Complications

Part 7, Nightmares and... getting to know each other?

MATURE CONTENT

MARK POV

We really had a great day today. She didn't seem as distraught as the other girls, she wasn't really crying or talking about her family. I was surprised, to say the least. I had been thinking about her so much that it was 1:00 in the morning and I still couldn't sleep. I decided to go and check on her, to make sure everything was alright.

I slowly walked to the bedroom she was in and saw her curled up with the blanket all over the place, halfway on the floor as she hugged it as though her life depended on it. Well, someone is a wild sleeper. I just stood there and watched her sleep for a while, I don't know how long. She looked so peaceful, with her chest moving up and down slowly and her eyes shut loosely.

Suddenly, she started to mumble something. I moved a bit closer so I could hear but I could only catch a few words and she started moving a bit, shaking her head no.

"I swear... not... think..." I moved even closer and tried to comfort her by rubbing her cheek and whispering to her that it was alright, I was right here. But she suddenly started thrashing around wildly and her eyes flew open as she fell onto the floor and shouted, "NO I SWEAR I DIDN'T DO IT! PLEASE!"

"Hey, Ashlyn it's me, calm down you're safe." I tried moving closer and she wrapped herself in a ball and started sobbing uncontrollably as I attempted to reassure her, "Shh, hey what's wrong? It's just me, It's Mark. Your... umm, kidnapper?"

Wow, yea, that was totally reassuring. But she suddenly looked up and met my eyes and looked around. She started to cry a little less, and then she crawled over and wrapped her arms around my neck and held onto me for dear life. I just held her there on the floor for a bit while she calmed down, and then I grabbed her waist and pulled her away so I could see her face.

She was a total mess. She looked up at me with those beautiful green eyes, and I wanted to die knowing she was upset. "Are you better now?"

She nodded and whispered something that I didn't catch. "What was that?" She cleared her throat and wiped her face before she answered me.

"I'm sorry if I woke you up," she said softly.

"No, princess, it's okay. I think we need to talk about this. What were you dreaming about?"

She looked like a deer caught in the headlights, waiting for a semi-truck to run her over.

ASHLYN POV

I was terrified. He would think I was such an idiot. He wouldn't want me. I mean I know I shouldn't care, he kidnapped me, but that hasn't stopped me from caring before, has it? I just.. I really want to make him proud. I don't know why it just feels like if I don't I will break.

I couldn't tell him the truth... could I? I mean, I guess I will have to eventually. I studied his face for a moment, taking in his eyes that seemed so soft and caring. He would still care about me a little, wouldn't he? I took a deep breath, here goes nothing.

"I was dreaming about my old family. Not the ones I am-" I closed my eyes tightly and sighed, "-was living with when I came here. But the ones before that." He raised an eyebrow, thoroughly confused. "I'm adopted," I explained before he could ask. "When I was around 10, my foster family got into some bad trouble with the law. They were in a human trafficking ordeal, and one time a girl got away. She was almost 13, way too young." I let a tear slip at the memory of her, and he quickly brushed it away. I sniffled for a second and then continued. "Her name was Tanya. Before she escaped, she and I became good friends. I would often go down into our basement where she was kept and bring her food, water, and once I even got my parents to let me bring her a bowl of ice cream. 'As long as you never let her out,' they would say. And I never did. People came to look at her, but they never bought her, so my parents became angry and they would go downstairs with a belt. When I was younger, I didn't put two and two together, all I knew was every time the brought the belt downstairs, Tanya would have bruises and cuts that I would notice, and she was usually quieter then. One day, she escaped. And my parent's thought I had let her go... but I hadn't. So they said..." I let out a sob and buried my head in his chest as he stroked my hair. "They said they would replace her with me." I sobbed out. "They were trying to tie me up, and I was fighting them, but they were adults, you know? I was only 10, I couldn't fight them off! They were beating me with all they had, and then my foster mother's gun slipped out of her pocket, and I grabbed it and I pointed it at them. They were backing up. They weren't touching me. I could have called the police, I could have just ran," I stopped and looked up at him. In his eyes were wonder and confusion and... Something else I couldn't decipher. "But... Mark, I shot them. Both of them, In the head." I tried to read his expression but it went blank. He looked at me closely, and then his face turned to disgust. I knew I shouldn't have told him. I tried to get up, but he grabbed my shoulders and looked me in the eyes.