The Lost Roses

Chapter Five

Now it has been two whole years since he took me. He hasn't added any more girls to his collection. And I've become his favorite. Allowed to roam the house as I please. I visit the girls frequently and bring them food. Lucas seems happy with that. Happy to see them finally eating. Especially Ashley since she has a baby. It's a boy. She named him Luca. Both after her italian heritage and her captor. He's the cutest little thing with curly brown hair, Green eyes, and the cutest dimples. We all wish he didn't have the dimples, or green eyes. Because Lucas does too. But we all love him as if he were our own. I hear Lucas calling me through the open door and I run upstairs as fast as I can. I may be his favorite but that doesn't mean I don't still get a beating sometimes.
"Yes?" I yell not seeing him.
"Back here!" He yells from the bedroom. Oh boy. The bedroom. I walk back and peek around the doorway as he's yanking a t-shirt over his head.
"Don't be shy. Just come in." He sits on the bed as I walk over and stand in front of him. He grabs me around the waist and yanks me to him kissing me when I'm close enough. "I hope you remembered to lock them back in down there." My eyes get really big and I swallow. I try to pull away from him and he won't let me. "Well?" He says squinting at me, almost glaring.
"I..I don't know. I mean you called me and I ran up here as fast as I could and.. I..I don't know.." I stammer, almost starting to cry.
"If any of them are missing you are getting the beating of your life." When he says that I know I'm in serious trouble. Even If they're all there he'll still punish me. It's happened too much before. I go sit in the corner of the room furthest from the door hugging my knees and rocking back and forth. I can't help but cry. The tears just pour down my face. I'm so caught up in myself that I dont even hear him come back. Dont even notice until he's standing in front of me. And then I jump and try to push myself further into the corner. "You know you're lucky that door was locked. And all of the girls were inside. You need to pay better attention. Now get  up." He holds out a hand to help me up.  I take his hand and stand up. Hoping he doesn't just slap me back to the ground. He doesn't let go of my hand. Instead he pulls me toward to the bed. He picks me up, places me in the middle, and tells me to sleep. That he'll be back later. And I do. I know he won't do anything to me while I'm asleep. Or the others. I try to protect them as much as I can. Often times being beaten instead of them. Or forced into bed with him. But I'd much rather it be me. It makes me sick thinking it could be one of them. Luckily I can't get pregnant. Not yet anyway. I took the birth control shot religiously for three years before him. My last shot being only weeks before he took me. So far the whole 'it may take up to a year or much longer for you to be fertile again' thing is working. I've never told him. He's asked though. I know I won't escape. But I hopefully wont have a baby either. That evening I dream of us being a happy, normal couple. I remember how he was the morning we met. I miss that. I dont understand why he's keeping us. Why he wants us. He could have an apartment somewhere and a girlfriend for all we know. A normal relationship. And the sadistic one he has here. When I wake up its pitch black and I hear something moving around in the room. I sit up immediately. 
"Hello?"
"It's just me babe."
"Oh." I say flopping back down.
"Whats wrong?" He asks climbing into bed.
"Nothing. "
"It doesn't sound like nothing."
"I miss you. Or what I thought was you. That guy I met In the pottery place. I know you aren't going to let any of us go, especially me, but I just want us to be normal. I don't want to be scared of you. I dont even want to have to worry about those girls downstairs. God I just want normal! I get sick everytime I think about you and the other girls. And that baby. Do you know why I haven't gotten pregnant?  Because I can't. I was on the shot for a good three years before you. And I dont want to. Not when I have to worry about you beating me. Or hurting the baby. Or one of them escaping. Anything could happen.  Hell I may have gotten pregnant before and you've beaten it out of me. I don't know. I just know I cant keep doing this. I don't want to be with this part of you. And I dont want to be some plaything in the basement either. Why do you even have them?" By the end of my rant I'm crying.
"I understand how you feel. I don't mean to scare you. Well that would be a lie. Because I do. I enjoy the fear and the pain.  But you're different. I love everything about you. I don't like hurting you. But at the same time I feel like I have to. And I know you can handle it. You're so much stronger than the rest of them.  Which is why I'm willing to do something for you. I will always be yours and only yours. But if that's not enough then I'll get rid of all of the girls. I'll get rid of any and every trace of unhappiness. I will try to make you happy."
"Why not just let me go? No one is looking for me. So no one will know me. I'm not even from here. And I wouldn't dare tell anyone about you or the girls." 
"You are one ungrateful little bitch." He says slapping me. He climbs on top of me and hits me over and over again. When he's done he shoves me of the bed. Leaving me there bloodied and bruised. I just lay there too scared to move. I knew I shouldn't have said anything. I'll be lucky if I don't wake up chained to a bed in the basement again. After a while I roll under the bed. Hoping that will be the last place he looks. I lay there and try to sleep.