Dead Flower

Chapter 14

I sat with my knees to my chest and my arms wrapped around my body as a reassurance to myself that everything would be okay even if I wasn’t entirely sure it would be. The room that I had been dragged and put into (because I had been putting up a fight and trying to escape from the clutches of Gregorio’s men) continued the theme of the Black House. I hadn’t expected anything less. The walls of the bedroom were black stone but I was glad that there were plenty of windows that brought in light or else I would have felt like I was lost in a black hole. I hoped that this wasn’t Gregorio’s bedroom. 

I don’t know how long I’ve been kept in this room but I couldn’t escape even if I tried. I tried to open the door but it was locked and I tried to jump out the window but I wasn’t suicidal because it was a long drop. I decided to crawl into a corner that was darker than the rest of the room so that I could somehow blend in with the furniture and Gregorio wouldn’t be able to see me when he enters the room. 

I was anxiously waited for the first person who would walk through those doors now that I was awaiting my fate. My mind ran wild with theories of what happened to my parents and I was more worried for them than I was for myself. If I had my phone on me, I would’ve dialled 911 and see if I could get through to anyone who wasn’t from this town and get a rescue mission going. A part of me believed that everything would be okay because somehow we’ll all just resolve this and I’ll be allowed to leave and never come back. 

“Everything’s going to be okay,” I repeated to myself like a crazed person as I began to rock back and forward, “everything’s going to be okay,” I said in a whisper even though my heart pounded against my chest in terror. 

I had to tell myself that everything was going to be fine or I would drive myself to insanity at the realisation that Gregorio was going to punish me or hurt me. Everything was going to be okay. My dad is going to talk to Gregorio and get him to understand the situation better than I can explain to Gregorio. Gregorio will then understand what my father is saying and out of respect for my family and my sanity, he will let me go. Gregorio will apologise for all that he did and explain that it was all a misunderstanding and he’ll teach himself to be kinder to other people. I will smile and hug him goodbye even after all that he has done to me and I will finally get to leave and go back home. In a few weeks, it will be a distant memory that I can barely remember and we will all laugh at how things were. 

I heard some noise behind the door and my eyes were drawn to it to set sight on who would enter the room. I began to crawl further into the corner even though I couldn’t anymore. I tried to roll myself into a tiny ball so that I would be missed by Gregorio. My breathing picked up and I could barely try to keep myself from having a heart attack as the door was swung open. I thought Gregorio was going to be the one who walked through that door but it was my father. 

Everything really was going to be okay! 

“Daddy…” I called in a whispered relief and he finally turned, noticing me in the corner. I stood up quickly and met him halfway in a desperate and relieved embrace. I breathed in his cologne and enjoyed the protection that his arms provided. Even though I wanted to stay in his arms forever, I just wanted to leave the Black House and get going. I knew that if he was in this room, he had already talked to Gregorio and things have all been resolved. 

“Okay, daddy, let’s go home,” I said to him as I pulled away from his hug and grabbed his hand. I started to walk towards the door but after two steps, I couldn’t move anymore. I turned to look back at my father and he hadn’t moved an inch. I raised an eyebrow before a smile broke out on my face, “daddy, stop playing around and wasting time. Let’s go.”

He sighed, his shoulders falling in defeat and my smile fell off my face, “we need to talk.”

I looked at his sudden sad demeanour but I didn’t want to believe it, I was sure everything was okay, “well, whatever it is that you want to talk about, I’m sure we can talk about it on the way home,” I turned to continue walking but I couldn’t move an inch because my father was still holding my hand and his feet were rooted into the floor.