Blood Red Blindfold

Chapter 10

Defeat spreads from my core outwards. This man was about to steal everything from me. I have nothing to offer. I had already lived through the defeat of never knowing my parents. Now I was never going to leave this dreadful place. All because of this man and his goons. He doesn't get to decide my future. He abducted me from my own house.

I stand, challenging him. "Screw you."

"Don't," Josh mumbles.

But I don't care. "Screw you and your ransom. Screw your stupid goons. You're an awful person. Screw. You."

He stands from his chair. His arms are tense with fury. "You stupid girl."

His arm reaches over the desk. A hand collides with my cheek. The violent force of the slap messes up my balance. I stagger and fall. My forehead hits the edge of my chair as I crash down. The world spins as my forehead becomes wet. Everything is blurry as I lay on the ground. The only thing my eyes can focus on is the red silky blindfold scattered on the ground beside me.

"Get her out of my sight," Terrox's voice rings from far away.

Arms scoop under me. As my blurred vision fades black, the sight of red is left behind as someone's bouncing arms carry me away. The throbbing pain in my head takes me even farther away, into a deep, dark hole.

I stand in a tiny house. A man stands over his wife, a comforting hand on her shoulder. She faces away from me, looking out of a window.

"Honey, we must go now," says the man.

The lady turns to face him. Her face is beautiful. Her eyes are a sparkling blue. A single tear falls down her cheek. Her brown hair falls perfectly on her shoulders. Her hand rests on her plump belly. She nods and lets her husband help her out of the door.

Outside of the house it is bright. A flower garden full of daisies sits against the house. A white picket fence surrounds the small cottage. The man shuffles his wife into the car. I follow without either of them seeing me.

Instantly the house is gone, replaced by a dark alley. No one is anywhere to be seen. A basement door emits a faint light to my left. A woman's scream fills the air. I move closer to the door. I place a hand on the door, ready to push it open.

"Don't."

I spin around. Josh stands behind me, looking weary. "You don't want to really know."

"What?" I don't understand.

"Wake up," he mumbles.

"Josh?"

"Hails, wake up please," he says.

I stare at him. This doesn't make sense. Something is weird.

"Wake up, Hails." The sound surrounds me. It doesn't come from his mouth. It comes from the air. From everywhere.

My eyes open slightly, blinded by light.

"There you are, Hails," Josh's voice sounds warm and close.

He leans into my line of vision. "What happened to not doing anything stupid?" He frowns.

"What happened to best friends not lying to each other?" I ask.

His eyes fill with shock. He's hurt by this. "Hails."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that," I whisper. I sit up. We're back in the basement.

My arms wrap around his neck. The muscles in his neck tense. He pushes me off of him, so that we sit face to face.

"I didn't tell you for a reason."

I stare at his face. His eyes are full of seriousness.

"I wanted to have a friend that was real, Hails. Even when I was a kid, people became friends with me because of my money. When I saw you that day on the street, I saw someone who could be a friend. I saw a girl carrying everything she owned in a single backpack with dirt smeared on her clothes and her face. I saw a man give her a free apple, and the way she smiled like it was the happiest day of her life. You saw me walk up like a normal kid in a plain white shirt. What you didn't see was the fancy car that had dropped me off for school at the end of the street. You didn't see me ripping off my expensive button down and shoving it into the bushes. You didn't see me messing up the gel in my hair." Josh says.

"You did all of that?"

"You were so happy to be my friend with me owning nothing. I loved being appreciated." He says.

"You wanted to be the foster girl's friend?" I ask.

"Yeah. Yeah I did. But not because you were poor."

"Why? Almost everyone hated me," I whisper.

"You were beautiful. Still are," he whispers back.

Tears prickle at the corner of my eyes. "Josh this is bad."

"What?"

"Josh I can't leave. I don't have rich parents. What am I going to do?"

"We can do this. My parents. They'll pay both. You'll see."

"Your parents hate me. They must think I'm trash. No wonder they only ever tolerated me at school functions." I frown.

"Yeah. I didn't want you over at our house. You've only seen the servant house. I engineered it that way," Josh says. "They don't hate you. They'll pay."

"Why would they? I'm nothing to them," I say.

"They would pay," he says confidently.

"Why? I'm not their child."

His soft palm is against my cheek. "Because they know."

"Know what?"

"They know that I'm in love with you," he whispers. His forehead sinks closer to mine. I can feel his hot breath and his lips lingering just above mine.

I shake my head. "You're so stupid, Josh," I whisper.

He pulls away, shocked. His face is full of pain. "I'm in love with you Hails," he says again.

"You shouldn't love me. I'm a mess. I'm not worth it. I'm nothing. I have no parents. I've never had a family. You're stupid to love me, Josh. You're stupid to give up all of those other girls," I say, staring him right in the face.

"Why is it so stupid?" He asks, getting tense.

"Because nobody wants me! My parents gave me away! Why would you want me when my own mother didn't?" I question him.

"Then let me be a complete idiot," he whispers.

His soft hands pull my face as close to his as possible. As if scared I may run like a rabbit being chased, he gently places his lips against mine. Instead of a rabbit, I am a deer trapped in the headlights, unmoving. Our lips move together in a pattern he creates. His hands swirl into my hair. My arms tangle around his neck and it's perfect. It's stupid. And he's an idiot. But it's perfect. And then he's gone, he's pulling away.

"What are you doing to me?" He whispers, strained.

"Did I do something wrong?" I worry.

"You're making me fall for you even more. Do you even realize what you're doing?" He says. "You're like a tidal wave. You crash down and suck people into your wake."

"I'm sorry," I whisper.

"Don't be," he mumbles, pulling me into him.