Dollhouse

Chapter 7

She stayed in that bathroom for hours. The only reason she finally emerged was because her hunger had finally gotten the best of her. When she opened the door, she wasn't surprised to see the alpha wasn't in the room. She kept her guard up as she poked her head out the door to the hallway, glancing around before walking out. She walked down the stairs and turned right, finding another long hallway. It's almost like one of those scenes from a horror movie. The only difference is the lighting. Once at the end of the hall she took another right, stumbling upon the dining room and kitchen. There was a bar counter that acted as a separator for the kitchen and dining hall. The dining hall was large and open. Long, mahogany tables sat in the center. There were three rows of about six tables. Benches with a glossy finish served as chairs. The walls were a calming shade of light brown. There were skylights installed in the ceiling to allow natural light to seep in as it pleased. The kitchen was modern – sleek countertops and updated appliances. The countertops were granite, complementing the stainless-steel appliances. The floor was mahogany wood with a marble finish – matching the dining room décor. There was an island in the middle with a few backless bar stools accompanying it. Ana opened the fridge and the pantry, getting out ingredients for pancakes. She bustled around the kitchen, humming to herself as she worked. She had just finished her first batch, the delicious smell wafting over and around her, when she heard shuffling coming from behind the bar counter. Ana whirled around, but no one was there. She was turning back around when she saw a foot sticking out. She held in a laugh and put down the spatula before padding over. She may be cautious and guarded while she was held captive here, but she always had a soft spot for kids.

"Would you like some? I made too much batter for just myself anyway. The kids jumped, startled, before shyly nodding their heads. Ana grinned and stood up, heading back into the kitchen with the children following behind her. They scrambled onto the bar stools and watched her eagerly. Ana went back to cooking and humming.

"What song is that? It's pretty." Ana put the finished stacks of pancakes on plates and handed them to the children along with syrup. She then grabbed her own food and perched on the last available bar stool.

"I'm not sure. My mother always used to hum it whenever she cooked."

"Oh. My mom does that sometimes. She's really pretty. Is your mom pretty?" Ana smiled wistfully.

"The most beautiful woman in the world." They finished eating in silence after that. The children thanked her for the food and helped clear the table before scampering off. She washed the dishes and sighed to herself. Now what? She didn't want to risk running into that alpha, or anyone else honestly, but she also didn't want to stay cooped up in that room. She paced the length of the kitchen, trying to make up her mind. Well I could always- She thoughts were cut off by a massive yawn. Well I guess that settles that. She headed out of the kitchen and up the stairs, pausing at the top. Did I take a left or a right in that last hallway? Ana was severely directionally challenged, which explained why she was still with the wolves. When she'd been taken the first time, she'd woken up seemingly halfway through and managed to catch glimpses out the window of some of the surrounding area before they'd entered the woods. So, she had known if she could find the road, help wasn't far. But here, she had no clue what was around. Although she had been awake the entire journey, the men she'd traveled with had put her in the middle of the back seat, and used their stature to block the windows. She could see through parts of the windshield, but they hadn't passed any street signs. Before they'd entered the cars, the alpha had taken her deeper into the forest and out the other side to a long dirt road where the cars were waiting.

While she had beenzoning out, she'd taken a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in theentertainment room. There was a bright red popcorn machine in the corner, withplush recliners set at different heights like in the movie theaters in front ofthat. At the very front of the room, past the three small steps on the lowestrow of seats, a large, wall mounted projector screen took up almost the fulllength of the wall, with a few feet of wall space on either side. Ana staredwide eyed around the room. How in Hadesdid I even get here?! Stupidridiculously large pack house! I just wanna sleep dang it! Those chairs don't lookhalf bad though... Ana shrugged and grabbed the blanket folded neatly in thecorner before making herself comfortable in the last row of chairs. Her eyesclosed almost instantly and she grinned. Nope,not bad at all.