Empty Gold

Chapter 9: IDFC

Chapter 9

A few weeks pass, about two or so, and Alison finds herself falling into patterns. She has her daily morning walks with Pepe, sometimes morning talks with Emily, and works on preparing whatever is necessary for the morning and early afternoon. Then, in the late afternoon, she'll hang out with one of the other girls, or all of them, and sometimes she hangs out with Emily one on one. However, it's been rarer lately as the brunette has been training intensely for an upcoming qualifying meet.

Alison really likes the routine she's adopting, it feels a lot like comfort. It's predictable and familiar, and so unlike the terrifying unknown, familiarity feels a little bit closer to the unfathomable idea of safety.

One afternoon, Alison innocently bobs her head a little to the music blaring through her headphones. Her phone has a combination of Aria, Spencer and Emily's music libraries but it's oddly Hanna's music Ali likes the best—poppy and upbeat. Hanna's still a little stand offish around Alison ever since that first night with Maya, but Alison tries not to think about it too much. The sassy blonde is kind enough, and so Ali will take what she can get.

She glides across the marble floors, gently swinging her laundry basket as she ascends the stairs. Everyone left the house early in the morning, so Alison is taking advantage of her privacy and breathing easier as she moves about freely. She is used to the workings of the house now, has perfected her chores, and so far has managed to duck under Maya's radar with help from Spencer and Cece. The two seem to somehow block Maya's heated gaze and protect the blonde from her hands every time.

She also hasn't been pulled into Emily's bed yet and she's starting to think maybe Emily really does care about her well being, maybe she really does want Alison to be as comfortable as possible before Emily trains her and breaks her in unlike her previous impulsively violent owners. Alison is grateful for the caution but the suspense is still a little unnerving.

Alison shivers outside Emily's bedroom before she slips inside. The floor is covered in clothes and Alison shakes her head fondly, a trace of a smile gracing her face. The athlete is a total slob, which isn't surprising when Ali thinks about it. She picks up Emily's discarded pants carefully, checking the pockets just like Aria taught her the first time. She finds lose change and a couple of hundred dollar bills, and she slips them into the bedside table drawer before folding the pants into her basket. Once the floor is finally cleared of all clothing she heads for the bathroom. It'll need to be cleaned later but first she has to clear it of more discarded clothes.

As she pushes through the door, one song finishes and in the lull before the next one starts Alison hears a loud moan echo around the expansive bathroom. Alison's eyes widen at the sight in front of her, frozen in pure surprise.

"Fuck, Maya," Emily curses pressed against the wall, a towel loosely wrapped around her frame. The brunette looks conflicted as Maya, fully clothed, keeps her pinned against the wall and gives her one short, bruising kiss.

Alison swallows thickly and grapples for her phone nervously, pausing the next song. She should really fucking leave—what if they see her? Oh god, who knows what kind of punishment Maya might inflict upon her. She should leave right this second but her feet are rooted to the floor in shock. Ali wonders briefly, in the back of her mind, when exactly they snuck in. But she has been pretty immersed in her music all afternoon so she could have easily missed them.

Maya presses against Emily's body with a giggle, nipping at the swimmer's ear.

"You like that huh, baby?" Maya purrs teasingly, a domineering edge clear in her voice as her hand moves under the towel with purpose.

"Maya I just showered, I need-" Emily's scolding sentence is cut short by a shiver and a needy whimper. Maya smirks, her eyes dancing with mischief and power. Alison feels her stomach lurch at the disgusting grin on the raven haired girl's face.