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One year ago
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Turning over on the bed, Lily clutched her throbbing head. James had promised to bring her some painkillers hours ago, but he hadn’t returned yet. Slowly, she sat up and took her time getting out of bed because her head ached painfully. She tiptoed over to the door and put her ear against it to see if she could hear anything. There was only silence. She turned the doorknob and tiptoed out of the room and down the hallway. Pausing, she peered down the hall, but she didn’t see James.
Lily had been to his house many times, so she had the layout memorized. All those times she had lied and told her parents that she was hanging out with Rose and Spencer, riding her bike around the neighborhood, or staying after school for the photography club. She had quit the photography club months ago.
Instead, most days, James picked her up from the middle school. He had told any curious bystanders who witnessed her getting into his car that he was her uncle. Lily thought it was weird for him to claim to be her uncle, but she didn’t question it. James was her friend, and he wouldn’t hurt her. He cared about her more than anyone else did. Her parents didn’t even know where she was half the time, and they definitely didn’t notice when she was gone. Neither did Rose.
Lily crept down the familiar hall, her toes sinking into the soft, plush carpet. She stopped for a second to listen, but she still didn’t hear a sound. Was that good or bad? She wondered what James was doing and where he was. At one point, she had thought she wanted to run away with him, but now she wasn’t sure about that. He had refused to take her to the hospital or let her call her parents. He wasn’t acting normal. Usually, he was so nice.
With a gasp, Lily spotted James coming around the corner. Lily ducked her head and turned to head back to the guest room, but he had already seen her.
James carefully gripped a wooden tray in his hands. The tray held a mug with steam curling up from it, toast, scrambled eggs, and two white pills.
“Lily! What are you doing out of bed? I was bringing you a late breakfast.” James chuckled wryly. “Well, I suppose it’s lunchtime now. I don’t cook often. I couldn’t find the frying pan or the spatula.”
Lily stared at the tray, her stomach grumbling. She hadn’t eaten since dinner with her family the night before.
“Are you hungry? Let’s go back to your room and get you settled in.” James gestured for her to follow him.
Lily obeyed him, but she didn’t miss the fact that he had called it “her room,” instead of the guest room.
When she was lying in the bed again, James set the tray on her lap.
“Dig in. Those painkillers should help your head. They’re left over from when I had shoulder surgery a few years ago.”
Lily glanced at the pills but didn’t touch them.
“They’re perfectly harmless.” James leaned down to kiss her forehead.
Lily picked up the toast and took a bite, chewing abnormally slowly while he watched her eat. She cleared her scratchy throat. She hadn’t drunk any water since the day before. “Thank you for cooking for me.” She smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring, trusting manner.
She needed to act like she was fine. Lily didn’t feel safe with James anymore. Before, she had come over willingly. He had always given her a choice when they hung out. He hadn’t forced her into anything. But now, he was being forceful and assertive. She didn’t like the change in his personality or the fact that he hadn’t taken her to the hospital when she had clearly suffered a serious head injury. Plus, when was he going to let her go home?
“How does it taste?” James leaned over the tray until his face was inches from hers. He picked up the two white pills. “Aren’t you going to take these?”
Lily held out her hand, and he dropped the pills into her open palm. She didn’t have any water, so she swallowed them forcefully with a few sips of the steaming tea.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. If you’re feeling better later, we can watch a movie.”
“Okay, that would be fun. Can I pick?” Lily gazed up at him with hopeful eyes.
“Anything you want,” he promised. “I’ll leave you to finish your food in peace. I’ll be back soon. If you need me, I’ll be in my office.”
Lily nodded and went back to eating the toast. James left the room. When he closed the door, she shoved the tray off of her lap.
Quietly, she stalked over to the lone window in the room. She couldn’t bear another second in this house. Her parents and sister must be worried sick. She pushed aside the room-darkening curtains and gasped.
She let the curtains fall back into place. It would be impossible to escape through the window because it was shuttered. Thick, wooden boards were nailed across it.
Lily shivered, realizing she was no longer wearing her hoodie and jeans from the previous night. She was wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt. Had James taken off her clothes and put this new outfit on her? How had he known the right size to buy?
The more Lily thought about the situation, the more questions bombarded her mind. She didn’t know how she would get out of here.
The question flew into her mind: what would Rose do?
Her older sister always knew what to do, the right choice to make, the smart move. Rose would probably try to convince James she was happy and everything was fine, lull him into complacency, and then strike when he wouldn’t see it coming. She could do that. She just had to make sure he trusted her.
Lily had to live with him as his little pet until it was safe to escape.