The Spare To The Throne

Chapter 18: Sneak Out

The room was cold, curiously null of warmth and light. Perhaps I was in the wrong room, wrong hotel. But that couldn't be right. And then his eyes illuminate the room, not completely, just the part that mattered most. The part I would pay attention to.

The depths of his eyes swarm with fire. It crackled and blazed with a look all too familiar. Hatred. His searing gaze bore into mine, and I gasp. It was him. He'd found me. But something else sparks in the depths of those eyes. Hurt.

But what did he know about hurt? He only inflicted it, or so I thought.

He moves snake-like movement. The room drops another 10 degrees. I let out a breath. Its icy mist clouds the air. I blink and open my eyes, and his were now suddenly here, closer than before. His breath tickles my lips as his hands clamp around my neck.

My sweltering body melts in his hands. He had that power, a look of satisfaction masks his face. And then my neck restricts, oxygen suddenly minimized wholly. Something in my stomach drops. it was all too familiar.

He blinks and the room changes. I'm suddenly in a chair, strapped and movement restricted. His eyes are now empty of his once fiery blaze, it was now obscured.

Something glistens in the slender of the moon's light. My breath hitches. This wasn't foreign to me. Yet I still feared. My body still trembled. The knife's grinder edges, cold to the touch, trail my face. A tear sheds.

"You are mine babygirl," His voice was groggy and rough. Deep and venomous. His accent standing out. "And until you understand that, I will carve myself into you and make you mine."

And he did.

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I wake to the feeling of being wet. Beads of sweat caress the sides of my face and I sit up, heaving in bed. The sun's radiant glow peeks through the closed window blinds, decorating the room with a pattern of stripes. I sigh, closing my eyes.

Bad dream.

Almost every day since Romeo had found me again, I've had this constant nightmare. I thought if I'd slept, my problems would go away, but even in my dreams, I couldn't escape Romeo. He was haunting me. I roll over.

It seems like Romeo had told Alice not to bother waking me up anymore since I was on bedroom arrest. And to top it, I was being starved for God knows how long. It was nerve-wracking.

I freshen up. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. I've gone days only on coffee before, and although this was completely different, the thought was somewhat comforting.

Hours pass by and I spend most of it by the window rather than sleeping, gazing into the forest and pondering exactly when, where, and why did my life suddenly take a turn for the worst. Everything that's happened since the day of my internship interview has been so impractical and unfair. Nothing made sense anymore. And the thought of it all made me frustrated.

But most of all, I was scared. For Doug. Was he okay? How was he? You could never be too safe in this world, and if you needed proof, just look at me.

It was dinner time now, and my stomach began to growl. I shake the feeling off. It was light, nothing unbearable.

But how long would I have to keep this up?

I didn't want to think about it. And so I slept the night away and napped the day away, until three days passed, exceeding my breaking point.

I had succumbed to bathroom tap water for two days now, just to give my stomach the illusion of feeling full. But the feeling quickly dissipates every time I urinate.

My mind wonders back to Doug. Why did Romeo even care that we talked, or if that was even the case. His actions were confounding and it made me unsure.

"You are mine!" His voice rung in my head, and it pained. I felt dizzy but that could be a result of my body's absence of food.

A soft knock comes from the door, I quickly sit up.

"Come in." I say, taken aback from my first room visit in three days. The last time someone was in here, I was being yelled at and declared to starve until God knows when.

Alice's head peers in. My eyes widen. She was quiet with stealth, almost panther-like.

"Alice-"

"Shh," her index finger comes up, pressed against her lips, she shouldn't be here. She holds a tray in her hand and the smell of tea and something savory wafts through the air, teasing my nostrils. My stomach responds ravenously, gurgling to the tray's potent smell.

Alice shuts the door, but not before looking behind her. The closer the tray came towards me, the more my mouth watered. She sets the tray down on the bed beside me. She turns and gives me a once over, her eyes drop.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't come sooner," she pokes meekly at my face. Her eyes reveal concern. "Oh dear, you look-" she pauses.

"Malnourished." I finish weakly, wasting no time to open the tray and begin to eat. It was a pure delicacy. An array of sausage, bacon, eggs, and pancakes. Rather than admiring the food, I ate it. It was light shun onto darkness. A burst of different flavors, swirl my tastebuds, casing every corner of my mouth with joy.

Alice stood there, watching me and I hadn't even noticed until I had cleared the tray. I meet her gaze. "Thank you." She nods. She opens her mouth as if to say something, then stops.

"What is it?" I whisper. Was Romeo suddenly coming or something?

"You really did something this time," she says. I furrow my brow, confused.

"What do you mean?"

She remains silent but her eyes give way that there's something terribly wrong. "I'll tell you when there's time, not now." She rushes.

Hurriedly, she leaves and my heart clenches. The reality of what had just happened sets in. A true friend, Alice had just risked her job or probably her life just to feed me. Romeo couldn't find out, he wouldn't. But then again he found me after escaping. He found out about me and Doug. How couldn't he know about what went on under his own roof?

But what was it that Alice had to tell me? I had no clue.

I sigh, laying back down, my stomach now full as ever. I doubt he'd ever hurt Alice. She was good, and it felt comforting to know that at least one kind soul existed in this house.

Hours pass by excruciatingly slow, and napping only to wake up to the day being noon and to the thoughts of Romeo's torments didn't help the situation. I was bored but most of all sad. So I got out of bed, and walked towards the door. I stop, hesitant. The repercussions I would face for disobeying Romeo petrified me. And maybe it was because I had forgot all about his stupid punishment rules, or perhaps I just didn't care anymore. It was a mingle of both. I open the door and sneak out.

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Hey guys, I know that this chapter wasn't necessarily all that entertaining, but the upcoming few will be. Also, thank you for 1k reads! To some of you guys, this may not be a big deal, but to me it is, and I'm grateful, so thank you.

-Whitney.