Chapter Two
Summer
Saturday 24th July 2010
“Come on, Lily, it’s okay,” she said, still holding out her hand. I didn’t move, though, I couldn’t. She walked up the stairs towards me. My heart dropped and I pressed my back into the wall, hard, as I tried to get away from her. What did they want from me?
“I-I’m not Lily. Please tell him, I’m not Lilly. I need to get out. Please help me,” I begged as I found some strength and banged on the metal door.
“Lily, stop, let me explain,” she said, and held her hand out again. Couldn’t she see I wasn’t going to take it?
I turned back and gasped at how close to me she was. She held her hands up. “It’s okay. We’re not going to hurt you.” I couldn’t stop the tears that steadily fell from my eyes. “Please, come and sit down and we’ll explain everything.” She motioned me towards the leather sofa. I looked at it for a minute while I thought through my options, and I decided I had to know what was going on so I raised my shaking hand and placed it in hers.
My body was tense; I felt sick and was still shaking. Why didn’t I just go with Jess and Ethan? I should’ve never walked through the park on my own at night. I should’ve listened to Lewis when he lectured me on going out alone; I thought he was being overprotective. Kidnappings were something that happened to other people.
“Okay, Lily—”
“Stop calling me Lily! My name’s Summer,” I snapped. I wasn’t Lily, I just wanted them to realise that and let me go.
“Sweetheart, you are Lily now. Don’t tell him you’re not, he’ll get angry.”
My heart sank, what did she mean I’m Lily now? “What’s going on? Please just tell him to let me go.” I sobbed.
“I’m sorry Lily but you can’t go, none of us can. I’ve been here the longest, almost three years now. My name is Rose, it used to be Kayley. This is Poppy, she was Rebecca and over there is Violet and she was Jennifer before.” What the hell? This is fucking crazy. She’s been locked up down here for three years? Why had we never seen anything about any of them going missing?
“B-before what?” I croaked.
“Before Clover,” she replied simply.
I shook my head, trying to make sense of what was going on. “Who’s Clover? Please just tell me what’s going on. What’s he going to do to me?”
“We’re to call him Clover; we don’t know his real name. You need to do everything we tell you and you’ll be fine okay. Never disagree with him and do not tell him your real name. You’re Lily now, Summer doesn’t exist anymore,” she said, smiling apologetically. I started crying harder. I couldn’t stay here. She put her arm on my shoulder and massaged it gently. “It’s going to be okay.”
“I-I want to go home. I want Lewis,” I choked out between sobs.
She shook her head, “I’m so sorry Lily. You should forget Lewis, trust me it’s easier that way.” Forget him? How could I forget him? Picturing his face was the only thing that was keeping me together right now.
“We need to escape. Why don’t you try escaping?”
They all dropped their eyes to the floor. “Some have,” Rose whispered sadly.
YOU ARE READING
The Cellar
HorrorFor months Summer is trapped in a cellar with the man who took her - and three other girls: Rose, Poppy, and Violet. His perfect, pure flowers. His family. But flowers can't survive long cut off from the sun, and time is running out...
