by J. L. Ostle
To my Dominic,
Thank you for being there for me, looking after me along this crazy journey.
Thank you for being my hero.
I gave you my most precious gift. I want you to know
I will never regret it. It was perfect.
I love you Dominic,
I love you with all of my heart.
Please don’t be sad, please enjoy the rest of your life.
Be happy.
But please keep me close to your heart.
I know you will go far; I believe in you.
Goodbye Dominic,
I will never forget you.
Yours always,
Sky
I re-read the letter over and over. She loves me, I know she does, but it’s different seeing it in black and white. I sit on the edge of the bed just looking at her words. This amazing girl, who had never even experienced the simple things in life, changed me without even knowing it. I can’t not have her in my life. I need to do something. I need to fight.
“Dominic.” Lake sits next to me, holding her letter in her hands. “She mentioned that she made a deal, signed a contract.” I look at her confused. A contract, they made her sign a contract?
“What do you mean a contract?” I ask, confused.
“They used her naivety to make her think she didn’t have a choice. She was allowed to see me for five months but after that she would have to go back and follow their rules and marry the guy of their choice which is Jefferson.” I tighten my fists, knowing another man is going to claim her but this time permanently.
“She is going to marry that guy from the club?” I try and keep my voice calm.
“They brought us up to be the perfect submissive future wives to a blue blooded man. I got away but they must have done a number on Sky. She is going back and I know they are going to punish her; do something to keep her in line.” I look into Lake’s eyes and see fear.
“What do you mean punish her?” I already know the answer before I even ask the question.
“They will hurt her, to make sure she knows her place.” I shake my head; they are going to hurt my Sky. I stand up and start pacing; I can’t let her stay with people who are going to use her as a punching bag.
“You said something though about a contract.” I sit back next to her.
“Yeah, they made her believe she has no other choice; she thinks if she doesn’t, they will sue me. She doesn’t have to do this, it’s like slavery, they are lying to her. We can get her back.” I stand up and feel hope.
“What do we have to do?” She stands up and I see her eyes fill with strength.
“We make a plan and get our girl back.” I smile and nod my head.
It has been three days since I came back home and I haven’t heard anything from Lake or Dominic, but I wasn’t expecting to. If they did try to reach out, it’s not like the messages would actually come to me. I’ve been locked in my room for two whole days with no food; mother saying that I gained too much weight while I was away. I’ve been living on water and ice cubes; my stomach cramps painfully. I was grateful when I got a slice of dry toast this morning; I was ready to pass out from starvation.
I look into the mirror; my hair has been cut back to the length it was when I first left, the purple tips now nonexistent. It’s like the last five months never happened, but I know they did from the memories I will cherish until the day I die.
I’m sitting on my bed reading a book when I see our maid Zelda walk through the door, her eyes brimming with tears. I run to her, holding her. She knows what my life has been like and she wished that when I left that I stayed hidden. I missed her so much.
“I’m sorry they found you.” She looks at me and I wince when she touches my arm. When I returned, Mom gave me my punishment for acting like a whore.
“Zelda, I’ve missed you.” I sit on my bed and she sits next to me.
“I’ve seen you on the TV, the music video, man when you try and live, you go for it.” She chuckles at me. “That Dominic, what a hottie.” I feel my cheeks blush; God I miss him so much.
“Zelda, I can’t believe I’m back here. I knew I would have to but I was hoping I could have stayed with my sister. I’ve changed and I know I am going to be punished every day until I go back to that girl I was when I first left. And to top it off, I have to marry Jefferson,” I breathe out.
“Oh Sky, I can see new strength in you, this glow; I know they are going to try and beat it out of you. I can’t sit back and witness it but I will be sent back home, I can’t leave you here alone.” I hug her. She is the same age as me but she has some nasty people after her back where she is from. I understand if she told the police what my parents do to me, they would send her back; plus, my parents would deny every word.
“I know, I will cope.” I hold her hand.
“There is some bad news though.” I look at her and see sadness in her eyes. “Your engagement is being announced tonight at the party. I heard your parents talking.” I close my eyes, hating how quickly this is happening. I was nervous showing some skin in front of the camera and right now I would rather do that a million times than marry a man I don’t love.
“Thank you for telling me.” She squeezes my hand.
“I will talk to you soon; they will be wondering where I am.” I watch her leave my room.
I look around me and see my childhood bedroom. The walls, perfectly white; no posters, no photos. The furniture matching the walls, plain and boring. I already hate being back. Hate how a sordid thought pops into my head about ending my life just so I don’t have to bare being in this hell.
I am wearing a white summer dress covered in black flowers that reaches my knees, my hair tied up with a few tendrils framing my face. I am in a hall full of people I don’t know, celebrating my future engagement. There will be a speech from my father at some point. I am at Jefferson’s side, smiling when someone comes along to introduce themselves and I politely say hello and nod at the right times.
A man with messy blonde hair approaches us and Jefferson and this man hug and laugh as they catch up. I stand by his side, looking at the floor like I’ve been trained to do. I look up when I feel both their eyes on me, praising me. The man, Leighton, licks his lips and I shudder.
“You really have some girl,” Leighton says.
“Yeah, she really is. Sky, will you go get us a drink?” I look at Jefferson and want to say no. I know he can sense it as he grabs my wrist, clasping it until I start to feel pain. “That okay with you?” I nod my head and he releases me. I walk to the bar and order two whiskeys with no ice, since that’s what I have seen Jefferson drink.
I am about to return when I am stopped by my mother and a woman who is smiling at me. “You must be the beautiful Sky; I now know why. Your eyes are mesmerizing, such a dark blue. I’m sure I can see purple in your irises.” I smile politely.
“Yes we thought Sky was a fitting name when she was born,” Mom says nicely, putting on her social face.
“I heard you can sing, Sky.” I see Mom tense up. “I heard you were in so many plays and choirs in school.” Mom relaxes, as do I. “Would you be able to sing something for us?” I start to shake my head, not wanting to ever sing again since I know it will bring pain I don’t want to experience.
“Of course she will. Sky would love to, won’t you sweetie?” She smiles at me but her eyes are telling me to do this or else. I nod my head.
“Great, let me go introduce you.” I watch the woman head to the stage and talk to the orchestra.
“You ruin this and there will be consequences,” Mom spits in my ear.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Sky Emeraldson is gracious enough to sing for us tonight, let’s give her a little encouragement.” Everyone looks towards me and starts clapping and I head to the stage. Before I go up the steps, Jefferson holds my waist and kisses my forehead, giving everyone a show. Making it look like we are a loving couple.
“Don’t you dare sing one of your disgust
ing rock songs,” he whispers in my ear. I hate that I have to marry this man. I’m going to be punished and living under someone’s thumb for the rest of my life.
I walk up the stage and head to the microphone, so many memories flooding back. I never thought I would sing again. I look out to the crowd, seeing the people in their business suits, sipping their drinks. I can’t help but smile. If they ever heard me perform one of my songs, they would be horrified. I turn my head back and tell the conductor the song I’m singing and face the crowd once again.
The music starts and I look back out to the crowd and then close my eyes and start to sing My Immortal by Evanescence. I sing with all the pain that I’m feeling. I think of Dominic; of everything we went through. My heart aches for him; I can see his eyes smiling at me, his fingers entwining with mine.
I sing for him, I sing with my soul; like if I sing hard enough, he will be able to feel me. I never once open my eyes. I let this song be for him and me, not for these people, not for my parents, but for us. For the pain my parents have caused me. I finish the last word and open my eyes and everyone applauds, looking at me like others do when they first hear me sing.
I walk down the stairs and just like that, I’m surrounded by people; re-introducing themselves, telling me how amazing I was, how beautiful my voice is, how they want me to sing for them at their next event. My parents and Jefferson are at my side, telling them how proud they are of me, how they never wanted to exploit my talent.
I smile but I don’t say a word, I feel like everything has turned into white noise, my thoughts start to go darker; I shake my head, trying not to go there. I know it would kill my sister, even though I can never see her again. I couldn’t do that to her. I try to clear my thoughts when I hear music and a voice that causes my heart to skip a beat.
The people that were talking stop, everyone turning to the voice and, like in the movies, the crowd moves so I can see Dominic, singing to me. My eyes fill with tears as he sings a song from the first movie we watched together, Copacabana. He sings Who Needs to Dream by Barry Manilow.
I can’t help but giggle at him; his eyes are on me and the crowd moves, knowing he is looking at me. I watch him standing there, not making a move to come to me. I watch him, feeling like it’s been years since I last saw him and not just days. He looks like his Godly self; his brown hair sweeping over his eyes; beautiful eyes that look at me like I’m the only person here.
I laugh when I see Chris and Leon behind him playing their instruments and they wink at me. Dominic’s voice gets stronger and I cry with love and happiness that he is here, that he is fighting for me. That’s when I realize that he wants me, he really wants me. He starts to walk to me and my eyes are blurring with tears but I keep wiping them away. I want to watch every second of him.
He sings the last bit of the song in front of me, his vocals go high and he stops, grabs hold of my waist, and pulls me close to his body. He wipes the tears away with his thumbs.
“I love you, Sky. Please be mine.” I laugh and wrap my arms around his neck and his lips land on mine. I kiss him so desperately, afraid if I stop he will disappear.
“I love you, Dominic, so much.” I tell him and we smile at each other.
He takes my hand and starts to guide me away but my other hand gets grabbed and I look back, seeing my father holding me, stopping us.
“Who the hell do you think you are, taking my daughter?” my dad tries to say calmly and I know he wants to shout but he would never with all these people around.
“I am taking her away from your abusive hands. She is coming with me.” Dominic pulls me away and stands in front of me. I see Chris and Leon stand at my side.
“I don’t think so; she’s about to be married,” he spits out.
“Yeah, because you are forcing her. By the way, we know about the contract; you are a lying bastard, making her think she didn’t have a choice.” I look at Dominic and back to my dad.
“What do you mean?” I ask Dominic.
“Sky, that contract is bogus, you don’t need to stay here. You are twenty-one and can do as you please. They knew they could lose you so they made you think you had no choice. They can’t sue Lake; it’s all lies.” I look at my parents and they are glaring at Dominic.
“Is this true?” I ask them.
“We raised you; we have every right to do with you as we please,” Mom seethes and I hear a few gasps around us. My parents look around and they try to cover themselves. “That’s not what I meant,” Mom says weakly.
“You abused your daughters to marry them off to who? The highest bidder? We are going and if you ever go near them again, I swear I will press charges.” Dominic looks at them with disgust. We try to walk away again but I feel my hair being pulled. I accidently let go of Dominic’s hand to stop my hair from being ripped out and I land on the ground on my hands and knees.
“I should have aborted you when I had the chance!” Mom screams at me and my eyes fill with tears and then my face is being slapped.
“Claudia!” Dad shouts at her but she ignores him.
“You are a waste of space, you and your sister!” I’m slapped again but then Dominic pulls her away from me and when I stand, she is acting like a crazy person. “Let go of me!” My dad looks at the people around him then walks out of the room.
Some security guards come in and take my mom away, her kicking and screaming, and she reminds me of Shelly. No wonder why I cowered away from her all those months ago. Dominic comes to my side and looks at my face.
“You need to stop crazy women from hitting you,” he jokes and I giggle, shaking my head.
“What can I say, I bring out the worst in people.” He smiles at me and kisses my lips softly.
“I love you, Sky.” I beam up at him.
“I love you too, Dominic.” I go on my tip toes and kiss his lips, wrapping my arms around his neck. I look into his eyes. “Thank you for rescuing me.”
“Always.”
Since Mom confirmed what my parents had done to my sister and me, they were sent to jail for abuse. We were compensated for the money that belonged to us that our parents kept hidden. Our grandparents left us trust funds but we only knew about a small amount of it. It seems our grandparents knew what our parents were like and wanted to make sure we had a comfortable life.
Being a rock star kept my bank account full but I grew up with responsibilities so I opened a savings account. I like knowing I have something to land back on when this career does eventually finish. I became even more famous when news got out that Risen Knights lead singer was abused and contracted to marry. Fans even threatened to punish my parents.
I’m on a set to film our new music video; we are doing a cover of Mirrors by Natalia Kills and this time I can’t wait to see Dominic’s face. I am in a tight, red dress and I walk onto the set that is made to look like a bedroom. When Dominic sees me, his eyes roam my body and I give him a smirk. He is wearing an expensive suit, looking like a CEO.
I walk to him and give his lips a lick before taking a few steps back when the director says places. I walk to the door that enters to the bedroom and wait for the intro to start. I push open the door and start to sing. I walk to the middle of the room and turn my head; Dominic’s eyes have gone dark. I reach behind me and pull my zipper down, letting the dress pool around my feet, standing there in just a red lace bra and panties.
He walks to me slowly and holds my hand, turning me around and placing a blindfold around my eyes. I feel his stubble against my cheek as I continue to sing. He grabs my waist and pulls me into him as he starts nuzzling my neck. I raise my arms and feel him tie my wrists before turning me around again and pushing me onto the bed. I can feel him crawl up, hovering above me. I arch myself to feel him, then the director says cut and I groan. Dominic pulls the blindfold down and smiles at me then kisses me.
“We are continuing this later,” he promises and stands.
The next scene I say the lines sex, love, control, vanity.
The love line goes to Leon and Lake and the camera goes to them looking down at one another, showing their love through their eyes; the sex line goes to Chris who pins a girl against the wall, starting to strip her. The control goes to Dominic who has me in chains, circling me with a flogger. The vanity goes to me; I’m sitting in front of a mirror singing to myself as I place my hair in a high ponytail. The video continues to go back and forth between all of us.
The music video went to number one and our second album will be released in two weeks. We will be starting our very own tour shortly after; even going to Europe which I can’t wait for. Dominic and I are at the stage of our relationship where we can’t keep our hands off each other, which I don’t mind at all.
Dominic and I are with Lake, Chris and Leon in a club and I have a surprise for him; I can’t wait to see his face. We are laughing and having a few drinks when I tell them I am heading to the bathroom. Lake has helped me get this together so I go to the stage, sit on a stool, and grab a guitar that belongs to Dominic. I sit down in front of the mic and the light shines on me and everyone looks up. When I first started singing in front of a crowd, I would always get nervous, but now I enjoy it. I let the music take hold and that, I will never give up.
“Sorry everyone but I wanted to sing, well play a song, to someone who I love with all my heart, who is my always. Dominic this is for you.” I start to strum and sing Michelle Branch’s Everywhere.
I have practiced my ass off and I want to show Dominic that he is everywhere to me; even when I left he was always in my heart. I sing to him, my eyes only on him. His smile brightening my life. I sing and let the song once again bring me to a calm that I always feel. I strum the guitar like I have played for years.