Chapter 24
*Lexi*
The box sat along the edge of the bed, the red exterior a startling contrast to the pearl white sheets. There was a bow on the top, perfectly tied, yet no tag or name. It was for us though; Sophie had planted it for us to find. We had to open it eventually, but with the last surprise I’d gotten in an unaddressed box?
A repeat of that episode wasn’t exactly welcome.
“Lex, do you want me to do it?” Ally was beside me, partially leaning against the door, effectively keeping Josh and the other boys out, for now.
“No, I have to do this myself.” Even though both Ally and I were involved in this now, the message was for me. I was the little bitch Damien wanted to have fun with. He was going to haunt me for the rest of my life, regardless of how the game turned out.
Carefully, I untied the bow and opened the box, taking a deep breath in doing so.
There was a DVD player inside, a note taped to the top.
So I see you’ve been getting closer to York, eh? No more interest for Winters, even though she’s in Sophie’s grasp? Here’s a reminder of what I can do, love. Do you remember the kiss we shared? I can still taste your blood on my lips. -Damien
“What is he talking about?” Ally had read the note over my shoulder. The kiss... of course I’d remembered. That had haunted me; his tongue inside my mouth, tasting the blood that had flooded my mouth. I’d enjoyed it, for a split second. He’d given me that warm feeling, however wrong it had been.
“Nothing,” I mumbled, the back of my throat growing dry. That impulse to cough came to me and I took a deep, wavering breath before taking out the DVD player.
“Calm down Lex, you’re shaking.” Ally took the player from me and opened it, pressing the play button before I had time to look at my own hands. They were shaking, making little spasms of movement out of my control.
Ally gasped when the video started to play; there I was, strapped to the metal chair in the concrete prison. Damien was in front of me, leaning over toward my face; the memory rushed back and I felt his breath at my neck. This was when he’d gotten fed up of just talking; when I’d refused to talk and he’d decided to start playing.
“You’re not going to talk, are you.” As the video played it, I could see it from my own eyes, remember what I’d been thinking. On the screen my face was expressionless; trying not to talk or let him break me.
Silence.
Damien walked over to the metal table, where the familiar array of weapons were; the needles and knives. Ally made no comment as the video continued to play; as my memory ran marathons and I began breath rather irregularly. I knew what was coming next.
“Really bitch? I’m talking to you.” That’s when he slapped me; now that I saw it from a third person point of view, I saw how it knocked me to the side, nearly whacking me into the chair. The stars shown in my eyes, my vision going blurry; the memory continued, haunting me.
Silence.
“What, did that not hurt? I can do better.” He came closer to me; it showed an overview of the entire room, my face being blocked from the camera’s view. He’d stroked the line of jawbone then; the grin had gotten more sickening.
