned at any point in the year,” he said.
“But understand that during the autumn months, you are the principal attraction. Do you understand?”
I didn’t understand completely. The phrase “skills may be commissioned” was a small hint, but I was afraid to say anything, so I said, “Yes, Sir.”
“Excellent. Your actual room is being renovated, as we speak. You’re going to love it. I’m leaving now. Your dinner will be served shortly.”
He left, and I couldn’t hold back the stark fear any longer. I slid to the floor and broke. The tears flowed freely down my cheeks. I cupped my face in my hands, feeling the burn. The room felt empty now, the darkness replaced by the heaviness of my tears.
With trembling hands, I got on my knees and whispered a prayer, my words a desperate plea to God. I asked him to watch over me and to protect me from the danger that lurked in the shadows.