The Illusion

Three

Blood stains your skin. Something new I'd learned in the I guess 24 hours since Zane left my room and I tore the outer layer of my dress off to try and clean myself up. It wasn't coming off. I didn't have enough water to get it off so I was just staring at it as the room burned orange with the sunset, slowly fading to black. If my math was correct, about a week had passed in total. Which means it was now early May. The sun sets around 8pm this time of year so it's got to be about 10pm. It's dark. My eyes have learned to adjust to it already.

Metal in the doorway had me looking up. It's too late for anything good. Dinner should have been hours ago and I never got a thing. I think I just accepted that I was going to be starved until I handed over the information he wanted. Information I didn't have. What happened after I give him the information anyway? He cannot think he can just drop me home with fresh scars days after he raped me and held me hostage, probably killed my dad.

The door opened slowly, a man's head bobbing in and I pulled my legs up to my chest. Maybe if I'm quiet, they'll forget I'm in here and I'll be okay. I was going delusional. Of course, you're not going to be okay Freya? Someone is sneaking into your fucking cell in the middle of the night knowing you can't run or get away.

"Freya?" I narrowed my eyes. "Pink Peonies." I can't have heard that right. The man walked into the room, pushing the door to and whispering. "Your dad sent me Freya. We're getting you out of here but you need to come now and be quiet. He said if I told you pink peonies you'd know it was okay to follow me. Something about a password as a kid?"

"Who are you?"

"We can do introductions later. Time is of the essence right now. Can you stand?"

"Um. Maybe." I shuffled down the mattress, standing up carefully. "Yeah. I think I'm okay."

"Good. Stay behind me." He grabbed my hand, turning back towards the door. "Silent okay? Even the slightest noise and this all goes tits up." I nodded, struggling to keep up with his giant steps.

I have no idea who this guy is. I've never seen him before. But there was very few people who knew about that password. Only people mum or dad trusted to pick me up from school. I wasn't allowed to go with anyone unless they knew that password. There had been 2 occasions when someone I didn't know showed up and they didn't have the password. 5 minutes later my mum showed up. No one else was supposed to pick me up that day. This password probably saved my life. If he had my password, he should be okay. Either that or I was leading myself into even deeper water. Is the unknown better than guaranteed hell?

The man slowed down, pulling our hands up his spine and holding me close. He stopped, barely moving his head around the corner as a collection of creaks descended the stares I knew were on the other side of this wall.

"Vance." Zara giggled. "Zane will kill you."

"He's preoccupied with his princess downstairs. Please Zara."

"You're actually begging to sleep with your best friends sister?" I could hear the snark in her voice. I liked Zara. She was so friendly. We weren't that far off in age really and had a lot in common. I knew something was going on between her and Vance though. How Zane hadn't spotted it already I wasn't sure.

"I need another way out." Password man whispered, the sound of wet lips behind the wall telling me Vance and Zara were making out on the staircase. I looked around the house, trying to remember what he'd told me when I first came here about his security. So, I felt 'safe'. He'd said. I think now he was trying to make sure I knew there was no getting in without him knowing. "No. Stairs are a no go." Who was he talking to? "Has to be ground floor." I tugged on his hand but he didn't move. I squeezed and he turned. I nodded my head back the way we came, pulling him, back through the kitchen and down the 3 steps into their garage, pointing to the door in the far corner. "Garage door. I need the electric shutting off Milo." Milo? What the fu- "No just the garage." He turned to me. "We're gonna have seconds to get out of here. Are they fresh? Can you run?"

"They're like a day old." He nodded. "I can run. I'll be fine." A single nod and I was being pulled to the door.

"Now Milo." The lights shut off and password man kicked the door, sending it flying open, wood splintering and shattering. Before I could even see if it stayed on it hinges, we were running, faster than I'd run before. We reached the black metal fence along the edge of the property and he grabbed my waist, lifting me up so I could pull myself over. He obviously didn't need the help, pulling himself up and over like some pro. The outdoor porch lights flicked on behind us, Vance shouting from the doorstep.

My bare feet pounded into the tarmac. I don't know where we're running to but with a gunshot ripping through the otherwise peaceful night air, I was pulled faster, dipping into a treeline and pulled into a car that didn't wait for me to get sat and fastened in. It was chaos. People talking over each other, gun shots blasting through a speaker. I was pulled into a seat, the light above our heads turned on as the wounds on my legs burned.

"Sorry. Should have warned you." He looked up and for the first time, I could see password guy. Neatly trimmed stubble covering what was clearly a very defined jaw. A prominent brow line that just reminded me of a Neanderthals' right now. Hair long at the front and short everywhere else. I couldn't really make out his eye colour, the lighting was terrible, there was too much noise, everything was hurting. "We can wait until you're back home to sort them if you want but they're bleeding anyway." I looked down at my blood soaked legs and scowled. I feel like I'm dreaming. In some nightmare where the world is burning down and you're just stood there paying attention to how burning flesh smells in the air. A hand grabbed for mine and I snatched it back, looking over at whoever was trying to touch me. "I'd give her some time Milo. She's in shock right now."

Shock? I'm in shock? WHY DOES MY BROTHER HAVE A GUN IN HIS LAP?

"Freya? Can you focus on me?" I turned my head back to password guy. "This is going to hurt a little okay? I just need to clean them up they're already not looking great." Ha. Infection. Knew it. I nodded. I can assure you, however much it hurt, isn't going to be as much as when it happened.

"It's fine." He wiped, looking at me to make sure I was okay. There was too much pain elsewhere for me to be able to focus on it. "I can't feel it." His eyes darted to Milo and back to me.

"At all?"

"I mean, I can feel the pressure but there's other stuff hurting a hell of a lot more than those right now."