Twisted

Chapter 11: Family

Eternities pass, or at least it feels that way. It's most definitely been a couple hours though. Every second brings on new pain. My hair has mostly dried, but the rest of my body is still shivering not to mention my stomach is rumbling like crazy. I don't even remember the last time I ate something. It was surely before coming here.

After what feels like a century, Spencer comes back in the room holding a plate of food. I sigh in relief. The smell brings me joy. I don't say a word as he sets the tray down on the coffee table across the room. He smugly looks up at me, locking my gaze. Neither of us say a word.

He removes the lid off the tray before looking up to watch me drool over the enticing smell. Its aroma reaches my nostrils and warms my body. It's some sort of fancy soup with warm bread on the side. There's also a giant plate of pasta and chicken with some sort of creamy pesto sauce. I sit up, awaiting him to bring me the food. And he does. He starts with the soup, bringing it over to me.

"So you changed your mind, huh?" I chuckle.

"About?" he says, clearly disinterested.

"Depriving me of food."

"Yes. You're too skinny. You need to eat."

"Well thank you. I'm starving," I say while reaching out to take the bowl. At this point, I'm willing to play nice to get fed. I salivate over the delicious smell and the warm steam coming out. He chuckles, pulling it out of my reach. I stare at him confused.

"Silly pet. I'm gonna feed you," he replies with his classic smirk. I frown.

"You're joking, right?" I stare at him in disbelief and he raises an eyebrow, giving me my answer.

He takes a spoonful of the soup and pushes it through the bars. I hesitate, staring into his emerald eyes, hoping that he'll laugh it off as a joke and hand me the bowl, but he doesn't. He just grows impatient from holding the spoon for so long. I can tell by the twitching of his eyebrow. Suddenly, I've lost my appetite.

"Come on, Spence, can't you let me feed myself?"

"Why?"

"I'm in a cage, that's why! You've degraded me this far... just please let me have this one piece of independence?"

"Absolutely not," he retracts the spoon and puts it back into the piping hot soup, "You will be fed by my hand or not fed at all. Your choice."

He sets down the bowl of soup on the edge of the cage before pulling me to the edge of the cage and grabbing my hair with his fist to position my head where he wants it. I struggle against him, refusing to be fed like an animal. He holds my nose closed and eventually gets me to open my mouth. I continue to squirm to no avail as he forcibly feeds me spoonfuls of soup.

"Isn't this better, sweetheart? You know, life would be so much easier if you weren't always acting so difficult."

Deciding that I've had enough degradation for one day, I reach for the bowl perched on the edge of the cage. Spencer notices, immediately reaching out to grab the bowl from my hands, but instead knocks it completely over onto my lap and all over my hands. I scream in response to the sharp burning sensation with tears pricking my eyes. After the initial sting, my face pulls into a tight wince as I wait for the pain to subside but it instead continues to throb with even more vigor. As my skin goes numb only then do I realize that Spencer had gotten the cup of ice water and poured it on my burns. Now he stares at me through the bars, utterly enraged at my disobedience.

"Are you happy now? This is all your fault. You know, if you had just listened to me, all of this could have been avoided."

Is he JOKING right now?