Unsightly

by Amber Garza

  He chuckled. “Nina’s not exactly the nurturing type.”

  “I gathered.”

  “But she’s not as bad as she seems. She’s always been good to me.”

  I nodded, knowing he meant what he said. I also knew that Jasper had a limited understanding of what it was like when someone was good to you. He’d only known one person his entire life. He hadn’t experienced anything different.

  “Anyway, I’ll let you get to bed.” His hand briefly touched my cheek.

  Without warning, I leaned into it. “Good night, Jasper.”

  He kept his hand there for a moment, and our eyes met. His face was a mess of sharp angles and mismatched pieces, but his eyes were perfect. They were the shape of almonds and were a deep brown, like the color of dark chocolate. I stared into them, mesmerized. Then he abruptly drew his hand away, breaking the moment.

  Swallowing hard, he stepped back. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  After he left the room, I blew out a breath. What was that? The way my body had responded to him was puzzling. My head spun as I changed into my pajamas and fuzzy socks. Even though it had been warm earlier, it was now ice cold.

  Recalling Jasper’s words to Nina, I stepped toward the bedroom door. When my fingers folded over the doorknob, I knew I was being naïve. There was no way he meant what he said. He’d never leave me with the door unlocked. It wouldn’t make any sense. Besides, he hadn’t said anything to me. But when the knob turned, a tiny gasp sounded at the back of my throat.

  He’d been sincere.

  Releasing my hand, I backed away from the door. Two weeks ago, I’d hated Jasper. I thought he was cruel and evil. But now I could see that I’d been wrong. He was merely lonely, isolated and scared.

  Exhaustion from the day set in, so I turned off the light and I crawled into bed. My hands and fingers were cramped from the work in the garden. Opening and closing my hands repeatedly, I lie my head back on the pillow. Then I closed my eyes and released a sigh. My mind replayed the events of the day as it always did when I tried to fall asleep. I’d been doing this since I was a little girl. It was my version of counting sheep, but instead I recounted the events of the day. I found that by the time I got to the end I had always fallen into a deep sleep. And it worked tonight as well.

  My dreams consisted of grand pianos, of card games, and gardens filled with every kind of vegetable known to man. I also dreamt of Jasper. Only he wasn’t Jasper. At least not the way I knew him. In my dreams he was handsome, but his personality was the same.

  When I awoke, it was still dark. Most likely, it was the middle of the night, but I had no idea what time it was. There was no clock in my room. In the weeks I’d been here, I’d learned to tell time by my internal clock and the absence or presence of the sun.

  Sitting up in bed, I stared at the door. Was it really unlocked? Or had I dreamt that? And if it was unlocked, why was I still in here?

  She’s the only friend I’ve ever had.

  I trust her.

  My stomach soured, sympathy for Jasper coursing through me. The truth was that I did like Jasper, and we had forged a friendship, albeit an odd one. And I felt sorry for him. His life had been filled with loneliness and isolation. But that wasn’t reason enough for me to stay. I had a family back home, and I knew they were worried sick about me.

  The bottom line was that I didn’t belong here.

  And it was time I left.

  Tossing off the covers, a chill brushed over me, and I shivered. Teeth chattering, I slid off the bed and padded over to the dresser. Opening the drawers, I found a jacket and tugged it on. Then I put on a pair of old slippers Nina had given me. I didn’t have any shoes of my own except for the high heels I’d been wearing to the party, and I wouldn’t make it very far in those. I wasn’t even sure how I’d make it all the way to the road in these slippers, but I had to try. Jasper had told Nina he wasn’t locking me up anymore, but I wasn’t convinced he would willingly let me walk out the front door.

  He’d said that he trusted me. Maybe he naively believed I wanted to be here. His knowledge of life and relationships was based solely on what he’d read in books. And we all know the way things are in books are way different than real life. In a book the bad guy can become good simply by loving the right person. But in real life the guy remains a jerk. Trust me. I knew. I’d definitely kissed my share of toads, and none of them had miraculously turned into princes.

  Reaching out, I tested the knob again. To my delight, it turned easily. Pulse thrumming beneath my flesh, I snatched up my purse. I had no idea what Jasper had done with my car. His cryptic statement to me last week about throwing people off my track made me wonder if he’d planted it somewhere else. But it didn’t matter, because I had no idea where the keys were anyway.

  Slowly opening the door, I stepped into the hallway. Holding my breath, silence spun around me. After closing the door, I crept quietly down the hallway.

  Toward freedom.

  8

  THE STREAM

  I DIDN’T MAKE it to the front door. When I got to the end of the hallway, a light from the family room caused me to halt. Heart slamming into my ribcage, I sucked in a breath and pressed my back to the wall. Standing perfectly still, I listened intently. When I didn’t hear any noise, I carefully peeled myself off the wall and prepared to peek into the family room. Perhaps someone had forgotten to turn off a light, or maybe they left a light on at night. It was possible that no one was up.

  Taking a deep breath, I moved forward ever so slightly, just enough for one eye to peer out. Jasper sat in the loveseat, peering down at something in his hand. From this vantage point I couldn’t see what it was. But whatever it was, it was making him emotional. His hand trembled slightly, and his lips were downcast. Beside him, a lamp glowed from the end table.

  Worried he’d spot me, I drew back into the hallway. My heart pounded so loudly I feared he’d hear. Sighing, I felt the hope within me wither like a flower that hadn’t been watered. Shoulders slumping, I made my way back toward the room. When I reached it, I fought the urge to cry.

  A creak sounded from down the hallway. My body tensed. Swallowing hard, I peered over my shoulder. No one was there. The noise was coming from the family room. Jasper must’ve been moving around. Hurriedly, I opened the bedroom door and slipped inside. Only when the door was safely closed behind me did I dare to breathe.

  That was close.

  Footsteps came down the hallway. After kicking off my slippers and dropping my purse onto the ground, I leapt into the bed and lie perfectly still. But the footsteps didn’t stop. They passed my room and steadily continued down the hallway. Then I heard the opening and closing of another door. After that, there was nothing but silence.

  I lie unmoving in my bed for several minutes and mulled over what to do. A part of me wanted to close my eyes and drift off to sleep. I was tired. It had been a long day. But there was another part of me that worried about missing out on my one opportunity. Who knew if Jasper would continue to leave the door unlocked? Perhaps, Nina would talk him into locking it tomorrow. Then what? Then I’d kick myself for staying put.

  It was my fault I was here to begin with. I’d made the wrong choice the night I drove home instead of staying at the cabin. And I’d also made the wrong choice when I took off Jasper’s mask. I couldn’t afford to make another mistake.

  Mind made up, I once again got out of bed. I had a major case of déjà vu when I put on my slippers and grabbed my purse. Then I headed back into the hallway. This time the light in the family room was off. Stepping into the darkened room, I walked stealthily to the front door. Before reaching it, curiosity propelled me toward the end table. Lying on top was a photograph. Squinting, I held it up until the moonlight from outside the window sliced across it. In the photo was a woman who looked to be about thirty years old. She was attractive with pale skin and brown hair. Her style and the way she wore her hair betrayed that it was an old picture. It definitely wasn’t taken
recently.

  I wondered who she was to Jasper.

  Recalling how my curiosity ruined my last attempt to leave, I dropped the snapshot. It landed face up on the end table right where I’d found it. Glancing around, I made sure no one was coming. Then I headed to the front door. Locks lined it as if Nina and Jasper were gearing up for a zombie apocalypse.

  Shivering, I unlocked each lock and then pressed the door open. The cold night air stole my breath, but I welcomed it. Knowing there was no time to waste, I closed the door. Scouring the front and side yard, my car was nowhere to be seen. As I had suspected, Jasper must’ve gotten rid of it.

  I stared out through the trees, attempting to gauge which way the road was. In the distance, I saw a flash of light. Perhaps it was coming from the road. I started running forward. Frigid air wound around me. It wove through my hair and kissed my cheeks. It felt glorious

  Running in slippers was challenging. They kept sliding off my feet. Therefore, I couldn’t run as fast as I wanted to. But I still kept a steady pace. Besides, Jasper and Nina were sleeping. By the time they woke up in the morning, I would be long gone. Hopefully, back home. But either way, I’d be free, no longer be trapped in a strange room with strange people in the middle of the forest.

  A smile crept up my face as I fantasized about seeing my family again and about being in my own room in my own house. My heart swelled at the thought. Even though I’d been tired when I first left, I now felt exhilarated and wide awake.

  Jasper wasn’t as bad as I’d originally thought, and I felt slightly guilty about leaving him like this. But I knew it was the right thing to do. Besides, Nina was correct about one thing. We may have forged an unlikely friendship, but I wasn’t here as his friend. I wasn’t an invited guest. I was a prisoner, held against my will.

  So, I had no reason to feel guilty. If anyone should have, it was him.

  My legs were moving faster now, as if the thought of being imprisoned was pushing me forward. Trees flew past me with each stride. My feet crunched on leaves and branches. It was dark. So dark it was hard to see in front of me, but I didn’t want to slow down. I peered upward trying to locate the moon, hoping it would guide me. But all I saw were leaves and branches. In the distance there was the howl of an animal, and a chill raked up my spine.

  Icy air poured into my mouth and burned my lungs. A cold sweat blanketed my skin, thick, like lotion. Stopping, I leaned against a nearby tree and took deep cleansing breaths. It had been so long since I’d worked out that I was seriously out of shape. Narrowing my eyes, I stared far into the distance. This time I didn’t see any light. Was I still going the right way? I wasn’t sure.

  The only thing I knew was that I had to keep moving forward. If I kept going, I was certain I’d make it to the road. I mean, how far could it be?

  Blindly, I stumbled forward. Since I’d taken a moment to rest, I was able to get a good momentum going again. Sports had never been my thing, but I did hit the gym several times a week. Normally I only rode on a stationary bike or did some cardio on the elliptical. But I’d never been a runner, and that was never more apparent than now. My purse clanged against my side as I ran, and I held it close to my body. Between my purse, my slippers, and my inability to run well, this whole thing was a lot more challenging than I had anticipated. Still, I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t give up. There was too much at stake. I’d been desperate to get home for months, and now I finally had the chance. If there was ever a time to push myself, it was now.

  The crack of a twig caused me to flinch. Whirling around, my gaze scoured the area around me. I didn’t see anything. Then again, it was pitch black out. When I heard another sound, almost like footsteps, my heart arrested in my chest. Spinning, I started running again, faster this time. The ground sloped downward. My feet moved so swift I worried I would fall. But I didn’t slow down. Another twig broke, and a footfall sounded behind me. There was someone…or something…out here. Panic clawed at me. Peering over my shoulder, I continued on. My body bounced up and down as my legs carried me down the hill. The sounds behind me intensified, but I still didn’t see anyone or anything there. It did little to calm me, though.

  My toe hit a rock, pitching me forward. Instinctively, I threw out my arms. Too bad it didn’t help to break my fall. My body flew forward. I closed my eyes, expecting to slam against the ground. What I wasn’t expecting was to fall into ice cold water. My body sunk down into it before I could register what was happening. Once I came to my senses, I flailed with my arms and kicked with my legs, attempting to make my way back to the surface. By the time I reached it, I was worried my lungs would explode. I desperately gulped in air as I circled my arms in the water in order to hold myself up. Once I’d successfully caught my breath, I headed toward the shore. I’d almost made it there when the current tugged at me, pushing my body back and forth. Reaching out, I grabbed onto a rock on the edge of the stream. Then I attempted to crawl up onto the shore, but it was difficult because my hands kept slipping.

  “Layla!” Jasper’s voice called out.

  Startled, I released my hold, my body falling back into the stream. The last thing I heard before my head went under was Jasper hollering out my name once again.

  ***

  The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that I had a pounding headache. The second was that I wasn’t at home. Oh, no. It was happening again.

  My gaze swept around, taking in the thick curtains, the cracks in the ceiling. My chest tightened, and I struggled to breathe. I was in that room again. The one I’d been held in for weeks. How was it possible that I was back here again? It seemed there was no way to get out of here.

  “Layla,” Jasper’s voice cut into my thoughts.

  My head snapped toward it, causing my head to pound even more. It felt like someone had taken a hammer to it. Wincing, I reached up and touched the tender flesh. Jasper sat in a chair near my bed, his expression one of concern.

  “What happened?” I croaked, my throat raw and raspy.

  “You fell in the stream and hit your head on a boulder. Thank god I was there to help you.”

  Memories of last night assaulted me. “What were you doing there?”

  “I heard you leave, and so I went after you.”

  I had been wrong to think he’d ever let me let me go. Whether he was locking the door or not, I was a prisoner here. Blowing out a frustrated breath, I returned my gaze to the ceiling. “How bad is it?”

  “What?”

  “My head.”

  “Nina says you’re fine. It was merely a bad bump.”

  Relieved, I nodded.

  “Layla.” Jasper scooted forward, his chair legs scraping on the ground. Reaching out, he placed his hand over mine. “I owe you an apology.” This piqued my interest. I turned my head as far as I could to look at his face. “I never should’ve made you stay here. I was scared, and I guess a part of me had thought that maybe you were…” he paused, pressing his lips together.

  “You thought I was what?”

  “Nothing.” He shook his head. “Anyway, that’s why I went after you last night. I was trying to catch up with you to tell you that I would take you home. But then you fell into the stream.”

  I winced, remembering. “You were going to take me home? Really?”

  “I still am.”

  “What?”

  “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Nina says you are, so whenever you’re ready, we’ll leave.”

  “You’ll really let me go home?”

  “Yes. It’s what I should’ve done from the beginning.”

  It hadn’t been the first time I’d gotten my hopes up about leaving, but for some reason I believed him this time. I wanted nothing more than to leap out of the bed and head home now. Only I was too tired to do that. “Thank you,” I told him. “For everything.” Then I closed my eyes and drifted into a dreamless sleep.

  This time when I awoke it was nighttime. Darkness and silence enveloped me. I must have been sl
eeping all day, but I still didn’t feel rested. Not that I was surprised. I’d been up the entire previous night. Plus, I’d almost drowned in a stream.

  I thought about how Jasper had offered to take me home, and I prayed that it wasn’t a dream. It had felt real. Nestling into my pillow, I was determined to get a little more rest, so that I would have enough energy to make the trip home tomorrow.

  9

  THE CAR

  IN THE MORNING I felt more rested. My head still hurt, but Jasper gave me some aspirin, and that helped. I could tell where I’d hit my head because a bump the size of a walnut had grown there. But I was grateful. I knew it could’ve been a lot worse. The stream hadn’t been very deep, and it was filled with boulders. Honestly, I was lucky to be alive. Clearly, I was a failure at escape attempts.

  Jasper promised to take me home as soon as I was ready. So, I’d showered and changed this morning. I wore my party dress and heels and smoothed down my long, thick hair. Since I’d lost my purse in the stream, I couldn’t put on any makeup this time, but that was all right. I had plenty more at home. Besides, nothing would get me down today.

  “Ready?” Jasper appeared in my doorway, dangling a set of keys from his fingers. On further inspection, I realized that they were mine.

  “We’re taking my car?”

  He nodded.

  “But I didn’t think it was here.”

  “It wasn’t. I had hidden it, but I went and got it while you were sleeping.”

  Not only was I going home, but I was also getting my car back. It was better than Christmas morning.

  “Thank you,” I said with a smile.

  Shaking his head, he chuckled.

  “What?”

  “You’re amazing, you know that?” His statement surprised me, causing my eyebrows to shoot up my forehead. “When I first found you in your car, I thought you were the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen. But I had no idea that you would be the sweetest too.” Warmth spilled across my cheeks. “You’re probably the only girl in the world who would be this kind to her kidnapper.”