When You Saved Me

Chapter 31

Callie P.O.V

The second we turn the corner out of Tony's eye sight, Madame Beatrice's hand that had been firmly, but gently placed on my shoulder clenches and she digs her fingernails into my skin.

I grimace and try to pull away but she squeezes harder and turns me to face her, pinning me against the wall. I look up into her face, her features are twisted in contempt, the hatred in her eyes makes my blood run cold. Suddenly I am transported back to when my life was a constant of drugs and rape, and then being left in the dark cold in my own blood and vomit—her eyes remind me, and suddenly I am afraid. More than afraid, terrified.

"I know what you are you little whore." She says, spitting in my face.

I wipe her saliva off my face, and glare right back into her hateful face. Despite my fear, I will not give her the satisfaction of witnessing it.

Her eyes raise in amusement, "you may think you're untouchable here—the daughter of Tony Stark," she says in her thick accent, putting quotations around my Father's name with her fingers, "but you belong to him, you will always belong to him. I'm going to return you to him if it's the last thing I do."

Bile rises at the back of my throat—him, I know exactly who she is referring to and the thought of it fills me with terror, I need to get out of here. I create force with my hands and push it through my palms into her abdomen, causing her to fly across the hallway and crash into the opposite wall. I immediately dash up the wall and begin crawling along the wall as fast as I can to get away from this devil woman.

But Madame Beatrice is on me with shocking speed, grabbing the short curls on my head in a tight fist. "You'll go to your room and remain there until dinner, and then you'll behave as you always do. The Iron Man will never suspect a thing, or you'll have much more to be afraid of." She hisses through clenched teeth, dragging me by the hair down the length of the hallway and throwing me into my room, closing and locking the door behind me.

I run and pull on the handle but it's locked tight, I slide down defeated, sitting my back against the door and burying my face in my hands.

"This can't be happening," I sniff, wiping the tears from my eyes. I can't have just found a family to have it stolen from me so soon. I close my eyes and try to imagine twisting the door lock open. I sit like this for a good half hour but it is no use! My new found skill is simply not fine tuned enough to manage anything so complex.

I slump into the floor, defeated. Allowing myself to cry, and eventually sleep a restless sleep filled with dreams of him the purple man.
•
•
•
A few hours later
I jolt awake to Madame's claw like hand grasping around my slim arm and tugging me to my feet.
"It's supper time," she snarls, "mind what we talked about earlier. Only speak when spoken to, Tony Stark must have no suspicion." She said squeezing tightly, her fingernails cutting into my flesh.

I clamp my teeth together to keep the tears from flowing and nod sullenly.

I follow Madame Beatrice down to the dining room and find my seat at the table. My dad looks up from his drink, his eyes brightening when he sees me, "hey kiddo, how was your day?"

"Fine," I shrug, doing my best to add a numb smile.

"See?" Pepper nudges Tony, "I told you this would be better for all of us." She smiles glancing at me briefly before kissing my Dad's cheek affectionately.

I roll my eyes, propping my elbow on the table to rest my chin on.

"Callie elbows off the table," snaps Madame Beatrice before placing everyone's meals down and handing me a glass of milk. "Be sure to drink all your milk, it makes your bones strong."

I look at the milk, distrustingly. "I don't like milk." I state, which is a lie, but there's no way I'll be letting whatever she slipped into my beverage pass my lips.

"What? You love milk!" My dad says tilting his head in confusion.

"Not that milk," I hiss. Tony's face is concerned but not convinced.

Madame Beatrice pinches my thigh with her sharp fingernails, and I'm certain she is breaking skin.

"Where I'm from a child who speaks against their father would be severely punished," the woman spits with a malice so hateful that even Dad is taken aback for a moment.

He gives her an awkward half smile and says, "well we don't do that around here, but Callie you're being silly, just drink it."

"Okay fine!" I blurt, my frustration peaking, "but don't blame me when it all goes to shit!" I say before gulping down the cool white liquid.

Both Pepper and Madame Beatrice gasp at my language while Tony stifles a laugh, "it's milk, you'll be fine."

But already my head feels a slight fog rolling in, but I decide to just ignore it, perhaps I am just being paranoid—who's to say tonight is when he plans to steal me back. I turn to my food and start to dig in; it is, as always, delicious. But when you've gone your whole life eating literal garbage I suppose anything would taste amazing.

When I'm about half way through my plate I'm suddenly hit with a wave of exhaustion, I find myself drifting off right there on the table. For a moment I'm confused, I look across the table at Pepper and there is a slight smirk on her lips, I glance down at my setting and remember the glass of milk. I look from the glass to Madame Beatrice who raises her brows at me indignant, I shake my head delirious, "I knew it." I whisper horrified.

"Whats that Callie?" Dad asks, looking up from his plate, but I can't muster a response, the whole world is lapsing into darkness and I feel myself slipping.

"She's just tired," comes the strong Russian accent, " she did not nap today."

Liar

"I'll put her to bed." She says lifting me into her wiry arms.
I try to protest but it's no good. She brings me to my room, placing me on the bed, "I'll be back for you later rabbit." She says with an evil smile before leaving the room and locking the door behind her.

I stare at that closed door praying that my Father will sense something off and come find me, but he doesn't.

'This is it' I think to myself before the world sinks into darkness.