Chapter 11

Shivers swept through my body. The frigidness of the floor seeped through my clothing as I lay helplessly against it. I stared vacantly at the spider webs on the ceiling as I reflect on everything that had happen. Gone were the feelings of aghast and sadness that once overwhelmed me. All I felt now was nothing; a numbness of emotions that washed over me. Perhaps it was the result of being held captive for God knows how long inside the dark basement or maybe because I haven't eaten anything except for a few nibble on a toast. I didn't feel like ingesting anything coming from Mary Anne.

I turned to my side, facing the stairs. My cheek absorbed the cold thus relieving the pain of the purple bruise that had formed by Mary Anne's fist. The lack of energy combined with the freezing atmosphere was slowly causing me loose my grip on what was real and what was not. Whenever I accidentally fall asleep, I would wake up calling for Father. It was not until a few seconds later that I fully realized the graveness of my situation.

My eyelids blinked sluggishly as they struggled to remain open. I couldn't feel much of my fingers but I had no doubt that they had turned blue. Exhaustion took over me and I decided to raise a white flag and stop the raging battle going on between conscious and unconsciousness. Just as I was beginning to succumb to sleep, I was startled awake by a voice. My eyes trailed upwards only to widen at the sight before me. Lo and behold standing in front of me was Father. I beamed at him, thrilled to see him mirroring my smile.

"I knew this was all a dream," I slurred. Father got down on bended knees and traced a finger on my frozen cheek.

"Fight it, sweetheart. Don't let it bring you down."

I frowned at his words. "What are you talking about? Please take me home, daddy. I don't like it here."

Father leaned down to plant a lingering kiss on my forehead. I instantly felt a surge of happiness rushing inside of me. "I have fought for you, Aly, and now it is time you fight for us. I trust you."

My frown deepened, thoroughly confused by his actions. He slowly got up to his feet while his eyes never left mine. I tried to raise myself but I found my body not cooperating. Father started walking away, rendering me in a state of panic.

"Dad, where are you going? Please don't leave me!" I screamed. Father smiled sadly at me, his figure getting smaller and smaller.

"I love you, Aly. I know you can do this. Make me proud."

"Don't go! Daddy, please! Please," I sobbed to the ground as he completely vanished.

A startled gasp escaped my lips as my eyes snapped open. I studied my surroundings for any sign of another person's presence. There wasn't; I was still alone in the dark basement. It was then I realized I had been hallucinating but Father's sudden existence seemed so real. I could still feel his touch on my cheek and his kiss on my forehead.

"Dad, help me," I begged helplessly to the air. His words flashed through my mind in an endless loop. It is time you fight for us. He was right. I would die from hypothermia if I don't do anything about it and I refuse to grant Mary Anne her twisted wish.

With my spirits flared, I pushed myself up to a sitting position. First things first, I had to get out of these ropes. It was difficult trying to find anything sharp but I scooted around on the floor until I managed to grab hold of a broken piece of glass. I nicked my fingers in the process as I couldn't stop the trembling but the pain was welcomed. The pain chased away the numbness that took over me.

I nearly cried in relief when the ropes bounding my wrists gave away. My wrists were raw and red when I brought it to the front. I used the same glass to cut the ropes on my ankles. Blood dripped from my hands when I gripped the sharp glass tightly in my palms. I couldn't feel the pain though as the adrenaline rushing through me blinded it. When the rope snapped from my ankles, I tucked the glass into my back pocket in case I needed it.

I tiptoed up the stairs, careful to avoid the creaking boards. My twisted ankle protested in pain but I had to brave through it. Upon reaching the top, I pressed my ear against the door to listen for any movement outside. When I heard none, I tried twisting the knob. The door opened with a soft click, quite surprising me. Maybe Mary Anne didn't expect me to escape with my limbs bounded.

The sudden gush of warm air sent shivers down my spine. The house was equally as dark as the basement except for the dim light coming from the stairs. I reached for the glass piece behind me as weapon before proceeding down the hall stealthily. I was almost to the front door when I heard rustles of clothes behind me. I instantly dove behind the coat hanger. The heavy coats and jackets draping over it would hopefully hide me. Tristan trudged downstairs clad in nothing but boxers. He went straight to the kitchen, stuffing his face in the refrigerator.

I got out from behind the coats and took the moment of distraction to quietly pry the door open. My body had just slipped past the door when my shoulder was grabbed. I screamed, shoving the glass piece in the direction of my attacker.

"Woah, Adele, settle down!" Tristan gasped out, throwing his hands up to avoid the glass. I breathed hard, still pointing the glass at him. He took a step backwards as a sign of surrender.

"I mean no harm," he whispered. I lowered my hand at his tone. Tristan actually looked sincere and in my hazy mind, I believed him. I learned the hard way that looks can be deceiving. Not even a second later after I had put my guard down, Tristan came charging at me. He grabbed my arm and twisted it around, causing me to drop the glass in a mixture of pain and shock.

"Do not try to escape," whispered Tristan into my ear. I whimpered at the force of his grip on my arm. He pulled me inside and shut the door silently. Right before the door to my salvation closes; I swore I saw Chayton staring straight at us. I brushed it off as another hallucination I was going through.

"What the hell are you doing?" I spat out when Tristan began dragging me upstairs.

"Shut up," he retorted. My walking cast served as a good drag as I dug the hell of my foot into the floor and tried to wrench free from his grasp. Tristan grew tired of my struggling so he decided to sling me over his shoulder and climbed up the stairs.

"Put me down you imbecile!" I screamed but to no avail. I tried to kick him with my cast but before I could, I felt a pair of hands stilling my legs.

"Good thing you caught her, honey," resounded the voice of Mary Anne, "We have to lock her somewhere else."

Tristan shuffled around before climbing up on another set of stairs I didn't knew existed. When we reached the top, I was thrown down haphazardly onto the hard floor. My surroundings were dark but it smelled dusty and old. A soft click echoed in the room and my eyes were blinded by a sudden light. My retinas felt like burning as I have gotten used to the dark basement. I shielded my eyes against the light to catch a glimpse of Mary Anne.

"You are smarter than I thought," she sneered, "We will not have tonight's incident repeating, now will we?"

"Fuck you," I hissed. Mary Anne's smile vanished instantly as she handed a new set of rope to Tristan.

"Tie her hands tightly. I do not want to see this mishap repeating." Tristan nodded his confirmation at his mother's orders. Mary Anne smirked one last time at me before disappearing down the floor. I was left confused momentarily but one glance around the room told me I was in the attic. Tristan twisted my arms behind my back roughly before circling my wrists with the thick rope. I hissed lowly when he pulled them strongly against my skin.

"Why are you doing this, Tristan?" I whispered, "Your mother is a sick, twisted person."

"She's my mother," he answered simply.

"That's it?" I asked, amazed at his nonchalance, "You're going to abet in a murder just because your mother told you to? I thought you had a spine."

I grunted out loud when my face was forcefully yanked by Tristan's hand. He leaned down to me so our faces were nearly touching. "You don't know what we have been through," he spoke through gritted teeth, "We lived in poverty and by the streets like stray dogs."

"What about what my family has been through, huh?" I eked out with his hand clamped around my jaw, "My nine year old sister was raped and left for dead naked on the floor of her bedroom. I held her in my arms as she die."

Tristan's composure faltered a bit and his grip around my face slackened. He averted his eyes briefly before springing up to his feet. His mouth bobbed open and close a couple of times like a fish out of water but no sound was emitted. Tristan drew in a sharp breath before turning his back to me.

"Do not try to escape again," he warned as he climbed down.

"Wouldn't dream of it," I replied sarcastically, glaring at his tuff of blonde hair that was disappearing and the flap to the attic was drawn shut.

I lay on the hard floor hopelessly. My mind began reeling with methods of escaping but it was too blurry to come up with a brilliant one. Perhaps I needed some shut eye considering I slept just a few winks. I surveyed around, trying to find anywhere decent enough to rejuvenate myself. I saw an old piano bench a few feet away from me. My knees were wobbly when I pushed myself up to my feet. Collapsing on the dusty bench, I curled into a fetal position and let my mind drift into a blissful sleep.

Angry voices were the first thing my mind registered as I was slowly dragged away from sleep. Slivers of light entered the room through the cracks of planks nailed to the window. I swung my legs over the bench and perched on it, trying to blink away the cobweb of sleep from my brain. Enraged shouts and yells drifted into the room as my mind finally cleared up. I hastily crawled to the floor and flattened myself against it, hoping to catch the commotion. The conversation was awfully muffled and all I could hear were bits of words thrown harshly around. There were my name, two days, missing and jerk. I immediately knew that voice anywhere. It was Chayton, arguing with Tristan. So I wasn't hallucinating when I thought I saw him last night. My mouth opened, ready to scream for him but I halted when I realized the consequences. Chayton can never outstand two against one. Especially with Mary Anne's slick moves. He would get killed instantly, just like I would. I decided it wasn't worth to risk Chayton's life. I leaned back against the legs of the piano bench and thought of Father. It was the only thing keeping me from buckling under the pressure.

Although I only slept fitfully, my mind was fresh and reeling for an escape plan. If Chayton was correct, I had been held captive for two days which made today Thursday. Mary Anne will have her book club meeting before dinner and Tristan will come home after dinner because of his football practice. Tomorrow was my perfect and perhaps the only chance for me to bolt. I inhaled deeply and prepared myself for the inevitable. Come whatever may, nothing was going to break Alyson Fischer.

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