TRAPPED AGAINST DEATH

17.

I woke up the next morning while I didn't remember what happened when we got back home. I rubbed my eyes and yawned, afterward I sat up and looked around.

When I saw a ginger-haired girl on my bed, I rubbed my eyes even harder to make sure that it was true. Harper smiled and sat closer to me as she hugged me in the way that she always does.

"I'm not dreaming?" I mumbled.

"Nope! Not dreaming." She answered as she hugged me tighter. I felt so comfortable, I hadn't felt this way ever since I got here.

"How was it yesterday?" Harper asked me and pulled away. I shrugged.

"Weird, I don't know," I told her.

"Do you like Romeo?" She questioned. Did he tell her to ask me these things? I raised an eyebrow and noticed the tall man figure that was leaning up against the door.

"Harper has been such a good girl. Therefore I decided to let her stay with you for now. Now back to her question, do you like me?" Romeo asked. I scoffed and looked between them. I wasn't even able to search the joke in Harper's eyes.

"That's none of your business," I said to him. Romeo nodded and licked his lips while looking at Harper.

"Alright. Harper let's go." He snapped at her. She looked down but nodded. She got up but I pulled her back to me and felt her warmth.

"I would like you if you were nicer." I lied right through my teeth. It felt like he was aware of it as well because it went completely silent between all of us.

"Get ready, we are leaving soon," Romeo explained to us and closed the door behind him. I sighed and turned my gaze back at Harper.

"You have to be nicer and more accepting. He's done with being nice to us." She whispered. What did she even mean with that? I had never been nice to Romeo and he didn't seem to mind it.

"What do you mean with that?" I asked. She sighed while closing her eyes and shaking her head. It was like something had happened to her while I was away.

"The guards were just very... abusive." Her voice cracked at the last word. It made me gasp louder than ever. Especially because it was Romeo's order, he never did anything like this to me which confused me. Maybe it was because I knew more than she did? No matter what, it wasn't okay.

"Do you have any bruises?" I asked. She nodded and turned around while pulling her shirt up. I looked at her back and saw the dark blue and red bruises around her body. I pulled her shirt down again and she turned around to look at me.

"Don't worry, it won't happen again," I said and put my hand on her cheek. She nodded and looked down like she was embarrassed or something.

"Where are we going?" She asked me. I got up and looked at my clothes on the floor as I chose something new to wear.

"I don't know but whatever it is be prepared," I mumbled. I took my clothes off and changed into something else, my feet hurt badly after the heels I was wearing yesterday. When I was done changing, I told Harper to come with me as we left my room.

We found Philip right outside of our room, as always he was avoiding us. I missed those times where he talked back and told me about his own life.

"Can you tell Mr. De Carlo that we are ready to leave?" I asked him. He didn't answer but instead, he just took his phone out and started typing. After a few minutes, Romeo and Antonio showed up with big smirks on their faces.

"Where are we going?" I asked them.

"You'll see," Romeo answered and winked at me. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I didn't pay much attention when we left the house until Harper grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently.