Escaping the Void

Chapter Two

I'm pulling the wet clothes out of the washer when I hear my phone begin to ring in my room. I quickly throw the armload that I have into the dryer before rushing into the room to check who it is. Caller ID says that it's Trevor. He's making his daily check-up call. Before he began being abusive, I thought it was cute and sweet. Now it's his way of making sure I'm in line, and it's frightening. 

I sigh and let the phone ring for a while longer before I answer it. "Hello."

"Hey. What are you doing?" he asks me. I hear the sound of the construction site he works at in the background.

"I'm washing your work clothes right now."

"Did you make the bed?"

I glance over at the unmade bed and respond, "Yes. I made the bed." I guess I'll have to do that next.

"Alright. Could you clean the bathroom, then?" he asks. I mentally laugh at how he asks me. Trevor doesn't ask questions; he demands actions. The only reason he's asking is because there are people around him, and he doesn't want them to see him for the monster he is.

"Yeah. No problem," I say.

"Thank you. I'll see you after work, then."

"Okay." 

"Love you. Bye."

I'm thankful to hear the line get cut off so that I don't have to say it back. I let out the huge breath of air I was involuntarily holding in as I toss the phone onto the nightstand.

I go back to the washer and dryer and continue to unload the contents of the washer into the dryer. After leaving it on the right settings, I go back to the room and start making up the bed. As I pull the covers back, I see a few tiny dots of blood on the sheets where I lay my head. I don't know how it got there, but I take a pillow and pull it down over the blood so that it's no longer visible. The cover goes back on the bed, and I smooth it out so that it looks nice and neat. Again, I hear my phone ring. I reach for it and look at the caller ID. This time, it doesn't disappoint me. 

I answer the call. "Hey, Mariah."

"Hey!" Mariah exclaims. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. I was just doing some cleaning. You?"

"Oh, nothing. Just playing with my new kitten," she says. I can just tell she's smiling.

"Kitten? When did you get a kitten?" I ask her.

"Eden bought it for me the other day," Maria answers happily.

"It? C'mon, Mariah. You know I don't like that term. The cat isn't an inanimate object," I whine to her. 

"I know, I know. It's a girl. I named her Zsa-Zsa."

"Where did you get that name from?" 

"That was the name she had when Eden got her from the shelter. Her previous owners were big fans of Zsa-Zsa Gábor. She was an actress."

"I don't know who that is," I say bluntly.

"I know. Neither do I. But what I do know is that I'm already in love with this cat," Mariah giggles. 

"Well, I'm glad that you're happy with your new kitty cat," I say smiling. 

"She's the cutest thing ever," she says more to herself than to me. 

"Good. So how is Eden?" 

"He's fine. He's at work right now. He should be home soon, though. So, um...how're things going between you and Trevor?" she asks me hesitantly.