Be Quiet and Obey

Chapter 24 - Perverted girl

Guilt was not an emotion Evie was overly familiar with.

From the moment she opened her eyes, she was immediately flooded with memories of last night.

Vivid flashbacks replayed in her mind causing her skin to prickle and her face to become hot. Rex's toned body pinned her down, his body gleaming as it was slick with sweat. His rough, husky voice filled her ears as he demanded things of her. Things in which she was all too eager to comply.

Evie groaned and viciously shook her head against the pillow. If her self-loathing wasn't bad enough, the pounding headache and knots in her stomach were enough to make her physically sick. Despite being alone in the bed, Rex's earthy scent clung to the sheets. Repulsed by the confronting reminder, she quickly abandoned the crime scene and headed for the bathroom.

Catching a glimpse of her frazzled reflection in the basin mirror, she yanked Rex's t-shirt over her head in a huff. The large shirt was hastily discarded, as though it might burst into flames at any moment.

After a long, hot shower she dressed in casual clothes and pulled her hair into a ponytail.

Her eyebrows raised at the sight of the familiar glasses on the bedside table. Since Branton would never allow her to wear them it was obvious that Rex had put them there. Putting them on she sighed, they felt like such a luxury compared to the contact lenses. With her clear vision, she warily eyed the open bedroom door. Torn between not wanting to face Rex and spending another day cooped up, she paced anxiously for a few minutes before finally leaving the room.

Quietly tip-towing down the stairs she pushed her back against the wall and listened. The sound of the tv carried out into the hallway, causing her to frown in confusion. Her ears weren't filled with the horrific screams from one of Rex's slasher films. Slowly poking her head around the corner, she peered into the living room.

Rex had his back to her as he watched tv, his arms casually slumped over the back of the couch. He was watching what looked like the news. Her eyes moved from the screen to his back, then down to his defined arms; She figured it must be Branton who kept the body in such great shape since Rex seemed too lazy to work out.

"Morning, baby cakes."

She jumped at his greeting. Even though he hadn't turned around, she could envision one side of his lip twisted up into his typical smirk.

She cleared her throat. "Good morning."

He paused the screen and turned to face her. "Did you have a nice perv?"

"What do you mean?"

"I could see your reflection on the tv." He smiled sadistically.

"I was trying to determine who had control of the body," she countered.

He laughed. "Liar. If you had any doubt, you wouldn't be wearing your glasses."

Her face grew hot. He had her there.

"Perverted girl," He tisked.

Flustered, her eyes darted around the room looking at anything but him. Her pulse raced when her eyes finally landed on the tv. Staring back at her was her Mother.

Rex playfully flipped the remote in his hand. "So it turns out, Branny boy is more fucked up than I thought. He recorded everything relating to your disappearance," he announced, hitting play.

As her Mother's strangled sobs filled the room, Evie's knees grew weak. Her body suddenly shifted and collapsed against the door frame.

"Please," her Mother begged. "If you have any information regarding my daughter's disappearance, I beg of you-," she paused to take a shaky breath, "Please contact the police."

Evie's father was by his wife's side rubbing her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

"I just want my little girl home," her Mum continued. "I swear that I'll never let her out of my sight again!"

Evie turned her face away from the screen. "Turn it off, please."

The screen went black but that didn't stop warm tears from streaming down her face.

"So, has Mummy always controlled your life?" Rex enquired.

She remained silent as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She was surprised that he had such insight after only a few seconds of footage.

"Man, that sucks," he continued. "Growing up with a control freak and then getting kidnapped by one.. well, two. You, young lady, have some severe bad luck."

She flashed him a small, defeated smile. "You can say that again."

Her gaze unintentionally turned towards the front door, the numerous bolts a painful reminder of her situation.

"I just want to be free," she admitted quietly.

When she turned to face him, she was taken aback by his intimidating stare. His hazel eyes didn't flicker away from her, even as he started hitting the bottom of the cigarette packet against his palm. "We want the same thing, kitten."

He maintained eye contact while using his teeth to pull out the exposed cigarette. Flicking his lighter, he inhaled deeply.

She felt her blood start to boil. "Our situations are different," she pointed out sharply.

She paused briefly to alter her tone. Exhaling slowly, she continued. "Rex, you have the power to let me go."

Smoke escaped his lips as he slowly exhaled. "And, you." He pointed at her. "Have the power to make me the sole host of this body."

"So you've said."

"It's quite simple," he started. "You release me from my cage, and in return." He paused to gesture around the room. "I'll release you from yours."

She exhaled. "How much longer will that take? Haven't I earned Branton's trust, just like you wanted?"

"You sure have. That grope fest during the picnic earned you some serious brownie points."

She chose to ignore the last part of his comment. "So all that's left, is for me to.. scream?"

"Correct, pumpkin." He took another drag of his cigarette causing her to cough as more smoke filled the room. "I can feel it. Trusting you has made Branny boy's mental defences weak. If I wanted to, I could even take control of the body while he is calm."

Rex's eerie smile sent chills down her spine.

He shocked her by suddenly jumping up and wrapping her in his arms, the disgusting smell of tobacco invading her nostrils. He gently manoeuvred her head to rest against his shoulder. "Once he's out of the picture, we'll figure out what to do."

She almost choked at his comment. "We?"

His body jerked with an amused grunt. "Yes, we. You said it yourself, you're mine."

Her heart pounded wildly against her chest as he stroked her hair. Dread washed over her as she realised his true intentions.

Even if he was true to his word and freed her from this house, he would never actually let her go.