You Belong to Me (Sequel to Controlled)

Chapter 18- Sophie

Chapter 18

Sophie:

I woke up with a pounding in my head, causing me to moan painfully. Sitting up, I looked around my room. Kodiak and Naomi were lying at my feet, still awake, and the room was quiet. Ricky was nowhere in sight, so I sighed, relieved.

Naomi and Kodiak looked up as I got up from the bed, then walked towards the door. When one of them whined, I motioned for them to stay, and then turned back towards the door. As I reached for the handle, I remembered last night. How many times had he come to check on me during the night? What did he do to me even if he was in the room?

I shook my head and turned the knob. Surprisingly, it was unlocked. Had he forgotten to lock it after he checked on me? Or did he leave it unlocked on purpose? I pulled the door open as quietly as I could, inch by inch, until it was wide enough for me to just fit my body through it. Stepping out into the hallway, I felt a sudden chill run down my spine.

Quietly, I tiptoed down the carpeted stairs that led into the living room. When I was at the bottom step, I peered around the corner. No one was in the living room, to my surprise. I walked across the living room towards the kitchen, growing more anxious by the second. I stepped onto the cold tile and looked into the kitchen, but saw no one. Where was he? Part of me was relieved not to see him, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something didn't feel right at all.

My stomach growled, and I groaned. Now was not a time to be hungry. I ignored my stomach and walked towards my front door. Quickly, but carefully, I unlocked all of the locked and turned the knob. I opened the door, narrowing my eyes at the bright sunlight shining through the door. The hot concrete burned the bottom of my feet as I stepped out of the door. Ignoring it, I closed the door behind me and ran towards the stairs as fast as I could. I flew down the stairs and out into the courtyard.

"Whoa, where do you think you're going?" a voice said as I was pulled back by the collar of my shirt. I gasped as I hit the hot ground hard. Looking up, I saw Ricky holding a paper bag in one arm. He was smiling, almost friendly, but the look in his eyes was deadly as if telling me not to make a scene. I looked up at him, clenching my teeth in frustration. He motioned for me to get up, and I did. He grasped my arm and pulled me towards the stairs. I resisted, pulling back.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" he whispered harshly at me. I felt a sharp point at my side, where my wound was. I looked down to see he had a knife at my side. He pressed it against my side, causing me to inhale sharply. Giving in, I finally let him pull me towards the stairs. He led me up them and to the door. Motioning for me to open it, he shifted the paper bag to his other arm, letting me go. I turned the knob and pushed the door open. He pushed me inside, making me stumble on the way in. I caught myself on the wall and stood up straight. He closed and locked the door behind him, then walked past me into the kitchen.

"I guess this teaches me not to be gone that long," he said. I heard him open the refrigerator, then paper tearing open. I looked into the kitchen and widened my eyes. He was putting groceries into my refrigerator. I crossed my arms, angry.

"Look, you don't own the damn place. This is my apartment," I said, leaning against the wall. I didn't know what it was, but I felt braver talking to him than I did the previous times. I knew he would never mean to hurt me unless he had to, despite when he stabbed me. No matter how much I hated him, he still seemed to believe I loved him.

He chuckled, continuing to put food away- in the correct places. It didn't surprise me. He practically knew everything else about my life; why couldn't he know where I put what foods?

"No, it's our apartment. For now, at least."

"Excuse me? There's no 'our'," I said, putting air quotes around the word 'our'.