Perfect (Rewrite)

Chapter Thirty Three

"Why is it taking her so long?" Chloe asked, anticipation biting the back of her mind as Collin once again slobbered all over the front of her shirt. This made her want to change, but she knew there was no point. It wouldn't be long before the baby would just do it again, and then the cycle would continue on and on endlessly.

"They might be having a heart to heart talk," Margaret suggested, but David laughed that suggestion off.

"I've only known Jacob for a while now, but I seriously doubt he is having a heart to heart talk."

"Maybe one of us should check on them," Chloe suggested, hoping no one else would volunteer. David shook his head and then sat down on the couch, patting the seat beside him. She took the spot in the middle and Margaret took the last seat on the sofa. They sat there in silence for what seemed like hours. Collin fell asleep in Chloe's arms quicker than expected; then Melanie and Jacob came down the stairs and joined them for family time.

Chloe looked to Melanie and then Jacob, neither one of them seemed angry. She must've gotten the point across.

"I brought this down for Collin," Melanie said before handing a small stuffed rabbit to Chloe. "We found it in Jacob's room."

Collin opened his eyes as the stuffed animal joined him in Chloe's arms. He reached his tiny arms out and grabbed the rabbit before shaking it up and down. They all gawked at the helpless creature; then they each took turns glancing back at the camera. It was creepier now, knowing a baby was being watched, suffering through everything the rest of them had. It still wasn't fair, and it never would be.

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The clock struck six, and then David entered the kitchen to prepare dinner. He had said that Margaret deserved a break from cooking, and everyone else agreed. Everyone except he man who whispered into their ears.

He asked Chloe why David was the one cooking, but she didn't answer. She sat and stared at the blank TV screen as did the others, waiting for David to call them over to sit at the kitchen table and eat. Each of them had their normal all too fake smiles strung across their faces from ear to ear, and not a single one of them was real, not even for a second.

It only took a short time before they were all sitting at the table together, eating away freshly stove cooked chicken with fake grill marks on the skin. Collin whined in between bites of food. Jacob had decided to finally have turn with the baby, but he wasn't giving him enough food fast enough. It was only a matter of time before the real water works would've started, so Chloe scooted Collin towards herself and finished feeding him. Jacob stared at her for a moment, but he didn't argue or complain. He knew it was what was best.

The clock changed to eight p.m. faster than it should have. The five of them glanced looks to each other just before it changed to nine, and then the lights went out.

"We need to get a strike," Chloe told them for the second time, but the silence they sent to her disagreed with her plan. "It's the only way out of this house."

"What about Collin?" Melanie asked.

"We can't risk staying here."

"Some of us already have two," Jacob said. "It's not worth risking our lives."

No one spoke after that. It was the first time one of us had ever spoken the truth out loud, the horrifying truth that was too despicable to bear. The power turned back on before they all went their separate ways. Jacob took Collin and carried him back to their room. Chloe shut her door and then locked it before sitting in the corner underneath the camera so it couldn't see her.

The light in her room turned off, but she didn't panic. Chloe knew it was only happening to get a rouse out of her; she didn't want him to see her like that. She never wanted him to see her again.

Five minutes later, she had pulled her pillow and blankets over to the corner with her. Chloe moved the hidden message from the pillow and placed it in the shoebox in her closet before returning to her newly made bed on the floor and laid down. Her door opened up, revealing the silhouette of Melanie standing in her door frame. She looked around the room and once her eyes found Chloe, she closed the door and shuffled to her side.

"I can't fall asleep," Melanie admitted, squeezing her own pillow and blanket tight.

Chloe patted the space beside her and then Melanie dropped to the floor and laid beside her friend. The lights in the room flickered on for a second and then went back off. He wasn't happy with their choice of placement; this brought a real smile to Chloe's face. Apparently he didn't have as much control over them as he thought.