The Dollhouse

Chapter 19: My First Week

Evelyn

Seconds turned to minutes, minutes transformed to hours, hours spread to days, and days combined into a week.

I had been trapped in the room for a week. Chained to the bed. Meals were brought to me by Hannah, who refused to talk to me, or even make eye contact with me. She'd set the tray on my nightstand and then leave the room. The click of the lock being the last sound I'd hear until another meal was brought for me.

At first, I had been thankful to be left alone. The previous encounter with Liam had left me feeling hopeless and frayed, like a part of me, the willingness to fight the brave woman I had been, taken away with him when he left in the morning before I woke.

After two days, the silence became deafening. Left alone with my thoughts was a nightmare I'd wish on no one. Did my parents miss me? Had a search team assembled? Would the cops even be able to trace me down? How long would Liam keep me? What would happen to me if he decided I was too much of a hassle, what if he didn't want me anymore? The thoughts consumed me, ravaged me like a starving animal who spotted the perfect weak prey.

I tried to distract myself with escape. I tried for a day to undo the lock to pick it apart with a Bobby pin that I found in the medicine cabinet. Needless to say, I failed. How people were able to unlock things in movies with them I will never understand. I even attempted to use it on the lock on the door. Pointless. Useless. Enraging. I ended up through the Bobby pin against the wall of frustration. It still lay in the same spot to this day.

Liam had not come to visit me once, which was a blessing and a curse. All I could think was he now he was plotting how to get rid of me, because I had become too much of a problem. The thought sent my heart into my stomach and nausea to overtake me.

I spent most of my days sleeping, which was what I was doing when Liam finally came back.

I didn't even bother to turn and face him, thinking it was Hannah's daily lunch delivery.

My body stiffened when Liam called out to me, "How are you feeling Evie?"

I sat up, turning in the bed to face him. He leaned against the door looking delightfully down at me.

"Fine;" I muttered afraid to say anything else, more afraid to say nothing at all. He was here for a reason, he'd let me know the reason soon enough.

"I hope you learned your lesson. Isolation is a terrible thing," he said to me. I saw the slightest facial twitch at his statement, the smallest shift in his eyes from sadness and then back to their normal green hue. "And trust me, there are worse places I could isolate you, so I trust you will not try to escape again, because I can assure you you will not like your next set of accommodations," and with that he sat down on the edge of the bed.

I sheepishly nodded at him that I understood.

He reached up and traced my jawline with his finger tips. "Such soft delicate skin," he cooed, then moves his fingers to grip an strand of hair and tuck it behind my ear. He smiled at me before getting up from the bed and moving to my ankle. Swiftly, he took the key out of his pocket and unlocked my ankle. "Much better," he said as the lock clambered to the ground.

I sat up, wiggling my ankle at the sudden freeness, even though a mild sting radiated around the area the ankle lock had been.

He held out his hand to me and pulled me off the bed and into his arms. He rested his head on mine and breathed in deeply, before speaking into my hair, "Are we going to be a good doll today?"

I meekly nodded.  My sanity was at risk now more than my desire to escape. I couldn't be trapped in this room any longer.

"Good girl," he said kissing the top of my head and the releasing me as he headed to the door. "Come along, Hannah is going to show you around."

I reluctantly followed unsure of my steps forward, like a newborn calf as we walked out the door.

Hannah stood outside the door waiting and smiling.

"I'll be in my office, be good Evie," he told me with darkened eyes as he kissed me softly on the cheek before walking away.

I turned to Hannah looking curiously at her. She had given me hope with her message, but after her week long silence I wasn't sure what to expect from her.

She led me through the house starting with upstairs. She showed me each "dolls" room, which were all similar to my own. She even showed me Liam's room, which was clearly the largest and had the most personal touches to it. 
She took me back to the library and showed me that the doors across from it led to Liam's office that under no conditions we were allowed in. We then went to the lower level where she showed me the same rooms from the week before along with a den that I had not previously seen.

"And that's the house," she said simply, other than the basement, "which I'll show you but I don't suggest going down there often. It's unfinished dirt floors, it's an old house," she continued as she led me down the stairs and into the darkness.

As we reached the last step and stood on the dirt ground she gripped onto my arm and whispered, close to my ear, "There are no cameras down here, but we have to be quick."

My heart seemed to beat out of rhythm at his words. Shock resonating throughout me.

"Please help me," I begged beginning to choke up at the hope I might be able to escape.

"I..." she began before she was cut off by Liam's voice calling down to us, "Hannah, Evelyn please come up here now."

I looked at her with pleading eyes as she started towards the light emitting from the floor above.

"Why are you helping him," I nearly sobbed grabbing her arm to stop her.

She took a deep breath and tuned to me and whispered, "Because he's my brother. He's not a bad person, just makes bad choices. I will help you, but we need to go up these stairs now," she said ripping her arm from me and taking the stairs two by two up to Liam.

Out of all the things she could've said this statement surprised me the most. I followed up the stairs after her, the revelation swirling around in my brain as I tried to make sense of it, wondering if I could really trust her to help me or if it was a trap.

What do you think? Do you think Hannah's intentions are pure or have some nefarious intent to them?

Please remover to vote, comment, and share! Your support really lifts my spirits.  Much love! 😘 xoxo