Chapter 3
I tossed and turned all night. Something within me felt unsettled.
Each time I fell into a deep sleep, Aspen would stir and startle me awake.
She too slept unsettled, struggling to wake up and fighting me while I dressed her, whining the entire time.
I yawned half the walk to school, while she dragged her feet the whole way there, protesting the whole way.
Once she was through the doors, I headed toward the bakery.
My heart started beating faster, my stomach twisted, and every hair on my arm stood up.
I stopped and looked around, but nothing looked off.
The birds chirped on the above power line.
I continued walking down the empty sidewalk.
The moment I heard footsteps behind me, something was pulled over my head.
I screamed, but nothing came out. I thrashed my arms and quickly felt someone wrap their arms around me.
I fought as hard as I could, but I wasn’t exactly someone who went to the gym.
I’d only just reached a hundred and twenty pounds.
Something sweet took over my senses, my limbs went limp, and everything went dark.
My eyes burned, my head pounded. I tried to open my eyes, but they didn’t seem to want to open.
A wet dog smell filled my nostrils. My stomach churned, urging me to vomit what little was in my stomach.
It felt like waves were crashing against the sides of my skull.
I tried to open my eyes again, but they refused.
Open your fucking eyes, Zalayuh.
My eyes flickered. This time, they stayed open. Flashes of grey came through as I blinked, trying to figure out where I was. My head throbbed with each beat of my heart. Rubbing my head didn’t seem to help.
“She’s waking up.”
My entire body jumped from the deep male voice that spoke.
Then I froze. I pushed myself to open my eyes and focus on where I was.
My eyes darted around, my body completely still, afraid to move.
It was dim in the room, and light filtered in through a tiny window close to the ceiling.
The lightbulb that was attached to the middle of the ceiling flickered.
The walls and floor were concrete. The room smelled of musty cement and something animal.
My eyes focused and narrowed on the steel door, with a small cutout window that had four bars across it.
I couldn’t see anything beyond the window; it was darker out there than it was in here.
I felt the ground around me before dropping my head to look where I was lying.
Below me was a mattress. It was smaller than the one Aspen—
Aspen. Fuck. Who would get her from school? Oh, my Lord. She would be waiting for me, and I wasn’t going to be there. My mother wouldn’t know that she should get her, expecting me to do it. I needed to get out of here. Why was I here in the first place? How did I get here?
What was the last thing that I remembered? My head was fuzzy, and I felt like I was floating high in the mountains—
“What is the plan here?” the deep voice said. He spoke low, but not low enough.
I pulled myself to sit up, and everything in my vision went blurry.
Stars darted around. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
I felt as though I was about to pass out.
Chloroform, maybe, which would explain why I felt so turned around.
The dizziness started to subside, and I opened my eyes again.
I could hear whispering outside the door, but I couldn’t make out everything that was said.
I rolled off the bed and started to crawl toward the door. I tried to be as quiet as I could, afraid to stand and possibly pass out.
“She’s carrying the next…” an older voice said.
“And you expect me to fucking babysit?” the deep voice said.
“It’s an easy task,” a third voice said.
“Yeah, for an Umbra,” the deep voice said.
“You’ll do what I demand of you, Quinnlyn,” said the older voice.
“Hmm, as the boss demands, then,” Quinnlyn said.
“I do demand it; it would make it easier if you didn’t fight every decision I ask of you,” the older voice said.
“If Daxyn didn’t put his dick wherever he wanted, this wouldn’t be an issue,” Quinnlyn said.
“Tsk. Tsk,” the other voice said, just as I heard a loud impact, skin against skin. My entire body jerked. My hands started trembling. Salt touched my lips. Tears. I hadn’t felt them fall.
“Your temper will be the end of you, Ravik,” Quinnlyn said. “Anyway, I shall watch the girl until you figure out what we’re doing here.”
Within a few seconds, footsteps faded off into the distance. I pulled myself to a stand, but I wasn’t tall enough to see out of the barred window.
“Hello?” I finally mustered the courage to get out.
“Mmm,” he said.
“Why… why am I… here?” I stuttered out.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Quinnlyn said. I wasn’t sure if that was who stood outside my door until he spoke. His voice was much different than the other two males.
“No. I’m a nobody. My family doesn't have money for a ransom; we’re barely surviving.”
“This isn’t about money. Just be quiet and sit in your cell.”
“What am I going to eat? What if I need to use the bathroom?”
“There is a toilet in the corner. Food will be brought when it’s brought. Now leave me the fuck alone,” he said.
I walked back to the mattress on the floor.
There was a small blanket folded on the end.
In the darkest corner of the room, I made out the shape of the toilet.
It was part of the room, not its own space.
I grabbed the blanket, laid down on my side, pulling my knees to my chest, and the blanket over my legs and up to my chin.
Tears rolled onto my cheek and across my nose and onto the mattress. I drifted off to sleep.
“Wake the fuck up, girl.”
My eyes fluttered open. It was still light outside, but I couldn't tell what time it was. I didn’t think I’d slept more than a few hours. I quickly sat up and pulled myself against the wall. I squinted, trying to focus on who was in the room with me.
He stood six foot even, staring at me with furrowed brows. He had dark brown hair and stubble all over his face.
“Can I go home?” I pleaded with him, breaking the silence.
He huffed at me. “Never.”
“Please, I have to take care of my sister. I’m all she has—”
“You have a parent,” he said, annoyance lacing his tone.
“Yeah… she may have birthed us, but she… it doesn’t matter. I need to go home, please. I won’t tell anyone. You’re mistaken,” I pleaded to him.
He cocked his head to the side. “You are with child… we aren’t mistaken. You just picked the wrong…” he trailed off, before taking in a breath, “No, you won’t be leaving here.”
“This is about Daxyn?”
“Seems to be. Anyway, here is some food.” He placed a tray on the ground before turning toward the door.
“No! Please, don’t leave me in here like this. I won’t tell anyone it’s his baby. I won’t ask him for anything. Please, please let me go home,” I cried out.
He didn’t turn around or acknowledge my pleas and walked through the cellar door and pulled it closed behind him.
I looked at the tray that lay on the ground.
My stomach rumbled in response, but part of me didn’t feel like I could eat.
A sandwich sat on top of a napkin with a small bowl of cut apples.
A small plastic cup of liquid sat on the tray.
I stared at the tray for what felt like forever before I finally crawled to it and grabbed it.
The bread started to get a little soggy.
I peeled back the top piece of bread and revealed the contents—peanut butter and jelly.
It wasn’t my favorite, but I reckoned it was better than nothing.
A few brown spots formed on the red apples, but they tasted good anyway.
The small cup only had water, but after the peanut butter, I drank every drop of it.
Once I cleaned the tray, I went back to the mattress and laid down.
I couldn’t believe what was happening. I was in this cell because of Daxyn.
If he didn’t want any part of this, he could have walked away.
I would’ve figured it out without him. Why the hell would he have me kidnapped and held hostage?
Was he planning to force an abortion on me?
The more I thought about the possibilities, the more I started to panic about the situation I was in.
My hand drifted onto my lower stomach. I studied the wall in front of me. How long were they planning to keep me here? I didn't think there were any tears left, but they came anyway, soaking into the mattress beneath my cheek.
The sound of something hitting metal startled me awake.
I must have fallen asleep again. I rolled over and looked up at the small, barred window.
A small wooden bat was being dragged across the bars.
My eyes flickered open and closed, adjusting.
Clearly, his intent to wake me worked. I stared at the door, but kept my lips pursed together.
The bat rolled over the bars faster and harder.
“What the hell do you want?” I finally yelled out.
“For you to wake up,” Quinnlyn said.
“Okay? And? You clearly succeeded, but unless you’re letting me go, there is nothing else for me to do but to sleep,” I said.
“It’s supper time, you need to eat,” he said, his tone flat.
“What time is it?” I said.
“Six p.m.”
“Oh…” I said.
All I could think about was Aspen and if she made it home. Did my mother wonder where I went? I knew Aspen would be frantic without me being home, and not having any answers to where I’d gone.
“Does that mean you will eat?” he asked, breaking my thoughts.
“No,” I said.
“Why not? I don’t think Ravik would like to hear that you aren’t eating,” he said.
“And I care about what he thinks?”
“He’s not one to piss off.”
“What’s he going to do, beat the pregnant girl?”
“Maybe, he has stooped lower,” he said.
“I’ll eat, but only if you tell me if Aspen made it home.”
“Okay.”
He opened the door and walked over to me. I remained on the mattress, unmoving. He placed the tray down on the ground in front of me.
“Eat,” he said, then turned around and left.
I looked down at what he left. There was a chicken breast, fried potatoes, and corn. There was a small plastic cup filled with milk. Gross.
“Can I have water?”
“What’s wrong with the milk?”
“It makes me sick, and it’s gross,” I said.
“It’s good for you. There is no water right now, anyway.”
The chicken was already cut up, and there was only a spoon on the tray.
I suppose they hadn’t wanted to give me a fork or a knife.
I slowly nibbled on the chicken. It wasn’t horrible, but it had already started to cool off.
The potatoes and corn were cold. I didn’t finish all of it, but took a few bites of each.
“Now about my sister,” I said, breaking the silence.
“Oh yeah… I don’t have a way to leave here,” he said.
“You lied to me?” I said, my voice a little louder.
“I never actually said yes,” he said.
“You tricked me,” I said.
My frustration was starting to rise.
“Goddammit, I just want to know if she’s home,” I said, voice starting to break.
“I’m sure she made it home,” he said.
“What is their plan with me?”
“I don’t know,” he said, low.
I sat against the wall, my knees bent and legs pulled against my chest. My arms wrapped around them, holding myself tight. Outside, somewhere past the concrete walls, Aspen was waiting for me to come home.