Ten Days later
I have been stuck here for ten days. I haven’t spoken to either of them; I barely come out of the room. The first few days they tried without luck, in every way possible, to get me to talk or react to them.
I know it is starting to get to them, Tobias has been a moody asshole. He left three days ago and has been staying in the city, saying my silence is driving him crazy. This house is driving me crazy, so I guess he knows how it feels now. Theo, on the other hand, is always hovering. I feel his presence everywhere I go, always watching. Always trying to get me to speak to him.
I’m lying in bed when he walks in, “Breakfast, Imogen,” he sings out from the doorway. I ignore him and roll over, turning my back on the door. “It’s been two days and you haven’t left this room, Imogen. If you don’t eat today, I will be forced to tell Tobias you haven’t eaten.”
Pfft, two days is that all it’s been. I’m starving but I know I can last a lot longer. I refuse to give in. Either I get to go back to my normal predictable life, or I’m not talking or eating. Even despite the fact that the food does smell nice.
When he doesn’t leave, I sit up and walk to the bathroom and hop in the shower. This place is a mansion, but it is starting to make me feel claustrophobic. Despite its size and how beautiful the place is, it’s still my prison. I have walked the property and the house so much I’m surprised I haven’t actually walked tracks around the place.
I thought about running but Theo is always right behind me wherever I go. The first day, I tried to convince him to just take me home, but he wouldn’t go against Tobias. This place with its no neighbors, no passing cars, no people is lonely. I like the hustle and bustle of the city, but mainly I like the people, watching as they go about their lives. I miss seeing Tom, but mostly now that I haven’t spoken in over a week, I have been left to my own thoughts, and my mind always drifts to the one person I loved most in life. My mother. My life suddenly feels lonely and small without her in it and having no one to vent my problems to.
Getting out of the shower, I open the door and Theo is leaning against it. I roll my eyes and shove past him. “Tobias is on his way home,” I freeze.
I like that he hasn’t been here. I struggle the most around him. He is so hot headed and so am I. It always turns into a screaming match, or in my case, at the moment, me just glaring at him. I chuck my clothes on just in time to hear him pull up. Theo leaves to see him, I quickly walk over and lock the door, hoping he won’t want to break it, the same as Theo and leave me alone. No such luck, I hear him walk up the stairs, his feet moving quick. He doesn’t even knock, just kicks the door in.
I jump to my feet; Tobias walks over to me and grabs my arm. “Why aren’t you eating?”
“I want to go home,” I tell him, ignoring his question and trying to yank my arm free. His grip is too strong and his arm doesn’t even move. It’s like pulling on a brick wall.
“That’s not an option, you know this already,” Tobias growls, visibly angry. His eyes flick between their usual blue to black onyx. Tobias pulls me towards the door, intending to take me down the stairs.
“Tobias, let go, you are hurting me.” He lets go and instead, throws me over his shoulder caveman style. I smack his back once and only manage to hurt my own hand. Tobias slaps my bare ass and I jump; the sting is intense and makes my eyes water.
“You didn’t need to smack her that hard, Tobias,” Theo scolds him. I can feel every finger welting on my skin.
“She has to learn,” Tobias simply says.
“I’m not a fucking child; you don’t just go smacking people like that. It fucking hurt, dickhead.”
Tobias walks into the kitchen and places me on the stool in front of the breakfast Theo made, which is now cold. “Eat now or I will force feed you.”
“Like hell you will. I’m not doing anything you want, Tobias.” I snap at him.
Tobias punches the island counter, making me jump. I refuse to back down and stand up, walking back out. I know he won’t hurt me, at least not intentionally. I sit on the couch and flick the TV on. I can hear Theo and Tobias arguing in the kitchen but tune them out. Not being able to find something I want to watch, I give up and head back to the bedroom.
Theo comes up with Tobias and I sit up. “Just leave me alone, please.”
“If I let you go back, do you promise to grab your things and come back here?” Tobias asks.
“Yes,” I lie.
Tobias must have heard my heart rate pick up because he is standing over me in a second. “You’re lying,” He looks down at me. I really am a terrible liar, now even worse with their super hearing picking up my heart rate.
“I don’t want to be here, okay? I want to go back to work; I don’t want to stay out here till I drop dead, Tobias.” Tobias and Theo exchange glances. Tobias is about to walk out, clearly not going to let me leave, but Theo stands in the doorway. That, however, doesn’t stop him as Tobias barges past Theo.
“I will let Theo mark me,” I say softly.