***
I sat in the empty, bland room waiting to hear the footsteps of the others, letting me know of their presence and the morning. I sighed, picking at my fingernails as I watched the rosy sky through the slim eye of a window at the top of the wall above my scrawny bed. I was blocked, I didn't know really what to do in the meantime. I didn't trust my surroundings enough to sleep, but I didn't want to sit here for hours alone with my thoughts. I looked on the dusty floor of the dark room, noticing the dark, brown stains that infiltrated the wood. I saw scratchmarks, tallys on the lower part of the walls. I guess I wasn't the first one to be thrown in here.
I jumped at the sound of three solemn knocks on the door.
"Angelina?" It was a female voice, one that I didn't expect to hear.
"Katie?" I answered, standing up.
I rushed over to the door, and shook the locked handle. I didn't realize I wanted to see her until I heard her say my name, she was just the person I wanted to be with right now.
I heard the smile in her voice as she continued to speak.
"Are you okay?" Her voice was rushed, and relived as her voice neared me through the door.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." I grinned.
I pressed the side of my head against the door so I could hear her soft voice better.
"Are you?" I paused, focusing on her answer.
"As good as I can be." She answered through the door.
I sighed. I wanted to see her, I only felt really safe in her presence. I felt a bit betrayed by Kandy... I don't know why. I think it was because of the way she enjoyed how Bill treats her, it's like she acts out just to be punished by him. The look in her eyes as he tapped the ash into her mouth made me a little sick... she looked like she was in love with him. In love with the way he treats us.
"When will they let me out?" I whispered, looking down at the handle in my hand.
I heart her exhale shakily, tracing her fingertips on the door. "I don't know.. but I heard them talking about you. I would think later this morning; it's quite early now."
I nodded, letting her voice sink into my skin. "What time is it?" I asked, glancing over to the faint shine of the sun through the window.
"Oh, 5:57." She took a breath. "They'll be up in a few, I should get back to my room." She hushed apologetically.
"Wait, what did they give you yesterday?"
"What?" She asked, approaching the door again.
"Bill..." I cringed as I said his name, remembering the circumstance. "He told Tom to get the psychedelics, and then he took you away- why? What did he give you?" I asked, my voice rushed. I had been dying to know, I was scared they were gonna kill her.
"Oh.." she answered, deep in thought. "They sedated me with LSD." She murmured.
"But why?" I pressed. Maybe she didn't even know herself.
"To.. I don't know. I think to.. to like turn off my brain. Get me to sleep." She explained. I heard her voice trail off, soon becoming silence. "Im sorry." She interrupted herself.
"What?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing at her apology. "Why?"
She sighed, a long breath through the door. "It was staged."
My heart clenched. "What was staged?" I held my breath.
"Bill gave me a gun, and told me to kill him." She paused. I heard as her nails picked some of the paint off of the door, her words long and exaggerated.
My throat was tight as my mind raced with confusion. "What?"
"He told me to kill him in the hallway, so I tried. Then, Tom grabbed me, and whispered in my ear. 'Throw it to Angie.' He told me, so.. I did. I threw it to you, and you pulled the trigger." Her voice broke. "But there was nothing in the gun."
I felt my nose burn as my eyes watered. "So, you're saying-"
"He just wanted an excuse to hurt you, punish you.. touch you." She interrupted me.
I pursed my lips, swallowing back tears. He was sicker than I thought, setting it up just to scare me.
"He was never going to touch me." Her voice trembled. "He wanted you to interject."
"To save you." I carried on.
"So once you did, he took his "anger" out on you instead of me. But he planned it all, he knows you care about me." she sniffed. "He's just using your purness to hurt you."
I stayed silent with thought, my bottom lip quivered as my eyes watered.
"He's using your good heart against you." She explained. "I'm so sorry." She apologized rapidly. I could hear her broken heart through the door, trying her best to assure me she was actually sorry.
I sniffed, wiping my eyes quickly. "It's okay." I pressed my forehead to the door. "I forgive you."
I bit my lips, and squeezed my eyes shut.
"Angelina?" She said.
I held my mouth, trying to hold back my cries. So early in the morning.. I was really bored of always having a reason to cry. I felt embarrassed, like ot wasn't a big deal and I was just a fucking baby.
"Hm?" I hummed.
"You'll be okay, right?" She begged.
"Yeah." I brought my hand down from my mouth, exhaling. "You should get back to your room before you're caught." I stepped away from the door, my hand still gripping the handle. "I don't want to get you in any trouble."
"Ang.." she started.
"It's okay, just go." I whispered, my voice somber.
I walked to the other side of the room, and pressed myself against the wall as I heard her slow footsteps trail away from my door.
"I forgive you." I muttered to myself, leaning my head back against the wall, and closing my eyes as I did so.
+++
"Rise and shine." I felt warm breath on my face.
I opened my eyes, not realizing I had fallen asleep. My room was bright now, it had been a few hours. My neck was killing me, as was my back. I squinted my eyes as I looked at the person hovering over me, I didn't need to see them to know who it was. I was so out of it I thought I saw stars, but they were just Tom's eyes.
I pushed his large warm hand off of my shoulder, only for him to take my hands.
"What're you doing?" I snapped, trying to pull back.
"Helping you up." He muttered, his voice low against my ear.
I groaned a little bit as I stood up, my bones sore. My heart was still tight as I remembered what Katie told me, Tom was in on it too. I shoved him off of me, and rubbed my eyes. My gaze was interrupted by a large figure in the doorway, and my heart practically stopped as I locked gazes with him.
He pushed himself off of the doorway, his eyes still locked on me. They scanned my body, resting on my bruised hands. Tom took a step closer to me when I looked away from Bill and to him, my eyes narrow. He took my elbow as he maintained eye contact with me, his eyes hard.
"Walk." He said, leading em towards Bill.
"No." I said, pursing my lips regrettably almost immediately after.
"What'd you say?" He raised an eyebrow, Bill's stance going from relaxed to threatening.
"Nothing." I murmured, following him as he pulled me.
I couldn't look at either of them, it broke my heart to. Bill grabbed my wrist, dragging me from Tom's grasp. His hand was tight, it cutting of circulation. I didn't say anything though, I didn't react. I just stayed quiet as he pulled me from the room, down the hallway where it all happened. My heart tightened as he turned the corner into the room he took me into yesterday, where I just barely avoided being violated. He shut the door, and shoved me deeper into the room without word.
He locked the door, and spun the key around his two long, slender fingers. He didn't have any makeup on, no jewelry, nothing. His hair was still pulled back, and he was still in his pj's. He didn't look threatening at all, but I knew it was smarter to still be afraid- because i knew what he was actually capable of. He put the key in his pocket, cracked his fingers, and looked at me. I didn't dare look at his face, I just stood there completely frozen.
"Talk." He demanded, his voice soft and he sashayed over to me. I hated how graceful he was, he carried himself so swiftly.
I didn't know what to say, I didn't have anything to say. Fuck that... I had so much to say, but I couldn't say any of it.
"I dont.." I started with a whisper.
"Hm?" He urged, his fingers flicking a curl off of my back as he walked past me.
"Nothing to say." I replied, my voice hushed as I stood frozen.
He came up to me from behind, bending down to whisper in my ear. "Liar." He snapped.
I pursed my lips as his cold voice ran down my spine. I hated how he had this effect on me, i hated him.
"Remember what i said?" He asked, his fingers twisting a curl. "I hate liars." He mumbled down to me, coldly.
I stepped away from him, and turned around. I looked up at his eyes, they were robotic and emotionless.
"Just stop lying." He ordered.
"I'm not." I gritted my teeth.
"I know you have a lot to say, all the time." He pulled his hand out of his pocket, and raised a small notebook.
My eyes widened, and my crossed arms fell to my side.
"How'd you get that?" I breathed.
I looked at him horrified as he held the little journal that housed all of my secrets, my emotions, the events of my past.
"You're easy, Angelina." He smiled, his teeth a gleaming white as his piercings twinkled. "I was in your apartment with you, and you didn't even know it. You're so oblivious." He exposed, flipping through the pages. "And my oh my do you have some nasty thoughts." He smiled, raising a page up to his face.
"Put it down, please." I begged, knowing I couldn't do anything but talk him out of it.
"Oh I've already read all of it, darling." He licked his lips.
'No.' I thought to myself, my heart racing.
"It was quite interesting." He looked down at me, his eyes a beating brown. "You need to pay attention to your surroundings." He pulled a few pictures out of his pocket, and put them in my hands.
I looked down at them, they were all of me in the shower, of me bloody on the floor, sleeping, my wardrobe, my home address, pictures of my billing information, almost everything about me. Pictures of me walking around town, driving, eating in the restaurant. The last one was a picture of him laying next to me as I slept, his hands on my body. I looked at them, growing sick.
"And you never noticed." He reminded.
I slowly looked up at him, my eyes wide in horror.
He was satisfied, his expression happy and vibrant. His skin was glowing, as were his eyes. I was speechless, I felt physically ill looking at everything he had on me.
"You stalker." I choked.
"You're not flattered? You have an adimerer." He licked his plump lips again, toying with his piercings.
He traced his fingers down my arm to my hand.
"You can't leave me now. I'll always know where you go, where you are, and what you do." His smile faded as I became more horrified. "I'll always be where you are, you'll never be alone."
I swallowed back tears.
"Was it you in my room last night?" I choked out.
His eyes hardened. "Someone was in your room?" He gritted his teeth, and wrapped his hands around my wrist.
"You're not staying in there anymore." He muttered, smiling devilishly. "My bed is big enough for two."
My eyes widened.
"Never alone." He whispered, his eyes ill with wicked intentions.
***