Trapped in Paradise

Chapter Seven

Grace is left to her own devices from there, and the freedom of choice is overwhelming compared to the restricted feeling she's been enduring since she arrived. Butler had advised that she acquaint herself properly with the house at her own pace, but not before reminding her that anywhere they didn't go is strictly off bounds. She watched him walk away, mouth agape and confused.

What is happening? She's just being allowed to walk about freely? She has no delusions that she's not being watched, but she doesn't intend to let that stop her from figuring out how to get out or where the forbidden areas are.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how one looks at it, Grace has a terrible sense of direction and realises that she wouldn't be able to find her way back to any of the doors even if she was promised freedom in return. She does try, however, only to end up back in the lobby with every attempt.

The place is far larger than anywhere she's ever been, and it's all too easy to get lost in the winding hallways that all look the same. It's bigger than her own school, and it reminds her of the overly complex and too-large-to-make-sense Sims 3 houses she watched her roommate construct. Somehow, Sir has managed to find things to fill all the rooms, because Grace wouldn't have thought it was possible. Some of the rooms are larger than her school gym! There's no feasible way that he's made use of them all.

Eventually, after an hour or so of exploration, she finds herself in the corridor that she knows houses her room, but she has to check all the rooms on the way to find the one that has been allocated to her. All the doors look exactly alike.

When she opens a door to find a familiar room, she's reluctantly and pleasantly surprised to find a bookshelf has been placed inside with every book Justin. J. Allen has ever written.

With tremors wracking her body, Grace runs her fingers over the books, their uncracked spines ready to be worn thin with her relentless reading. Upon inspection, she finds copies of his short stories that she was sure were only published online. She pulls one from the shelf and skims through it, relishing in how new the book is.

Sir must have had them bound for her, and the idea of that scares her enough to shove the book back on the shelf and walk away from it. She takes three steps before turning back to grab one from the shelf titled 'Letter from the lost' - one of her favourites - and tucks it under her arm.

She doesn't' want to hang around in the room, because despite its size, it still feels claustrophobic, but she's not entirely sure where she wants to go. She doesn't want to treat this place like a house, let alone a home, because it feels too much like giving in, but she's got to do something with her time while she considers methods of escape.

She wanders through the house, searching for somewhere to sit, read and forget that she's been snatched away from her life and forced to live with a man who's intentions are currently unknown.

She doesn't even want to delve into that thought, too terrified of the conclusions she'll come to, so when she finds the library again, she curls up in a large armchair, pulling the stupid shoes off and throwing them to the ground. She opens the book and runs her thumb over the first line, smiling even though there's really very little to smile about.

'The pain we read between the lines is more relevant than the hurt we see in someone's eyes.'

Four hours later, Butler appears in the doorway looking relieved that she's still there, but that expression clears up the moment Grace fixes him with an angry glare.

She doesn't want to be pulled from her little reading nook, but when he explains that dinner is being served, she figures that she doesn't have much of a choice but to attend. She places a bookmark inside the page and snaps the book closed, placing it back under her arm before slipping her feet back into her shoes and following Butler back to the dining room.

On the way, she makes more of an attempt to map the place, but Butler keeps talking to her, and she gets quickly distracted.

"How are you finding the amenities?" he asks.

"Confining."

"Is there anything you require?"

"A ride back to my home."

He doesn't seem to grow tired of his questions being met with resistance and resentment, and Grace is impressed with his patience levels, if a little annoyed that she can't seem to get a rise out of him.

"Enjoy your dinner, miss," he says, as he pulls the chair out for her.

The table is set for two again, though Sir is yet to arrive. She shrugs, opens her book and continues to read. Butler sets a glass of water down for her and then leaves the room.

"You must know that I love you," Charlotte exclaims, miserable and desperate. "You must know that of all the people in the world, you deserve that love."

Grace mouths the words as she reads them, her mind concocting images to follow the narrative, just as it did the first time she read the book five years ago. Charlotte is a purposefully under described character, and after trawling through forums, Grace learnt that many people envisioned her the same as she had. Brown hair, green eyes, pale and tall. Despite none of these things being explicit, Justin. J. Allen's fan base seemed to have all drawn the same conclusions.

"You're enjoying the books?"

Grace's entire body reacts to the sudden appearance of Sir, the book falling from her hands and landing haphazardly on the floor in her shock.

"You scared me," Grace accuses.

"My apologies," he says, stooping down by her chair to retrieve the book.

He brushes away imaginary dust from the cover and places the book on the table next to her empty plate. He then walks over to his seat on the opposite side of the table and gracefully lowers himself into it.

"I hope you enjoy the meal tonight," Sir says conversationally. "It's your favourite."

Grace feels immediately sick when one of the maids serves her Spaghetti Bolognese.

"How do you know so much about me?" she asks, scared of the answer.

"I've been watching you for a very long time, Grace."

Grace wants to throw up and run away, she's not particular about the order it happens in, but instead she's frozen in her seat, unsure how anyone could possibly say something so terrifying with such calmness.