The Perfect Emma

Chapter Nine

Emma Mabel

Emma stared in the mirror of the bathroom in the basement. Her short, brown hair stared right back. Normally, she would be crying. However, after being gone for what seemed to be over a day, she was practically all out of tears.

Instead of Emma Mabel looking back at herself in the mirror all Emma could see was Emily Matthews - someone she wasn't. Someone who was supposed to be Aaron's wife. Aaron kidnapped his wives. Disgusting.

Emma would be angry - if it wasn't for the fact she was supposed to be one of them.

Before leaving for work this morning, Aaron instructed that she was not only supposed to clean up to basement and do laundry, but she was also to make him all of his meals - starting with dinner. If he wanted meals? Fine.

Since the clock read that it was close to dinner time, meaning he would likely be home soon, Emma immediately began to start working. However, she wasn't just going to cook for him willy-nilly. No- she was going to go ahead and pour bleach in the dinner as well.

About the time Aaron arrived home, Emma had a bowl of spaghetti and garlic with a side of bleach ready for dinner. She placed the food on the table in the basement and watched as he walked down the stairs and over to the table. "Hey there, Emily." He said happily, sitting himself down.

Emma merely beamed back towards him. "Hello." She said, sitting down across from him. She crossed her arms and reached out for a piece of garlic bread - something she didn't cook with bleach. Emma chewed on the bread and watched Aaron closely. Aaron tilted his head and watched Emma's actions, taking a piece of bread for himself.

"Want some spaghetti?" Emma asked, reaching her hand over for the spoon.

Aaron tilted his head and nodded towards the spaghetti. "After you," He said with a smile, continuing to chew on his piece of garlic bread. A part of Emma wished that she had poisoned the garlic bread.

Emma froze slightly. She stared down at the spaghetti and stirred it around. Seeing Emma's reaction, Aaron's happy expression immediately deepened. He set down the piece of garlic bread on his plate and pushed himself up to his feet. He walked around towards Emma and grabbed her jaw with his hand, turning her head. "You put something in it, didn't you?" He sneered with annoyance. He squeezed her jaw, and she knew it was going to bruise. Emma merely whimpered. "I told you I would be easy on you the first day, Emily." Aaron took a sigh as he pushed Emma back slightly. Her chair toppled over onto the side and she was able to catch herself with her hands, though it hurt. "Welcome to day two." He muttered.

With wide eyes, Emma began to scramble off of the chair and onto her knees. The dress got on her way as she tried to stand up, and therefore she was on the floor for longer than she expected. A part of herself was thankful that the dress held her down, since the glass bowl of spaghetti went flying over her head towards the wall. Emma gave a scream and covered her head as spaghetti and glass shards flew out from the impact zone - including on herself.

Emma's heart beat rapidly as Aaron merely stood, free from any spaghetti. He clenched his hands into fists as he stared down at Emma with both disappointment and anger. "Clean it up." Aaron nodded his head towards the mess. "I'll be back down in an hour. I expect it to be spotless."

Her body shook in fear as Aaron turned around and made his way up the stairs. Not wanting to be victim number two, three, or however many came before her... Emma immediately began to do as he demanded. She started to clean up the glass and spaghetti, throwing it away in a trashcan. However, considering the fact there was broken glass, Emma decided to keep a piece for herself. She stared down at the glass and quickly shuffled off to her bedroom. She stuck the piece of glass under her mattress before returning to clean up the rest of the glass.

Now that it was spotless, Emma sat herself down on the table and blinked her eyes. She did her best to try to process not only what had happened but what she needed to do to get out.

While Aaron was gone at work, she inspected the door for herself. Unfortunately the door was not bolted with a key but with a combination. Emma would have to learn the combination if she was going to escape herself. Therefore, stabbing Aaron whenever he came downstairs wasn't an option in the slightest.

Hearing the door click open from the top, Emma froze. Aaron made his way down the stairs and stared over towards Emma with disappointment again in his eyes. He turned his body and immediately began to walk towards the bedroom.

Emma could feel the hair standing up on the back of her neck. She stood up and scampered after him, only to watch him lift up the mattress and snag the piece of glass that she had just placed there. "Sit down." He demanded, anger evident from his body.

Shit.

Slowly, Emma sat herself down on the mattress. She pressed her legs together and kept her eyes on the ground, avoiding any and all eye contact. "Let me make this clear, Emma." Aaron spoke her name, her real name. He knelt down in front of her and made it so that Emma couldn't avoid his eye contact. He reached out with his free hand and snagged her jaw. Emma stared at him with fear as he waved the piece of glass around. "This is your last warning. You cannot hide things from me. I'm watching, regardless of whether I'm in the basement."

...Cameras...

Emma remained silent as he squeezed her jaw in anger. "The only way you will live is if you obey, listen, and become the perfect wife that I know you can be. If you can persevere, then I know you will be the perfect Emily." Aaron waved the piece of broken glass around. He began to inch it closer towards Emma's face, to which she tried to pull back but he held her jaw. "There is no help for you outside of my arms, Emma. You can't turn to the police because I am the police. They know, Emma. They know and they don't care."

The pit in her gut became bigger and bigger. The police knew about him and everything he has done... but they do nothing?

"Now," Aaron cleared his throat and pressed the glass against her cheek. Emma winced and remained still, hoping that the little movement won't cause the glass to cut her. "This is the last time I will use your birth name and this is your reminder." He slowly began to drag the glass down her cheek. Emma whimpered and winced as she felt pain from her cheek as well as warm liquid dripping down her face and into her dress - the dress she had just changed out of because of the spaghetti.

Aaron pulled the glass away and pushed himself up onto his feet. He crossed his arms and watched as Emma cradled her bleeding cheek. "Perhaps, in the future, if you've cleaned up your act, Emily, I'll take you outside of our home. However, until then, you'll be staying right here." Aaron turned himself around and began to make his way out of Emma's bedroom. He glanced over his shoulder and shifted his gaze towards the fridge. "No more food for the night." He stated simply. "That is punishment for ruining our dinner as well."

Emma sat still on the bed, shaking slightly as Aaron made his way up the stairs. She pulled her hand from her cheek to only see blood sliding down her palm. Emma pushed herself up onto her feet and made her way towards the bathroom. She stared at herself in the mirror and shook in fear as she pressed a towel against her cheek. The gash was huge and Emma was afraid it would scar - though she had a feeling that was what Aaron wanted to do. Make her look different.

She was starving - especially after all of the crying and the attacks after the night... but Aaron scared her more. Emma's eyes gazed towards the fridge for a moment before heading back to her bedroom, the towel pressed against her cheek. She pulled off her dress, knowing full well that Aaron was likely watching, and changed into nighttime clothing that he provided. Emma slipped into the sheets of the bed and kept the towel pressed against her wound.

Though all she wanted to do was fight back against Aaron for her own survival she also had a feeling that listening to him would more likely lead herself towards her survival as well. Therefore, as much as Emma didn't want to, she began to start listening.

There would be no eating the rest of that night. There would be no more disobeying Aaron. There would be no more fighting back. Her time to fight back would be when she was allowed outside of this basement, like he promised. And that? Well, that could take months.