Stranded With My Familiar Stranger

Chapter 5- Lead Up Realizations

The bathroom had no padlocks.

The water was cold and there was no water heater in sight to switch on.

After I finished my much needed refreshing bath, I realized that I was trapped. That was the only way I could think of it. Clearly, because was I?

It worried me that I had no clothes to wear and I cringed at the thought of actually going back to that room and having to put on the same blue dress that I had on since the night before. Too much trauma, too clustered.

I cracked the door open after my bath, leading out into the hallway. I peeked out to make sure that none of those possibly twisted minded freaks were waiting out there on the corridor to violate what was left of my sanity.

Pushing the door fully open, with this thin itchy towel wrapped around my body, I stepped out and slipped my way into my 'assigned' room as quickly as I could.

I didn't even know that I was half expecting to find clothes on that bed, how stupid of me. I was in a house of men, possibly part of some underworld human trafficking business trade thing.

Sitting on the bed once again, I was lost in my thoughts about what situation I was currently in. I had no family, I had no real home, just an apartment I tried to make as warming as possible, and to top it all off, those 'friends' that I've gathered over the past few years probably thought I wanted to be alone and took a grand escapade somewhere with the little money I made at the bookstore every week. Just friends, somewhat some could still be classified as acquaintances, that's what they all were, they didn't even know me well enough to know that I really never like to be alone, in fact, I hate to be alone. So nobody would notice that I was gone.

Michael would've searched the world for me. 

The bedroom door swung open, saving my mental emotional runaway with my Michael. I looked up, snapping out of it and saw Jaison at the door.

I was still wrapped up in this crusty towel but was shocked by the audacity of him to open the door without knocking or giving some warning, I could've been naked in here. But then again, he couldn't give a damn any less than he did I'm sure.

As if reading my mind or already knowing what I was thinking, whether it was my the look on my face or the way I glared at him with the exasperation evident in my expression, he spoke. "This is my place, I don't need to knock." Such a charmer. I rolled my eyes. I didn't notice what he was carrying in his hand at first.

It was a blue lined shirt and what I assume was folded beneath was something to cover the lower body.

How considerate.

"Here." He shoved the contents of his hands toward me while I held the towel tighter to my body. I think I'll hunt this place for a window to run until I get caught and die instead of waiting out here to see whether or not these men were a completely different story from what they were presently showcasing as the 'saviour'/'good man' type because it's more scary than the first thought.

I just looked up at him without breaking the stare then the light flickered. It flickered. This place was too nice to have faulty electricity, because the last thing I want to do is be stuck in this building in the dark. They were probably doing that on purpose.

"We await you at the table." I wasn't looking at him. I was looking way past him, lost in my own plan to actually have a plan.

I needed to run away from here. I was not over thinking because I knew something had to be up. There was no way this was a safe route. I was most vulnerable in this current situation. Must be a nightmare.

I was actually caught between living and giving up.  

Giving up is for losers and you're my favourite winner. Michael used that line on me right after I told him I was going to fail my journalism courses and I couldn't do it anymore. 

Giving up is for losers and you're my favourite winner.  The moment Michael used that line on me I was going to tell him how much I really love him, and not the type of love that we admitted for each other's knitted friendship all the time. I never did it though, only to hear and see and feel the loss of him when his parents (who were all the way over at some Caribbean island perhaps, as everytime I asked Michael about them, they were always touring with old money) phoned me, informing me of his accident.

I had absolutely no idea how, but if I could run this far away from Dane, as Jaison referred to my kidnapper as, then there had to be some way out. I can't trust anyone.

No.

He turned to leave in a slow spin.

As if reading my thoughts again, Jaison spoke as he turned back to me, not directly, but slightly. "Katelyn?"

The way his tone of voice just sent chills through me instantly. "Yes?" I said most obediently to the man whom I didn't know if to trust yet he held me captive for safety.

"Don't try anything stupid."