by Alex Flinn
Each afternoon brought a new rush delivery from UPS, and each morning found me working long and hard, painting and sanding and decorating. I had to make everything perfect, had to so maybe she’d look past my ugliness and find some happiness here, find some way to love me. I didn’t begin to think about how that would happen, that she’d probably hate me for taking her from her father. I had to make it work.
On the night of the sixth day, I stood in the suite of rooms that would be hers. I still had to fix my greenhouse, my beautiful greenhouse. But fortunately, it was warm out. I’d fix it next. For now, I studied the room. The floors, waxed to perfection, gleamed next to rugs in shades of green and gold. The air smelled of lemon cleaner and dozens of roses. I’d chosen yellow ones, which I read symbolized joy, gladness, friendship, and the promise of a new beginning, and placed them in Waterford crystal vases throughout the suite. In her honor, I’d planted a new rose, a yellow miniature called “Little Linda.” I hadn’t cut any of those, but would show them to her when she first visited the greenhouse. Soon. I hoped she’d like them. I knew she would.
I walked to the door of her suite and, using a stencil and a tiny brush dipped in gold, painted the finishing touch on the door. I had never been neat in my former life, but this was important. In perfect script, the door said:
Lindy’s Room
When I went back to my room, I checked the mirror, which I was keeping by my bed again. “I want to see Lindy,” I tried.
It showed her. She was asleep because it was after one o’clock. One small battered suitcase stood beside the door. She was really coming.
I lay down and fell into the perfect sleep for the first time in over a year—not the sleep of boredom, failure, or exhaustion, but the sleep of anticipation. Tomorrow, she’d be here. Everything would change.
4
Someone was knocking. Someone was knocking! I couldn’t answer it. I didn’t want to terrify her at first sight. I stayed in my rooms, but I watched in the mirror as Will let her in.
“Where is he?” It was the scumbag father. But where was the girl?
“Where is who?” Will asked, all polite.
The guy hesitated, and in that moment, I saw for the first time that she was with him, standing in the shadow behind him. Even though she was shadowed, I could see she was crying.
It was really her. I realized I hadn’t believed it.
Lindy. Linda. She was really here!
She’d love the roses. Really, it was she who’d first taught me to appreciate them. Maybe I should go up to meet her after all, show her to her room, and the greenhouse.
Then I heard her voice. “My father has the crazy idea there’s a monster here, and that I need to be locked in a dungeon.”
A monster. That was how she’d see me if I went upstairs. No, I would let her see the place first, the beautiful rooms and the roses, before she had to see the horror of me.
“No monster, miss. At least, none I can see.” Will chuckled. “My employer is a young man of—I am told—unfortunate appearance. He doesn’t go outside because of it. That’s all.”
“Then I’m free to leave?” Lindy asked.
“Of course. But my employer struck a deal with your father, I believe—your presence here in exchange for his cooperation in not reporting certain criminal acts that were caught on tape. Which reminds me…” He reached into his pocket and took out the bag I’d taken from the intruder. “Your drugs, sir?”
Lindy grabbed the bag from him. “That’s what this is about? You’re making me come here so you can get your drugs back?”
“He caught me on tape, girl. Breaking and entering.”
“I’m guessing this wasn’t a first offense,” Will said, and I could tell from his face that he’d checked the guy out with his special blind person sixth sense and found him exactly as I’d said. “And the drugs alone would result in a serious sentence, I believe.”
He nodded. “Minimum mandatory—fifteen years to life.”
“Life?” Lindy turned on Will. “And you agree to this…my imprisonment?”
I held my breath, waiting for Will’s answer.
“My employer has his reasons.” Will looked as if he wanted to put his hand on Lindy’s shoulder or something, but he didn’t. He probably sensed that she would deck him if he did. “And he’ll treat you well—better, probably than…Look, if you want to leave, you may, but my employer has the break-in on tape and will bring it to the police.”
The girl looked at her father. Her eyes were pleading.
“You’re better off.” He snatched the bag from her fingers. “I’ll take that.”
And without a good-bye, he was out, slamming the door behind him.
Lindy stood staring at the spot he’d occupied. She looked as if she’d crumple to the floor. Will said, “Please, miss. I can tell you’ve had a hard day, even though it’s only ten o’clock. Come. I’ll show you to your rooms?”
“Rooms? With an s?”
“Yes, miss. They’re beautiful rooms. Master Adrian—the young man I work for—he’s worked very hard to make certain they’re to your liking. He asked me to tell you that if there’s anything you require—anything at all other than a telephone or an Internet connection—to be certain to ask for it. He wants you to be happy here.”
“Happy?” Lindy’s voice was flat. “My jailer thinks I’ll be happy? Here? Is he crazy?” In my room, I cringed at jailer.
“No, miss.” Will reached over and used a key to lock the door. Just a formality. I counted on her staying to protect her father. The sound of the doors locking was terrible to me. I was a kidnapper. I didn’t want to kidnap her, but it was the only way to get her to stay. “I’m Will. I too am at your service. And Magda, the maid, whom you’ll meet upstairs. Shall we go?”
He offered her his arm. She didn’t take it, but casting one last reluctant glance at the door, followed him upstairs.
I watched as Will brought her up the stairs and opened the door. Her cheeks and eyes were stained red from crying. She gasped as she entered, taking in the furniture, the artwork, the walls, painted the exact shade of yellow as the roses in their crystal vases. She gazed at the king-sized bed with its designer sheets. She walked to the window.
“It would be very far to jump, wouldn’t it?” She touched the thick glass.
Will, behind her, said, “Yes it would. And the windows don’t open that far. Perhaps if you give it a chance, you won’t find it so terrible, living here.”
“Not so terrible? Have you ever been a prisoner? Are you now?”
“No.”
I studied her. I remembered her, from the day of the dance. I’d thought she was homely then, with her red hair, freckles, and bad teeth. The teeth hadn’t changed, but she wasn’t, really, just plain-looking. I was glad she wasn’t beautiful, as her father had said. Someone beautiful could never see past my ugliness. Maybe this girl could.
“I have,” she said. “For sixteen years, I’ve been a prisoner. But I’ve been digging myself a tunnel. On my own, I applied and got a scholarship to one of the best private schools in the city. I took a train there every day. The rich kids there ignored me because I wasn’t one of them. They thought I was scum. Maybe they were right. But I studied my hardest, got the highest grades. I knew it was the only way out of my life, to get a scholarship, go to college, get out of here. But instead, to keep my father out of jail, I have to be a prisoner here. It isn’t fair.”
“I understand,” Will said. I knew he had to be impressed with her, with the way she spoke. She’d even used a metaphor, about the tunnel. She was really smart.
“What does he want from me?” the girl cried. “To make me work for him? To use me for sex?”
“No. I wouldn’t go along if that were the case.”
“Really?” She looked a little relieved, but said, “What, then?”
“I think…” Will stopped. “I know he is lonely.”
She stared at him but didn’t say anything.
&n
bsp; Finally, he said, “I’ll give you a chance to rest and look over your new home. Magda will bring your lunch at noon. You can meet her then. If you need anything, ask and it’s yours.”
He walked out and closed the door behind him.
I watched Linda as she walked around the room, touching various objects. Her eyes lingered longest on one of the vases of roses. She picked up a yellow bloom that I thought was the prettiest. She held it to her face a moment, smelling it, then pressing it to her cheek. Finally, she replaced it in its vase.
She walked through the suite, opening doors and drawers. The elaborate wardrobe had no effect, but at the library door, she gasped and stopped. She tilted her head upward, taking in the rows of books that stretched to the ceiling. I’d noticed her homework and tried to buy things she’d like, not only novels, but books about physics, religion, philosophy, and duplicate volumes for myself so I could read anything that caught her attention. I’d started work on a database with all the books listed by title, author, and subject, like the real library, but it wasn’t finished yet.
She climbed the ladder and chose a book, then two. She held them close to her, like a security blanket, or a shield. This, at least, was a success. She took the books back to the bedroom, placed them on the night table, then collapsed onto the bed, sobbing.
I wanted to comfort her, but I knew I couldn’t, not now. I hoped that someday she’d understand.
5
At noon, Magda brought Lindy her lunch. I watched in the mirror. Some days, Magda bought take-out for lunch, because I missed fast food. But today, I’d asked her to make something a girl would like—sandwiches with no crusts, fancy, girly soup. The china was edged in pink roses. Her water was in a crystal glass with a stem. The knife and fork were sterling silver. The meal looked delicious.
I watched. She didn’t eat it and returned it to Magda when she came back. She sank into bed, reading a book from the shelf. I checked the title. Shakespeare’s sonnets.
I was afraid to knock on the door. I had to make my move sometime, but I didn’t know how to do it without terrifying her. Would it be too much to yell, “Please let me in, and I promise not to eat you”? Probably. Probably she’d be scared even at the sound of my voice. But I wanted her to know that if she’d just come out, I’d be nice to her.
Finally, I wrote her a note.
Dear Lindy,
Welcome! Do not be afraid. I hope you will be comfortable in your new home. Whatever you want, you only have to ask. I will see that you get it immediately.
I am looking forward to meeting you at dinner tonight. I want you to like me.
Sincerely,
Adrian King
I deleted the last sentence, printed it out, then brought the letter up to her room and slipped it under the door. I waited, afraid to move in case I made a noise.
A minute later, the note came back.
The word NO was written in large letters across the page.
I sat there a long time, thinking. Could I write her letters like some romantic hero, get her to fall in love with me that way? No way. I was no writer. And how could I get to love her when I’d only seen her in the mirror? I had to get her to talk to me. I walked up to the door and knocked, tentative and soft. When she didn’t answer, I tried again, louder.
“Please,” came her answer. “There’s nothing I want. Just go away!”
“I have to talk to you,” I said.
“Who…who is that?”
“Adrian…” Kyle…the master of this house…the beast who lives here. “My name is Adrian. I’m the one…” The one who is holding you prisoner. “I wanted to meet you.”
“I don’t want to meet you! I hate you!”
“But…do you like the rooms? I’ve tried to make everything nice for you.”
“Are you crazy? You’ve kidnapped me! You’re a kidnapper.”
“I didn’t kidnap you. Your father gave you to me.”
“He was forced to.”
That got me mad. “Yeah, right. He broke into my house. Did he tell you that? He was robbing me. I have the whole thing on surveillance. And then, instead of taking his punishment like a man, he brought you here to take it for him. He was willing to sell you to save himself. I’m not going to hurt you, but he didn’t know that. For all he knew, I could be keeping you in a cage.”
She didn’t say anything. I wondered what story he’d told her, if this was the first she knew of the truth.
“What a scum,” I muttered, starting to walk away.
“Be quiet! You have no right!” She pounded the door hard, maybe with her fist, maybe with something else, like a shoe.
God, was I dumb. Of course that wasn’t the smartest thing to say. Story of my life lately. Had I always said stark-raving stupid things before? Maybe so, but I’d gotten away with them. Until Kendra.
“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.” Stupid, stupid, stupid.
She didn’t answer.
“Did you hear me? I said I was sorry.”
Still nothing. I knocked on the door, I called her name. Finally, I left.
An hour later, she was still in the room, and I was pacing the floor, thinking of what I should have said. So what if I’d kidnapped her? She didn’t have anything to leave behind anyway. This house was nicer than anything she’d ever had, ever imagined, but was she grateful? No. I don’t know what I expected, but not this.
I went to Will. “I want her to come out. Can you get her to?”
“How do you propose I do that?” Will said.
“Tell her I want her to, that she has to.”
“That you order her to? The way you ordered her father to give her over? That worked…well.”
It wasn’t the way I’d thought of it, but yes. I guess it was what I wanted. “Yes.”
“And how do you think she’ll feel about that?”
“How does she feel? What about how I feel? I worked all week to make her comfortable, to make it nice for her, and the ungrateful…girl…she doesn’t even come out to see me?”
“See you? She doesn’t want to see the person who took her from her home, from her father. Adrian, you’re holding her prisoner!”
“Her father’s a lowlife.” I hadn’t told Will about the mirror, about how I’d watched her in the mirror before, seen her father hit her. “She’s better off without him. And I don’t mean her to be a prisoner. I want—”
“I know what you want, but she doesn’t. She doesn’t see the roses in the vases, or the way you’ve painted the walls. She only sees a monster, and she hasn’t even looked at you yet.”
My hand flew to my face, but I knew Will was talking about my behavior.
“A monster,” he continued, “who brought her here for God knows what purpose—to murder her in her sleep. Or to keep her as a slave. She’s afraid, Adrian.”
“Okay, I get it. But how can I let her know that’s not why I have her here?”
“You’re really asking my advice?”
“You see anyone else around?”
Will grimaced. “Nope. No one.” Then he reached out toward me. He found my shoulder, finally, and put his hand on it. “Don’t tell her to do anything. If she wants to stay in her room, let her. Let her know that you respect her right to choose.”
“If she stays in her room, I’ll never get her to care about me.”
Will patted my shoulder. “Just give it a chance.”
“Thanks. That’s helpful.” I turned and started to walk away.
Will’s voice stopped me. “Adrian.”
I turned back.
“Sometimes it also helps to have a bit less pride.”
“Another winner,” I said. “I have no pride at all at this point.”
But an hour later, I knocked on Lindy’s door once again. I’d show no pride, only remorse. This was hard to do, because I wasn’t going to let her go. I couldn’t.
“Go away!” she yelled. “Just because you have me here doesn’t mean I’ll do—”
&
nbsp; “I know,” I answered. “But can I just…can you listen to me for a minute?”
“Do I have a choice?” she said.
“Yes. Yes, you have a choice. You have tons of choices. You can listen to me, or you can tell me to screw off. You can ignore me forever. You’re right. You did your end by coming here. We don’t have to be friends.”
“Friends? Is that what you call it?”
“It’s what I…” I stopped. It was too pathetic to say it was what I’d hoped, that I had no friends, and I wanted—so wanted—her to talk to me, to be with me, to say something that would make me laugh and bring me back to the real world, even if it was nothing more. What a loser I’d be if I said that.
I remembered what Will said about pride. “I hope we can be friends someday. I understand if you don’t want to be, if you’re…” I choked on the words disgusted, revolted by me, terrified of me. “Look, what you need to know is, I don’t eat human flesh or anything. I am human, even if I don’t look it. And I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want except stay here. I hope you’ll decide to come out soon.”
“I hate you!”
“Yeah, you mentioned that.” Her words were like whips, but I continued. “Will and Magda, they work here. Will can tutor you if you like. Magda will make your meals. She’ll clean your room, shop, do your laundry, whatever you want.”
“I…I don’t want anything. I want my life back.”