A magic trick

I Will Stay Because I Want To

"Wake up." A voice said annoyed. Alice sighs and scoots away from the voice only to be rewarded a rough nudge by a foot. "I said wake up!" He shouted watching her sit up. He grabs her arm rolling his eyes yanking her harshly.

"Where's the fire?" She asked groggy ignoring the pain in her arm. He kept his grip tight and dragged her out of the club and quickly guiding her through the alleys trying to remain hidden. "Jerome where are we going?!" She shouted in frustration as she painfully ripped her arm away from his vice like grip. He turned around quickly grabbing her lower jaw roughly.

"Don't you realize I'm all you have? All you will ever need?" His tone was harsh and cold. He gripped her face more watching her stare at him in shock. He laughed and with his available arm yanked her extending arm away from his pistol. "I own you. You stay by my side!" He shouts the last part and throws the girl to the ground. She winced as her skin scraped across the pavement.

"No one owns me." She looks at him and watches him lean down with a tight angry smile as he slaps her across the face. Her head was hit toward the side and she spat blood onto the ground. Jerome grabs her by the neck and forces her up choking her. "Go on then kill me." She forced a laugh as blood trickled down her chin from the corner of her lips. He glared at her and squeezed more whispering in her ear angrily.

"You won't fight to live? After all this?" He laughs and looks at her clenching his teeth. "Maybe you actually have nothing to live for." He watched her gasp for air as she reached her arm out and touched his cheek gently.

"You're wrong," she struggled to keep talking and smiled. "I wanted to live for the both of us." She dropped her arm and went limp causing Jerome to let go immediately and hold her limp body towards him in shock. He pressed his head to her chest listening for a heartbeat. He sighs softly after hearing little thumps come from deep within her chest.

"So close but yet so far. Lets get you in a bed gorgeous." He picked her up and made his way out towards the country. He watched people disappear as he gotten further into the country. He sighs and mutters to the unconcious girl. "Its not looking too great for us sugar." He trudged on looking around noticing he has been walking through the woods. He smiles seeing a cabin before him and laughs softly, "Jackpot."

Oswald walked inside happily turning on the lights of his club. "Rise and shine!" He turns to see no teens anywhere to be found. He clenches his teeth and looks to one of his men angrily. "Where did they go?"

"I don't know boss. The redhead got up and took the girl with him. They split really fast." The henchman admits sheepishly fearful that he gave the wrong answer.

"He will be back. He knows he has to do my favor." Oswald said annoyed and sat down. "I guess we just wait."

Alice's eyes fluttered open as her nose twitched at the smell of food cooking. She sat up and opened her mouth to speak only to hold her sore throat. "Yeah that's going to hurt for awhile." Jerome winced sympathetically and handed her a cup with a familiar aroma. She looked down at the cup of earl gray tea and up to the redhead who wore an apron as he cooked what she assumed was breakfast. "Cold tea won't sooth that throat." He said looking at her motioning to the cup. "Drink." She slowly tilted the cup allowing the warm liquid to slide down her aching esophagus. She sighed in relief and drank more hoping for the pain to subside.

"Why are you doing all this?" She asked setting her now empty cup down. She watched him serve eggs on the plates he had set out.

"Cook breakfast? Well I don't know about you gorgeous, but I'm starving." He grabs the plates and walks past her and towards what seemed to be the dining room. She looked around noticing she was laying on the couch in the den.