Jordan sighed, slumping down on the couch. “I wanted to, but I didn’t know how to get close to you. You always seemed so… unapproachable. If it wasn’t for Jaelyn’s idea to pretend she was missing, I probably never would have been able to do it.”
“I don’t understand. Why would Jaelyn want to do that?” I asked, inching around in front of him so I lined up with the main door to my left.
“I think she just wanted to get me to stop complaining so much,” he chuckled, sighing as he brushed a hand through his hair. “I have to admit; it was love at first sight. When you spoke to me in the club, I thought I might pass out in floor right then and there.”
“Club?” I repeated. “Didn’t we meet when Jaelyn disappeared?”
Jordan shook his head. “No. The first time I saw you, you were dancing with your sister at the club. Obviously I could tell you were twins, but something about the way you moved just spoke to me. Your smile lit up the room, and I could feel your joy from across the room. You were beautiful… You are beautiful.”
My stomach churched at the way he smiled, giving me the overwhelming feeling of unease and the need to spill its contents all over his clean, unused stark white tennis shoes. How did someone respond to that? And when did being called beautiful have to be so creepy and unwanted? I remembered a time when that was all anyone ever wanted. It was all I ever wanted, until the person calling me beautiful turned out to be a psychotic kidnapper.
“Oh, um… thanks,” I mumbled.
Grinning, Jordan took my hand in his and brought it to his mouth. Fighting the urge to yank it away, I clenched my jaw as he placed a kiss on my knuckles.
“Are you hungry?” he asked. “I am actually a pretty good cook if I do say so myself.”
I opened my mouth to answer in the negative, but the look on his face made me pause.
“S-sure,” I answered hesitantly, not confident in my ability to eat without getting sick.
His grin widened, and he jumped up from the couch. “I had a lot of input with designing this place,” he said as he sauntered into the kitchen. “We did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself. I wanted to make sure you were fully stocked and prepared for anything you might need. Of course Jaelyn thought the way it looked was most important. She spent so much time and money decorating.” He sighed, shaking his head. “What good do pretty paintings do you when you don’t have enough food and water? Seriously, I will never understand that woman. You prefer your meat medium rare, right?”
“Yeah,” I answered, no bothering to ask how he knew. At this point I wouldn’t be surprised if he knew more about me and my family than I did myself.
Nodding, he starting pulling ingredients out of the fridge and small walk-in pantry. To his credit, the kitchen was, in fact, fully stocked with every single food item we could ever possibly need. With all the dry and canned goods, we could live down here for months without ever having to leave. The thought made me shudder.
“Are you cold? I can have my father turn up the-”
“No, I’m fine. Thanks,” I said a little too quickly and smiled to try and sell it.
He studied me for a moment before nodding. “Okay,” he said, turning back to preparing… whatever it was. “So, have you had a chance to look around, right? We worked really hard on it, like I said. Tell me, what did you think of your bedroom? I’m pretty proud of it myself.” I had a feeling he wouldn’t like what I had to say.
“It’s a room,” I said, and he glanced at me with a furrowed brow.
“I’m not sure what that’s supposed to mean,” he chuckled.
I sighed. “What do you expect me to say? This isn’t my home and that isn’t my bedroom. It’s a prison with a pretty exterior built to keep me and my sister hostage,” I explained.
Jordan paused his preparations, keeping his gaze averted, expression blank, and I swallowed hard. From what he’d shown so far, Jordan wasn’t exactly violent, but I didn’t know what he would do if pushed too far.
“I see,” he murmured. “I’m sorry you feel that way. I hope you’ll come to see that it isn’t as bad here and you seem to think. Your sister came around, I’m sure you will too, eventually.”
Gritting my teeth, I bit back a retort.
Jordan cooked the rest of the meal in silence, and I followed suit without complaint. It wasn’t like there was anything I could or would say to make him feel better. After all, I was the one who’d been kidnapped, how sick was it that his feelings were hurt?
“Food’s ready,” he said, once again donning that carefree smile. Guess I didn’t hurt his feelings that much. “Do you mind setting the table? I even made enough for Lily if she’d like to join us.”
“I don’t think she’s feeling that well,” I said as I placed plates and silverware out on the table.
He nodded, and I released a sigh. “I guess it will be just the two of us then. That’s alright, it just means more food for us.”
Smiling, Jordan filled our plates with some kind of steak, green beans, and mashed potatoes filled with butter, garlic, and cream cheese. I hated to admit it, but Jordan was right. He could cook some good food.
The delicious smell wafted up to my nose, and my hunger took over the queasiness. My stomach growled as I began shoveling food, and before I knew it, my plate was empty. I eyed the leftover dishes before giving Jordan a sidelong glance. He nodded, gesturing for me to take more, which I did without hesitation.
“I’m glad you like it,” he said when we were finished.
“It was good,” I agreed. “Thanks.”
He grinned. “You’re very welcome. I will be more than happy to do it again sometime.”
Not sure what to say next, I started cleaning up the dirty dishes to keep my hands busy. When Jordan didn’t move to help, I realized this was what he wanted. Him cooking meals, me cleaning up after, it was like we were a happy family. He really was insane, but I could work with that.
“Jordan! Are you down here?” Jaelyn’s voice cut through the tension in the air, and I stood, moving to the opposite side of the room before she entered. She rolled her eyes when she saw me. “I figured you’d be down here with your little crush. Dad’s looking for you. He needs your help setting up one of the tents in the back yard for the party.”
“Okay, I’ll be there in a minute.”
“You better hurry-”
“I said I’d be there in a minute,” he said, switching back to the assertive personality he showed in the car. He glared at Jaelyn until she rolled her eyes.
“Fine. I’m going. You can deal with dad if you keep him waiting though,” she called in a sing-songy voice as she walked back up the stairs.
“Party?” I asked as Jordan returned his attention to me.
He sighed. “Yeah. He wanted to celebrate now that both of you are here. I’d better go; he gets angry when he has to wait. He’s not a very patient man.”
“Maybe I can help-”
“That’s really nice of you, but I’d better not risk it,” he said. “I’ll come back later after I’m done.”
“No really, I promise I’m really good at planning parties! Just ask Lil-”
I stopped, jerking backwards when he turned suddenly at the door and cupped my cheek. Then, without warning, he moved me away from the door and shut it in my face. The lock snapped into place, and I stood there, staring at the closed door, trying to figure out why my life turned out this way.
Lily didn’t leave her bedroom except to use the restroom sometime in the middle of the night. While there were so many appliances in the room, none of the clocks were actually set. Each one told a different time, and there were no windows to discern day or night. However, a few hours after Jordan left, every light and electronic shut off at the exact same moment as if on a timer - which explained why none of the clocks agreed on the time.
Unable to bring myself to sleep in the bedroom, I laid on the couch and stared up at the ceiling until the lights clicked back on and the air whirred to life. Tha
nkfully, we were in the basement and it didn’t get too hot during the night.
The door behind me opened signaling Lily’s emergence from her room. Sitting up, I watched as she walked to the kitchen, pulled a pan out of the cabinet, eggs out of the fridge, and began making breakfast. Every movement she made was slow and methodical… practiced.
“Lily-”
Lily screamed, flinching so violently the eggs flew out of the pan and landed on the floor a few feet away. She bent over, clenching her chest in an effort to slow her pulse. Memories of her doing the exact same thing when we were kids made me smile.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You didn’t scare me,” she said, and I chuckled. Glaring at me through her butchered hair, she grabbed a towel off the counter to clean up her mess. “I forgot you were here. That’s not true, I thought it was a dream, you being here.”
“I used to think that. After mom died, after you left, I would wake up in the morning and for those first few moments, I imagined it was all a dream. That didn’t last very long though,” I whispered.
Smiling, Lily resumed cooking her breakfast. “We are related.”
“It was the night at the club,” I said, and Lily’s arm froze mid-flip.
She nodded. “I know.”
“Do you ever wish we’d just-”
“Not gone? What good would wishing do? It’s not like we can go back and change anything,” she said, putting her scrambled eggs on a plate. “Do you want any?”
I declined, the thought of eating anything made my stomach churn, but she’d been here for so long now that this was normal for her.
“Did you get any sleep?” she asked, shoveling eggs.
Shaking my head, I sighed. “I was too anxious to close my eyes. Every time I did, I pictured someone coming in and…” I shivered.
“If it makes you feel any better, it’s not as bad as you’re thinking,” she said, not looking me in the eyes. “No one’s raped me or anything like that. I mean, when you think about what other girls have probably gone through, I’ve had it pretty easy.”
My stomach heaved. “What have you been through?”
Lily sighed, twirling the food around on her plate. “I’m fine, really,” she said.
Placing my hand on hers, I tugged until she looked at me. “Just because you weren’t raped doesn’t mean you’re fine. You were kidnapped, Lily. You were held prisoner in this room, alone, for months. You have the right to feel angry, sad, scared. You have the right to your feelings without comparing your pain to somebody else’s.”
She studied me for a long moment, and I took the plate from her, setting it on the floor before wrapping my arms around her and pulling her to my chest. A soft sob escaped, followed by another, then she let go like a fountain that had been blocked for a long time, building pressure until it exploded.
My eyes filled with tears at her pain and sorrow, everything she went through on her own. I couldn’t imagine how lonely it would be in this place with no one to talk to, no one to turn to, no one to trust. I wanted to apologize, but that wouldn’t make her feel better. The only thing I could do now was get her out of here.
When her sobs finally subsided, Lily pulled back and wiped her face with the back of her hand.
“I must look gross,” she laughed.
I shook my head. “You’ve never looked better.”
“They treated me like a doll,” she said, hands twisted in front of her. “That’s why my hair looks like this. Jaelyn wanted a baby doll to play with, so she got me.”
Holding my breath, I waited for more, something that would make me cringe, but that was it. She said her complexion was due to not being in the sun. She wasn’t starved or abused - at least not physically - and she was given plenty of food and water. It was hard not to be relieved that she didn’t go through something traumatic without reminding myself that it was traumatic to her.
Over the next few hours, we caught up with each other. She told me what she went through - thankfully nothing too traumatic - and I told her about the funeral and school. We cried some more, and then I remembered why we were here.
“I think I have an idea of how to get us out of here,” I said, and Lily sighed.
“We’ve already had this conversation, Calla. There’s nothing we can do-”
“I really think this could work!”
“No! Stop it! Don’t you think if there was a way to get out of here, I would do it? There isn’t, and I’m done hoping. I’m through fighting every second of the day trying to come up with some amazing plan that’s finally going to save the day. It’s not going to happen, and we’re never going to get out of here. I’m sorry. I never wanted you to be here with me. I never wanted you to have to go through this, but I can’t keep hoping. I just can’t,” she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Please, just stop.”
Lily didn’t retreat to her room this time, but neither of us spoke the rest of the day. In fact, she acted as if I wasn’t even there. Going about her day as - I’m assuming - she normally did, I watched in morbid fascination as she read a book, ate lunch, watched a movie, read some more, ate dinner, took a shower, read some more, then went to bed, stopping just before closing her bedroom door to say goodnight. The lights shut off almost immediately after.
I didn’t understand how she could just accept living this… life forever. The Lily I remembered would never have settled for something like this. She would have fought, gone down kicking and screaming before giving up. Of the two of us, she was the outspoken one, the one who stood up for herself and her friends no matter what. Now that our roles were reversed, I would do whatever it took to prove to her that hope was not in vein.
TEN
A knock on the main door made me jerk upright on high alert. Jaelyn and Jordan walked in with armfuls of bags filled with what appeared to be ingredients for a cake and some clothes. Without hesitation, Jaelyn went straight to Lily’s room, and I had to fight the urge to storm after her, demanding she leave my sister alone. That would only cause problems for both of us, however, and it wouldn’t help get Lily to trust in my ability to help her get out of here.
“Calla, how are you feeling today? I saw you and Lily were able to have a nice conversation yesterday. I think it’s wonderful that you two were finally able to have a heart to heart after being apart for so long,” Jordan said, that creepy smile back on his face.
“Yeah,” I replied, not surprised that they heard us talking. They probably had cameras and microphones hidden all over the place like crazy people. “What is that?” I asked, changing the subject.
Jordan glanced down as if he’d forgotten his arms were full. “Oh! That’s right, I didn’t get a chance to tell you at dinner the other night. We are throwing a birthday party for Lily. It starts in a few hours but all that’s left is to bake the cake. Since I’m the only one in the family that can actually cook, that’s my job. I thought you might like to help.”
My jaw clenched. “Lily’s birthday is in January,” I said through gritted teeth.
His forehead wrinkled in confusion, then his eyes widened, and he laughed. “Right, sorry I wasn’t thinking about that. Yes, January is the day you and Lily were born, I promise I didn’t forget,” he said with a chuckle. “Lily is the name of Jaelyn’s doll. When she was little our mother bought her a life sized doll that she named Lily. Today is her birthday. It’s just a coincidence that your sister’s name is the same. It was almost like it was meant to be when they found each other again.”
“Found each other? You mean when you guys kidnapped her?” I asked.
“I really wish you would stop using that word,” he said between clenched teeth.
Swallowing back my retort, I nodded. “You’re right, sorry. I’m sure she appreciates your help with… everything.” The words sent a sharp pain through my stomach, but they were rewarded with a smiled, so it was worth it. The more he thought he could trust me, the better. “So, what can I help with?”
“You can get out,” Jaelyn snapped. “I know your type. You like to string guys along and when they are tied around your little finger, you strangle them with the rope.”
My eyes widened at her words, jaw dropped. “Um… you brought me here, remember?”
She rolled her eyes. “Semantics.”
Crossing my arms, I narrowed my eyes and asked, “So I’m free to leave? If you want me out that badly, I’m happy to go. Just point me in the direction of the nearest bus stop. Of course, if I go, I’m taking Lily with me.”
Jaelyn glared. “Fine, you can stay, but if you try anything with my brother, you’re going to wish-”
“How about I cut his hair, dress him in frilly nightgowns, and throw him in a room he’s not allowed to leave?” I asked.
I caught Jordan’s gaze out of the corner of my eye and was surprised to see him holding back laughter. I had to admit, it was fun teasing her. After spending weeks as her roommate, I thought I knew how she thought. I was always too afraid of hurting her feelings to give her a hard time, but now that I knew the real her, I couldn’t help myself.
She extended her glare to her brother, and grabbed Lily’s hand yanking her back into the bedroom. Following Jordan to the kitchen, I helped him prepare a cake so enormous I wondered just how many people were coming to this birthday party being thrown for a doll.
“So, how many people are coming to this thing?” I asked.
Jordan paused his flour sifting and frowned, and I covered my smiled when I realized he was counting. After a few seconds he said, “A lot.”
I coughed, clearing my throat before I started laughing. “Aren’t you worried about one of us saying something… about, you know?” I asked, and he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.
He sighed. “Calla-”
“I know you don’t like when I suggest you’re a bad person, and I’m sorry. Maybe you are a good person deep down, but you’re not stupid,” I said.
“You’re not invited,” he interrupted, not meeting my gaze.
“That’s not what I… What?” I asked.
You Could Have Saved Her Page 10