Captive in Plain Sight

Zece || Box

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- Shar

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Minutes, hours and days passed without light, warmth, or food.

This must be what dying feels like, she thought. She had no idea how long she had spent in the box. The battery in her watch died after four hours, and the darkness had been unending since.

Would he ever let her out? Why was he doing this, and what were his plans for her? Had Cordelia double crossed her? Was her family safe?

Questions ran through her mind over and over, creating anxiety so overwhelming, she thought she'd go mad. She cried, screamed, and let her emotions out by hitting the box with her fists until pain stopped her. After a time, she had no more tears left and her focus shifted to surviving.

"You're ok, you're ok, you're going to be ok," she said to herself outloud as hours in darkness slowly crept by. "You've been through bad situations before."

Every so often, the shower head above her ran for a few minutes, letting water seep through the holes in the top of her prison. This allowed her to hydrate and rinse her body. As time went on, she prioritized drinking it to soothe her stomach of hunger.

Her body ached from the lack of movement and food. She tried her hardest not to think about her favorite food; Pasta. Specifically linguine, drenched in seafood, vegetables and white wine sauce. Eventually, food she wasn't even fond of made her mouth water.

She slept on her side to switch it up, and when she couldn't sleep she would run her fingers on the rough wood repetitively. She became quite familiar with the nooks and crannies of her prison. It was how she discovered initials carved into its side.

It comforted her she wasn't the only one to experience the box. It wasn't just the fact she was cold and hungry. It was the lack of stimulation, and the feeling of being forgotten by the outside world. Mila used her nails, diligently carving her initials underneath the ones already there. Once she was done, it read:

VA

MB

She wondered who 'VA' might be. Was it another woman Alec had played with? If so, who was she and what happened to her? Was she still alive, or did she die in the box? Mila shook off the thought, touching the initials together with her fingers.

"I will not die here," she said, trembling through her teeth.

The shower came on, waking her from a restless sleep. She opened her mouth, drinking as much water as possible. This time, it surprised her when the shower continued past her fill, and she was able to rinse herself off.

In the middle of wondering why she was receiving such generosity, she heard the sound of the door opening. Suddenly, the light was on, making her eyes squint. The lock to the box clicked open, and the lid lifted, exposing her to the outside.

His blue eyes gazed at her with a look that confused her. It couldn't be sympathy she'd seen on his face.

He was the first sight she'd seen in days, and he looked so clean and well dressed, she felt self-conscious. Mila was naked, unkempt, and probably didn't smell that great. His face was barely bruised anymore, though she could still see a dark shadow where her fist had contacted his face. Her feelings for him were trumped by the overwhelming relief of being free from the box.