Unveil Mercury [#Wattys2017]

f r e e

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

Sutton awoke to cold water being poured over her continuously. She was completely shaking with goosebumps trailing over skin. Her teeth chattered loudly as she stared gruesomely at her tormentor. She sat on her high chair, tapping away comfortably on her phone. She looked up and smiled.

"Finally, you're awake."

"Whaaa-t issss happp-ennin-g?" Sutton couldn't get a full sentence out. She could barely cope with the cold. Alice turned the water off.

"Well, I was left in cold baths after the boys were done with me."

"I'm sssorry-y thisss happ-ppened to youuu."

"No," Alice started. "You don't get to be sorry, Sutton. You don't get to be perfect."

"Pleaaase undde-rsstaaa-ndd, youu caa-"

"I can be fixed. You mean you can fix me? Stop thinking you can fix people, Sutton. You know you make me so sick. It might of worked on Alison but it doesn't work on me. In order to fix me you'd need to know how it feels to be taken against your will."

"It shoulddd bee terri-"

"Yes, I know. I've lived it, Sut."

Sutton closed her eyes, "You've made your point. Why didn't you jus-"

"Why didn't I just come to you? You would never have believed me. I needed you to see it for yourself. It wasn't fate that brought you and Noah together. It was me."

Sutton shook her head, "He wouldn't do so-"

Alice cackled, "Don't be so stupid, Sutton. Who do you think put that cops body in Ava's trunk? Who do you think brought you to this warehouse?"

"Why?" she was in pain. Not only did Noah lie to her but everyone else did in her life.

"Why? Because he loved me. He wanted to please me. But then you came along and he started to like you. I needed him to do things for me that I couldn't do myself. Those notes? Those little messages? Who do you think left them? He was just conveniently there."

"Why punish me?"

"Because you were oblivious. Perfect. I wanted you to see the world in different eyes. I wanted you to hate it."

Sutton swallowed.

"But then I figured out that you did hate it. And, you started to like it again after Mommy died."

Sutton shook her head.

"I really wanted to kick myself, because you were already suffering."

"Please don't," she whispered.

"Your best friend killed herself, didn't she?"

"No, no, no..."

"You went into the deep end. Heard you were admitted for suicidal attempts. You couldn't handle losing someone who accepted you."

"I did nothing to you." Sutton was angry now.

"You were bullied all of your life. Pushed around at school but at least you had her. Then, she left you and you left yourself."

"Why are you doing this?" Sutton could feel the rope around her wrists were getting looser by the second. She pulled more at it. Careful for Alice not to notice.

"You saw ugly things in beautiful people and beautiful people in ugly places."

"I don't deserve this."