Down the Dark

[Chapter 5: Terra]

     When I woke up, I was no longer in the car. I was lying on a snug bed, and I felt a feeling of relief wash over me. It was just a dream.

     I opened my eyes and sat up, expecting to see my lemon-yellow walls covered in pictures of Jax and Daniel. I didn't. I stared at a bare gray wall, and when I looked down I saw my dark blue dress. I almost started crying. Because it was not a dream. I heard Chris's voice coming from somewhere.

     "Make her feel welcome," he was telling somebody. "Explain to her. Alright?"

     "Yes, Chris," a small chorus of girls said.

     "Oh, and Chris," said a quiet voice. "We're running low on books. Could you please get us some new ones?"

     "Of course, Amy," Chris replied. "I'll see to that."

     Then I heard a door open and close, and three girls stepped into the room.

     "Oh," said the youngest, with big brown eyes and wavy black hair. "She's awake."

     The oldest, a petite girl with straight shoulder-length gold hair and bright blue eyes knelt by my side. "Sweetheart, how old are you?"

     "Sixteen," I said softly, shrinking into the covers.

     The third girl-who had light strawberry blonde hair and orange eyes, stepped forward. "She's so young!" she practically yelled. "She hasn't had a chance to live."

     The oldest sighed. "You know how it is, Charlotte. Chris is getting more and more... agitated."

     "But Lizzy," the youngest girl said, her eyes blazing with anger. "It's not right."

     "It doesn't matter, Amy," Lizzy responded simply. "We don't have a choice at this point."

     The three girls turned to me. "Hello, Viola," Charlotte smiled.

     "Don't call me Viola," I whispered. "My name is Terra."

     The girls exchanged pitiful looks. "No, darling," Lizzy said gently, taking my hand. "From now on forward, your name is Viola. Don't let Chris hear you say otherwise."

     "My name is Amy, age nineteen," Amy explained. "I was Becky. That is Elizabeth;Lizzy, age twenty-three, was Dina. And that is Charlotte, age twenty-one, was Nikki."

     "I'm Terra," I insisted, practically ignoring Amy's explanation. "I'm Terra."

     "You're Viola," Lizzy said, grabbing my chin in her hand. "If Chris hears you say that you're Terra, God knows what he'll do."

     "What will he do?" I ask stupidly.

     Lizzy hesitated. "Have you ever seen a person be murdered in front of you?"

     "What? No!" I exclaimed.

     "Have you ever had to clean the blood and body of a dead person?" Charlotte continued.

     "No."

     "Well we have, and that's why you can't be called Terra," Amy finished.

     "I wanna go home," I cried. "I wanna see Mom and Dad and Jon and Jax and Daniel!" I looked at each of them frantically. "Please..."

     "Who are Jon, Jax, and Daniel?" Charlotte asked gently.

     "Jon is my brother and Jax is my best friend and Daniel... Daniel is my boyfriend," I sniveled.

     "Oh," Charlotte says quietly. "Did you love him?"

     "Yes."

     "I'm sorry honey, but you have to leave him behind."

     "No," I said, shaking my head wildly. "I can't. He's looking for me right now, and he's gonna find me. I KNOW IT!"

     "Okay, sweetie," Lizzy said, rubbing my back. "Okay."

     "There are only a few rules," Amy smiled at me. "Always be clean, no begging, and never disrespect Chris."

     "What does he want?" I whimpered.

     The others exchanged sad looks. "He wants a family," Lizzy said gently. "A perfect family."

     "Is that why..."

     "Yes, that's why he changed our names. It's gonna be okay, sweetie," Charlotte whispered.

     "How long have you been down here?" I asked softly.

     "I've been here two years," Lizzy said sadly.

     "I've been here a year and a half," Charlotte sighed.

     "And I've been here eight months," Amy concluded.

     I grabbed Lizzy's arm tightly. "Two years? In this prison?" I bit my tongue from saying Hell.

     "It's really not that bad," Lizzy said, trying for a smile. "He gives us everything we need, and all he asks for in return is a perfect family."

     "I'm dreaming," I said, clutching my head. "This is all a dream. Pretty soon Jon is gonna wake me up and yell at me for coming home drunk."

     "Darling," Charlotte said softly, her hands gently running through my hair. "This isn't a dream."

     "You can skip dinner," Amy said. "Chris comes by to eat meals with us on weekends. It's Saturday, so he'll be coming by. We'll tell him you're not feeling well, and are still getting used to the place. Okay?"

     "Okay," I sniffled, and closed my eyes. Just a dream, just a dream.