New to the Family

Dinner

"I am so glad to see you again," Lindsay said as she was buttering a piece of bread. "I have gotten used to you being in the house. It was lonely without you."

"I am glad to be out of that basement," I said.

I was leaning against the counter watching Lindsay make my breakfast. There was a dull ache in my shoulders. The rope had burned my wrists, and I had patches of red skin. Lindsay handed me a plate with scrambled eggs and toast. She put her hand on my shoulder and we walked into the dining room. She sat in a chair across from me.

"I was in the basement once before," she said as I took a bite of my breakfast.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes, but that was when I first came here," she said. "Gabe's father, Noah, found me when I was seventeen. I was young and so confused. I kept trying to get out of this house after everyone had fallen asleep. Noah got so mad at me trying to get away that he kept me down there for a few days."

"Does Gabe still punish you?" I asked.

Lindsay sucked in a deep breath. Her fingers drummed along the edge of the wooden table.

"He does sometimes," she said. "But he only does it when I deserve it."

"You don't deserve to be abused," I said.

She shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair. I could see that she was fidgeting because she did not want to talk about this.

"They work so hard to protect us," she said. "They deserve to be treated well because of all they do for us."

"But doesn't that seem wrong?" I asked.

"No. Not at all."

I sighed and finished eating my breakfast. When I finished, she grabbed my plate and brought it over to the sink. She poked her head into the dining room.

"You must be really tired," Lindsay said. "You can lie down if you would like."

I nodded my head. I dragged my feet out of the dining room and up the stairs to our room. I grabbed the blanket at the end of the bed and wrapped it around myself. I lied across the bed and tried to clear my mind.

--

I woke up to the sound of coughing. I kept the blanket wrapped around my body as I got up off of the bed. I opened up the door and peered out into the hallway. Theo was leaning against the wall. He was covering his mouth with his hand. His body curled up into a ball every time he coughed.

"Are you okay, Theo?" I asked.

He nodded his head. "I'm fine."

He kept one hand pressed against the wall as he walked down the rest of the hallway to his room. The stairs creaked and I turned to see Jared coming upstairs. He smiled when he saw me. I took a step back into the room as he stepped toward me.

"How are you feeling?" Jared asked. "Did you get some rest?"

"What's wrong with Theo?" I asked.

Jared rolled his eyes. He grabbed my elbow as he pulled me toward the bed. He forced me to sit down on the edge of the bed. He kept his tight grip on my arm.

"Don't worry about Theo," he said. "He just has a cough. I want to make sure that you are okay. I was thinking about you all day."

"I'm alright," I mumbled.

"Good. I love you so much, Leah."

He let go of my elbow and cupped my face with his hands. He pressed his lips against mine. I tried to pull back, but Jared snaked an arm around my waist.

"Tell me you love me," he said.

"I love you," I said.

I should have not pulled away. I should not do anything to make him mad. Gabe or him will throw me back down into the basement. My heart pounded in my chest. Jared's lips were pressed into a line. I could tell he was not impressed with how I was acting. I pressed my hands against Jared's chest before I kissed him. His body went tense for a moment before he relaxed into the kiss. When I pulled away he was smiling.

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better," he said. "I never want to fight with you again."

"I just want to keep you happy," I said.

It was not a lie. I wanted him to be happy. If he was happy then he wasn't going to hurt me. I just needed to stay safe until someone found me or until I managed to get out of this house.

"Mom probably has dinner ready," he said. "We should go down."

I nodded my head and took the blanket off of my shoulders. Jared laced his fingers through mine before we went downstairs.

Lindsay was putting the last few plates on the table when we got to the dining room. Jenny was the only one sitting at the table. She was scratching her nails in the grooves of the wood. Lindsay sat down in the seat at the end of the table and started to pile food on Jenny's plate. Gabe walked into the room rolling up the sleeves of his shirt. He took a seat on the far end of the table.

"Theo is not eating," he said. "Lin, you should bring him a plate after dinner."

"Okay," Lindsay said. She forced a fork into Jenny's hand.

Jared piled the food onto my plate. My stomach twisted into a knot when he put two pieces of meat onto my plate. I pushed the food around on my plate. I ate the potatoes and vegetables in small bites trying to postpone when I have to eat the meat.

"It's nice having you back at the table, Leah," Gabe said. "How has she been, Jared?"

"Her attitude has changed," Jared said. "I think she is finally realizing this is where she belongs."

"She better be," he said. "Taylor and Emme are coming over tomorrow."

"She should be okay to be around Emme."

"Should be?"

I looked up from my plate. There was another girl. I had to pray that she was not brainwashed like Lindsay.

"I think she will be okay," Jared said. "You just know how unpredictable Emme can be."

"I know," Gabe said, "but your Mom will be here to watch her."

Jared nodded his head before shoving a forkful of food into his mouth. He glanced down at my plate and sighed.

"Eat your meat, Leah," Jared said.

"I'm not hungry," I said.
"Do you need to spend some more time in the basement?" Gabe asked.

I shook my head. I would rather try to force down a few bites of meat than be tied up down on that mattress.

I took a small bite of the meat, and my stomach turned. I chugged my water to get the taste out of my mouth. I kept the pattern of a small bite of meat and then a bring drink of water. I did it until I finished the meat that Jared had put on my plate. Jared put his arm on the back of my chair once I was finished.

"It's nice to see that she is listening," Gabe said.

"I'm really proud of her," Jared said.

"How do you like it here, Leah?" Gabe asked.

I took in a shaky breath. My fingers fiddled with each other under the table. Jared ran his fingers down along my shoulder. My eyes flickered up to Gabe. His elbows were leaning against the table and his fingers were tented in front of his face.

"I love it here," I lied. "Thank you."

"We're happy to have you as part of the family," Gabe said. "I knew when I saw you that you were perfect."