Trapped.

Ivy Banks is trapped.

A brick cage that held her tightly, which she could not leave. She would not leave. Her captor was a person that she knew more than anyone else in the world, her captor was someone she despised intensely. She had one friend. Mimi. Her faithful companion Bulldog. Female. Loving. Ivy wasn't chained up or thrown in a dungeon with no key, no she was trapped within a small but homely council estate.

Writing a novel by the fire most nights or days, depending. Her captor was in the house, asleep. Dormant. When Ivy was writing her novel her captor had enough compassion to leave her alone, but in truth Ivy wasn't writing a novel. In truth Ivy was just staring at Microsoft word watching the cursor flick in and out of existence, but luckily this was enough for her captor to be fooled. She had many drafts and ideas on her old out of date samsung, but she had not ever fleshed them out into anything meaningful.

She looked for inspiration amongst the flowers in the garden, that was when her captor dared to release her for a moment out within the bushes. But her captor soon had her scurrying back within the confines of the red brick building. The time she spent within the bushes gave her new ideas every time but she would just open a draft write them out and leave them to sit and ponder their exsistance, quietly undisturbed.

Ivy looked toward the window with the royal blue curtains drawn and on the other side of them white wooden blinds, closed. No light touched the inside of her domain. Ivy wanted for nothing as her captor was of the rich origin. Ivy's life could've been a dream, instead it was a nightmare.

Ivy dared to leave the shag rug that was placed in front of the fire for comfort. She dared to stop staring at the cursor, risking looking as though she wasn't writing. Ivy stood feeling the blood rush to her unused legs and panic rush to her heart. She placed a hand on the dusty mantle. Steadying herself. Ivy tested the blue silk waters of the curtains, she grasped them tightly into her small hands, fisting them. Ruining their untouched beauty.

Ivy began itching them open. The almost silent sounds of the rungs sliding along the poles sounded as loud as nails down a chalkboard within the silence. Warning to wake her captor. Ivy paused but when no noise reached her ears she began twisting the blinds slowly open.

Pause.

Listen.

Silence.

Twist.

Over and over she repeated this sequence begging for her captor to stay dormant. She wanted the light beyond the blinds. Ivy slightly flinched when the brighness hit. Ivy felt beyond brave now, throwing all caution to the wind. She'd never got this far before. Her captor must have relented some. She pulled the strings on the blind until the window was fully in view. Beauty before her. She saw the apple tree in the front yard which she had forgotten about, it held a rippening bunch of tiny blood reds.

Lazy fat bees hovered in the air. Ivy stretched her pale shaking fingers toward the window preparing to open them, hoping she could. Letting in the fresh air.

"Feeling brave were we?" Always the same sentance.

Ivy flinched quickly flinging the blinds closed and drawing the curtains, she flew across the floor laying on the rug, holding her head. Rocking. Staring at the cursor.

I'm writing. I'm writing. GO AWAY! Look I'm writing my novel which will make me free.

"We were not writing Ivy, were we? Do you think I'm stupid, I know we've never been writing my pet. Those thoughts of self loathing just annoy me enough to take a well deserved break."

Pathetic. Useless. A mess.

"Yes Ivy it's those thoughts that annoy me."

Ivy shuddered at her voice as it coursed through her tiny body. She was back. She would make sure that Ivy did not leave her cage.

I am a small useless creature who fooled no one.

"Shut up Ivy. Shut up. Go and cook something, distract yourself from those vile thoughts,"

Ivy's captor settled into her seat ready for the night. She would degrade Ivy as she cooked. She would keep her awake all night. She would make Ivy feel even more scared of those outside her cage. She would keep Ivy locked inside, all she had to do was speak. Although more inportantly she would keep Ivy from saying those things to herself, whether she meant to or not. She allowed Ivy's brain to fall silent.

Ivy quickly pulled the pan from under the sink, she flipped through her recipe book which she planned on finishing by christmas -she was already half way through- these were the only enjoyments which Ivy found. Cooking, reading. Never writing, for she had lost all hope. Ivy looked at the recipe before her, it would take four hours to complete and that was without the cheesecake desert she was planning on making. Ivy smiled at the possible five hour distraction.

She went about her work as slowly as possible.

Pot.

Pause.

Check instructions.

Start cooking.

Pause.

Slow and simple. Draw everything out and make sure that she doens't think of everything that traps her here, Mimi trotted out into the kitchen nose in the air smelling the food. Ivy sat on the floor with Mimi waiting for the potatoes to boil.

"Oh Mimi, would you like to go for a walk?" The deep chocolate eyes looked at her as if pleading.

"I know, if only I could leave." 

A/N What do you think of my new story?