Captive in Plain Sight

Treisprezece || Better

Mila stepped off the treadmill and wiped her face with a towel Raul handed her.

"New best," he said pleasantly.

"I know," she replied. "Three whole miles." It was the furthest distance she had run in her entire life, and she hated every moment of it. She was not a natural athlete.

"You're close," he said. "Alec will be pleased."

Not that they were friends, but she appreciated his encouragement. The two of them spent a lot of time together recently, and both their lives revolved around her workouts. She knew Raul was only encouraging her because he was just as tired of being inside as she was.

Alec kept her inside all day with nothing to do except exercise. He even restricted her access of the house to her room, the gym, and the dining room when he permitted.

After showering, and changing back into the clean, boring clothes she had worn for weeks, Raul waited in her room for her daily measurements. Ritually, he measured her arms, thighs and waist in front of what she called the 'Mirror of Rules." At first it felt like a huge invasion of privacy, but she was becoming accustomed to giving up control of her life.

It had been 42 days since Alec demanded she lose precisely a half inch from her arms and thighs, as well as two inches from her waist. Forty-two days since she had any access to the outside world, minus phone calls to her parents.

He made sure she spoke to her parents often, in order to not raise any red flags. As far as they knew, she was still living in her apartment and working at Daniel & Watson. Alec was smart, she had to give him that. She hated the gym. Before living with Alec, she made sure her apartment was in a walkable neighborhood so she could get enough exercise and avoid the gym altogether.

To her surprise, it was Raul who helped refine her workout plan. In addition to more cardio on the treadmill, he suggested weightlifting to help with her arms. At first she scoffed at his help, but realized she needed it if she wanted to leave the house this century.

Raul was her only company, minus her dog (who she named Henderson,) and it was driving them both crazy. Henderson quickly became her everything. She was lonely, and no amount of compartmentalizing her emotions would change that. He was the only thing that made her happy.

One evening while they were dining, she had a particularly frustrating day.

"Freaking dog!" Alec yelled across the table, making her jump.

A small yellow puddle appeared where Henderson once stood. It was the first time she smiled in weeks. The little dog looked at her with big innocent eyes. You and I are going to get along just fine, she thought, as Alec carried him away.

She reveled in the fact that Alec could control her, but he couldn't completely control the actions of an innocent animal. 

They only had meals together once a week, and each time she prayed he would tell her it was over. She actually began looking forward to the little time they spent together at dinner, because it offered a break from her monotonous daily routine. It also offered the potential promise of freedom.

Once, she asked him why they spent so little time together, and he simply replied,

"Business. You're going to have to work for my time and you haven't earned it yet. No one appreciates anything as much as something they have to work for."