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Penna came back a few days later and Autumn was happy to see her. At first, all she could do was dance and cheer as they hugged each other. When they finally settled down, Penna gave Autumn a snow globe she had bought her while she was away. It played the most wonderful music and had a pretty pink sparkly castle that was in some clouds. Instead of snow falling, stars of glitter fell.
Autumn hugged her and wished that she had gotten her something in return but Penna said the trip had been plenty. Autumn wanted to hear all about it. The two sat on Autumn’s bed and Penna told her everything. She told her how wonderful Byron’s speech had been and that at the end his classmates had all stood and clapped their hands.
After the ceremony there had been dozens of students who wanted to talk with Byron and take pictures. Even some of the teachers. There were also a few doctors who wanted to see if they could change Byron’s mind on the hospital he’d chosen to do his residency at, but Byron had done his homework. He knew which one he wanted. Penna said she was so proud of him and that it had been far too long since she’d seen him.
She showed Autumn the pictures they had taken together. After the ceremony, when things had settled down, they'd gone back to Byron’s dorm. Penna gave him the watch she’d bought him. He really liked it. And when she told him about his loan having been paid off, he couldn’t believe it. He hadn’t believed it until she showed him the bill paid in full.
Byron wanted to know who had paid the bill and Penna admitted she lied to him. She told him it came from someone anonymously. She knew that if she had told him the truth, that Cage had paid, Byron would have wanted to thank him personally. And she didn’t ever want Byron and Cage to meet.
Autumn agreed with her decision and, though she had lied, she thought it was the best choice considering the situation. Penna told her that Byron was so excited the two went out to dinner. After that they spent several days together hanging out. They went to several museums and landmarks, as well as the movies. Autumn looked at all the pictures thinking it must have been fun.
After a few days Penna helped her brother pack up his room and then saw him off to the airport. He left a day or so before she did. She told Autumn on her last day in the hotel room she’d just relaxed. She’d ordered room service and watched movies in the room’s hot tub.
For nearly the whole day they talked about Penna’s trip and Autumn looked at all her pictures several times. Autumn longed to be able to go out and do the things Penna had. Penna asked Autumn how things had been while she was away, and if Autumn had done anything. Autumn simply told her things were the same as they always were, and she figured they would always be.
The next day things went back to normal. Penna woke her up as she always did and Autumn went to her garden for breakfast and then attended classes. However, while Autumn was learning how to cross stitch, Penna was called away. She didn’t return even when Autumn went to her next class, which was cooking. Autumn wondered what was up as she learned how to make triangle pies.
In the middle of her class, Cage showed up. He was dressed in his black silk robe and seemed agitated. He told Autumn’s teacher to finish baking the pies and had Autumn come with him. She assumed he wanted to have sex since they went back to her room. However when she climbed into her bed he snapped his finger at her. “Get up and get dressed.”
“I am dressed.” said Autumn, looking at her sheer blue dress.
“Put those on.” said Cage as he pointed to a pile of clothing.
Autumn realized Penna must have laid them out. She saw some overalls and a long sleeved shirt. She found it strange. They were so plain. Usually he had her wear dresses. As Autumn got dressed, Cage paced the room back and forth. When she finished putting on some socks and tennis shoes she asked, “Where are we going?”
“You’re going out. Now come on.” said Cage as he turned to the door. Autumn didn’t move, thinking she had misheard him. Cage snapped his fingers and motioned for her to follow him before he left the room. Hesitantly, Autumn followed Cage into the hall. Cage didn’t wait for her. He kept moving. Confused, Autumn said, “What did you say?”
“You heard me.” said Cage gruffly as they walked to the elevators. “Now keep it light. Penna is waiting for you downstairs. She’ll have the money if you need anything.”
Autumn felt dazed, like she was having some sort of dream. She didn’t know what to say or even what to do as she drifted behind Cage. She couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Surely this had to be some sort of game or trick. Yet as they approached the elevators Cage showed no sign of bluffing.
He scanned his thumb and the elevator doors opened. Before Autumn could react he turned and briskly grabbed her. Cage pulled her to him and glared at her. She came out of her daze then, thinking this was it. This was when he was going to laugh in her face and remind her that she would never be free of him.
However he didn’t crack a smile and he didn’t let out a single laugh as he said, “You will obey the rules. You will stay with your bodyguards and Penna. If you go beyond where any of them can see you, this will not happen again. Do you understand?!”
“Yes.” said Autumn in disbelief. This was really happening. He was really going to let her go. Only for a little while, but still she’d be free of him and this place.
Cage clutched her tightly as he saw her attention wandering. He grasped her chin so she’d look at him and said, “And don’t forget the most important part. You come back! Don’t make me have to hunt you down!”
Autumn swallowed hard and went to nod yes, but before she could Cage pulled her to him. He took her breath away with a long, deep, smoldering kiss. When it was over she stumbled, swaying to the side. Without a word Cage pushed her into the elevator. She nearly fell as she stumbled back. She managed to catch herself on the elevators walls as the doors closed and before she knew it she was going down.
Once Autumn was out of his sight, Cage turned his back to the elevator. He stood there for a moment, running his hands through his hair as he thought over what he was doing once more. He knew this had to be done. He knew he had to give her this. But still, it was hard. Especially when he knew how dangerous things were. He let out a deep sigh before he left the room and continued on with his business.
The whole way down Autumn was in shock. Even though she told herself over and over again that this was happening, she just couldn’t believe it. She had wanted this for so long. She almost wanted to cry. When the elevator stopped on the middle floor, a guard was waiting for her. He searched her before he took her to the second elevator. Together they went down to the parking garage. When they got out Penna was there waiting for her. Autumn quickly ran up to her, taking her hand. She squeezed it as she asked, “Did you know this was going to happen?”
“Not until this morning.” said Penna.
“You should have told me!” said Autumn.
“I didn’t have the time.” said Penna, as a yellow car that looked like a taxi cab showed up. Penna opened the door for Autumn to get in. The guard that was with her on the elevators was already inside. There was also another guard in the passenger seat, as well as one as the driver. Autumn got in and buckled up as Penna joined her. “I spent the last few hours getting lectured on what is and isn’t allowed.”
The car left the parking garage. Autumn was still mesmerized. She had a feeling it was going to take a few days for all of this to actually sink in. “I can’t believe he’s letting us do this.”
“Neither can I. Did you say something to him about it?”
“Earlier, yes. Last week, when you were gone. I asked him. But I’ve asked him a million times these last two years. What do you think changed his mind?”
“Honestly, I have no idea.” said Penna, shaking her head.
Autumn smiled at her and then looked around. She noticed the car seemed to be driving somewhere. She wondered for a moment if a place had been picked out or if she would get to choose. She looked to Penna and asked, “
Where are we going?”
“Cage told me you’ll eventually be able to choose where we go, but for now we're going to a secured shopping center a few blocks from here.”
“Secured?” asked Autumn.
“Yes. It's been checked out for potential problems and risks. Men have been put into various positions around the stores and several exit plans have been formulated should we need to leave at once.”
“Hmm.” said Autumn. She realized Cage had put a lot of work into this. He must have been planning this for days.
“How many men are around?” asked Autumn.
“Enough.” said Penna. “Cage would like us to come here for about a month.”
“Every day?” asked Autumn, getting excited.
“No, you're allowed one day a week. The day and time will be chosen at random. If there is somewhere you would like to go, Cage would like a few weeks to a month to secure it. When we get home you should make a list.”
“Hmm.” said Autumn. She wondered just where she would like to go. She didn’t know much about this city. She’d only ever been to a few places, and even then it had been years ago. Autumn wondered if she would be given a map or if she would just tell them where she wanted to go and they would find her a place.
She didn’t like the idea that each place needed to be secured. It kind of defeated the purpose of her getting to go out if everything was controlled and scrutinized. Still, as they pulled up to the shopping center she thought maybe she could deal with the extra requirements. Because, controlled or not, she was still getting to do something new and different. Most of all, she was doing it without Cage.
The shopping center was large. It spread out over a block. It had a courtyard in the center with the stores surrounding it. You could only get into the shopping center through four directional entrances. Autumn entered through the south end. Three guards and Penna were with her at all times. Several people looked at her and Penna, wondering if they were celebrities. It was a little awkward and Autumn asked Penna if they would always have to have three people following them. Penna told her there was more than three, that there was also at least a dozen plain clothes guards.
Autumn found herself wondering just who they were as they walked around. The courtyard was decorated with all sorts of trees and bushes. A large waterfall poured down from the second floor and into a wishing well. Autumn wanted to make a wish and asked Penna for a coin. She gave her one and after she made her wish she wondered just how much money she was allowed to spend.
When she asked Penna, she told Autumn Cage had given her a card with no limit and told her Autumn was allowed to spend whatever her heart desired. Autumn didn’t really know how much that was. Surely it couldn’t be limitless. Surely there had to be a cap. But then Autumn got to wondering what if there really wasn’t?
She could buy out everything in every store just to spite him. She could screw him with a massive bill. For a few minutes she really thought about it, but in the end she decided at this point it was more important to be on her best behavior than her worst. After all, Cage letting her go out was currently a privilege, not a right.
She didn’t want to do anything to have it taken away. Autumn looked around in several clothing stores, picking out a hat and a long hooded sweater that fell to her knees. If he let her wear it, it would be nice to cover up some of the more sheer clothing she owned. After the clothing stores she went to a shop that had pets and spent a few minutes looking at each of them with Penna. She debating buying one but in the end decided not to.
When it was lunch, she and Penna ate at one of the restaurants. The food wasn’t that great but it was one of the best lunches she’d had in a long time. For a moment, when the guards were all sitting at another table, Autumn felt like she was actually out to lunch with a friend.
After lunch they found a hardware store and Autumn picked up some things for her garden. By now, they had been at the mall for several hours. Penna looked at her phone and said they could go to one more place. Autumn sighed dismally, knowing this would eventually end. She knew she would eventually have to go back, but for now she would make it last as long as she could. She decided to find herself some entertainment and went into a large retail bookstore.
They had all sorts of books and movies. Autumn filled her basket with mysteries, comedies, and puzzles. She got something in just about every genre she could find except for horror, which she already had enough of, and romance, which was altogether just too sad.
She found herself lingering through the travel section the most. She focused on the books with a lot of pictures. She loved the ones with landscapes. The photographs were just amazing. As she flipped through the books she ran her hands over all the exotic destinations. The beaches looks so perfect with the clear blue waters and the stunning skies. She could almost imagine herself running along their shores.
She flipped through books with golden meadows that seemed to go on forever. There were peaceful waterfalls in secluded locations, forests that looked so lush and green with all the trees and plants. There were hundreds of pictures of flowers, and the photographs of mountains that looked so clean and crisp.
The best photos were of sunsets and sunrises. They were breathtakingly gorgeous. From the tower Autumn only saw the sunrise and sunset through the buildings. Even though the tower was the tallest in the city, she never got a clear view. There was so much clutter in the city. There weren’t any open spaces for miles and miles, save for the occasional park. And even then you could see the buildings that surrounded them.
Autumn couldn’t help but think she’d love to travel and see the world. Perhaps now that she was out and about maybe one day Cage would let her. Until then, Autumn thought she might blow her favorite pictures up into posters and plaster them around her rooms. She spent several minutes picking out the books she liked best before dropping them into her basket.
When Autumn turned to go to another section, she accidentally bumped into someone. She tripped, stumbling forward, and lost hold of her basket. It fell to the floor as she caught herself. Her books and movies went everywhere. Autumn quickly dropped to her knees and attempted to put them all back in the basket. The man she'd bumped into quickly dropped to the floor with her. As he helped her pick up the books, he apologized for bumping into her. As Autumn picked things up, she said it was okay and admitted it was her fault for not paying attention. She glanced at the man to see who he was and noticed it was Detective Carter.
She froze for a second, wondering what he was doing here. She looked around for his partner but she didn’t see him. She also didn’t see Penna. The closest bodyguard she could see seemed distracted as he looked at a magazine of naked women. Autumn stood up, wondering what she should do. Detective Carter finished picking up the books before handing Autumn the basket. She took it instinctively, saying, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” said Carter before he stared at Autumn as if he’d just recognized who she was. He smiled and said, “Well hello there… Audrey, is it?”
“No, it's Autumn.” said Autumn, quietly correcting him. She was pretty sure he knew her name and that bumping into him wasn’t a coincidence.
He acted as if he were really surprised to see her and said, “Well Autumn, how are you today?”
Autumn looked at him. She still wasn’t sure what she should do. It had been a long time since she’d been out and about without Cage. It was just her luck that she’d run into a detective her first time out. She swallowed hard, thinking maybe she could ask him for help. Maybe she could tell him what had happened to her and perhaps he could get her out of here. Maybe the police could protect her.
Autumn looked around again. The guard closest to her was still distracted with his magazine. She looked at Detective Carter and knew all it would take was a few words. Surely the men with her couldn’t defy a detective. She doubted they would use their guns in such a public place.
Autumn bit her lip, thinking of what she could say. And then she sighe
d, thinking of Penna. Surely if Autumn talked to Detective Carter, Penna would get in trouble since she was supposed to be watching her. Last Autumn had checked, she’d been looking for some books for her brother. Autumn didn’t want her to get in trouble. Or the others that were supposed to be keeping an eye on her.
Besides, she knew Cage would never let her go. If she somehow managed to get out of here, he’d find her. Police protection or not, he’d make her come back to him. Detective Carter was still staring at her when she came out of her thoughts. She thought to leave him and walk off, but he might think that was strange. Instead, she put on her best fake smile and said, “Good, how are you doing?”
“Not bad. Shopping with the family on my day off. How about you? What are you up to?”
“Not much. Just shopping myself.” said Autumn, raising her basket. She was now even more glad she hadn’t said something. Maybe this really was a coincidence and he was just here with his family. She would hate to put them in danger.
Detective Carter looked at Autumn’s basket and then looked around before he raised an eyebrow. He leaned in close and almost in a whisper he said, “Alone?”
“I have some others with me.”
“But no Cage?” said Carter.
“No.” said Autumn.
Carter pulled back thinking for a moment before he said, “Well, this is a rare sight indeed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without him.”
“Yes,” said Autumn. She wondered if she should cut the conversation off and move away from him. Even though she wasn’t going to say anything, she didn’t want the others to think she was.
However, before she could excuse herself and look for Penna, Carter caught her off guard. “I’m sorry to hear about your party.”
“Oh.” said Autumn. It was hard for her to think about it and even harder for her to talk about it. The few times Autumn had talked about it with Penna, she would tell her not to think about it and to do her best to just move on. There was nothing she could do and it was better if she forgot.
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