Perfect (Rewrite)

Chapter Sixteen

The lights turned off after a while, which was the first time Chloe had seen all of the shadows the room had. It was almost as dark as the white padded room was at night, but not quite as black. No light shined through the window like it did in her room back home, a small memory that had returned to her mind. If only she knew more about her old life, it would've helped a little. It would've made her feel better to know about her past, about her family, her friends, anything and everything from her past. It made her hate him even more.

A knocking came at Chloe's door, but she didn't make a sound and neither did the person on the other side. It became clear that the understood her reasoning for wanting to be alone. If only they would've let her stay in the room forever. Chloe would've if she could've, but she knew it wasn't possible. Eventually she would have to face the truth or else she would go insane or starve, whichever one came first. The voices in her head got louder as the lights came back on; she hadn't slept for even a second. There was no reason to. Chloe hadn't even received orders to do so, which shocked her. Surely he wanted her to have plenty of rest, after all he needed her to be as healthy as can be for whatever diabolical plans he had. He needed her to stay alive if she was as special to him as he made her out to be.

Chloe stared at the door for at least an hour until finally she rose to her feet and approached the wood. It took her a few deep breaths before she was ready to go downstairs; then she unlocked and opened the door, and then made her way to the living room. The last step creaked underneath her foot.

Once again on the last step, she felt the presence of others. She looked up to find four people, all familiar to her eye. Margaret, David, and Jacob. She could only see the backs of their heads but there was no mistaking them for anyone else. It was impossible to measure how relieved she was to see them.

The fourth person turned her head and met Chloe's eyes before jumping up. "Chloe," She said, excited yet confused.

"Melanie," Chloe replied, racing to her side and embracing her in a giant bear hug. She thought she would never see her again, yet here she was, standing alive and well before her very eyes. At first Melanie just stood there, but after a moment she hugged back. "What are you doing here?"

"I arrived yesterday," Melanie answered. "I was filling out my form as you were escorted through the room." Chloe finally released her and sent a real smile her way. This time was going to be different, Chloe actually had a friend here now. One besides Jacob, the ideal boy, who seemed only half interested in being her friend.

"It's good to see you again," Jacob said, pulling the girls out of their reunion. Chloe looked to him and then waited. "I tried knocking, but you never opened up."

Chloe thought for a minute and then blew up. "Why didn't you say something?" She shouted. "I would've come out if I had known you were here! I would've recognized your voice!" Then she hit him in the chest, even though she knew it wouldn't have any effect on him. She wasn't strong enough to harm him in any way. And his chest was extremely firm, an athlete build, most likely a football player.

Jacob didn't respond, instead he left the living room and hurried up the stairs. Margaret and David looked at Chloe with wry smiles, but she didn't care. What she said hadn't been nice; however, it was true. He could've helped with the situation. He should've helped. Chloe looked up at the stairs and almost wanted to chase after him, but she didn't. A war fought in her mind, fight more or apologize. Neither one was a clear path, but Jacob had to get over it eventually so she plopped herself down on one of the recliners and stared at the blank screen, clearing her mind of all thoughts and worries, hoping the others would break the silence.

Melanie kept glancing back and forth between the TV and Chloe, but she didn't say anything. It was best to leave things alone for the time being. The clock kept ticking and ticking until Margaret entered the kitchen and said that she was going to make dinner. It only took half an hour before it was ready. Hamburgers wasn't Chloe's favorite, but she hadn't eaten in a very long time. The mulch given to her in the white padded room hadn't been appetizing at the time, even though she wouldn't have eaten anything if they had given her better food. Starvation was one of the worst ways to die but it was the best she could come up with on short notice. That plot was short lived, ending as she entered the kitchen and stared eagerly at the meat on the plate.

Once Chloe sat down at the table and took the first bite of her food, David went upstairs to find Jacob. The two of them returned and then dug into their own food. Melanie asked where Jacob had gone and he answered with the bathroom; then everyone in the room looked up to Chloe and stared, everyone except Jacob. She took another bite of her food before she even noticed them. "What?" Chloe asked.

"You went to the bathroom earlier," David replied as he wiped ketchup from his lips with his napkin. Then he folded his hands in his lap and looked back to Chloe. "We're just surprised you haven't mentioned the message on the mirror." 

"What are you talking about?" Chloe asked, looking between the four of them, but not a single word answered her. She stood up, pushed her chair out, and left the room before anyone could stop her. She passed the stairs, then she entered the bathroom and flipped the light switch, revealing the message written in lipstick on the mirror. She ventured further into the small room so she could read it clearly. Chloe wished she hadn't, while wondering how she could've missed this earlier. And the moment she read the words, she wanted to forget them.

Chloe will be the death of us all.

-Rachel

Chloe took a step back and flipped the lights out on her way. It was all her fault that Rachel was gone. She backed into the hallway and slid down the wall once her back bumped against it. Tears flooded her eyes as she stared into the dark room with the truth on the mirror ahead of her. What if Rachel was right? Chloe wept as she thought, what if she was the death of them all?