Chapter 4 : Dirty Shower
1879 Words
Daphne
My stomach rumbled. I hadn't eaten much more than a few sandwiches and drank little more than a few glasses of water since I'd been in this nasty place. I had memorized every nook and cranny, every inch, and still had not found a way out other than the door. That door only let in my food and water source and little else.
Since there was no window, there was no way to tell how many nights or days had passed since my arrival. At first, the sounds bumping around behind the bedroom door frightened me, but after some time had passed, I used it as a way to gauge the routine of the place. It was erratic and chaotic with a lot of noise, but I gathered that more than one person frequented this place by the multiple voices I heard.
The long stretches of silence always left me to ruminate about home and how much I missed it. I missed the food. Although I was hungry to the point of stomach pangs, I did not want these lame, cheap meat sandwiches. What I really wanted was the gourmet food I had at the palace. My mouth watered in reminiscence of my favorite dishes.
I missed my bathtub and long, warm soaks in luscious soaps with a puff of perfume afterward. I missed my bed. The bed I inhabited in that prison was nothing more than a compressed sheet of springs with a thin blanket that wouldn't keep any part of me warm.
My thoughts drifted into sadder territory once the thoughts of physical needs left my mind. I missed my parents. A pang of guilt rippled through me as I remembered the fight we had before I was taken. Maybe I shouldn't have said the things I did, especially to my mother. Even though she was powerful, even she could not figure out–or cure–whatever ailed my little brother.
But most of all, I missed my brother Rhys and wondered if he had come out of his coma. Although there was not much even my mother could do, there was the slightest chance he could have snapped out of it. I wanted to hope he could, anyway. There was still a chance. That tiny chance gave me hope. I would get out of this pit of despair soon and see Rhys again.
I just had to be patient.
The sound of the door opening startled me out of my reminiscing, and I turned to find the boy charged with bringing me my food–another thinly sliced meat sandwich. Those things were starting to make me sick. I tried to hide my disgust. The boy seemed young and a little shy; perhaps I could persuade him to let me go.
I cleared my throat and offered up the nicest smile I could muster.
“Thank you," I said.
He nodded, setting down the water bottle and removed the cap and pushed it toward me across the table. As he always did, he had to turn to the door and lock it so he could undo the zip tie around my wrists and watch me eat.
It was always awkward. I decided to make use of the dead air that usually sat between us when we talked. He was not much of a talker, but if palace life taught me anything, it was how to strike up a fake conversation with a total stranger.
“I thought we could talk. No point being so quiet each time you come in here, right?" I said between bites.
He was a small guy, but so stern. He said nothing. I took it as an invitation to continue.
“I come from a wealthy family. I could get you anything you want."
“Not interested." He looked down. Judging by the holes in his sweater and faded jeans, it was clear that he was interested.
I took another bite and in chewing, used that time to let him think about what lavish wealth awaited him if he only did as I said and let me go.
“You wouldn't even have to help me out of this place. All you would have to do is open that door, even make it look like an accident. Any consequences Rion sends your way would pale in comparison to the rewards you'd reap if you help me."
He didn't respond, but instead mulled it over. His eyes wandered to the floor, to his threadbare shoes. This guy needed money, and I knew he knew how much money my parents had.
He looked me in the eye and said in the most culty monotone I had ever heard anyone speak with, “I don't have any interest in whatever the Dark King and White Queen have to offer. I will always be loyal to Rion."
I tried to hide my disappointment.
“Finish your food. I've got stuff to do," he said, pointing to the crusts on my sandwich.
I didn't feel like eating them, but I was hungry. I finished up the crusts and washed them down with the stale water. He hooked me back up to the bed with a pair of wrist cuffs and left me alone again.
What seemed a few hours later, I heard a bustle of activity on the other side of the door and then it opened again. It didn't feel like enough time had passed to be my next meal, and when I looked to see who was walking through the door, my heart thudded as my spine stiffened.
Rion stood in the door, his cold gray eyes were menacing. He stood silent for a few seconds too long, and I wondered if it was going to be the end for me. Instead of rushing in and killing me, he tossed me a bundle.
I flinched, assuming the worst, but found that the bundle he threw me hit my chest and fell harmlessly into my lap. It was a pile of clothes. I looked up at him, confused.
“You've got half an hour to change. We'll be on the road after that, so you'll need to hurry."
I stood up and let the clothes fall to the floor at my feet and mustered the most stern voice I could manage in my circumstances.
“I want to go home. Now."
He was silent. It unnerved me, but I continued.
“I promise I won't tell anyone anything. I just want to go back home to my family and never breathe a word of this to anyone."
He knocked his head back and laughed, and I could hear laughter coming from the other room. It was a whole room of these weirdos. I realized how difficult it would be for me to break out of the room and run. Even if I got past the door, I would have to contend with his gang.
“Listen, Princess," he said as he uncuffed my wrist. His voice was tinged with contempt that made my blood boil. “I'd have to kill you for my safety and the safety of my men before I'd let you go."
His steel gray eyes were menacing, but in that moment I saw something behind the veil of malice, but it was faint and nothing more than a glint–maybe even wishful thinking on my part. “After you're dead, I have three more Crimson Princesses to choose from," he added.
My heart sank. That glint of something must have been my imagination. I was dealing with a cold hearted monster.
“Why do you need any of us? Are you taking me to someone else? Why are you doing this to me?"
I felt sick at the sound of panic and hysteria in my voice. I tried as best I could not to cry as he sneered at me.
“I don't care if you bathe or not, but we're leaving in a half hour."
I jumped up so fast it made him laugh, but I didn't care. I needed a bath. I needed to feel human again, and a hot bath called my aching body toward it like a siren's song.
He nodded in a “come here" gesture, but still smiled at me in that mocking way.
“Come with me. I'll show you to the bathroom."
After he scooped up my new clothes from the floor, I followed him out of the room and into the living room area where several people sat on the two futons, immersed in conversation among themselves but ignoring us. He led me up a short flight of stairs to a loft where a large bed was.
He pulled an industrial door on wheels, closing us off to the people on the futons below, and turned to me. He gestured to the other side of the bedroom, where there was another door and gestured to it.
“Aren't you going to untie my hands?" I said.
He sighed and got behind me. I felt his breath on the back of my neck and the warmth of his hands as they worked to undo the zip tie. Goosebumps prickled over me.
The moment I was free, I turned to take the clothes from him and I went to the bathroom. As I closed the door, he interrupted.
“Leave it open."
“Are you a pervert or something?"
“I need to make sure you don't run away."
I sighed, but went into the bathroom, leaving the door open. I felt so exposed, but there was little choice otherwise. I reasoned that the shower curtain gave me a little privacy, so I dipped behind it and peeled off my dress.
To my surprise, I saw leftover bottles of ladies' soap and shampoo lining the shower shelves built into the wall.
“What the hell kind of woman would ever let him touch her?" I wondered aloud, but it was barely a whisper and hoped he didn't hear me saying anything bad about him. The last thing I wanted was for him to barge in when I was naked. I shuddered at the thought but moved on.
As I perused the selection that was far too vast for comfort, I remembered how charming and deceptive he had been at the ball in order to get my guard down. I hated how easy it had been for me to trust him, and it sickened me now that I had been so open about Rhys.
I chose the rose-scented shampoo and mint-scented body wash. I turned on the faucet as hot as it would go and waited for the steam to build up and relax my muscles. Then I stepped into the stream and let the water wash the layer of old sweat and grime off me.
“Stay strong, Daphne," I whispered to myself as I scrubbed myself. “I'm the daughter of Xander and Lena. I won't let some two-bit thug take me anywhere."
I dried off and got dressed behind the shower curtain, and when I pushed the curtain aside to get out, my hair was still wet.
I prepared myself as best I could to face my captor again.
- Writer
