Legacy

Chapter 2: First Attempt

As the smell of sizzling meat permeates the air my stomach twists and grumbles. The man places the lid on the pan and goes to the fridge to get a tub of vegetables and some juice. After placing them on the table, he goes back to the mirror to redress his stitches.

I lower my knees and my stomach does its impression of a whale mating call.

"Was that your stomach?", the man laughs. I cross my arms, trying to ignore both him and my appetite. He laughs again, carefully pulling a t-shirt over his head. I look up and he's right in front of me. "Come on. At least talk to me." I don't answer, just yank my foot forward, trying to get free of the chain again. "Silent treatment. Mature," he says sarcastically, as he plops down next to me.

"Asshole," I mumble, sliding away from him again.

"I have a name, you know," he says with an arched eyebrow, pulling his knees up to mimic my sitting position, with his arms wrapped around them.

"Don't care. You're still an asshole." I begin to chew on my inner lip. My mouth is so raw from all the gnawing.

I don't think I've ever spoken this freely around an adult. My dad would beat the crap out of me when I even so much as came home late. My teachers had no interest in me. Mason's mom was such a nice lady that I'd hate to insult her in any way.

This man speaks so calmly. He hasn't raised his voice at me. I don't know whether I should be relieved or cowering in a corner.

We sit in silence for awhile until he gets up to check on the noodles. He slides one into his mouth with a fork. "Ha-ha," he fans his mouth and swallows quick, "Hot. They're ready." The quick wink he flashes causes me to hide my face behind my hands.

He turns off the stove and walks back to the bed, looking at me expectantly with his hands stuffed in his pockets. I feel like he's a hawk waiting for the right moment to swoop down and catch its prey.

"Do you wanna sit at the table, or stay cuffed to the wall while we eat?"

I keep my eyes glued on the floor and swallow the puddle of drool that floods my mouth.

He sighs. "Okay," he mumbles to himself when I don't answer.

He walks back to the kitchen area to fill two plates, when I notice a spider crawling on the pillow beside me. I inhale a huge breath trying not to panic. The man comes back and holds the plate out to me.

"I-I'd like to eat at the table," I say, not taking my eyes off the spider.

Following my gaze, he frowns. "I should've guessed that you're afraid of spiders." He goes back and sets the plates on the table. When he returns, he reaches over to the nightstand and grabs a tissue. I flinch as he quickly catches the tiny spider and crushes it, tossing it into the trash can.

"You aren't afraid of spiders?", I ask, confused.

"Why should I be? I'm bigger than them." He reaches into his pocket and removes a set of keys. As he flips through them to find the right one he pauses and raises his eyes to mine.

"Don't get me wrong," he grabs my ankle and inserts the key, "if it was a black widow or something I would be a little scared." He turns the key and unshackles me. Placing the keys back in his pocket, he takes my arm and helps me to my feet.

I rise too quickly so my head spins and my vision is dotted with black spots. I squeeze my eyes shut and the man allows me to lean against his broad shoulder.

"You okay?", he asks after a second.

"Just a head rush," I reply, slowly opening my eyes.

He nods and walks me over to the table with so much care, I swear he thinks I'm gonna pass out. I plop down on the chair and place my elbows on the table, clawing at the roots of my hair. The man pushes my plate towards me, and sits down in the other chair. I raise my head to see him grabbing a napkin and spreading it over his lap. My eyes squeeze shut as I try to sooth my headache.