His Collection

NINE

All day I spent it on my feet; walking, slouching, moving my arms around till everything didn't hurt as much. My bones seemed to be fine, even my arm wasn't going to need the light cast anymore. My skin however was a spotted mess of black, purple, and teal blotches. It only hurt when I needed to use my muscles to pull myself up after every small fall. They must have been sore due to being stiff while in the crash; my body had gone into shock, and turned to stone all through the tumble.

Pulling at my forehead's bandage, I loosen it up and had it fall around my neck.

"Geez," the entire thing was brown, and dirty with my blood. I could only imagine how grotesque the wound must be like. The air stung it a little but I adapted.

I found myself sitting in the porch on a padded bench, looking out to the horizon. Marina had just been handed another batch of fruit, and had told me to just chill out.

"He's not going to kill you. I'm alive, right," she had told me as her voice slightly echoed inside the shed.

Alive, but mental.

Resting my elbows on my knees, I sigh. He's going to do something to me...and it's going to hurt. A person who kidnaps girls doesn't just kidnap them for company...or did he do it just for that?

Kyle would have slapped me right out that train of thought, and told me to get the hell away from this place and Butterfly Boy without having a second look back.

Oh, Kyle. You better be okay. The picture of his smile made my lips curl; I couldn't help smiling back at the pleasent thought. Little, salty dots raced down my cheeks. I will survive this.

"Are you hungry? I made soup," Lance said coming out the house. I wasn't startled, I knew he had been around somewhere, watching.

Not bothering to look at him, I say, "Feed it to M...to Alice."

"She's hungry? I doubt that, you've being feeding her while she's been in the Bad Box."

"I wasn't aware of any rules."

"Right, then why would the Bad Box exist, hmm?"

Balling my fists, I almost beg for him to say another smart remark only so I could snap back and see how mad he could get. But, I wasn't going to let my anger take the best of me and cause me some trouble I could have easily avoided.

Play it smart, Blanca.

"I gave her only a few grapes. She needs a meal or she'll pass out in there. Plus water."

"You do like taking care of others," Lance spoke while leaning on the porch railings. Something told me that was the reason I was taken; because I had ran to aid him. I should have let them kicked your ass to oblivion.

"Leave me alone."

"Call me Lance, then."

"Leave me alone, Lance," I repeated. I didn't have time for his games or to entertain him. All I wanted was to be left alone, rest, and then have my freedom back.

"Suit yourself. But I won't let Alice have any if you don't eat."

He sets down a bowl next to me, then walks down the steps. He stands facing me, and raises another round bowl up, as if waiting for my answer.

Giving him an irritated expression, I blink twice before biting my lip and lifting up the spoon. It was an odd looking broth containing chopped veggies, and what I have guessed to be rabbit. I stared down, mixing it around. It was too thick.

Don't eat it.

"It has animal," I turned to him, almost caught off guard at how his patterned face and arm had me in a split-second spellbind. "I'm a vegetarian. I can't eat this." Semi-lie, but I hoped he wouldn't suspect it.

"You would be one." He smirked, then tapped the bowl in his hand. "But, you still have to eat something. Go out back and get something to eat. You'll need it if you want to get your strenght back, Blanca."

He walked away, heading for Marina. Good, he was going to feed her. Yet, I wasn't sure if I wanted him to do that.

Something had to be in it, in the soup. But-  I stop myself. She is still alive. He wouldn't kill her off now.

Peering down at my bowl, I decided that maybe there was something in only mine. "I am not stupid," I muttered while standing, assuring myself and regaining some much needed confidence.

Lance's face never left mine. Even as I stayed in the garden munching on a tomato, he stayed leaning on the shed with Marina quietly eating outside next to him.

Biting into my lunch again, I could see he was having a conversation with her. She wasn't screaming, she wasn't even showing any sign of being upset at him for locking her up.

Marina stood up then hugged him as a thanks for the meal while his smirk reached me across the distance, whipped my mind, and caused my eye to twitch.

I will never like you.