“God you’re so perfect, little bug” his breath tickled my ear as he pulled away from the hug slightly to leave a small kiss on my forehead. I stepped away, breaking the hug as I remembered the reason I had come down here.
Heat rose to my cheeks as I thought about what I was about to do, “actually I, I came down b-because I got my period and I need your help” my voice was irritatingly quiet as I spoke but I knew he had heard by the glisten of satisfaction at my choice of the last four words.
“Of course princess, let’s go get you sorted” I hesitantly placed my hand in his awaiting one as he gently pulled me out of the kitchen in the direction of what I assumed would be a bathroom.
As we passed the sitting room area, I forced myself up against Noah’s back to avoid the dark hateful eyes of his brother. “It’s okay, he won’t hurt you princess, he knows his place now, don’t you brother” he spat with such venom that I found my stomach muscles clenching in dread.
“Sorry Embry” I barely heard it at first, his tone of voice made me think he had just cursed his brother out but the words he grumbled out were directed at me. “Ehm, it-its okay” I kept my face practically pressed against Noah’s back in search of safety as his top muffled my words.
I’ve realised that recently I become numb to situations relatively quickly after they happen, so it wasn’t not okay but I wasn’t sure what it was either. I had just about erased it from my memory despite it happening close enough to a day ago.
We continued down the hallway as I trotted behind Noah, I watched with caution as he entered the bathroom I had previously escaped from. Re-emerging with three sanitary pads I looked at him in disbelief. “Wasn’t really thinking too far ahead with this one I guess” he shot me a lopsided grin.
Frustration built up within me, “had time to get bailed out of jail, kidnap me but not buy period products” I muttered shutting the door in his face that now showed anger. Whoops, I think he heard me.
Begrudgingly I exited the bathroom well after I was ready due to my avoidance of Noah, I could only imagine his seething figure waiting to strangle me once I exited.
I yelped as my arm was yanked, my back being slammed into the wall beside the bathroom door, “I get your hormones are all over the place babygirl but you don’t get to be disrespectful towards me” his fingers gripped my jaw as he held my face at his eye level. Struggling to remove the painful pinching of his fingers, I pushed against his arms, “got it” he spit. “Yes, I-Im sorry” I whimpered out in desperation.
After glaring into my soul, he released his death grip as I rubbed my red skin in reflex. Still entrapped against the wall by his body I tried my best to shrink into myself. “We’re doing so well aren’t we little bug, let’s not ruin it now huh” his smirk holding a dark meaning.
Play into his game.
Play into his game.
Play into his game.
“Yes, we, we are, I should be more grateful, I’m sorry” my gaze fell to the ground hoping he wouldn’t see the insincerity that lay behind them. My body involuntarily flinched as his hand brushed back my hair, resting against the nape of my neck.
Resting his forehead against mine I gulped at the extreme closeness, one wrong move and I was a goner. “I forgive you, just don’t let it happen again, yeah?”, throwing out a weak smile, a small “I won’t” left my lips. “I’m going to run to the store to get you what you need okay? I should only be a couple hours, is there anything you would like specifically?” he failed to step back and give me any space as I felt his breath against my face.
He was going to leave? My body went into overdrive as I thought of all the possibilities this would lead to, “you’re leaving me here?” I questioned making sure no hopeful tone dripped into the words. “I’m sorry little bug, you just haven’t settled well enough for me to bring you with me” his voice was full of remorse as I feigned my best disappointed expression.
On the inside I was dancing, I could escape, for good now. “It’s okay, I understand, maybe could you get me those chocolate pieces with the nut cream filling” I innocently smiled while my brain spun with plans.
“Anything for you mi amor” he winked as he stepped back finally allowing sufficient air supply to reach my lungs. “Let me just tell Sebastian, then I’ll head.”
Sebastian.
Ohfrickidyfrickingcraponafrickingstickshit. Grabbing onto his arm I pulled him back to face me, I could feel my throat closing up at the thought of being alone with that assaulter, why had I forgotten all about him. “You can’t leave me with him” my eyes shone with unshed tears as I fought to keep myself composed.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay, he won’t do anything, I promise, you’ll be fine” this somehow felt worse than when he had broken into my house Saturday night. “For-forget about the shop, I’ll just use toilet paper, it’s fine really” my fingers persisted to clutch his top sleeve for dear life.
“Don’t be ridiculous Embry,” “Sebastian I’m heading to the shop for a bit, keep an eye on Embry please” he shouted into the sitting room as he released himself from my grip. My heart thumped against my ribcage painfully as I fought to catch up to Noah.
“Please don’t, Noah you said you wouldn’t leave me” I was near sobbing as I practically threw myself into him as he put his jacket on. “I’ll be back soon, be good, I love you” he leaned forward to leave a kiss on my forehead before stealthily slipping through the front door, locking it from the outside.
I slammed my hands against the door, my heart in my throat, “please, he scares me” the words were barely audible as I scrunched my eyes up. I didn’t trust Noah, he had kidnapped me, he had done unforgivable things throughout his lifetime and yet throughout my sheer panic there was a little pang of pain at his broken promise and blatant dismissal of my fear.
Feeling too unsafe with my back facing Sebastian I flipped myself around, my back pressed against the front door and my eyes glued to him, ready to anticipate any moves he may make.
About twenty minutes passed with me like that, my body shaking with anxiety against the wood of the door. “Embry, come sit down please, I can’t focus on my show with you staring me down like that” Sebastian called from the couch.
Too afraid to go against his wishes I slowly crept to sit in the seat furthest from him. When he called me his voice didn’t seem so angry anymore, it was more passive than anything but I couldn’t tell if that was a bad thing.
Every couple seconds I force my gaze away from whatever show he had put on to study him and convince myself he wasn’t going to try anything. I started following the show after I had let my erratically beating heart calm down.
Some parts of the show were crude and made me tense up with discomfort but others were funny. He even laughed on one occasion, the sound almost had me running to the front door before I realised it wasn’t a war cry. I must have gotten so enraptured by the characters that I didn’t notice how he would shimmy a couple centimeters closer to me every once and a while.
My body practically jumped out of my skin as his hand rested on my leg. Fear overtook my body as I felt myself break out in a sweat and that familiar feeling overtake my stomach. “Sebastian” he smiled at the look of horror that overcame my facial features.
“Shhh princess, you’re okay I promise” his hand slowly rubbed back and forth just above my knee. I felt that bitter flavour of bile rise in my throat yet again today. “Noah doesn’t need to hear about this okay, last time he hurt me and we wouldn’t want that would we” his eyes were threatening even though he remained smiling.
“Promise you won’t say anything princess” his touch got painful as his fingers dug their way into the skin of my leg. Balling my hands into fists at the pain I practically yelled out my acceptance of the promise.
“Good girl” his body scooted impossibly close to mine as I internally begged for Noah to come back and save me. It happened slowly, I could see his head lean towards my neck as his eyes slowly closed, his touch got lighter and I took the opportunity while it was there.
I jumped off the couch and ran, finding myself yet again in the hallway of the bathroom I had previously escaped from. “Embry, come here right now and I won’t be mad” his tone was angry making me believe he was lying. I spun to face him as he stalked towards me, twisting my head every which way I looked for something to help me.
And there it was. A lamp. Yanking it from it’s table and out of the socket I hurled it at the man standing less than five feet from me by the time it hit him. Groaning he fell to the group as a sharp smack sounded throughout the hallway. I peered trying to find the source of the sound, a shiny black square lying a couple meters from Sebastian’s unconscious body.
His phone.
Not giving myself a chance to think I picked it up before locking myself in the bathroom. “YOU B*TCH” he growled as soon as the lock clicked into place, guess I didn’t knock him out hard enough. Fumbling with the phone I swiped to his emergency call keyboard. My fingers shook violently as I kept messing up the numbers.
“911, what’s your emergency?”