Four Years Ago

I : Don't You Remember?

   Once the woman was a few feet away from her, she set down the plate and untied the ropes tying Christine's hands. Before she could come back to face her, Christine said, "You should untie my legs too." The woman grunted as though in denial, so Christine added, "I have to pee."

   She contemplated for a moment behind Christine's back, before untying the ropes binding her legs.

   Christine stood up slowly, and began to ask, "Where do I -" before she felt cold metal against her back. She didn't need to look back to know the woman held a gun against her.

   "This way," the woman said and led her to a door just beside the mattress which Christine hadn't noticed till now. The woman opened the door and said, "Make it quick."

   Christine got in as fast as she could, and closed the door. Surprisingly, the toilet was neat and looked like it had been recently cleaned. She guessed she should feel special. After all, preparations had been made for her well ahead of her arrival.

   Once she was done, she washed her hands in the sink and got out. The woman led her back to the chair, as she seated herself in the one she had dragged which was now facing Christine's. Tentatively, Christine seated herself too and faced her.

   "Eat," the woman commanded and pointed at the tray with her gun. "You must be famished in your state."

   Christine had to agree with her. She really was starving. "Thank you." She picked up the tray and immediately dug into the meal. She had to admit, it was good. She was so hungry that she completely ignored the fact that her kidnapper was seated opposite her, and held a gun as she ate. However once she was done with her meal and had drunk the water, the dread of her situation returned to her.

   "That was a really good meal," she said in an attempt to ease the atmosphere. However, the woman opposite her remained quiet.

   Christine wondered who she was. She didn't look much older than her, and they were roughly the same height. If not for the gun in her possession and the extra load Christine was carrying, Christine was sure she would have been able to attack her and come out victorious. But, things were as they were.

   Maybe she was an obsessed fan. Another of the girls too infatuated with Scott that they hated Christine for being the girl he was with. She had been trolled online several times for very petty reasons, including the fact she was black. Such a fan had even once attacked her when she was at Starbucks trying to grab something to eat. This woman, however, would have to be on a whole new level of obsessed if that was the reason Christine was here.

   Deciding it was better to get clarification on her doubts, Christine asked, "Are you the one who has been monitoring me since last month?"

   The woman just stared back wordlessly at her. She could have as well been speaking to a dummy.

   "If you could please just say something. I am really confused right now. Why am I here?" When there was still no answer forthcoming, Christine raised her voice, "Answer me!"

   "You took something from me," she replied, confusing Christine even more.

   With furrowed brows, Christine asked, "What did I take from you? Can't you just take it back? Do you need to go to such extremes?"

   Staring straight into Christine's eyes, she said, "Taking it back is not just enough. I need to make you feel how I felt. I need to make you suffer. I'll make you watch as I take away everything you have, along with what you took from me. I'll make you pay. Make you pay for everything, including this." She lifted up the hair covering the right side of her face, and revealed a very ugly looking scar just below her eye that had marred that side of her face. Christine crinched a little at the sight.

  "It's ugly, right?" the woman asked. "This is how I will have you feeling once I am done. Then you will feel how I feel on the inside too. Ugly. Bruised. Burned."

   As she spoke, Christine could see the anger and determination in her eyes, and it made her even more terrified. If she was scared before, what she felt now was ten more times that.

   Not knowing whether it was for herself or what her kidnapper was going through, Christine began to cry, sobbing into her hands. "I'm sorry for what has happened to you. But I still don't see how I could have caused that."

   The woman grapped Christine by her shoulders and raised her, so they back at eye level. She was quite strong for a lady, and her hold made Christine cry out a little in pain.

  "You're hurting me," Christine complained.

   She ignored Christine as she yelled, "Look at me! Look into my eyes!" She shouted at Christine, her eyes popping so much Christine feared they might come out of their sockets. "Don't you remember? Don't you remember me?"

A/N : As promised, here is the first chapter of my new book. I hope it captures your attention and keeps you hooked. I will do weekly updates, on Sundays.

If you enjoy the chapter, please vote and comment.

Lots of love ❤️. See you next week.