Desire

(51) Tears

Kimberly would have never used the word 'eventful' to describe her life. She had always felt as if she had a pretty normal life. Sure, her father had sheltered her ever since her mother had passed, but she never knew anything different, so how was she to know that wasn't normal? She had all her fathers attention ever since she was a little girl. Anything she wanted simply by asking. She did well at online school, never failing a single class, and never lacked in confidence.

Things felt so easy. That was until seven months ago, when strangers with a police badge ripped away that easy little life she had. Suddenly she was living with people she hadn't even known for all that long, she had a relationship with a man double her age — also being her first ever relationship — her face had been plastered online for people to see. She was no longer someone who could slip into the shadows. It felt like threads were slowly tugged, causing her life to fall apart. Whether she liked it or not.

She struggled to look her father in the eye, knowing he was in prison and there was nothing she could do. It lead to her opting out of seeing Dale quite a lot. In a way Dale was glad, he couldn't handle seeing her, knowing she was hurt each and every single time.

That being said, she enjoyed being in the Mitchell's home. She got to wake up next to a handsome man who would kiss the ground she walked on. Although money was never something Kimberly cared for much, there was a chef that would make her anything her tummy grumbled for, and she could buy anything her heart desired. She never had to worry. But more than anything, she enjoyed feeling as if she had a mother again. Florence took care of her, not just as a housekeeper, but as if she truly cared for the girl.

On the nights that Florence and Kimberly would spend together, she would shower — in which Flora would call in for her to remember to wash behind her ears — and then the woman would braid her hair for her so it would look pretty the next day. Any time Kimberly was sad Flora would be at her side, she didn't force her to speak, but she would hug her tight, smoothing down her hair and placing a kiss at the top of her head.

No matter what, Florence always made Kimberly feel a lot less alone. She truly believed if she didn't have the woman, she'd be a lot more of a downer each and every day.

She even enjoyed Caiden's presence. Sure, he was a bit much at times. He clearly had a bit of an obsession, but lately he had calmed it. Kim could joke with the boy, she could watch tv or talk about their interests, just like the first time they met. She truly felt as if he'd never meant any harm, but sometimes he just lost control.

Like now.

"Caiden, what are you doing?" It felt like life had drained from Kimberly's soul. She stared up at the man in the doorway, he had a smile on his face, truly as if he didn't realise just how strange the situation was.

"Doing what?" The smile dropped from his face, eyebrow raised and head titled, confusion riddled his face.

Kim's eyes widened. "Caiden, can't you see that this is weird? I don't understand where I am." Truly, she didn't think she would be in any harm with Caiden. He wouldn't do anything extreme. She was sure of it. She felt as if he was just a damaged little boy and he took it out on her.

Caiden entered the room, door still open, room dimply lit. The sun had gone down as she screamed for someone to help her. She had been trapped for hours. He sat on the floor before her, legs crossed at the knees. "It took me a while to mirror your room perfectly. I wanted it to be perfect for you. Do you like it?" Kimberly stayed silent, slowly shaking her head in disbelief. "Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?Something to drink?"

She shook her head once again. "No."

Caiden copied her head movements and slowly stood to his feet. "Good little girls use manners."

Kim slowly began to lose control of her breathing. He was like a totally different person. As of something finally snapped inside of his brain. It took me a while, she thought through his words in her head. How long has he been planning this? Confusion overwhelmed her like a bad smell. She stayed seated on the ground, back again the base of the bed. "Stop it. You're frightening me. Just take me home."

The man chuckled. "But baby, you are home." He reached for a small water filled glass from the dresser and gestured for Kimberly to drink it. "You haven't drank anything in hours. You need to stay hydrated to keep your delicate skin so smooth."

She hesitated, but none the less finished the small amount of water. She placed the glass down on the ground besides her, but still didn't know what to say. His words made her skin crawl. This must be some sort of nightmare.

"Now," Caiden reached for a fluffy blanket and wrapped in around the girl, picking her up into his arms. "Let's get you comfy and ready for bed, huh?"

The blonde was frozen still. She watched with cautious eyes as Caiden lifted her up like a baby. "Where is Robert?"

His chest tensed. "You don't need to talk about him. It's just you and I now, sweetheart." He locked the bedroom door and headed for the bed, laying himself on it with the girl in his arms.

"Caiden-"

"Shh." He hushed, placing a hand over her mouth. He forced her into a little spoon position, but she was still so confused that she couldn't put up a fight.

Suddenly she began to feel tired. Her eyes could barely stay open and her limbs felt weak. He drugged my water. "Please." She mumbled, not fully knowing what she was asking of him.

"Daddy loves you, my princess."
—
"Florence, I don't know what else to do. I feel so useless." Robert Mitchell was a mess. His girl had gone missing. Nowhere to be seen. The two populated the kitchen, standing either side of the island. It was their favourite place in the home. But it felt like a shell of a house without the girl's bubbly nature to fill it.

Florence was deep in thought. Any and every thought crossed her mind, attempting to think of the reason for such a thing. She let out a small gasp. "You don't think Jessica did something, do you?"

Robert met the woman's gaze. He felt slightly doubtful, but anything was possible. "Surely even she would see this as too far."

"She seemed pretty angry last night. About Kimberly especially." Flora didn't want to admit it, but she felt it was a grand possibility.

Robert's heart dropped even further. "I should have protected her. Know this was going to happen. I told her I'd look after her. How-"

"Robert, you do look after her. You always have. This isn't your fault. Call the police. It's been too long without a sighting." Florence demanded. She needed to keep a level head. If she didn't she feared she'd crumble. "I imagine they'll be around in the morning to take statements from us all. She'll be okay."

Robert's expression hardened. "What if she gets hurt? It can't wait until the morning."

Florence circled the island until she was stood I front of the man. There was a height difference, Robert of course being taller, but that didn't mean she didn't view him as a little boy on times. She wrapped her armed around him and hugged him tight. "It's Jessica, she won't hurt Kim. She's just using her as leverage. Calm down."

"I love her, Florence."

She looked up to see a tear slide down his cheek. She hadn't seen the man cry in such a long time. Especially over a woman. He really does love her. It was as if that one tear spoke a million words on how that man felt for the girl. Flora offered a sympathetic smile as she raised her hand to wipe away the tear. "And she loves you ever so much. Now, message Caiden, tell him to stop looking. Then call the police. Everything will be sorted in the morning."

He nodded, but his face looked as if he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else. "Yeah. Everything will be just fine I'm the morning."

Or so they thought.