I opened my eyes slowly.
They were re-adjusting to the beam of lights streaming down in front of me. It felt like I was directly underneath the sunlight.
I didn't feel as disoriented like the time I was at that Halloween party, but my head still felt a little heavy. I tried to recollect what happened.
While I gathered my senses my head slowly rocked from side to side... and I squinted.
Was I in a basement? I tried moving but I couldn't. I turned to look down at my hands and they were tied down to a chair. My feet were also carefully tied to the legs of the chair too. I must have whimpered a little because when I did something moved in the background.
I tried figuring out where I was to no avail. I also tried releasing myself from the ropes but my hands and feet were firmly tied down.
My heart was racing while I tried to fixate on anything in the distance but I became frantic. The more fear crawled up my body the more I struggled. The more I tried to break free from the binds that held me down the more I started panting in a panic.
I started to move my body around aggressively and I screamed out for help but at that moment someone stepped forward. I was too baffled to speak up again. Too scared to ask who did this to me.
"You can't escape..." the voice whispered while I tried making out the lurking figure in front of me. But the light overhead made it difficult.
The person then leaned in towards me. I could only see the lower half of their face because of the hat they wore. Slowly they took off their hat and I noticed it was West.
There were mixed feelings brewing inside of my heart. I was supposed to feel a sense of relief because he was someone I knew, but since he had done something this terrible to me I realized something very quickly.
He wasn't here to help. That sinking feeling came again...
"What... what does this mean? Why did you bring me here? Why are you doing this to me?" I seemed to have gathered my courage to ask this much but I was shaking.
"Why?!!" I screamed out while demanding an answer. He stayed quiet for a while longer.
"It's... been difficult for me, you know..."
"What?" I said nervously.
He looked completely unshaken by my anger and fear... nothing I said up to this point was disturbing his emotions...
"I can't stand seeing you with anyone else anymore..." what was this guy saying? Confused, but still trying to understand, I stared up at him. He came closer to me and said: "no one else but me will do..." I exhaled. What was happening?
He continued speaking and said: "I've been in love with you this entire time..."
"It was hard finding you after you transferred... and it was devastating not being able to find you after all these years... but finally after a long time I saw you in the city... and I knew it was fate..."
I was trying to follow along... but my head started to ache.
"Truly, I love you... I'm sorry you got hurt earlier..." he leaned in to kiss my bandaged hand and I tried to evade his touch.
"Get away from me!!! Love?! This is kidnapping. This isn't love. This is about control... you don't love me... please... please... let me go..." I couldn't stop myself from saying my peace. I knew it would anger him. But what else could I do? When I was already this disadvantaged.
"I want to be with you so I had to do this. One day you will understand."
"What do you mean?"
"I will do anything for us to be together...."
"West..." he then got up and started to walk away. "West!! Please! Release me!" I tried moving around again but nothing seemed to work.
"I can't... because I love you."
"This... this is crazy! I can't be with you," I could tell that pushed him over the edge. There must have been a table across from me because I heard it crash onto the ground. When he pushed it over I could hear several items fall off it as well. I winced at the loud noise.
He ran back to me and then placed his hands on the arms of the chair I was sitting on.
"You will be with me. We'll always be together..." he then reached forward and touched the side of my face.
I'm sure a vivid, palpable fear must have glistened over my face at that moment, but he didn't see that at all. He just smiled at me blissfully while gliding his finger across my lip. I shuddered and looked away. I didn't know what I needed to do... but I would get out of here.
"Now you don't have to be alone anymore..." I looked at him and he seemed like he was in a trance... he smiled again. I tried to be calm, but I couldn't.
"What... what do you plan to do..."
"We'll travel far away together..."
"I... can't leave the people closest to me..." maybe bargaining would work? I didn't know if my words were stumbling out but his expression didn't change. He was serious.
"But... you don't really have anyone, right?" my heart sunk. What the hell was this feeling?
"Your aunt doesn't love you... and you can eventually get in touch with Rae again when you adjust..."
"You... what do you know about me?"
"Me...?" he smiled again... but this time I felt a quiver release from my lips. He didn't seem attuned to my disdain so he just reached out to touch my hair gently. He curled a strand of my hair in his finger and then said: "I know all of your secrets..."