Beast

I choose you

Annalise's POV

'Good morning Annalise, did you sleep well?' mum asked as I walked into the kitchen, she was cooking breakfast, I nod and she smiles at me 'Can you go and wake up your brother?' 

I climb back up the stairs, walking past my bedroom and my parents' bedroom and to the last door, I knock gently on it and wait for a response, silence. I knock again, harder this time 'Are you awake?' I call out, nothing. I sigh and push open the door, walking into the room, the bed was made and neat, I look around the room but it looked clean, as if he wasn't living in it. I open the wardrobe, but it's empty, no clothes or shoes, where is his stuff? 

In panic I pull open all the drawers in his bed side table but they're empty too, I run out of the room and to the bathroom, pushing open the door but it's empty. I check my room and my parents' room, where is he? My eyes begin to tear up as I make my way downstairs? Where is he? Where are his clothes and stuff? Did he leave? No, he would never leave me. 

In the living room I expect to see him there, but there's just dad watching TV, he turns to look at me when I enter. He really has gone, he has left me, I burst into tears. Dad stands up and picks me up 'What's wrong Annalise, why are you crying?' 

'I-I can't find him, h-he's gone' I cry into his shoulder, at the sound of my cries mum peeks round the door.

'Maybe you just couldn't find him, he hasn't run away' she says, wiping her hands on a towel before going upstairs. Dad tries to comfort me, after a while mum comes back down also looking panicked 'He really is gone, I can't find him and his room is empty, he must have run away and taken all of his belongings with him, we must call the police' 

'We can't' Dad interjects 'A person can only be reported missing if they have been gone over twenty four hours, we can only notify the police tomorrow, but let's ask around the neighbourhood and see if anyone has seen him' 

I woke up with a gasp, sitting up on the sofa, I look around me in confusion for a couple of seconds before realising that I had fallen asleep watching TV on Peter's sofa, I sit up and rub my eyes. 

One week. That's how long I've been living with Peter for and although I am happy to have a roof over my head, it's been very boring as I haven't left the house at all. The police released a picture of me and a picture of BEAST when he was younger and announced that they are on a search for both of us, I was surprised to see that they know who he is but I don't think they know what he looks like now. Peter hasn't allowed me to set foot out of the house, I sit in his living room all day watching TV while he goes to work then I cook us dinner before he arrives home. 

I turn off the TV and decide to head upstairs for a shower, I lay out a clean pair of sweatpants and steal one of Peter's t shirts laying them on the bed of the spare room that he assigned to me, alongside my underwear. In the bathroom I pull off my clothes and underwear, pushing them into the laundry basket before turning on the water and stepping under it once it's hot. I stand under the shower head for a few minutes letting the water completely wet my hair and body, a faint creaking sound is heard from somewhere outside the bathroom but I ignore it, houses making noise, it's probably a floorboard or something. 

I pick up Peter's bottle of shampoo and squeeze some onto my hand, I should ask him to buy some stuff but I can't, I feel like a burden, not only that, I feel that the longer I stay with Peter, the less safe he is. How long will it take for BEAST to find me? Does he already know who Peter is? My hands massage the shampoo into my hair as the water pelts down into the bathtub making a loud noise, the steam has fogged up the room and water is trickling down the shower curtain. 

I wash out the shampoo, before picking up a razor, I shave all of the hair off my body before cleaning it off, I apply conditioner into my hair and let it sit whilst I lather soap into my hands and wash my body. I flinch slightly, making a hissing sound as a bit of soap enters my eye, another creak sounds from somewhere in the house. I fumble around for a comb to drag through my hair before finally washing out the conditioner and the soap in my eye. I sigh and turn off the water, I reach out and grab a clean towel, wrapping it around my body, before moving the shower curtain aside and stepping out.