Tag, You're It (Melanie Martinez)

Part Three

Days passed. The man came down three times a day with different snacks that were supposed to count as meals. They never satisfied me. I made sure to stay on my best behavior. I hated living down here. If I was upstairs, I at least had a chance.

A full week had passed since I first got abducted. I wondered if my parents had stopped looking for me. It's not like my mother was the best mom in the world, but she cared for a me a little bit. At least I hoped so. 

Nothing out of the ordinary happened in that week. It was the same routine every day. Until this morning, when the man came down and told me he was finally letting me upstairs. I didn't jum up or get excited, knowing that he would take joy in making me wait even longer. 

He grabbed my arm and dragged my up the stairs. I didn't say a word, even when he squeezed too tight. His house was about the same size as the basement, only a little bigger. It smelled terrible and was messier than anything I'd ever seen. Not that I was surprised, he was a dirty man himself. He pulled me down a dimly lit hallway and showed me a room. 

"This one's for you." I peered inside. A small bad sat in the corner with pink blankets covering it. There was a little nightstand with a tiny lamp resting on top. On the other side of the wall there sat a worn down dresser. He must of caught me staring at it because he said, "I'll get you some clothes soon." His voice seemed softer than it did in the basement. I nodded, excited to change out of my dirty dress. 

There was also a bookshelf with a few children's books scattered around. I thought it was awfully weird that this man had a full room set up for little girls. I shivered at the thought of him kidnapping more than just one child. And where they probably were now.

He dragged me along again and stopped outside a closed door. 

"This one is mine. You are not allowed." I nodded, saying that I understood. "You've been a good girl. Here." He pulled me into what passed as a living room and pushed me onto the couch. Even his shoves were lighter. He grabbed a remote and turned on the tv in front of me. Flipping the channel to some cartoons, he told me to "entertain myself". I ignored the tv, and instead started memorizing the rooms of the house. I would need to know my way around if I were to try to leave at night. I remembered my previous plan and searched the walls for windows. None.

What kind of house didn't have windows? Oh right, a kidnapper's. He told me he was going to the store for a bit to find me some clothes. After asking what size I was, I responded and pretended to go back to watching tv. He started to walk away but came back and bent down, right in front of me. 

"If I find out that you tried to leave," His face was inches from mine. I could smell his breath. "I will kill you." He poked a finger at my chest, nudging me backwards. "Understand."

"Yes, sir." He sneered and made his way towards the door. He disapeared behind it, and I heard the heavy bolts clock shut, just like in the basement. I immediately began searching the house for a weapon. Nothing stood out to me. 

He did this on purpose. I thought. I opened up every drawer. There were no knives. I thought about where he might hide them. Opening the cupboards was no use either, until I reached the last one. It was stocked full of rat poison. I wasn't surprised. I'm sure this old dump attracted a lot of rodents over the years. I closed the cupboard and retreated into my room, looking for a book to read. I found one I hadn't read yet, and sat down on the bed, waiting for the man to return.

He arrived an hour later, bringing what he promised. A bag full of dresses was thrown at my feet. I bent down and dug inside, pretending to be extremely thankful. Though really, I was almost disgusted at his act of "kindness." He asked me to try one on. I insisted on changing behind a closed door, and he reluctanty agreed. I didn't need him seeing any more of me than he had to.

I threw on the one on the top, a blue and white dress with pink frills on the trim. I walked out and he smirked. I swallowed and held down a gag. He was so disgusting. 

He glanced over at the clock on the stove. "Bedtime." He picked up the bag and set it on the dresser, telling me I could put them away tomorrow. He retreated into his room and shut my door, leaving me alone. I decided to put the dresses away now, to save time tomorrow when I carried out my plan. 

In the bottom drawer, I found a small white nightgown. It looked worn out. I threw it on, thinking it was the closest thing I had to pajamas. It smelled a little funny, but then I remembered that his whole house did. 

I shut off the lamp and laid in bed. I wasn't tired yet, and stayed awake staring at the ceiling. My mind was reeling as I plotted my revenge on the man who had put me through too much already.

This is the end of book one. I know it's short, but what can you do? I went off the song, which doesn't give that much detail to begin with. Anyways, if you liked this, then watch out for the sequel, Milk and Cookies. As you probably guessed, yes, it's based off the song Milk and Cookies. Follow so you don't miss updates on the next book to see how Crybaby's story ends!!!