Flawless: Gazelle [COMPLETE]

Chapter Five

trigger warning: mentions of bullying, physical harm, and mental illness

Chapter Five

By one o'clock in the morning, I had arrived in front of a worn-down sign bearing the words 'Canterbury Lane' in old-fashioned calligraphy.

I heaved a sigh of relief, panting unevenly. The house I'd chosen had mahogany walls, a wide porch with a faux-fur mat sitting on it, adorning the swinging bench that was swaying slightly in the breeze. Daisies, lilies, roses, sunflowers, and even a few four-leaved clovers, which resembled luck (something I lacked), dotted the garden, coloring it shades of pink, violet, yellow and green.

Despite the homely feeling, however, I couldn't help feeling slightly uneasy about the place. It seemed fake and sinister.

Shrugging off the feeling as exhaustion and a mental hallucination, I leaned back against a pillar and closed my weary eyes, allowing tiredness to overpower me.

I woke to a slight almost imperceptible thud, as if someone was advancing toward me. Obviously, being the sleep-deprived person that I was, I ignored it.

Until I felt the duct tape.

My first instinct was to scream, of course, but I realized too late that it simply wasn't possible due to the sticky plaster glued onto my mouth.

My second, and probably more sensible, instinct, was to open my eyes. I half expected to have been blindfolded, but to my surprise, I wasn't. Instead, the room which I was most likely locked in was illuminated shamelessly. Who would be so brainless as to risk being exposed?

There was an expensive flat-screen television sitting on a wooden table, with a tall lamp towering beside it. A plush sofa with velvet cushions added a splash of lively color, and an ornate chandelier hung precariously over my head, crystals glittering gloriously in the glare of the sun. An oval-shaped glass table was positioned in front of the couch, with an array of different scented candles set up on it. Intricately carved patterns adorned the sides of each candle, and I faintly recognized the smell of jasmine burning off one of them.

There was only one person I knew who owned such a tangible and appealing scent, and the involuntary smile on my lips quickly twisted into a sneer.

"Fancy seeing you here, Miss Williams," my capturer giggled. "I'm assuming you would want to skip the pleasantries."

Brianna Smith, an old friend, plopped down onto the couch and bounced up and down, all the while giggling. "Don't you love my new home, Gr—Riiiiiiight, I heard from a trusty source that you didn't go by name anymore." She mock pouted, batting her eyelashes in a gruesome manner that had me regretting my lunch. B then proceeded to slap her chest and gasp exaggeratedly. "My! How rude of me! My dear old mama really taught me better." I winced at the mom reference. My mother's health issue was still a touchy subject for me, even though six years had passed. I hadn't seen her in almost a decade, and it was partially Bri's fault.

But that was a story for another day.

My kidnapper continued as if she hadn't noticed my displeasure. "How could I possibly have forgotten that I had gagged you? To think I was about to cut you for not responding! Oh, dear me, no." She tore the tape off my mouth, smiling widely when she noticed my squirming, and yanking it even harder for good measure.

"You are rude, B. As if kidnapping someone isn't enough already," I spat venomously.

B tutted, as if she were reciting to a child. "Dear dear, maybe you wouldn't retort if you saw my newest toy!" She clapped her hands excitedly, adding in a hysterical laugh and brandishing from behind her back a long silver blade. "Papa spoils me so, doesn't he?" Her doe eyes widened innocently, a wild and crazy glint shimmering behind them. A glint that mirrored her father's. "Your father is a coward, Brianna," I hissed murderously. She ignored me ceremoniously, and continued. "By the way, in case your curious mind is wondering about how I knew you'd trespass at my house, it was because I know you well and I've been stalking you for weeks! You really haven't changed a bit! Remember though, curiosity killed the cat!" She shimmied over next to me, jasmine rolling off her in waves.