DIRTY LITTLE TALKS

T W E L V E

The following morning. Hayden woke up to the sun again. Her eyes slowly opening

as they adjusted to the light and her system woke up. Physically, she was rather

comfortable but mentally she was panicking. She didn't like waking up in a place

that was not her home. Her eyes wondered around the colorless room, everything

elegant and pristine. It was nothing like her warm, cluttered room at home. Tears

pushed at her eyes, begging to be free as they made her nose tingle. Instead of letting

them fall, she pushed them back and rolled out of bed. She completed her morning

routine in about 45 minutes, her shower lasting longer than normal as she tried to

waste time. She wrapped a towel around her body and left the bathroom to get an

outfit. She stood still for a few seconds as she stared at the spot her new clothes had

been last night. Everything, besides the shoes, were gone. Her heart began to pound,

nervous about what had happened until she remembered Grayson mentioning

someone cleaning them for her. She hadn't even noticed the person had taken them

before she took a shower. Had she noticed, she would have waited to shower. She

swallowed hard, not wanting anyone to see her in a towel. She bit her lip and turned

to the bed. Laying toward the bottom of the bed was pile of folded clothes. A smile

spread across her face, her legs practically skipping over to the outfit. She dropped

her towel, put on her matching set of black lingerie, squeezed her butt into the pair

of dark skinny jeans, and pulled on a wine colored long sleeve shirt similar to the

black on she had picked out the previous day.

Hayden picked up her damp towel and hung it up in the bathroom to dry. Returning to the edge of the bed, she found herself scanning the room. There wasn't much she was able to do. She went over to one of the huge windows next to the bed and looked out. There weren't any other buildings around, at least not that she could see. There was a large space of nothing but well-trimmed grass that met up to a wall of tall trees. She envisioned herself sprinting across the field and making it into the woods. to escape. But that wasn't really smart, she had no idea where it led to or if it led anywhere. She could get lost, never to be found and starve alone in the forest until death took her. She let out a long sigh, the door behind her opening. She spun around to see who it was.

"Oh, hello dear. I was hoping to get this done sooner but I had to make breakfast for master Blaine and a few of his guests this morning."

Hayden was extremely thankful she didn't have to call Blaine that. She stared at the

gray-haired, overweight woman carrying a large basket of clothing. Her chubby

cheeks flushed and her pale, thin lips were pulled into a warm smile. She wore a

crisp white dress with black flats. She absentmindedly wondered why Blaine had

chosen white for everything.

"Just give me a few minutes and I will have everything put away."

"I can put them away-" Hayden took half a step toward the woman.

"Nonsense! This is my job. Sit down, dear. I won't be long."

Hayden fidgeted her fingers, wringing them together. She wasn't used to having people do stuff for her, it made her uneasy. She stood in the middle of the room feeling awkward, she didn't want to feel even more lazy by sitting. As promised, Carol was done and gone in a short amount of time and left Hayden alone. She wondered the room until a growling in her stomach pulled her from her thoughts. She placed a hand on her mid-section, an empty filling in the pit of her stomach. Food had been the last thing on her mind since she had gotten here. If it wasn't for Blaine making her eat dinner she doubted she would have. A good book would help distract her for the time being. Chapters later, she heard a knock on the door. She checked the page number, then set the book down to turn and turned toward the

door. Grayson entered the room, his eyes scanning the area until he spotted Hayden.

"H-Hi, Grayson." His name felt odd coming from her lips.

Hayden stood up, walked around the chair and toward him. His face was void of emotion, his squared jaw more noticeable with his cleanly shaved chin.

"I came to see if you wanted anything to eat."

"Yes, please."

"I'll have the chief make you something, Carol will bring it up to you."

Grayson let his eyes briefly drop from her face, the action too quick for Hayden to catch before he turned and left the room. A second growl ripped through her, her arms wrapping around her thin frame. She groaned and went over to the bed to plop down in the middle of it. She hoped whatever they made for her wouldn't take too long. Time seemed to drag on but every time she glanced at the clock it had only been a minute or two. Finally, she heard a knock on the door. It was gently pushed open to reveal Carol holding a tray of food in her hands.

"I didn't realize master Blaine wasn't letting you out of the room, dear. I'll make sure to bring you breakfast and lunch. I believe he will have you attending dinners, but if he doesn't I will bring you food then, too."

"Thank you." Hayden walked over to her and grabbed the tray.

On it was a steaming grilled cheese sandwich cut diagonally, a small bowl of tomato soup, an apple, and a glass of ice water. Simple, but delicious. Something she would definitely make if she was at home. That made a sharp pang shoot through her heart. Carol silently left and Hayden sat down on a chair in one of the corners. She put the tray on her lap and began to eat. She ate her sandwich and soup first, dunking the sandwich into the bowl. She ate slowly, trying to enjoy the meal. After that was finished she ate the apple and drank half the glass of water. The apple topped her off and left her stuffed. She put the tray down but picked up the glass and continued drinking it as she walked around the room. She ended up staring out the window, dreaming of the day she would leave this place.