Full Moon Fiancé

False Imprisonment

Diana awoke in the same guest bedroom once again. She groaned as she moved her head, which throbbed in protest. She raised a hand to feel where she suddenly remembered that she had slammed into the counter. She had a heavy bandage over her left eyebrow.

“Ugh,” she murmured. Diana sat up, feeling a distinct sense of deja vu, except with more pain this time around. The sunlight filtering through the curtain into the room was also brighter, signaling that some time had passed and the day had well and truly begun.

After stretching tentatively and ensuring that her head would not literally explode from the pain, Diana stood. As she did so, the memories of the confrontation in the kitchen suddenly came back to her and she muttered “Joshua,” under her breath.

For a moment, it was all she could do to stand. She breathed in deep, steadying breaths.

“Okay,” she said in an undertone. “He’s… alive? But then why would he pretend to be dead?” She sometimes puzzled things out aloud to herself. It helped her think more clearly. She was known for it at her office. She was a reporter, having gotten a lucky break as a correspondent at a relatively large area paper. Joshua had set that up for her too, actually. The Westerlys knew everyone worth knowing. “His parents knew. But I didn’t. Was he hiding from me? But why would he do that?” She started to pace, slowly. The pacing and muttering had eventually gotten her a semi-private office space. It was disconcerting to others, but immensely helpful to her.

“No, that doesn’t make sense,” she eventually decided. “He wouldn’t have brought me back here. But he is obviously hiding from something…” She shook her head. “And why was he out in the… in the woods?” The memory of the giant dog that had attacked her made her shudder slightly. “Was that his dog?” But the Westerlys hadn’t had a pet in years. “Obviously he didn’t turn into a dog, or whatever, that was some kind of… I don’t know, fear thing. But where did the dog go?” She glanced out the window as if hopeful she would see a reddish brown shape out on the lawn, or perhaps a bespoke dog house. But the view was the same as it always had been, serene and calm and lacking in animals.

She was getting nowhere. Frustrated, and still ignoring the lingering pain in her brow, she stalked over to the door and opened it wildly, nearly causing it to crash into the wall with the force.

She was not as surprised as perhaps she should have been to find Trevor standing outside the door, arms crossed, an unflappable look on his face. What did surprise her, however, was the second person standing nearby.

“James?” she asked. He looked the same as ever, even though she had not spoken to him since the funeral, either. She suddenly realized all at once how completely Joshua’s friends and family had abandoned her when he had passed, and she felt tears prick her eyes once more.

“Diana,” he said calmly. “How have you been?”

She laughed hollowly. “Yeah, you wouldn’t know.”

“Diana–” she held up a hand to interrupt him. James had always been Joshua's other best friend. As children, Diana and James had had a friendly rivalry for Joshua's friendship. But Diana had always felt, deep down, that James would win. He had seemed to share some bond with Joshua that she couldn't match, perhaps because James also came from a wealthy, dignified sort of family. In fact, James and Joshua's mothers were also best friends.

“Save it. Where are the Westerlys?”

James hesitated, looking uncomfortable. Trevor stepped in, speaking in a clear voice, “They’ve asked that you remain in your room, for now.” Diana blinked, shocked and unsure how to answer.

“Uh, no?” Diana said, when she finally felt ready to respond to the ridiculous request.

“I’m going to have to insist,” Trevor said in the same infuriatingly calm voice.

“You can’t kidnap me,” Diana said, trying to keep her own voice equally calm, but failing to remove all notes of panic that rose through her throat.

“Diana, please,” said James. “It is not so dramatic. You’ll find plenty of clothes, and of course you have restroom facilities, and books. We can bring you any food or anything you may need. The Westerlys just need time to–”

Trevor made a noise in his throat that cut James off. He glanced over at Trevor.

“They just need to speak as a family,” he finally said.

Diana didn’t bother to mention that she had once been considered family. Instead, she tilted her head as she considered the two men standing before her. “What are you going to do if I just walk past you?” she asked. “If you stop me, then it is kidnapping.”

“Actually it’s just false imprisonment,” James said, a smile flitting across his lips. The smile faltered when he saw that neither Trevor nor Diana laughed. “Sorry, bad joke.”

“It doesn’t sound like a joke, it sounds like the truth. It sounds like the first truth I’ve gotten since I’ve been here,” Diana spat out angrily.

She took a step forward before she had a chance to fully consider her actions. On clear instinct, Trevor and James stepped in, blocking her path.

Diana stared at them for a moment. No one spoke. She held her breath.

“Fine,” she said. She turned on her heel and stalked back into the room.

She let the door slam behind her. In her head, she could hear Anna huffing slightly. Slamming doors was considered a very undignified thing to do, and therefore it was not the Westerly way. She felt a strange tug of satisfaction deep in her gut at the thought of discomfiting Anna, even as the sound of the slammed door caused her head to throb.

She barely had time to think, storming through the room without looking around. She opened the door to the large walk in closet. She closed the door gently behind her so that the men outside wouldn’t hear her, pressing an ear against the door for a moment to make sure she had not aroused suspicion.

When she was sure it was safe, she turned on the light. Looking up, she instantly identified the outline of the retractable attic ladder.

“If the mountain won’t come to me, I’m lucky I know this house inside and out,” Diana muttered as she pulled on the cord that brought the ladder down to her. “That’s the saying, right?”