The rest of the car ride was silent. I sat straight up the entire way and looked out my window. I thought that maybe this would be the last car ride I would ever have. I thought about how my family must be frantically trying to find me. I’m sure if I saw a TV my face would be plastered across every channel. I hope they were doing alright without me. I missed my nanny terribly. Even though I was a legal adult now and learned to take care of myself when I was six, mother and father kept her around because I loved her so much. Her name is Katie. She’s in her early 40s and is very beautiful. Her hair is a light brown color that flows down her back. When I was a baby I’d have to always have a hold on her hair in order to fall asleep. She must be crying her eyes out right now.
Grear and William were discussing where they were going to take me to shop. It seemed pointless to buy clothes, now. I wouldn’t be needing them much longer. But the mall was a perfect excuse to escape.
“Okay, here’s what we’ll do: we’ll go to the house, get some sleep, then I’ll take Gwen to the mall alone. It looks better than three men accompanying her. Then we’ll come back here and just fucking relax. Sound good, doll?” he asked, looking back at me through the mirror. I didn’t speak, but simply nodded my head.
Twenty minutes later we drove through a town. It was rather large with tall buildings and people everywhere. I thought, and hoped, that maybe he lived in the middle of town. Escaping would be easier, but I should have known better than that. As the town ended we drove about five miles further and came to a wrought iron gate. It was at least 15 feet tall. Grear stopped the car as William got out and unlocked the gate. Grear drove through it and stopped again as I watched the gate swing shut andw as locked by William. Once he got into the car we began driving up a huge mountain. Of course the road was paved very well, and the gate continued on both sides of the road. We kept driving for another 30 minutes until we came to the very top of the mountain. Another set of iron gates were at the top. Behind it I could see a mansion nearly as big as my parents’. It was reddish brown brick and completely beautiful. Again, William got out to open the gates.
The road continued in a circle around a beautiful fountain that had skeletal sea creatures carved around the edges of the fountain. The water rose very high and crashed down again. The grass surrounding the fountain was a very beautiful green color with several benches thrown about it in no particular pattern. I noticed that the gate continued all around the top of the mountain. I expected trees to be covering it, but the trees had been cut down. They ended a few yards from where the gate was. It was absolutely breath taking. I literally felt like I was on top of the world. Over the edge I could see around us. There was a river and two cities. I wanted to cry at the beauty I was seeing.
Grear pulled the car around to the front of the house. Once it was parked, we all got out. Nicky and Luke were, of course, arguing over who got to get our first. I glanced up at the house that must have been at least four stories tall. The front of it had two columns that rose to what appeared to be the third story, creating a dimensional look with the roof that was slightly lower than the rest. Around the house were different types of flowers. And as I walked up the steps to the large french doors, I thought that if I had to die, dying here would be okay.
“I’ll show you to your room. You can get some sleep and then we’ll go shopping,” Grear pulled me from my thoughts as he opened the door.
Once we all were inside, he shut the doors again. There was a gorgeous chandelier that hung down over a circular table with a statue of a woman on it. Behind the table was another set of french doors with flowers next to them. To my left and right were arches that seemed to lead to a regal looking living room and a sitting area. Two grand staircases, on either side of the center door, lead to a landing upstairs. The walls were off-white. The floor was a beautiful cream and black color, as were the stairs. The banister to the second floor landing was a dark wood.
“Come on,” Grear said, taking my hand and leading me to the stairs on the right. Then I noticed another set of stair cases beside those. He led me up the stairs until we reached the fourth floor. Once we were at the top he took me down the right hallway. It was plain, just off-white walls with a few doors on each side. We got down to the end of the hall and he turned left. “Wait here,” he told me as he opened the door and walked inside. He emerged several minutes later and came back with a black t-shirt and red boxers. “These are the smallest articles of clothing that I own. You can wear these when you sleep. I’ll wake you up in a few hours. The door behind you is going to be your room from now on. There’s a door inside that leads to your personal bathroom. The balcony doors open up, but I wouldn’t suggest trying anything. You’d probably fall and die or permanently damage yourself. Besides, even if you made it you’d have no where to go. You saw how long it took to get here. There’s no way of escaping. Sweet dreams.” He told me before he turned to go back into what I’m assuming is his room.
I turned around and opened the door. My mouth fell open. The room was a light peach color. The floors were the same as all of the others. There were glass doors at the end of the room that led to the balcony. To my left was a beautiful four postered canopy bed. It was white with silk fabric to make the canopy. The bedding was peach and white floral print. It looked to be a king size bed and was quite a bit taller than usual. There was a sitting area in the upper right hand corner of the room with a TV, bookshelf, and a few white chairs along with a white couch. In front of the bed was a door and another one on the same wall the entrance was on.
I walked into the one to the right of the bed first, which contained a very large walk-in closet. It was bigger than most bedrooms, with various shelves and plenty of room for hanging clothes. It even had a white vanity built into the right side of it. It was spectacular.
I then walked into the other door across from the bed. It was the bathroom, that was also huge. To the left was a wall with mirrors all over it. The counters were beautiful oak and the walls were painted white. The tops of the counters were white with peach speckles here and there, granite, of course. Two sinks were spaced out equally in the middle of the counters. Across from the mirrors was a shower that was big enough to hold seven people. It was mostly white, but the floors and walls inside of the shower were the same granite as the counter tops. To the left and right of the shower cove where two doors on either side. I opened the one to the right which contained a toilet that looked absolutely amazing with the same granite as the rest of the room. I walked to the other door. It was a closet with towels that were solid peach, solid white, and a floral print with a mixture of both. Across the room from the main entrance of the bathroom was a huge tub big enough to be considered a pool. It was amazing...even better than what I had at my parents’ house.
After I took a shower and changed into the clothes that Grear had given me, I made sure the bedroom door was locked. Then, I crawled into the bed and fell asleep almost instantly.
“Gwendolyn, wake up,” I heard close to my ear. I softly swatted my hand toward the voice, dismissing it. I was enjoying this sleep way too much. I heard a deep laugh and my eyes flew open.
“What are you doing in here!?” I yelled at Grear, as I turned around to face him.
He laughed again, “We’re going shopping, remember? Or did you change your mind?”
I looked at him now. He was wearing black dress pants and a long-sleeved, white button up shirt. His hair was spiked slightly, as well. He looked really nice.
“Oh yeah, I forgot. Do you have any clothes for me to wear there?” I asked him, hoping if he did they would fit better than the last clothes he gave me.
“Yeah, here,” he said picking up clothes from the bed. “I don’t know if they’ll fit or not. You have five minutes to be dressed and downstairs.” With that, he left.
I jumped up and quickly pulled on the jeans that actually fit me. I then put my bra back on and slipped on the purple t-shirt that was too big. Once my socks and shoes were on, I practically ran downstairs to meet him at the main entrance to the home.
“Ready?” he asked me as he unlocked the door and held it open for me. I nodded my head and walked out of the door.
Once we were in the car he made sure I was buckled and then pulled out of the drive way. I was glancing around at the beautiful scenery. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” he asked.
I turned to look at him, “It really is. It’s the most amazing place I’ve ever been.”
“What’s your favorite color?” he asked me randomly as he drove. I took note that the gate had already been unlocked.
I thought for a moment before I spoke, “I don’t really have one. I like most colors, except orange. I don’t like orange.”
“Do you like your room? I spent a pretty long time preparing it for you. It was mostly white and grey before I renovated it,” he spoke.
I was so shocked by this that I couldn’t stop my mouth from blurting it out, “Why would you waste your time and money preparing a room for me if you’re just going to kill me?”
Two things happened after I spoke. My hand flew to my mouth in shock and Grear slammed on the brakes, causing me to hit my head on the dashboard.
“What did you just say?” he asked in a very angry, but controlled, voice.
“I-I...nothing,” I said barely above a whisper.
He had parked the car and turned to look at me, but I kept my head down. “No, Gwendolyn. What did you just saying?” he asked again, slower this time, with a little less control.
I took a deep breath before I spoke, “I heard you and William talking in the car on the way here. You’re going to kill me while I’m sleeping. So I guess I don’t understand why you’d waste your time and money renovating the room if I won’t be staying in it very long.”
He was silent for a moment, then finally spoke, “You’re right. I am going to kill you because that’s what I was paid to do. I decorated the room for you because I thought you should at least enjoy it before you died.”
My breathing became shallow and my words trembled, “Why do you have to kill me?” I asked.
He let out a long sigh, “If you and Wesley get married, your families will basically own the United States. Your parents aren’t good people, despite what you’ve been led to believe. They’re cruel and disgusting and vile. They kill hundreds of people each day, and the ones they don’t, they torture. We can’t let that continue.”
“Then I won’t marry him! Please don’t kill me,” I found myself becoming desperate.
He shook his head and took a deep breath, “I haven’t known you for very long, but I’m already very fond of you. It will hurt me greatly when I kill you, but that’s what I have to do. I’m sorry. But, I promise you, you’re going to live before you die.”